we made it!

443 fell out of touch for a little bit (or a few months....)... but this summer brings renewed hope in updating our lives and filling in the world on our last treasured months in the actual 443. until then, just know that... we made it!

TMI = Technology is Modern and Indecent.

One of 443's professors has a blog AND twitter.

Guess who knows more about their professor than they care to?

(He posted pictures of his house and used the term "snowpocalypse"... do you see the resemblance to Notes from the Craft Room? Maybe 443 should share their blog with said professor.... maybe... NOT.)

Also, cross your fingers for Kimmy and her horrendous amounts of work due tomorrow - you can do it!

Successes of the Week

...because if sorority interviews teach you anything, it's to make sure you show everything in a positive light! also, 443 likes lists.

1. snow = melted, temperature = 40s and even 50s at times. ah, normality.

2. reinstatement of the chore chart = clean 443 again. thank goodness. (and thank you, spax!)

3. visits from high school friends, little sisters (and pseudo-sisters), and grandparents (sub-success = making the liquor cabinet look "nice" and covering up dirty song lyrics on the cabinet before the grandparentals arrived)

4. survival of midterms (443 wake-up calls came in handy), 4 days until spring break/liberation/sleep/road trips.

5. although the Bachelor ended rather unfavorably, Liz pointed out that at least the two skanks deserved one another. so... semi-success?

6. Hosted Feb Club double power hour. Discovered the secret of 4th year: no one actually does all of Feb Club, or even half. This consoled 443 and made us feel like slightly less of party-poopers.

Basically, when it rains it pours and last week it poured midterms and busy-ness on 443. More exciting posts to come post-SB when 443 lets loose and goes wild for one final hoo-hah before graduating. Final countdown = commencing!

Pseudo-Scary Weekends

443 was full of scary moments this weekend. We'll let all of our whopping two followers pick the scariest:

(a) watching Shutter Island

(b) being told about Shutter Island

(c) waking up at 5am in the dining room with spaghetti sauce in your hair.

(d) reality

(e) weddings (again, reality)

(f) how messy 443 is right now.

Goals for next weekend: get a job, clean the house, sleep, do homework, drink less wine, don't hug kimmy when her eyes are closed after she's been told a scary story (the fear is tangible), turn the next srat Candle Pass for engagements into a Handle Pass instead.

Summary lesson of the weekend: being a legitimate person is scary and not fun right now.

Shrove Tuesday = Pancake Races

Once upon a time, Emily was a small child who celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a pancake supper at her church every year. After supper, the pancake races would be held, and she would (obviously) dominate her age division every year (until a new boy came to church and proved to be some stiff competition. But no worries, he's so drugged up now he wouldn't know a pancake if it hit him in the face).

Once upon a later time, Kimmy and Liz kindly indulged Emily's childhood reminiscing during Shrove Tuesday 2010. Liz took her to pancake dinner at St. Paul's, and then pancake races were held in 443 later that night.

Kimmy and Emily tied for first place in the races, Liz won the pancake-eating race and the good-sport race for taking the burnt pancake (it seems our stove really just doesn't like her lately - check out the epic scar on her hand for more proof). A door jamb was the only casualty.

[begin cliche here] 10,000 Maniacs once said: "And as you feel it, you'll know it's true that you are blessed and lucky." Shrove Tuesday was that kind of night. Thanks 443!

Knowledge in Kollege

The state of American education: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQfHyq-0ljg&feature=related

For more information, join a 443er in Media Studies Class, MW 3:30-4:45, Cab 132.

Also, if you decide not to watch it all, make sure you get at least the first 20 seconds, and then skip ahead to 2:21. Enjoy.

Today Marks the Beginning of Valentine's Weekend...

Sarah and Kimmy vegged out today and watched "What's Love Got to Do With It", the Ike and Tina Turner Story. Not the best movie to kick off Valentine's Day Weekend... Looking for other movies to avoid this weekend? Slate.com offers a no fail guide http://www.slate.com/id/2244354/. Enjoy!

Couchez... en ma presence

"Coochie in my presence"

Sometimes 443 switches homework and Sarah's French plays get butchered.

Just an average Monday night over here.

