The life and times of Lauren McClellan

Kenzie and I went down to the laundry room at two and came back up at five.  Watching all the drunks poor in was really really really fun.

I really like VCU.  My dorm is pretty nice and I have everything set up the way I want it (for the most part).

Kenzie and I went out walking around campus today.  Let it be known that our first stop was at THE LIBRARY.  See how good of students we are?  Let it also be known that the first thing we checked out was The Big Lebowski on DVD.  Yeah, I know.  Kind of contradicts the whole “you’re so academic!” thing, right? 

There are some things that happen to you that force you to grow up. Whether it’s moving out, starting college, going through a divorce, getting married, having a baby, or death, these things tug at every fiber of your being. They show you parts of yourself you never knew were there. These things take you by the hair or limbs and drag you to somewhere you’re not familiar with. There’s no way to see where it’s taking you; you can’t see the future. You are subject to its every sharp turn and every bump it decides to take you over on the ride. For some of us, the ride is long, treacherous, and lethal. For others, it’s a smooth cruise-like experience, complete with fruity drink and umbrella.

Then, that thing lets go of you. After it registers that you’re not being pulled anymore, you take a look at your surroundings. They’re not the same, and probably won’t ever be again. You process this. Then, after comparing where you are now to where you were, you ask yourself this question: was it worth it?

For your sake, I hope it is. And for my sake, I hope mine is, too.


Bye, Bristol. I leave you in four days.

I’m skipping Day 13.  No one’s really hurt me recently.

Day 14- A picture of you and your family

My cousin will probably kill me for putting this on here.

That’s my cousin Jessica, her daughter Mahala, and me.  I love playing with my webcamera’s stupid little lens features. 

Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
1. You Owe Me An IOU-Hot Hot Heat
2. Riot Van-Arctic Monkeys
3. Eleanor Rigby-The Beatles
4. Flake Music-The Shins
5. The First Song-Band of Horses
6. Take It or Leave It-The Strokes
7. Bacardi-Nada Surf
8. Hospital Beds-Cold War Kids
9. Gold Lion-Yeah Yeah Yeahs
10. Special-Mew

Unlike most of the people on my Facebook, I found out about Tumblr through the CollegeHumor staff.  They all have very entertaining Tumblrs, so I’d look at them if I were you.  The reason WHY I started using Tumblr… I noticed people on my Facebook were doing it.  Hahaha.  The reason why I didn’t use Tumblr beforehand was because I didn’t know anyone personally who had a Tumblr three years ago.  Now that I know people who have them, it seems more useful.

The one thing I will miss about high school is drama.  Nick looks like a severed head. 

This entry=LONG.  I’m so sorry.  I’m bored.  Maybe you can find something you like on here.  Don’t know.

Happy: Anything by Ted Leo.  Doin’ the Cockroach-Modest Mouse.  I Came As a Rat-Modest Mouse.  Middle of the Hill-Josh Pyke.  I Summon You-Spoon.  Turn A Square-The Shins.  Concrete Seconds-Pinback.  Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo-Harvey Danger.  Sweet Disposition-The Temper Trap.  Countdown-Jupiter One.  The Only Living Boy in New York-Simon & Garfunkel.  Non Photo-Blue-Pinback.
Happy happy happy songs: Young Folks-Peter Bjorn and John and Good to Sea-Pinback.  They are the ultimate “I don’t give a damn, I’m going to relax” songs.

Sad: The Funeral-Band of Horses.  Down the Line-Jose Gonzalez.  Cosmic Love-Florence & The Machine.  Heavy in Your Arms-Florence & The Machine.  Anything by Bon Iver and mostly anything by Sufjan Stevens. Saliva-Mew.  Be Here Now-Ray LaMontagne.  Fond Farewell-Elliott Smith.  Grapevine Fires-Death Cab for Cutie.  I Fought in a War-Belle & Sebastian.  Gold Finch and the Red Oak Tree- Ted Leo + The Pharmacists.  Late-Ben Folds.  Laura-Flogging Molly.
SADDEST SONG IN MY ITUNES LIBRARY: Sodom, South Georgia-Iron & Wine.
(Fun fact: Sam Beam went to VCU, too.)

