Jay Griffin

Take a sad song and make it better [20 Apr 2003|07:09pm] [ mood | discontent ] [ music | The Beatles, "Hey Jude" ] Once upon a time, Jay knew everyone at doveracademy... Wow. I’ve been gone just one week, and everything is out of sorts. People coming, going, having drama that I’m not aware of. I seem to have missed several of my high school classmates engagements. I won’t comment on that, as everyone already knows my feelings. All I have yet to say is... you have my wishes, and believe me, I gather you will need a great amount of wishes at this age. Patience is a virtue. Ah, so where to begin? I have been home in Marlay Park, Ireland with my family. Enjoying Passover time. Much of it was spent at Saint Patrick’s church. And even more was spent with my mates enjoying the pubs. I’ve become rather addicted to Guinness, but what full-blooded Irishman isn’t? My older sister Shannon was in from Paris, so we spent a bit of time out together, running amongst our shared circle of friends through downtown Dublin, partaking in alcohol crawls. I also played a great deal of football and rugby with my brothers, Colin and Sean, who are twins. My “baby” sister, Erin, followed me around constantly when we were home, and we played piano together. It just was nice to be back home, on the Griffin Estates. I seem to have lost my interest in socializing around school. Everyone is so concerned with their own little problems, they don’t think about anyone else. It really has began to bother me. I believe Americans enjoy wearing rose-tinted-”Me-Me-Me” glasses. I’ve begun to wonder who really is my friend, and who just enjoys my company. I suppose I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Perhaps I’m meant to be introverted? My piano has become my best friend when I’m not out practicing or conditioning for soccer football. Ah, I am unsure. But if anyone feels they can play a bit of woe on another person, rather than only on themselves, they are free to come visit me. I should be in my room, merely studying most of the night. 50 Had |A Hard Days Night

Suddenly, I'm not half to man I used to be... [14 Apr 2003|11:40pm] [ mood | exanimate ] [ music | The Beatles. "Yesterday" ] I have to thank those that have been patient with me. It’s been a rocky weekend, and frankly, I don’t know what to do with myself. It seems I’ve been out of sorts the past week. But alas, tomorrow is new day. Week, even. My weekend was, for the most part, spent locked in my little box of a room studying. I have an assortment of tests this weekend, so it seems my only pleasure will come from the pages of texts. Which is quite a bummer. I did, however, go to soccer football practice. I was quiet excited, because dayton_geier had his tryout, and made the team. Congrats to him! I hear I missed a party that Miss alixia_summers threw. Mixed reactions on that one, I’m not positive if it was to my benefit or my loss that I missed it. I suppose I am a bit sad that missed seeing everyone, drunk or not. I miss my friends. But I fear I’d have felt alone in that room of people. I’ve been feeling so distant as of the late. ( These lyrics completely capture how I‘m feeling, and they aren‘t even the Beatles! Shock! And awe! ) I must say, my roommate, seth_haven is extremely cool. He has great taste in music. It seems we both were a bit down, and I felt better just sort of having someone to hang out with. Silence is golden, they say, and I think we both were comfortable and appreciated it. And, I managed to cheer him a bit, which was definitely a plus. I also had a talk with linleyallman over the phone. She seemed saddened, and I did my best to cheer her a bit. We talked about dreams, about friendships and just about life. I miss seeing her. I only hope my words were enough to help her spirits raise. Near the end of the night, I snuck to the music hall. Wanting to let of a bit of steam. I’ve learned to play a few songs on my guitar, sitting alone in my room. But I’d been neglecting the piano. It was hard to play either one with a broken finger, so now that it’s healed I’ve just had an urge for a musical release. brynn_jones stopped in, and just talked to me for awhile. She was concerned about me. I wish I could talk to her, but I can’t help but feel weird around her, still. I get a bit disgusted when she talks about love. Everyone knows my stance on that, though, so I won’t get into it. Speaking of my thoughts on the L word, I had a long talk with the birthday girl of the day, illiana_moore. She told me two bits of gossip that I found quite disturbing. One was about love and the other about hate. And one was about me, and one was about a set of my friends. But I will leave the guess work to inquiring minds, because I don’t care to repeat either snippet. But evidently one of those two friends didn’t want to say anything to me, because she knew what my reaction would be. Today, Sunday, I merely went to church in the morning. Was Palm Sunday, after all. Miss Linley attended with me, though we didn't do much talking or anything. I think we both were a bit on the tired side. Or perhaps thoughtful? I believe I will be going home this weekend, to be with my family for Passover. Easter Sunday. It’s always quite a large celebration, the Rise of Christ, at the Griffin estate. We’ve always been a religious family, and I suppose I have those morals embedded within me. I couldn’t bare to be without them on the holiday. This American church I’ve been attending doesn’t compare to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. I spoke with megg_ and calista_joshuan, too, but it was quite brief. They were concerned for me. I thank them for thinking of me, but really, I am going to be all right. I promise, I will make a valiant effort to be around a bit more during the week. Maybe not on Monday, because I’ve volunteered to spend the day locked away in the library, studying up on the history of Japan for Model UN. It’s odd, I miss everyone more now then I did when I was in Ireland. And I’m right here at doveracademy. 19 Had |A Hard Days Night

It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog [12 Apr 2003|07:05am] [ mood | tired ] [ music | The Beatles, "A Hard Days Night" ] I have been so entirely busy this past week, it’s a wonder that my batteries haven’t died. I get up every morning at 5, go for my morning star-gazing jog, come home to shower and such, and then it’s on to classes -French, American History, Calculus, Gym, Lunch, Literature, Drama/Music, and then Physics - and once classes are over, I proceed straight to Model UN meetings, attempt at having a quick dinner and then heading straight on to soccer football practice, which as Captain I have to be the first to arrive and last to leave. Some days I have piano lessons after practice, too. And after all this, around 9pm, I am finally able to get back to my room and do classwork. doveracademy keeps me busy! Thursday night, I believe, I attended a party held in honor of the birthdays of eva_rodriguez and dominik_cole. It’s terrible, I can’t even recall where the party was at, I merely followed christian__‘s instructions. I didn’t stay too long, though, I was so sleepy that I could barely keep up with all the fast-paced things going on around me. I was there just long enough for devon_james to grope me, and to meet dayton_geier who seemed to be the only sober person there. Earlier that day, I managed to collide with krysh_mason, who I’ve since promised to take to McDonalds. I hope to get around to that this weekend, I feel terrible about running into her. Also, I have a pizza-date with clair_leblanc, which should be nice, as she always helps me to relax. alana_kyle and I have been talking. She’s quite amusing, I do believe she is one of my closest friends here as of late. She enjoys Conor’s jokes as much as I do. I also wanted to point out the fact that she’s much cuter than me. My evidence is these three photos, which I must insist that you all look at: One, Two, and Three. Need I any more proof that she is in fact more adorable than I? Silly Aussie. It’s quite sad, really, after my long day of classes and such, I spent my Friday night passed out in my bed. So much for promising my new roommate, seth_haven, a good time, eh? He seems a bit on the quite side, I hope my constant chatter doesn’t bother him too much. He’ll have the room to himself for the most part, it seems lately I’m only there to sleep, shower and study. Hopefully, now that it's the weekend, I can be around a bit more. I miss my friends! And because I can't keep all these birthdays straight, Happy Birthday! to everyone who has a birthday or has had a birthday in the last few days. I never realized there were so many April-babies! 20 Had |A Hard Days Night

