So let's see, what's happened since last post... My cousin Michael and I decided it was a good idea to ride our bikes to work, which is 18 miles away in Kankakee, and then we rode back. By the way, bike seats are designed to make you wish you never had a butt crack, especially after 2 hours of riding. I FINALLY convinced my friend Mitch, also the bassist of the Hoot Hoots, to come live with us in Galesburg. I sent him quite a long email and overwhelmed him with my rhetoric. So, assuming my voice gets better, we should be playing around a lot this coming year. My vow of silence has turned into a vow of "not talking so much", mostly because I don't think I could last another week. Still not singin yet though... I didn't get the job with the Galesburg Community Chorus, but I'm going to right up an email soliciting those interested in guitar lessons and have Chad (who volunteered this idea) send it to the faculty/staff distribution list. I think I can probably make enough money that way. If not, I'll just eat bread infrequently and in small portions for a few months. I'm going to see the Decemberists and DEERHOOF! (mostly just the decemberists) on the 17th, and the day before that I think I'm going to see Mason Jennings. That is if my sister doesn't come home, because that is her birthday and that would ensure a swift kick in the rolly pollys if I wasn't around. Haven't written much music per se, but I've worked out a bunch of ideas for some I've been working on a while. Also, I"ve been playing a lot of piano since my free one is now tuned (and no longer free since I paid 65 bucks for the tuning). It sounds pretty decent. Michael and I are considering going to Seattle to pick up Christina and my friend Charlie in August, but we're not sure about the details exactly yet. I still dream about the Peterson House. The last one was very odd. There were all sorts of strangers in it, and it was dark and dank, and not as beautiful without our chaotic interior designs. It was stripped and empty. I think I remember cardboard boxes lining the floors. There were many people outside, and I escaped the house by climbing on the roof and hanging on the gutters and shimming down a bush or tree or something. When I woke up, I was glad as my current reality dissolved that one. I woke up sad, though, that our house, our home, had come to that. Perhaps the dream means I'm beginning to move on, I don't know.
Pete and Emily, that really sucks about your job there. If it gets really bad, you could probably crash here for a while before school starts and everything. My mom already said she misses you Pete, and she also said she was spoiled to have such a nice house guest. So that basically means you're officially our new brother.
I might be going garage saling (saleing?) with Anthony Hinrich today. Perhaps we'll find some super sexy slutty things for me to wear.
Love you all, talk to you later.

Last night, while house-sitting at my sisters house, I decided to get good and drunk and enjoy the cool summer night night in Joliet. I went out, bought a pack of smokes, a bottle of vodka and a liter of soda. I drank down 4 or 5 large concentrated alcoholic drinks in a hour, listened to a somber tune or two and before I knew it I was blitzed, clusterfucked, drunk as a skunk (I can't pack away the booze like I could in my youth). Well, I went upstairs and passed out on the futon within seconds. I slept until four the next day. When I awoke I noticed a distinctly sour smell throughout the house. It smelled something like cat piss and there being a cat in the house, it seemed that I had found the culprit. A few hours later, when I eating in the kitchen, I noticed it was very potent. The oven! Somehow the gas had been turned on and had been on all night and all day. I don't know how long it takes for gas to fill a house and become deadly to inhabitants, but I'll tell ya, it smelled very strong everywhere in the house, so I'll say it had sufficiently filled the house. I'm lucky I didn't light a smoke. Imagine my sister coming home to find her house blown up and her charred brother inside. I'm curious to find out if anyone knows much you would need to inhale for it to be fatal because I was exposed to the gases for over 12 hours.