Bored:  Absolutely anything by Flight of the Conchords. Commissioning a Symphony in C -Cake.  What People Are Mad Of-Modest Mouse.  Barely Legal-The Strokes.  Don’t You Evah-Spoon.  Never Ending Math Equation-Modest Mouse.  Peacetime Resistance-Kings of Convenience.  Human Racing-St. Vincent.  Living Room-Tegan & Sara.  One Great City!-The Weakerthans.  Danger! High Voltage-Electric Six.  Dancing With Myself-Glee Version (I love Artie :D).  Neverlost-Smashing Pumpkins.  Paris is Burning-St. Vincent.  Penelope-Pinback (It’s a deep song about the impending death… of a goldfish, I interpret.  A goldfish.)
Songs that entertain me to no end: The World is in the Terlet by Ted Leo + The Pharmacists.  I mean, come on.  The song was written/recorded in twenty-four hours by the help of listeners.  That’s awesome.  Or Hey by Pixies.  I imagine some drunk, emotional guy trying to get with a girl in a bar when I listen to this song.  But, I love it.  “We’re chuh-ah-eenned!”  Translation, for those who don’t understand the eloquent enunciation of Black Francis: “We’re chained.”

Hyped (What a stupid word):  Spilt Needles (Alternate Version)-The Shins.  Stacie Anne-The Fratellis.  Florida-Modest Mouse.  Shake the Sheets-Ted Leo + The Pharmacists.  Monkey Gone to Heaven-Pixies.  Munich-Editors.  Little Lover’s So Polite-Silversun Pickups.  Salute Your Solution-The Raconteurs. 
Best “hyped” (I hate that word…) songs: Little Dawn-Ted Leo + The Pharmacists or Slow Hands-Interpol.  Fun when you’re driving on the Interstate!

Mad: Black Cadillacs-Modest Mouse.  A lot of stuff by Smashing Pumpkins.  Apocalypso-Mew.  Panic Switch-Silversun Pickups.  An End Has a Start-Editors.  Private Eye-Alkaline Trio.  Bone Broke-The White Stripes.  When “You’re” Around-Motion City Soundtrack.
My ultimate “I’m pissssssed” song: Either Bury Me With It or Bukowski by Modest Mouse.

I finally have just about everything I need to move.  Now it’s just a matter of fitting it into totes/possibly condensing it/finding stuff in my room I need to take/packing it into my uncle’s truck/transporting it/carrying it/putting it away.

Lotsa slashies. 

1. Move to Richmond for college!
2. Move to Richmond for college!
3. Move to Richmond for college!
4. Don’t get lost in Richmond when at aforementioned college!

If you actually know me, you know that my most ambitious goal in life is to (eventually, somehow) become a screenwriter.  I know it’s a stretch, but hey- you’ve got some out-there stuff going on in your mind, too.  Anyway, I guess you could say film has a large impact on my life. 

Can Gordon Freeman count as a superhero?  He wasn’t in a comic book, but he’s pretty freaking super in the Half-Life series. 

I’ve missed some, so I’ll make them up right now.

Day 03- A picture of you and your friends. 

We went out to eat for my birthday.

Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have.

I wish I wouldn’t get out of the habit of doing things.  When I get out of the habit of doing things, I can’t fall back into step.  So my habit is that I need to keep some of my habits instead of dropping my habits.  Whoa, mind=blown.

Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to.

(That’s Chicago.)

I always try to use my actual name for every website I’m on.  I’ve tried to do it for about two years now.  So, there’s the story. 

1. Nick took that picture on Skype.  So I took this picture.

2. I wish that he hadn’t taken that picture on Skype.
3. I’m not good at talking about myself, let alone giving facts about myself.
4. I graduated from high school early because I didn’t like the way the school went about doing things.  People seem to think it was for other reasons, but those same people don’t know me very well anymore.

5. I’m more excited about starting college than I was about starting elementary school, middle school, and high school combined.  That’s understandable, though.