Well, shake it up, baby, now! [10 Apr 2003|02:09pm] [ mood | busy ] [ music | The Beatles, "Twist & Shout" ] I was much too tired to update yesterday, so I’m at liberty to backtrack for yesterday’s events. But first, Happy Birthday to my friends, eva_rodriguez and dominik_cole. I went with Eva to get her tattoo last night, and paid for it as a gift. She didn’t want to let me, but I insisted. It’s an adorable little butterfly, if you see her around, definitely ask her to show! And for Dom, I’ve not yet gone to visit him, as I know he’s been quite ill the past few days, but when I do, I hope he enjoys the Irish Whiskey I brought back for him. I know it isn’t much, but it’s a bit hard to think of presents for him. Perhaps I’ll purchase him a tattoo as well? It’ll be an excuse for me to get a third one! ( And another Irish joke that Conor told me ) Ha! I think that one is a classic. Quite funny. alana_kyle likes my silly jokes and toasts, so there is her entertainment for the evening. We’ve been hanging out a bit, walking between classes together and such. She understands the woes of being a foreigner. I’ve also been spending quite a bit of time with clair_leblanc, mostly over the telephone as we’re both on seemingly different schedules. On a completely random note, in my Literature class, my Professor said something that has struck me as quite American and observant - “The world loves labels. Labels are convenient. Living with a label makes you convenient.”. It seems very thought-provoking to me. It would be quite simple for all of us to live a cliche life, let other peoples thoughts of us shape how we feel about ourselves. I suppose all this school-gossip has gotten to me, has made me more mindful of how I treat others. If someone talks to me, I make sure to respond and comment back, because that’s the thing I would want people to do for me. I’m very much supportive of the “Treat Everyone with Respect and You’ll Get Respect Back” theory. That being done, I’m off to soccer football conditioning... 20 Had |A Hard Days Night

Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da, life goes on bra, la-la, how the life goes on. [09 Apr 2003|02:45am] [ mood | listless ] [ music | The Beatles, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” ] For shame on me, for being so out of whack the past few days, eh? I’ve just been incredibly busy, trying to catch up on sleep, conditioning for soccer football, preparing for Model UN, practicing for my piano recital coming up, and studying for my classes. Once I get into the groove of things again, I’ll be fine. My world was just a bit thrown of by that trip home. I've got to get my mind back on doveracademy. That, and I seem to have lost my roommate,luke_watson! It seems my Pixie-friend tianna_jacobs always manages to find me when I’m a bit groggy and in an unpleasant mood. With all the snow accumulating outside, I must say I find it rather disagreeable. I do I dislike the mess it makes, I dislike how it gets everything wet, I dislike how it crunches under your shoes. I could go on and on about how sour snow makes me. I did stand out there with her for a bit, before deeming it too cold and excusing myself to go to study hall, which I arrived late for. The rest of the class-day was rather uneventful. Afterwards, I went to Model UN meetings. And then to the gym to work out a bit. As I was walking home, I noticed that the church across from campus was having a blood drive, and I went to offer my services. They didn’t seem to mind the fact I’d recently gotten two tattoos, and proceeded on gloating about what a rare blood type that I have. I do believe the Nurse hadn’t a clue as to what she was doing, for she managed to leave quite a large and unfashionable bruise and a lump the size of a golf ball on my arm. That, and my broken finger, makes my right arm quite an unattractive sight to be seen. Despite my attempts at studying for my American History exam, I wasn’t able to concentrate on it in the least bit. I told myself I was merely going to put on my sleeping clothes, crawl between the blankets and proceed to study from there, but I do believe I feel asleep several times. I was thankful for not one, not two, but rather four interruptions. The first being Miss eva_rodriguez, just looking for someone to talk with, and I offered her a bit of tea. I do hope I was able to lift her spirits. tyler_beckham called me, and though the conversation was brief, I’m afraid I don’t remember much from it, aside from him wishing to go to Starbucks. clair_leblanc stopped by, and we made plans to spend some time together tomorrow, when I wasn’t so sleepy. And the last person to wake me was seven_barclay, who was quite upset. He came to find me, needing someone to talk with. I offered to let him sleep in the empty bed in my room, which he did so quite willingly. I feel bad for him and his situation. I suppose I should post something more cheerful, as this entry is a bit sad. Here is a ( Joke that Conor told me ) Evidently it's been around since the first Gulf War, and it was recently republished in a local newspaper. Funny, Irish egos, eh? It's often joked about, how brash Irish folks are. Story-tellers, too. But I did find the joke quite funny. As you can imagine it, in Conor's cockney. It’s really quite odd to me, thinking about the war and such. If I had mates over there in the war, I do believe I’d be quite supportive. I’m very patriotic concerning my country, so if Ireland the ones who initiated a operation, I'd be the first to sign up. It isn’t my country, though, so I can’t think too much on the subject. I do fear that one day, the Americans will boot all foreign-exchange students from the country. Enough of my jabbering, though. I need to get back to reading about how American’s perceive their history to have occurred. I do think my British mates would find it quite entertaining. I, however, am only hoping that the caffeine in the tea managed to wake me a bit. 31 Had |A Hard Days Night