443 February: Superbowl and [more] Snow

Updates from the first week of February in 443:

• More snow. Apparently global warming is so conniving that it managed to switch Arctic and Virginian weather patterns for this winter. Liz led a valiant attempt to clear the driveway that ended with lots of cursing at a crappy shovel and nursing sore limbs over Mary-Kate and Ashley's final movie, "The Challenge"
• Emily, Kimmy and Liz finished rush finally and have returned to semi-normal lives (like hosting 130 girls for a potluck in 443)
• Cap and Gown week demanded that we all begin to face reality. Most of us took our garment bag of reality and put it in our closets immediately. SE also rocked C&G week in a different way, raking in the dough for our class with visions of a Newcomb class plaque dancing in her head. (Emily will probably graffiti SE's name next to said plaque when it is put in. Don't tell Casteen.)
• Sarah has a cold. Bad news bears. She discovered some delightful sparkling water in the process though!
• Emily has a fresh new crop of first years to corrupt (one of her final semester goals) between her First Year Seminar facilitation group and her new srat little-little. She has already begun sharing with them the glories and stories of 443 and beyond.
• This week was laundry week. Just in case anyone wanted to know the mundane details of our lives as well. (Although we consider ourselves lucky in comparison to a man in Charlottesville who lost his life in a washing machine accident this week)
• 443 paused for an epic House dinner on Friday night, provided by Liz and her miraculous ziti. Wine and childhood stories were in abundance (ie. Liz and her sister used to play "who-can-keep-their-face-in-the-snow-the-longest" and Kimmy's family has a home video of her sister chasing her with a booger)
• Liz hosted a Superbowl Party (although still devastated by the absence of the Patriots at the event), leaving the house with an excess of chips for the rest of time. SWEET.
• SE took Liz sledding on the corner on a pool raft - aka. the best moment of Liz's semester thus far.

peace, love, and 2010.

Snow Day at 443

Charlottesville continued it's unusual amount of snow this season when we woke up to 5 inches of snow this morning! While Emily and Kimmy checked for rush updates and Sarah set out determined to conquer the sidewalk (you should see the hardcore snow-melt salt we have), SE caught up on some sleep and Liz decided it was time for some quality playtime in the snow.

Emily and Sarah soon gave in (although the sidewalk was cleared first).

Liz made snow angels.

Kimmy even joined the fun for 16.79 seconds before she rushed off to rush!

We took advantage of the playground across the street, with only minor injuries ensuing.

Happy Snow Day from 443!

First week of spring semester

Just one week ago, we were still blissfully unencumbered with classes. Hard to believe because a lot happened over the past 7 days. Some highlights:

• Kimmy returned from India and was nearly done in by jetlag. She did make it to her classes, though, and was the shining star of her bump group.
  
• Sarah Elaine got a job and celebrated with an absurd trip to McDonalds with the 443 5! She then spent the rest of the week celebrating with cosmos, lots of bad TV, and doodling in her notebooks. Hopefully a reflection of the rest of the semester.
  
• Liz, as with everything she does, put her heart into helping first year girls through the rush process. She also went to a basktball game and a hockey match (sorta) and spent Sunday afternoon watching the playoffs. She did not, however, clean her room this week.
  
• Emily put in long hours for ISC, dealing with plenty of complaints and heavy sandwich platters with grace. She also decided to step back from her thesis so that she could have more time to handle all the other wonderful things she does, and to make sure she doesn't spend 4th year spring break in Alderman!
  
• Sarah was the ultimate hostess: A fabulous visit from her old friend, Anne Douglas, was kicked off with a round of winetasting and Thai food and a night of homemade cosmos. Sarah then spent hours slaving over a Lyon reunion/birthday dinner on Sunday. The rest of the house was lucky & got some of the left overs. Julia Child ain't got nothing on Paxton.
  
• The entire household stopped everything in their busy week to watch the premiere of Lifetime's "Pregnancy Pact." We wouldn't necessarily watch it again, but it was a lovely night together. We'll definitely drink to that.
  

Musings in the Dome Room of the Library of Congress

1. Why can't we have the Library of Congress at U.Va so I can study here all the time?

2. We shouldn't have the Library of Congress at U.Va because it distracts me in every possible way.

3. They confiscated my chapstick upon arrival and put it in the cloakroom. I really need it right now.

4. I spent the past hour trying to design a koozie instead of working on my thesis.

5. Highlight of the day: I saw a man in bright purple spandex on the metro. Then he proceeded to change and put on pants. While we were moving.

Did you know that if the LoC ever burns down, the back up is Alderman Library? Thank you, Jefferson, for that connection. Too bad they confiscated my lighter along with the chapstick...