Holy Shit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4661059.stm

Hey P-house thugs,
Thanks for the invite Christina. Even though I did not live in the Peterson house and did not muster up the courage to venture over there much until the last few weeks of the term, I must say it was one of my favorite houses (the bunch of you rule!) even if it did smell suspiciously like cat nip. Therefore, i am honored to find myself writing a P-house blogger entry.
My summer has been awesome so far, although I've been kind of a lazy bum lately. I say summer as if come Fall I'm headed right back to Knox, but we all know that's not the case, and really I just have life-after-college stretching bleakly before me. I really severely am going to miss Knox and all of you rascals.
So the parents unbelievably presented me with a trip to New York City as a graduation present on the condition that my little brother accompany me as the tour guide. I'm glad he came, it would have been pointless to go to NY alone. We had a great time. Like Pete said, we met up with him and hung out a bit. Mostly we just strolled around Central Park. Pete and I were going to take a romantic gondola ride on the lake but the boathouse was closed. Instead we went to a cool little comedy club after getting lost on the subway and eventually stopped at a diner before Pete almost missed his train. My brother and I saw Spamalot, which was even cooler than I expected, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf, we toured the Guggenheim, the Natural History Museum, and the Rose Center for Earth and Space (the Hayden Planetarium as seen in K-Pax), took the ferry out to Ellis and Liberty Islands, and of course we ate our way through much of the city. If you ever go to the Carnegie Deli and order a Pastrami sandwich, get ready for an entire cow with two crackers on either end. It was ginormous! Sorry for that image if you are a veggie. I tried to get Andy to go to a Gentleman's club but he declined, pointing out that we were already gentleman and did not need to join a club. I think I'd have to start smoking if I lived in NY just because you're basically smoking just walking down a couple of those major thoroughfares. I love New York City though, no matter what the BBQ sauce commercial says (New York City?).
Muscular Dystrophy Summer Camp took up my life the week after New York. The kids tested my nerves as usual, but I tell ya, it would be hard to find a more humbling experience than working with disabled children. I've worked at camp for five straight summers and it holds a really special place in my heart. Now I'm working part time at a grocery store (shit) and maybe UPS (3-8 am) starting next week until I decide what to do. If I can get a job teaching tennis at one of the local clubs then my life will be much more enjoyable this summer. Otherwise it's been good to see the fam, the fireworks were rockin last night, and I'm on a medication for my toe that restricts my alcohol consumption.
I'm considering Americorps right now, but I've also applied to become a "North Pacific Groundfish Observer" based in Anchorage, Alaska (should hear back on that soon, the training program starts August 18). I'm working on applications for a couple Educational Tech positions in Estes Park, CO, Montana, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee though they're somewhat more competitive. Grad school for Forestry or Counseling is still possible but it's a little late to apply for the Fall, and then there's always the hiking in Utah thing Lindsay mentioned. My mom's all like Ben, you really need to make a decision here. She worries about me constantly so I think so it would benefit both of us if I get my act together. It should be noted that I have some trouble deciding between Kix and Honey Nut Cheerios in the morning, so you can bet these slightly more complex life decisions give me some trouble. Apart from the family dog though, I guess there does not seem to be a whole lot keeping me in St. Louis other than my deep dark fears of living a cold, lonely, fishy existence in Alaska. Hmm, I'll let you know what happens. In the meantime make sure to keep this blog sputtering along. I need to get some sleep. Hope all of you are doing well and keeping it real.

- Ben

UPDATE:
Hello,
Well I had completely forgotten that this existed until Keith e-mailed me and said that someone had mentioned it. So I invited Keith and ben. Anyone else I should invite? Well I really don't have time to post a real post So I will do so in the morning when people are not clammering for the internet.
Peace
Christina

Well here I am again writing another long catch up message. It seems that is all I am doing these days. Everyone wants to know what is going on or they e-mail me with such questions as "what's up?" and I have to say something. Anyhoo. You all knew that I was coming back to galesburg to substitute teach but all of you don't know that a week or two ago Schulz e-mailed me to tell me that I still have a shot at a Postbac fellowship. He said that SMC got a Luce Foundation grant to put towards women in the sciences. They want me to help create programming for said women and in return they would let me take classes at knox for official credit and all that. So WOOO HOOO! this also means I get to do cool things like check out books and use the computers and the like. So I'm excited, even though it is going to be the most stressfull thing ever. It'll be fun. ( :
I am still negotiating with my mom to get to take my prius with me to illinois so that I am able to get to work. I think she will say that it's okay when I talk to her again later today.
My mom keeps trying to buy me a whole new wardrobe because she thinks a lot of my clothes are "innapropriate" for europe. so i found a few things to make her happy and it turns out that they fit me really nice and I think they make me look good. Usually when I go shopping with my mom I end up looking like her, which is not what I am going for.
I am thinking of getting a short haircut when I am in italy. I mean it's going to be insanely hot and it would be nice for a change. It will always grow out right? I thought maybe it would be easier. just a thought.
So today I am finally going to see Jon whom I have not seen since winter break. I'm excited that i get to see the funniest guy I have ever had the pleasure to know personally. yay ( :
Time to eat lunch. I'm sorry to hear about all the craziness at the farm. Maybe it will get better?
I miss everyone muchly and I will hopefully see some people soon.
should I invite Jordan to join this thing? Did I already do that?
peace
CHristina