You say why and I say I don't know, oh no. [07 Apr 2003|11:17pm] [ mood | groggy ] [ music | The Beatles, "Hello Goodbye" ] I’m a bit out of it today. I blame United Airlines, for not allowing me the proper sleep that I need, and the fact my nocturnal clock is out of whack. There is quite a bit of a time change from Ireland to doveracademy, mind you. And I found it difficult to sleep after the flight, so I just unpacked, and then decided to go on a jog, forgetting about sleep all together. Shame on me. I wish I could recall all the events of the day, but they seem to blur together in my sleepy little mind. I managed a detention in American History, when my professor asked me to name a National Monument and I said Kilmainham Gaol, a historic prison in Dublin. Evidently she thought I was mumbling something beneath my breath, and said my sarcasm would not be accepted. After classes, I do recall everyone collecting in the common room. A lot of people filtered in and out, but mostly I just remember devon_james groping me in attempt at waking me up, tyler_beckham and seven_barclay being just as exhausted as I was, billiexhagan singing, brynn_jones shoving a Twinkie in my face, drake_aubrey having a stare-down contest, and katrina_cole being quite cross with everyone, especially me. alixia_summers and ___ali and I were the last three to leave the little gathering, I believe, and Ali promised to make me a glittery poster. Anyone else I may have forgotten, please forgive me. I’m lacking long-term memory storage skills tonight. The one event of the night that sticks out most clearly in my mind is resting with clair_leblanc. I’m uncertain about how she felt when I popped over with a silly yellow daffodil, but I know I was happy to see her. She seemed concerned with my sleepy state of mind, and allowed me to stretch out on the extra bed in her dorm room, while “interviewing“ me on what it was like to be a foreign student. It was relaxing. Finally a brief moment of peace. When I returned to my room for the night, I had an amusing conversation with my best friend, Conor, over the telly. He was insisting that I was turning into a Culchie - which means an outsider - and went on with his silly Irish slang for everything. I do believe Americans would simply stare at him in disbelief if he were to talk. Here’s a snippet of his silly babble - “Do ye think I came down the liffey on the last banana boat?! Look at ye, goin’ out an cultivatin’ yourself! Ima goin’ out with the mot tonight, lad, out on the raw for some box! Did you get your gee yet, Blue? Ha! Get out o‘that garden!” - Translation? Generically, it means that I’m a prude and he isn’t, but I won‘t go into details because he‘s a bit graphic. His nickname for me is Blue, like the bird, blue jay. He’s an amusing lad, truly, and is my best mate. But I think that most of my friends here would be dumbfounded with his speech and how incredibly blunt he is. Hopefully I’ll be a bit more alive tomorrow, I really apologize to everyone that happened to talk to me today and I may have dazed out on. I fear my mind was on other things. 31 Had |A Hard Days Night

It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out, it doesn't matter much to me. [06 Apr 2003|11:58pm] [ mood | thankful ] [ music | The Beatles, "Strawberry Fields Forever" ] I do have a quarrel with United Airlines. But first, the events of my day - I woke this morning, a bit groggy but nothing a dose of coffee couldn’t fix. Dressed in my Sunday’s best, a nice suit and hat, to attend church with my family. Much of Mass was me holding my little sister Erin on my lap, as she sucked her thumb and slept on my shoulder. You’d think she was 4, the way she carries herself, but alas, she is 8. She attached herself to my hip, and insisted upon tagging along with the rest of us siblings to attend my sister Shannon's friend Sophie’s Step-dance competition, which was amazing. I have decided that I want to learn to dance, any type of dance. Now I have to find a teacher with a bit of patience and toes of steel. As we drove to the airport, Grandmother Penrose told me an interesting story. An old Irish tale, about Heaven and Hell. It’s merely a joke, but I found it to be quite thought-provoking: In life, you have two choices. life or death. If you choose the first one, you have another set of choices: Good health or death. If you choose the first one, you must choose between living a good life, or abandoning the ways of the Lord. If you choose to live a good life, you’ll be in Heaven, as promised in the bible. If you live the bad life, you’ll be so busy shaking the hands of your mates in Hell that you won’t have time to think about the other option you had. I sat back with a slight smile, to consider this. Saying goodbye to my family is always quite difficult, and there were many tears and hugs and pinched cheeks and kisses and pictures before I left them to go through the security point. Erin attempted at fitting into my duffle bag with the rest of my things, insisting she wanted to come to the States. It’s quite cute, I don’t think she left my side the whole day. Mother made sure I had plenty of snacks and good books and such to read, and Father gave me a backpack full of Irish liquors to enjoy. Grandmother Penrose left me with a great deal to contemplate, while the twins each giving me big hugs and thanking me for the tattoos. Shannon kissed my cheek and promised to write more often from Paris. I will miss them all greatly. I suppose it’s a relief knowing that they’re just a phone call away. I flew from Dublin to London, which took but a little over an hour. For some reason, my flight to Washington, DC was delayed, I was told it was because of the weather. So I sat alone, in the airport, for a good 3 hours, waiting to hear them call the flight numbers. And waiting. And waiting. I got all of my homework done, however, so I suppose I should look at that as a bright side. During my lengthy wait, I also happened to meet a few new people: A couple in their late 20s who’d just gotten married, and were returning from their honeymoon. They were very much in love, I doubt either one of them even really noticed me, they were so busy smooching and staring into each others eyes, telling me the joys of their trip. It just reminded me of my boycott against using the word, love, unless I truly mean it. I also made a new friend, a 4 year old and her Grandmother, who told me all about how the trip was a chance for the girl to see her mum, who’d been activated to Germany duty in the Army Reserves. I also met an American business woman in her early 20s, who spoke to me about traveling and informed me on more and more of the American adolescent culture that seems to confuse me greatly. I learned a bit more slang, which I’ll have to test out later on my friends. When my flight was finally called, we flew the incredibly long distance from London to Washington, DC, leaving London at 7:35PM and arriving in Washington at 10:35PM. Luckily, my flight to Vermont was just an hour after, and running on schedule, so after a series of metal detectors and such - which my little finger-clamp-thing managed to set off, as I thought it would - I was on the last charter to doveracademy. The flight took just over an hour, then the cab drive to the school. And to think, I’ve got classes tomorrow morning! But, it is good to be back. I was greeted by charity_peach, ciara_nelson, randi_core, and seven_barclay, who were all burning the midnight-oil. I spoke with Seven about possibly trying out for the cheerleading squad, as long as it wouldn’t interfere with soccer football practices. Just to see familiar faces and bright smiles made that hectic flight seem not so bad.... 31 Had |A Hard Days Night

Soon will be the break of day, Sitting here in Blue Jay Way [05 Apr 2003|11:20pm] [ mood | happy ] [ music | The Beatles, “Blue Jay Way” ] Vacation is going quite well, being home in Ireland is very relaxing. My broken finger upset my worrisome mother, so we went to the doctor and had it set in a little stiff metal-and-padded clamp-like thing. It is quite awkward, being unable to bend or move it. I suppose I’m lucky to be left-handed, but I feel silly to shake hands with such a funny-looking brace on my finger. I do believe that the strip of metal might delay me at the American airports! My "baby" sister Erin drew a sun tattoo on her own stomach with permanent marker this morning, causing my mother to be a bit upset about the tattoos the rest of us got. But everyone seems to enjoy them, and the twins feel quite special at being the only 14 year olds’ around with inking. Big sister Shannon has not stopped complaining about hers being sore, but I think she’s excited with the result, as she's parading around with little belly shirts and insisted upon buying a new belly-ornament for her piercing there. And my Grandmother Penrose has started calling us each by affectionate little nicknames having to do with the sun - I’m “Helios”, the Greek God. The day was spent mostly enjoying the terrific weather, being outdoors while it was still sunny. Played a lot of football against an assortment of Marlay Park mates. After a great deal of fierce and sometimes overly aggressive games, the twins and myself went home, cleaned up scrapes and bruises and dirt and such, and re-dressed to head to the pub-crawl with those same friends. Many of the girls were out as well and my cheeks are probably more bruised than my knees due to all the pinches I’ve received. Are my cheeks so charming? I did get splendidly drunk, and the lot of us went to my best mate Conor’s place. I learned the card game of Yukor, as well as a few interesting drinking games my pals attending British boarding schools had learned. There was a terrific brawl between my friends Shaun and Aron, but after a few more drinks they were back to being friendly blokes. Shannon and her collection of flirty friends joined us later, and I spent the evening trying not to blush at the silly little kisses they seem love to shower me with. Her friend, Sophie, taught me to do a bit of Irish Step-dancing. I’m quite convinced all of my friends at Dover would laugh at my drunken attempt at Riverdance. Miss Sophie, however, is incredibly entertaining to watch with her brilliant smile, thick red mass of bouncing curls and dancing feet, she looks a bit like a porcelain doll! The lot of us promised to attend her concert-show tomorrow in Dublin after Sunday Mass, so that seems to be what I’ll be doing before I catch my flight. It’s always quite fun to spent time with friends. I’ve just made it back to my family’s home, and thought I’d catch you all up on the silly tales from Ireland. For those that miss me so, I've thrown in a silly photo that Conor took of me. I’ll be back at doveracademy sometime tomorrow evening. 45 Had |A Hard Days Night

Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here. [04 Apr 2003|05:13pm] [ mood | refreshed ] [ music | The Beatles, “Here Comes The Sun” ] Twas a beautiful day in Marlay Park, Ireland. It’s 8*C 46*F and just a tad cloudy, which is a very nice comparison to the mere -3*C 27*F I left behind at doveracademy. Apparently I’m missing out on a brilliant storm Mother Nature has brewed-up in Vermont. But enough about the weather! After my incredibly long wait in the American airport and the double-long oversees flight, I was greeted by my open-armed mother and siblings, excited to hear of my tales in the Land of the Free. I was rushed about and fussed over, it was quite a splendid event! Upon arrival at the Chateau, my parents had arranged a rather large and boisterous party for my birthday. I got bloody drunk with some of my mates, and I’m sorry to say I don’t recall much about the evening, aside from the tell-tale smudges of assorted colors of lipstick marking my cheeks - Irish kisses from my silly aunts, female cousins and Grandma Penrose, no doubt! - a quite painful headache I awoke to, and the delightful mess the maid was cleaning up this morning. I’m quite excited, just one more year until I’m 18 and legal to drive here! Today, I woke up to the twins, Colin and Sean, jumping about my bed chambers and demanding that I join them on the greens for a bit of a competition. As most of you know, I’m quite a soccer football enthusiast, as is most of my family, and so it was quite a spectacle. Despite being a bit ill, I managed to get ready and satisfy their persistent pleads, joining my younger sister Erin in a battle against the twins. She is quite scared of the ball, I do believe, so it made the match quite amusing as she was playing goalie. It was rather an even bracket, the twins versus myself, and in the end, the match was drawn, and we went in for a late lunch. The evening I spent with my dear older sister, Shannon. We’re quite close, and I’ve missed her so. She attends a university in Paris, France, and delighted me with stories from there. After seeing my tattoo, she was quite headstrong about getting one herself. And the twins begged and pleaded to tag along, so we all made our way to the ink-parlor. Shannon, who has always been the assertive one in the family, chose the location and the tattoo that the four of us would get - a lovely little shining sun just below the naval. She justified this by saying it would keep us always thinking on the bright side of things, and remind us that there are many stars in the universe - meaning that we’d always have each other. I made good use of the camera that rob_northam gave me for my birthday, and let my sister Shannon take a photo of My New Tattoo. I think it‘s quite charming, really, it reminded me of clair_leblanc‘s inking. I’m excited to show it off to dominik_cole and devon_james, the tattoo extremists. I do miss everyone so! As I’m the heir to the Waterford Wedgwood corporation, my Grandma Penrose tends to favor me best of all my siblings and cousins. I suppose it’s by luck I was born the first male of the generation. She was fussing over my tattoos, all the lovely Irish gifts my friends had given to me, and was quite sure that I’d gotten too skinny while in the States, insisting that I eat her potato leak with every meal. I don’t mind, her soup works wonders on the soul, as does her insightful wisdom regarding the ways of the world. I love to listen to her Irish Proverbs. I do believe she’s my muse and a brilliant mentor. As a birthday gift, she gave me a rosary that’s been in her family for generations and generations. I know I’ll cherish it greatly, it carries with it so much history. I attended Friday mass with her this evening. I kept thinking of the little prayer from Boondock Saints. It is beautiful: And shepherds we shall be, for thee my lord for thee. Power hath descended forth from thy hand so our feet may swiftly carry out thy command. And we shall flow a river forth to thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. I suppose I’ll leave you all with that, as it’s time for me to join my family for a late supper, and then head off to the pubs with my mates to enjoy my stay here at home. 35 Had |A Hard Days Night

Yeah, you've got that something, I think you'll understand, when I feel that something... [03 Apr 2003|09:22pm] [ mood | energetic ] [ music | The Beatles, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” ] My friends truly are the best. I’ve said it before, and I don’t think I can stress it enough. I woke up to a shower of gifts. My Pixie Idealist, tianna_jacobs, left me an adorable note and a beautiful little daisy chain. devon_james shimmied over with a few interesting gifts: an Irish Grateful Dead t-shirt, a Celtic-engraved black belt, a Celtic stylized wallet, and a silly costume, that he insists I’m to wear to Prom, though I may have to disappoint him. brynn_jones gave me a Yesterday Beatles vinyl, she knew it was my favorite song, and I think she was happy that I offered the name “Oliver” for her puppy. My British mate rob_northam must have enjoyed my photo techniques, because he got me DiMAGE Xi digital camera, which I do believe that I’ll be reading the instruction manual during my flight! I was also gifted an apparent “mood ring“ by alana_kyle, though I’m still uncertain that I understand what each color represents. ___ali gave me an amusing Marilyn Monroe performance! I was quite surprised at getting a gift from sarah_harding, she presented me with a hello and a lovely bottle of cologne! The most unique gift of the night had to be the “box of things“ that natalie_kays gave to me - I’m uncertain if they’ll be used, but it definitely turned my face several shades of red - and Natalie, since you insist on being given a long bit in my update, I will include that your lap-dance from earlier in the week was terrifically naughty and that you‘re super. I also received countless birthday wishes, too many to list, but I thank you all! I feel incredibly special that people think so highly of me! Dev and dominik_cole decided to throw me a birthday party in their room, and I have to say, I am more than honored by it. Thank you to all those who showed up, I’m sorry I was sort of out of it! The most interesting event was a three-way kiss with my dear friends Dev and Dom, the girls all seemed quite amused by it, and norah_xavier teased she was jealous so I offered her a kiss as well. Tomorrow’s Birthday-girl clair_leblanc was a bit down, so I pulled her along with me to go back to my room and send me off. I wanted to know what was the matter with her. I found out, and I was a bit more than surprised. But things worked out quite nicely, and I suppose I have a bit to think about while I’m gone. And, now I go to the dreaded airport to load onto a plane. I really dislike how long it takes with all these silly American rules about terroritsts and such. I mean, the last time, I think it was my magnetic personality that set the metal detector off. Ok, so maybe it was simply the rivets of my jeans, but still! Try not to miss me too greatly. My return to doveracademy is scheduled for sometime on Sunday. I will try to update as much as I can from home... Edit: Can I say how excited I am about the upcoming sequel to my favorite movie, Boondock Saints?! It's the best. I highly recommend it for weekend rentals! 13 Had |A Hard Days Night