6. After working at Walmart, I’ll never understand why people continue to work in retail.  For those who do, you’ve got more courage than I’ve ever had.  Some of those customers who come in there… phew.  Speaking of Walmart, was this taken in the store where I used to work?  That looks exactly like our Site to Store… which I may be wrong, because all Walmarts are similar… but this one WAS taken in Virginia.

7. I want to write for a magazine or a website one day. 
8. I treat my dog (Sheldon) like he’s my baby. 

9. I’ve lived in Bristol my entire life.  (Photo credit: Briana Morris, who has a local gallery event at 606 State St. Art Gallery August 10th.) 

10. I have seen every CollegeHumor original video ever made.  Alllllllllll the way back to when Jakob Lodwick was there, “hosting” the first few.

11. Streeter Seidell is my favorite CollegeHumor guy.

12. I’ve never taken a dance class, but So You Think You Can Dance is one of my favorite shows.

13. The above picture is from my favorite routine of the season.  Alex left after that one due to an injury, which made me very sad.  I’m convinced that, had he stayed, he would have won.
14. Stephanie just tagged me in this picture.  I’m honored.

15.  I move in fifteen days.

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 02- The meaning behind your Tumblr name
Day 03- A picture of you and your friends
Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 06- Favorite super hero and why
Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why
Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12- How you found out about Tumblr and why you made one
Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14- A picture of you and your family
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16- Another picture of yourself
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23- Something you crave for a lot
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Day 25- What I would find in your bag
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30- Who are you?

Let’s do iiiiit.

This picture truly characterizes our friendship.

I spent the entire day with Nick.  We had planned on going to VHS to turn in his Physics homework, go to the mall, and then come back to my house to watch Real Housewives.  The day basically went as planned except there were no teachers at Virginia High like we had been hoping there would be.  I was sincerely wanting to see a few of my old teachers, but the building was entirely empty, save for a load of chairs and desks crowding the hallways.  The halls are newly-painted white and black and the lockers are apparently supposed to be painted orange during Christmas break.  No more dingy yellow walls and random teal-colored lockers, I guess.  The library has black shelves now.  The school board switched principals- again.  Teachers have transferred to different departments.  Some teachers and faculty have left entirely.  As soon as I leave, everything changes.

We went to the mall afterward, and we had the above picture made and Nick ate my gumball.  Thanks, Nick. We also ate at the mall, which took entirely too long.  Thank you, Chick-Fil-A.  You’re just always so damn busy.  But, you know next time I’m at the mall, I’m eating at you again, so I guess you don’t care, do you?

Then, we went to my house to start watching Real Housewives (of New Jersey- my favorite).  We didn’t so much watch it as we did bug the shit out of each other and my mom.  It was fun, nonetheless. 

Today made me realize how much I’ll miss home, I guess.  Every time I go into my room, I notice my closet.  The bars are entirely empty, save for an old tank top and a few hangers.  My living room is full of the things I plan on taking to college.  A few totes.  Some posters.  A trunk full of clothing.  My Pasta n’ More (heeeeell yes).  My sheets.  A lamp.  Some other stuff.  Nineteen more days (or should I say eighteen considering it’s very close to midnight right now) and I’m out of Bristol.  Some of my family doesn’t like that at all.  They especially hate the fact that I have no desire to come back to Bristol after college, either.  When I mention my desire to find an apartment for my second year, they leave the room.  All of my family lives in the same area, so I guess I’d technically be the first to actually “leave the nest,” as it is expressed so often.  I don’t know whether to apologize or beg them to accept it, but the last few weeks have been a mixture of both.

And I’ll miss my friends, too.  Most of them are going on to college and bigger and better things as well, but I have a few who are still in high school.  It’s no secret that I’ll miss Nick the most, but he knows he’s coming to VCU next year.  No, not Mary Washington, Nick.  VCU!  Or you’re in trouble!

I’ve rambled enough.  If you’ve read to this point, wow.  Thank you; I’m flattered.

I’m Lauren, if you didn’t guess that by the URL.  I’ve had this tumblr for a long time, but never actually used it.  I guess I will now, considering I’ve had this odd urge to make a blog lately.  So, uhm… yeah!