2010! 2010!

The 443 5 rang in the New Year across 2 continents and in 2 states.

Emily counted down 2009 in the City of Brotherly Love. She needs to tell us how it was! (it was sweet, SE! full of brotherly love and lots of chicken nuggets)

Kimmy flew all the way to India to celebrate the new year complete with sheep brain meals and monkeys! Based on the picture below, it looks like she had a blast with some fellow UVa 2010ers! We're so excited to have her back on the continent in a few weeks and can't wait to hear her stories!

By an act of fate, SE's New Year's Eve plans fell through last minute and she, Sarah & Liz converged in Cville to ring in the new year together. They and a handful of friends had the snowy lawn to themselves, which Liz took full advantage of-- photos of snowy frolics to come!

Liz generously provided some vintage masks and hats, which somehow all survived the night-- one is currently occupying a spot on the mailboard at 443! SE nearly cried with joy (even though she didn't have any champagne at all) to see that the Lawn was still lit up beautifully. Sarah's beautiful laugh could be heard ringing through the columns. It was a lovely way to start off our graduation year!
We're so excited for all that this year will bring and feel blessed to be able to share some of it with each other!

Happy HOOlidays from 443!

As we began a new year, we took a moment to look back on the wild ride that 2009 has been for the five of us, in the form of the 443 Top Ten Moments:

1. Our first night in 443. The lease began, the house was finally ours, and we decided to christen it… in blood. A miscommunication over how fast Emily’s car trunk door was closing resulted in the first house injury – don’t worry, it was nothing 9 staples couldn’t fix. Ian’s head has fully recovered, and the accident brought us all a new friendship!

2. Kimmy’s return from L.A. Our last housemate finally came back to dear old U.Va, and just in time for GirlTalk! After a summer apart – Kimmy in LA interning with Disney, Liz working as a counselor for SEP, Sarah in France and then settling in upon her return, and SE and Emily orienting 2013 – we celebrated with some sangria and summer stories.

3. Wintergreen Weekends. Once each semester, we escaped Charlottesville for some scenery, R&R, and wine in the mountains. Kimmy enlightened us with Wee Sing in Sillyville and made blackmail videos, Liz pierced her eyebrow, Sarah Elaine and Emily made brownies with wine, and Sarah provided chocolate wine and got us all to share some dirty secrets.

4. The night we tried absinthe. Oh wait, that was only 3/5 of us, and it did not end well.

5. Beer Olympics. Sarah rang in 22 with some friendly competition! Liz and Kimmy won for creative cupcake artistry, Sarah Elaine won two actual medals (and slept in them that night), Emily won for clumsiest egg handling (Kimmy still hasn’t forgiven her for the loss), and Sarah won best sport when she caught her egg-toss egg with her shirt. All in all, a successful set of festivities.

6. Thanksgiving Dinner. Complete with a 16-pound turkey

and plenty of P’Andre to go around, it was a holiday/birthday (SE’s) to remember that reminded us how much of a family we are.

7. The Goodwins. Whether they are yelling at us for trying to keep up the house (we’re apparently not allowed to trim the boxwoods), hiring snow removal services and charging us for them, ripping up the rent checks accidentally, or attempting to corner Kimmy in her bedroom… they provide a unique form of entertainment.

8. Sarah and Sarah (Elaine)’s Lyon Adventure. SE made a quick break from exams in May to visit Sarah on the tail end of her semester abroad in Lyon. Meanwhile, the rest of us had to make do on Sarah’s email updates, which offered us insight into her everyday life as an expatriate, such as how she fell off a garden fence and learned about French hospitals.

9. Finals in 443. Exams this year brought out Liz's maternal side, and the rest of us benefited from a plethora of cookies and storytimes by our beloved Lucas (the Christmas tree) and menorah. Surprise Bodo's and rides to Grounds also kept us going, and 443 got all fancy and ended the semester right at Melting Pot, which included some feisty drinks (ex. "Wild Kiss") and a toast to whatever 2010 has in store for us. Definitely the best exam season yet.

10. Lighting of the Lawn. Although not as rowdy as 2008 (no one was lost or hazed, fell off a ladder, disrupted an entire library wing, or introduced themselves to a first year suitemate), it had its own charm this year. Liz helped write the poem, and SE and Emily made sure the lights went on (they did!). And 443 was definitely the loudest group singing the Good Old Song.

xoxo2o1o,

the 443 five