It's my birthday too--yeah! [03 Apr 2003|04:16am] [ mood | cheerful ] [ music | The Beatles, "Birthday" ] My birthday has barely started and here I am, showered with kisses and congratulatory notes. My friends are the greatest, I truly appreciate all they do for me. I'm quite happy with just being acknowledged! My morning started out quite well, sharing a morning tea with rob_northam. He’s quite fun to talk to, as we‘re both from the same general area in Europe, and he teased me a bit about how much I’m not quite the morning person. I blame that on the Irish blood. I promised to tag along with him later in the afternoon when he got his tattoo. Alas, I had to get to class. Class, class, class, what can I say, it is essentially just the same thing every day, learning a bit more each time. I happened to run into, or be ran into by, my Pixie-friend tianna_jacobs. She offered me a bit to drink, a coffee to wake me up, as she somehow knew of my foggy morning skills. So I proceeded on with my day, the double-does of caffeine to wake me up. Unfortunately, I was gone most of the evening, packing and making a trip to the travel agency to get prepared for my flight to Ireland. I went along with Rob as he got his tattoo, which looks quite great! When I got back to campus, I spent a bit of time at the gym running laps about the track, toning and conditioning for soccer football. I made the team, as I said before, as a starter. I'm quite excited because my friend, riley_daniels, has made it as well! While I was making my way back, through the dark, to return to my dorm room, I tripped over brynn_jones, who was laying in the middle of the courtyard. The fall managed to break my right ring finger, and she insisted on taping it for me. As I still feel a bit uncomfortable around her, I thanked her and went along my way. I wasn’t going to fill out doveracademy‘s ballot for Prom Royalty, but I gave it some thought and finally voted for clair_leblanc for Prom Queen. It was a tough choice, as I’m friends with most of the nominees. I do think all of them deserve it, especially calista_joshuan, my decorating partner and the Queen of Hearts. But Clair, I’ve never seen her so happy about something, and it makes me want more than anything for her to win. I didn’t put a vote in for Prom King. I though that it wouldn’t be fair for me to do so, since I’m nominated and I really don’t know the other candidates that well. Which brings me to another topic that I’ve given some thought to. The whole Prom Date drama that seems to be stressing everyone out. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to go solo. That way, I can dance with all my friends who don’t have dates, and I can take pictures with everyone and buy flowers for all the girls going stag. I think this way, the night will be more enjoyable. Not having a date means I’m free to roam around and chat with everyone. I dislike to upset anyone, it’s my biggest fear that my actions could hurt someone, and I feel that choosing one friend to attend the event with is too much of a difficult decision for me. I feel terrible, as I’ve already hurt one of my best friends with this decision. And before I retire for the night, I give my thanks to those friends who sought me out just as the clock struck the hour of my birthday. seven_barclay, randi_core, and norah_xavier all offered me sweet little birthday kisses. Clair, Calista, charity_peach, devon_james and tyler_beckham offered their birthday wishes to me. billiexhagan even sang me a birthday song, even though we just met! That, and I was offered a terrific rendition of the birthday song by riley_daniels. And despite my insistence that no one buy me anything, illiana_moore and ciara_nelson got me a Beatles Sergeant Pepper Lava Lamp, which impresses me to no end! dominik_cole gave me a beautiful Celtic Cross! I really don't understand all the hoopala over me, but I appretiate it all. I've got the greatest friends. As I myself am going to be gone, I wanted to leave Clair with Her Birthday Gifts, a day early. I left them outside her dorm room door this morning, decorated in a gold-paper wrapped box with balloons and an oversized bow. I do hope she enjoys them, especially the crystal piece from the family business, it’s my favorite. My flight leaves this evening, so I will be out and about today. Hopefully the broken finger and the itchy tattoo won't be too uncomfortable. I am going to miss everyone and Dover over the weekend, but I promise to attempt at updating on the events that occur at Penrose Chateau, my families little estate, whenever I can. Au revoir, as the French say! 34 Had |A Hard Days Night

Lend me your ears, and I'll sing you a song, And I'll try not to sing out of key [02 Apr 2003|03:27am] [ mood | jubilant ] [ music | The Beatles, "A Little Help From My Friends" ] So, I have to thank the following ladies for nominating me for doveracademy‘s Prom King: calista_joshuan, katherinewatson, norah_xavier, turn_the_paige, and ___ali. They are all incredible sweethearts, I’m flattered and I do believe they’re off their knockers for thinking I deserve such a prestigious title. The soccer football tryouts were held today, and as expected I made it as a starter, no contest. I really believe Americans have no talent for the game. Probably has something to do with them not calling it by it's proper name. Anyway, as I was walking back to the dorms, I had that odd tingling sensation that someone was watching me, just as I had the day before after practice. I checked behind me a few times, with nothing there. And suddenly appears tianna_jacobs. I do believe she’s a little pixie. And I hope she doesn’t bite, as I’ve heard pixies do. She insists that she’s heard things about me from “groupies”, though I’m uncertain what she’s talking about. What does that phrase even mean? She wouldn’t expand on the subject. We discussed ideals as she walked me back to my dorm, and blew me a pixie-kiss goodbye. After changing from my uniform, I met up with natalie_kays, brayden_donahue, bennett_manning, and alixia_summers. It was finally time for that little ink-job I’d been so excited for. Natalie was upset with me, I do believe, so we had to get a few things cleared up. I’m beginning to learn that false rumors get started about everyone. People kept coming and going - Ali, Norah, tyler_beckham, clair_leblanc, randi_core, seven_barclay, illiana_moore, christian__, brynn_jones, devon_james, and dominik_cole showed up as well. Tattoo Blue was certainly the hot spot today! Although we weren’t drunk, I do believe the tattoo shopkeepers thought we were, it was quite rowdy and a great many laughs were shared. They didn’t complain, but then, they probably made a fortune on all the piercing and tattoos! I can’t even begin to describe all the events that took place. It was quite an interesting little adventure. So you‘re all dying to know what I got, right? Well, branded on my left bicep is this: My new Tattoo! I’m sure it will be quite fussed over at home, Grandma Penrose will love it. It’s a Celtic Cross, which in effect is a symbolic spiritual diagram. The circle represents wholeness, the roundness of the Earth, or female energy, and the cross represents the four directions of movement in the form of the winds, seasons and so on, also meaning male energy. So the two symbols superimposed express the ’both ways state’ of being and becoming in harmony or balance. The circle is the original sign, the prime symbol of the nothing and the all, in which man finds and loses himself. A very Irish symbol indeed. It ended up being just Clair, Dev, Dom, Ali, Randi, and myself later in the evening. We mostly talked about the approaching Prom, and it was quite an event trying to persuade Dom to agree to go. We failed miserably. It’s a shame, too. I am looking forward to the night, as we’ve all agreed to get a limo together and Clair’s already rented the “Honeymoon” suite at The Villages Grand Hotel Resort where Prom is being held... we had to snatch it up before anyone else got the bright idea. We’re so bloody brilliant! The night ended, as we slowly tapered off, one or two at a time. I walked Clair to her dorm, as we were the lone two left. We both are convinced that Prom wouldn’t be the same if the school’s Power Couple wasn’t there. What fun would it be if Dom and Dev don’t come? I think a scheme may have to be arranged. Besides, the decorations are being done by the King & Queen of friendliness, Irishman Me and Gimp Calista! They couldn't miss out on that! After leaving Meridian, I was making my way back to my dorm, Summit, when I met ciara_nelson. She’s new around here, and quite friendly. We both are proud of different our heritages. It was a brief but pleasant conversation. I finally got back to my room, I'd barely spent a minute there all day! So now it’s time to do a bit of studying, and maybe get a bit packed up since I’m leaving for home on Thursday afternoon. Hopefully I won’t roll over onto my tattoo in the night, it’s a bit tender still. 39 Had |A Hard Days Night

Please please me, whoa yeah, like I please you. [01 Apr 2003|01:16am] [ mood | mellow ] [ music | The Beatles, "Please Please Me" ] Perhaps I was wrong before, when I said Mondays aren’t so bad. I managed to arrive late to my first period class, having not woken up on time. In 7th period, I was asked to leave the class - but more about that later. And after school, what was supposed to be a jolly time with my mates ended up in an unpleasant fight. So, that was my day. You can stop reading here if you don’t want all the juicy details. Classes at doveracademy are quite uninteresting. I start the day with French, proceed to American History and then Calculus, finally to Gym and then lunch. The last half of my day consists of Literature, Drama/Music, and then Physics. My last two classes of the day, I have with brynn_jones. She taught me the art of passing notes in class, only managing to get us kicked out of the lecture, with a promise of a detention. Brynn insisted we wouldn’t be in trouble, and we tried to decide on something to do. All in all, we ended up going on a golfing excursion. I think I frightened her with my maniac driving. But it was a good time, a bit of flirting but mostly just goofing off on the greens. It’s a bit like crochet, and I was having more fun wacking the ball off into the distance than trying to actually aim it in any way. I can't help but feel as if she's setting me up for another cold shoulder. I came back to my room, only to be invited over to alixia_summers‘s room for a bit of a get-together. It was there that I experienced my first devon_james and dominik_cole argument. I was quite distressed, but they reassured me that it was simply temporary. Like the Three Musketeers, we’ve decided that from here on out we’ll be known as the Alkeyhall Trio. We had been planning on getting tattoos, along with natalie_kays, brayden_donahue, and tyler_beckham. I do believe that calista_joshuan, ms_m_kennedy and seven_barclay where both at the pre-tattoo party. However, due to the drama, this was held off for another day. And I had been quite excited about getting inked as well! I suppose tomorrow is another day. And perhaps then, I’ll remember to invite katherinewatson the next time? Calista and I made our own little list of Kings and Queens, all for fun, just to cheer up our friends, since everyone seems to be fussing out over the entire Prom issue. I don’t have a Prom date, either, but I’m not too concerned. I for one, would perfer to go with either Jack Daniels, Jose or Morgan. Ha! I mean, it’s nearly two months away, who is to say what will happen between now and then? I’m flattered that she has nominated me for Prom King, I don’t believe I deserve it but I do so appreciate the gesture, it’s quite an ego boast. I’ll be heading to Ireland for the weekend, I do believe, Thursday afternoon. Tis my 17th birthday on that day, and my parents are quite certain they want to throw an extravaganza at the Chateau. Lovely, aren’t they? Ah, but to be back to Dublin will be pleasant, spending the time with my childhood mates and my silly siblings. My older sister Shannon is thrilled because she was abroad in France, and wants to show off her purchases there, and the twins, Colin and Sean, are sure that they can defeat me and my younger sister Erin in a rugby match. It’ll be a jolly good time being home. Edit: Calista and I have started a campaign, we're determined to be the King and Queen of Friendliness on campus. No more pouting about not having friends, people! You have a Gimp and an Irishman who love you! 21 Had |A Hard Days Night

You can get it wrong and still you think that it's alright. [31 Mar 2003|08:01am] [ mood | contemplative ] [ music | The Beatles, "We Can Work It Out" ] A saying here in the States, I believe, is that Mondays are the worst day of the week. I would have to disagree. Sunday is, in my book. For one, it’s the Lord’s day, so sinning on a Sunday is just an automatic ticket straight to Hell. No lying, no coveting thy neighbor, no taking the Lord’s name in vain. Another reason I dislike Sundays is that even though it is part of the weekend, there’s that dreaded thought of having to go back to the grind the following day. And so it should be told, my Sunday was spent studying for classes at doveracademy. Though I did wander from my room on a few occasions... Stumbling straight out of bed, I headed to play practices. I was a few minutes late, but it seems I was one of the first to arrive. mr_mack was not thrilled with this, as you can imagine. devon_james and I attempted to spell it out for him softly - Please, no more Sunday practices! - It’s supposed to be a day of rest. And recuperation. I’m not certain that the point was taken, unfortunately. I seem to be at odds with brynn_jones. She seemed to be upset with my note that she doesn’t know the meaning of love. Lust and infatuation, that’s all it is. That’s all we’re capable of feeling right now, I do so firmly believe. Especially in a matter of weeks and days, how can you be in love with someone? Alas, I have already spilled my thoughts on that, so I won’t repeat myself. However, I will say that when Brynn came to my room, I was still in my hung-over, grumpy funk, and I blatantly told her I wasn’t a toy. She relented and left. My dear illiana_moore was feeling a bit down. After a bit of star-gazing and a long conversation, I suggested we have a Beatles jam session. It was quite fun, I was sad when she was forced to retire for the night, evidently having a bit of homework to attend to. I continued plucking away at those black-and-white keys, and low and behold Miss Brynn showed up. Another silent battle of will perused, and she finally asked for a hug. I was a bit taken back by this, I wasn’t aware that my Irish arms were so very desirable. And being a sucker for a pouty lipped girl, I gave in. Shame on me for having such little will-power. ms_m_kennedy is enraptured with my Irish whiskey supply. I do believe that is the only reason she recalls who I am. Ah well, she is quite adorable, so I can’t be upset with her. Again, a lack of will-power. Perhaps fair-haired girls are my weakness? It is said that gentleman prefer blondes. That thought aside, I spoke to her for awhile before I had to get back to those books. As I was making the preparations to sink into slumber, calista_joshuan knocked on my door, wishing for someone willing to listen to her. I granted that, and comforted her best I could. The poor girl seems so distressed, I do believe she cares too much for other people’s problems and doesn’t save enough for her own. I must say, I’m jealous of her and Devon’s tattoos, and am still offended that I was not asked to tag along. On a closing note, I’ve found another with a passion for sarcasm. katherinewatson is my new American hero. Who would have guessed I’d be able to stumble across someone as witty as myself? Edit: I finally gave in and got new icons. Thanks go to sassy Miss Kat and lovely Miss Brynn. 21 Had |A Hard Days Night

Please, don't spoil my day, I'm miles away [30 Mar 2003|01:51pm] [ mood | cynical ] [ music | The Beatles, "I'm Only Sleeping" ] Is it simply me, or do Americans tend to fall in and out of love at the drop of the hat? I do believe in infatuation. I certainly do believe in love, and love-loss. But I am quite confused by all this drama here at doveracademy regarding so-called issues of love. Really, though! We're only but teenagers. We certainly can't experience feelings of true love yet. And by true love, I mean, pure and simple "Let's Get Married" sort of love. It bothers me about all these infatuations, and the coining the term "love" to describe them. I for one refuse to use that word in a serious sense, until I am quite certain that the girl I'm saying it to will be the one I'm taking as a wife. But perhaps I'm a bit old-fashioned? Or maybe it's just how we do things in Ireland that has me baffled at these American outlandish relationships? Ah, I do believe the American slang is, cry me a river, build me a bridge, and get over it. Really, I'm quite fed up with it all. It's as if everyone is asking to lead dramatic lives. I’m sorry to anyone this may offend, but I do believe that if it does indeed offend you, perhaps you should re-think your use of the word love. And this grumpy little update is brought to you by a quite hung-over Jay. Perhaps that is why I am so bitter? 9 Had |A Hard Days Night

She's a big teaser, she took me half the way there now [30 Mar 2003|02:37am] [ mood | confused ] [ music | The Beatles, "Day Tripper" ] I do believe I am going to live for my weekends here at doveracademy! The whole time was spent mostly just kicking back or getting sloshed. Classic Ireland-like weekend, no? It must be known, devon_james and dominik_cole are the greatest couple ever. I do find them incredibly amusing. They have taken a liking to me, I believe, and invited me with open arms into their hearts. I do believe they want to take advantage of me... ha! This morning, Devon was the first to check on me. We decided we would get sloshed, and the mission for the evening would be to decorate mr_mack's home with a bit of paper. In hopes of ending the outlandishly early-morning Sunday rehearsals. clair_leblanc and calista_joshuan joined us for a bit of fun. I’m not sure what all took place, but am trying to keep up with all these kinky American subculture hobbies. It’s amusing. Wet Sardines, eh? I attended pre-season soccer football practice mid-afternoon. And on the way home, I ran into a frustrated brynn_jones. She seemed upset, and as I am a gentleman, I went over to see how she was doing. After nearly being mauled by her basketball, we talked a bit, and she confessed to me about her infatuation and how she had a fight with her boyfriend because of it. After a bit more talking, she dragged me off campus in her car, taking a ride to just get away for a bit. I think she may be leading me over on. Ah, more slang I need to master. Later in the evening, the party started. I brought along as much as I could, and it seemed everyone was fighting over the Irish Whiskey. I was shocked at Brynn, she chugged it like it was nothing. I do believe it was because of our conversation earlier. I’m not sure how it occurred, though I recall christian__ saying something about me being an Irish vampire, which resulted in me kissing Brynn’s neck. Previous to that, I was tacked and received kisses from Dev and Dom, which was quite entertaining. Perhaps I should yell Kiss me I’m Irish! more often? I did get quite a bit tipsy, unfortunately. I do recommend Domikazis to everyone! Other than that, I did meet another Beatles fan, illiana_moore. We discussed all the albums and songs we enjoyed, and later discovered that we’d be able to play a lovely piano-cello duet of Yesterday. I’ve promised to play her a rendition of Eleanor Rigby to cure her homesickness. Perhaps I should have warned her that I seemingly have a tendency to hurt females without really knowing it. I’ve since learned that I hurt Clair, Brynn, and norah_xavier, all in one night. I do believe my Irish luck has worn thin. I need a personal Blarney Stone. As I was heading back to the dorms to retire for the night, I got caught up trying to solve the mystery having to do with my buddy riley_daniels. Really, I don’t want to get involved in drama, but somehow I allowed myself to. Perhaps because I think they’re so charming together. Or maybe, because I was still a bit drunk and I felt guilty about ruining the nights of other people. Tis a shame, the weekend is essentially over. And I believe I have a Physics exam on Monday. And Miss tianna_jacobs has got me confused, over the whole Blowing Popsicle Stand Thing. I’m still trying to figure out whether it’s a dirty slang term or not. Everyone else seemed amused by my confusion. And I do wonder if anyone even bothers to read my long entries, because I never get any sort of feedback. 22 Had |A Hard Days Night

The girl with the kaleidoscope eyes [29 Mar 2003|03:32am] [ mood | amused ] [ music | The Beatles, "Lucie In The Sky With Diamonds" ] Next weekend try-outs for the soccer football team are being held. I’m quite excited, as that is my particular sport and I’m determined to play as one of the starting eleven. I believe it will be quite simple, as I’ve learned that not many students here have a mind for the game. That, and I’ve been playing since I could walk and dribble a ball at the same time. After the pre-season practice, I wanted to relax a bit, and was in a classic mood. So I headed to the music building, hoping to have a few moments at the lovely baby grand there. Only to find brynn_jones singing a beautifully, and attempting to play the piano. After a bit of talking, I played a few songs for her, mostly Beethoven and the Beatles, since those are what I am most comfortable with. She was jealous of my “play by ear” talent, and I was jealous of her vocals. In other news, I made the play. I’m quite excited, truthfully. I’m playing two parts, actually, as Doc and a Glad Hand at the dance. mr_mack must have a lot of faith in me, and my silly accent. The cast is wonderful, and despite what she things, I do believe that calista_joshuan will be perfect as Maria. riley_daniels is my new best friend. We’ve decided that we’re going to become extracurricular activity kings here at doveracademy! We’re involved in the play, as well as going out for football, and we’ve talked about joining Model-UN, since both of us were in it at our former school. Then we began listing off a dozen other things we could join. We’re going for a tie for the “Most Involved” Superlative in the future. We also talked about our interests in which girls, and he taught me a few more American slang terms. I think my favorite was Lose that Train or something, I was amused! I do believe we have much in common, it should be nice knowing I have him to talk to. We decided that it was necessary to get a camera so that the next time there was a Alkeyhall Crew party, we’d be able to film it and crack jokes about it later. Speaking of the Crew, devon_james was quite bored, so I suggested that we all get sloshed and it was decided we would go on a panty raid. So christian__, dominik_cole, clair_leblanc, jono_kennedy and Ashley all gathered in Christian’s room - that seems to be the hot spot - and proceeded to drink whatever we could get our hands on. It was quite fun, and we all were good and drunk after awhile. I believe Jono and Christian passed out in the room, and the rest of us, stumbling, headed out to the courtyard to proceed with our panty-raid. Being drunk, Ashley decided he’d rather go camping, so we all were sprawled out on the benches in the courtyard, speaking of lighting fires and marshmellows in the sky, when Calista appeared, and reminded us of our mission and let us in on the fact that there was a party at Meridian-C2, in the girls dorm. So we all headed in that direction, Dom still taping the whole ordeal, and Dev sporting ladies thongs, and I had to carry Clair, as she was unable to walk. Sadly, I don’t even know whose room it was we were getting jolly in, but there were about 25 people crammed into that tiny dorm room. It was a bit stuffy, but I wasn’t bothered because, well, we were drunk and merry and having a good old time! The panty raid did take place, and there was plenty of socializing and playing around and such. Definitely a pleasant evening. Though some unfortunate news was passed my way, it seems that my French belle, norah_xavier, is upset with me. I’m confused by this, but then, a lot about the American youth’s culture seems to put me in the dark. Afterwards, with the help of Brynn, I managed to get Clair back to her room in one piece. I felt bad, so I made sure she was settled before leaving. Brynn suggested a game of basketball, which I volleyed with a plea for football, so we both went to our rooms and changed. My roommate, luke_watson, appeared to be dead to the world, as it was 4 am. Though I thought about just going to bed, I met up with Brynn and taught her a thing or two about my sport. And she proceeded to school me in hers. It was a fun way to spend the early morning hours, I was flattered that she wanted to spend time with me at all. And now, I’m retiring for the night. Or should I say, top of the morning? 7 Had |A Hard Days Night

Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors [27 Mar 2003|05:37pm] [ mood | accomplished ] [ music | The Beatles, "Help!" ] Only a few days at doveracademy, and I already feel quite comfortable here, despite the funny looks I get when I speak. You’d think people would lose interest in Irish accents, since Saint Patrick’s Day is over, but no, it isn’t so. I met my roommate luke_watson. He explained to me a bit about American life - basketball, loose parents, and the unfortunate situation of being infatuated with a girl who already has a significant other. I’m quite glad he explained the American dating process to me, because in Ireland I suppose we’re a bit old fashioned, and we court around, rather than being exclusive, until we’re to the standard marrying age. At least now I won’t get myself into any foolish situations. He also gave me tips on how most people dress off school hours, and sounds like I’ll be heading to American Eagle, which I found completely ironic, name-wise. How amusing! I went to dinner my first day here with an American Beauty . Let me say, this was purely as good mates, nothing more, as I wouldn’t want to cause her any frustrations. It started as we were both quite amused by each other’s accents, and lead to dinner at a little Japanese restaurant with terribly cheesy decorations and an interesting take on Asian food. We joked a bit about European cars driving on the Right (literally) side of the road. Alas, the night came to an end after much teasing, and she left with the promise of teaching me how to play basketball, as well. I should be a pro with all these coaches! Yesterday, I discovered a Beaute de France, and I was able to put all those years of French linguistics tutoring to good use, wooing her a bit with my so-called charms. She was amused by my accent as well. It was a pleasure to talk with her, she managed to turn my face several shades of red, as I’ve heard Frenchwomen are skilled at. She is in the same position as me, coming from a foreign country to study here in the States, so we’re able to relate a bit, joking about the silly American Revolutionary War. I must say, all of the French Revolutions were quite a bit more interesting. Last night was quite an interesting night. And not only because it was my first real night at the academy, but because I met a series of interesting folks. I headed over to christian__’s room on a challenge that he could drink more than me. They must have forgotten that in Ireland, brew is much like water. riley_daniels, gregxsmith, and dominik_cole were also there, so it was quite entertaining. Evidently Ashley wasn’t used to the buzz, and was singing very amusing songs and offering silly comments. Ah, yes, I also tried out for the school musical, though I’m unsure if I’ll get into it, due to my accent. I had really wanted to do a bit from The Boondock Saints, my absolute favorite film, but I was a little rushed in finding a monologue so I portrayed Renton from Trainspotting instead. I also offered an acoustic version of my favorite Beatles song, Yesterday. Though I’m not very skillful with my guitar, I tend to play that one song often enough to do it quite well. Ah well, I do hope I get to be involved in some way. I’ve finally finished all of my unpacking and getting settled in. My side of the room is littered with Beatles and Football soccer memorabilia, assorted pictures of family & friends, various holiday trinkets, and lots and lots of green Irish things, at my Grandma Penrose’s insistence. And this is getting a bit too long for my own good, so I’m going to head down to the greens to do a bit of practicing. Hopefully today will prove to be as interesting as the previous few. 13 Had |A Hard Days Night

Roll over Beethoven, And tell Tchaikovsky the news! [25 Mar 2003|01:10pm] [ mood | amused ] [ music | The Beatles, "Roll Over Beethoven" ] My name is Jayden Christian Penrose Griffin. But what is in a name? I’m 16 years old, just over a week away from being 17, and a Junior here at doveracademy. I’m here because I come from an affluent family. And it seems to be the trend to send affluent children to the States for boarding school. I grew up in Ireland. A small suburb of Dublin, Marlay Park. My father is the Executive CEO for Waterford Wedgwood , a large and quite globally-famous crystal and china-making company. His mother’s side actually started the company, the Penrose’s, centuries ago. I’m expected to take it over eventually, I’m sure... though I don’t think that it’s really my interest. Who wants to work with exporting fine crystal and china when there’s so many other opportunities out there? I lived there with my family - Both parents, Grandma Penrose, and my siblings: sister Shannon, who’s 18; two brothers - the twins, Colin and Sean, who are 14; and “baby” sister, Erin, who is 8. You might say we’re the typical Roman Catholic Irish family. I like to think I have good values because of my religious upbringing. I suppose that being here in the States, I should be thankful and what not for the opportunities provided for me. I come from money, yes, but I think it helps that I have a high IQ and a talent on the football field. Well, “Soccer” field, as it is called here. I spend a good portion of my time down on the greens, knocking the black-and-white ball around. I love to be outdoors, the sun shines for so much longer here than at home, where it gets quite dark earlier in the day. I must admit, though, I do miss being able to go to the pubs. I enjoy good literature, prose an poetry, and pleasant company. A benefit of being foreign is that people, especially attractive girls, enjoy the accent. The luck of the Irish. So, what is in a name? I’m not entirely sure. Just call me Jay. 29 Had |A Hard Days Night

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