My Golden Birthday & ComicCon 2011! (see comment section too!)

I'm not sure how many of you keep up with my birthday, but August 23, 2011 is the date I've been waiting a long time for. MY GOLDEN BIRTHDAY! I am so excited! I've been trying to figure out what I want to do that week and I have finally decided. If all goes well, I'm going to Las Vegas!

If you would like to go with me (and you do, you really do) let me know. The goal is for at least three people to come with moi and have a blast August 22 - August 25.

Here's the breakdown (per person, except for hotel - based on 4 people):

Plane: $380 - From Chicago O' Hare (ORD)
Hotel: Anywhere from $700 - $1500 - This estimate covers all the extra fees, taxes and such. I know this is a lot of money, but I wanna celebrate my birthday in style! The goal is for me to pay at least half the hotel cost myself as an incentive for people to join me, and more obviously, if I go with the more expensive option.
Food/Entertainment/Incidentals: $200 - $500 - This larger end of the estimate includes every expense you could possibly imagine, from transportation to and from the airport, food in the airport (and during the trip!) to souvenirs to a $100 show--- Cirque du Soleil, anyone? Again, I know this seems steep, but these estimates are for the MAX amount you would spend, NOT the lowest or even the average. Please keep that in mind when deciding!

TOTAL COST PER PERSON: $ 800 - $1000 or $200 - $250/day

So while the goal isn't to spend as little as possible, I will promise to find a less expensive option for everything we do. And remember, if the trip costs $800 in the end, HALF of that is getting there and getting back, so I think we're doing good. Also, if we book the flight and hotel together, that also reduces the cost!

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Now, onto ComicCon 2011!

Happening in San Diego California, JULY 21-24! (Travel Dates: July 20-25)

Guys this is all I can think about right now. Seriously. I think I might becoming addicted to planning this trip in my head. Definitely expect more posts on this here topic :)

I'm an über nerd so, essentially going to this convention would be like giving giving a seventeen pound chocolate bar to a chocoholic. Or if you can think about it this way: It's like finally taking me to Disney Land (Which incidentally is also only an hour and a half from San Diego, if we wanted to go there too!).

So here's the plan (per person, even the hotel - based on four people):

ComicCon: $105
Plane: $430 - From Chicago O' Hare (ORD)
Hotel: $ 150 - It's not like my birthday, lol. I just need a place to sleep! ALSO, I found MUCH CHEAPER hotels a little further out than downtown. Even with taxi fare, this will probably significantly reduce the total cost. It's the difference of $270 and $130 per night!
Food/Entertainment/Incidentals: $200- $300 Again, this larger end of the estimate includes every expense you could possibly imagine, from transportation to and from the airport, food in the airport (and during the trip!) to souvenirs. These estimates are for the MAX amount you would spend, NOT the lowest or even the average. Please keep that in mind when deciding!

TOTAL COST PER PERSON: $ 885 - $1100 or $221 - $275/day

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I'm only slightly amused that the trip to Vegas turned out to be cheaper.

NOW, if push comes to shove (read, if my ambition is greater than my wallet!), I'll have to decide between ComicCon and Vegas. This might be a real possibility since my mother and I also want to go on a cruise the week before ComicCon (LOL), and my 5th year Hotchkiss Reunion is in June. Basically, I have to be BALLIN' for all this to work out.

SO, if you're a praying person, PRAY that I get a great job to cover all the expenses... so much so that I can even help pay for some of the stuff for the people going with me :)

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Lastly, I will leave you with just a few things I want to see/do in each place!

Las Vegas

FOOD! - Wolfgang Puck's Trattoria del Lupo, Sushi/Seafood Buffet




Nightlife - Drinks and Dancing, Cirque du Soleil!

ComicCon

TV: Eureka, Merlin, Haven... pretty much any TV show on SyFy, Dexter
Books: Oh, too many to name... L.J. Smith, anyone?


Movies: Iron Man, The Avengers, Twilight, The Green Lantern, (Isn't Ryan so hott?!)












Fellow Nerds and Cute Celebrities :)



Nuff Said!

Ok, so I know I'm a little late with this...

But I am wholeheartedly and irrevocably in love with Alicia Key's song, "Un-thinkable" (I'm Ready).

I mean, did you see CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY?!?!?!

And while I almost threw up a little when I saw the mullet (DISGUST), I would be ready to take a step of faith for CMM too, lol.

Plus wasn't Alicia looking AMAZING in the video? I mean, whew! She was freaking gorgeous!

Anyway, not only were the actors good, so was the theme. They couldn't have picked a better subject/storyline/plot. A White/black lovestory-- and not the kind you usually see.

Just amazing.

I want a CMM for my birthday, ya'll. Who can make it happen, lol?
August 23 is right around the corner!

P.S. For those who'll ready this tonight or sometime tomorrow: I'll be in E-town tomorrow afternoon, hanging around downtown. Come join me! Movies, B&N run, anyone? Give me a call!

School: I did it to myself this time :)

So I'm taking summer classes. They start on Monday and I'm doing it because A) I need to pay my rent and B) I need to graduate on time, without stressing myself out by overloading fall quarter. I start on Monday, which means that I have one day left to PAR-TAY! And by party, I mean curl up and read a book in my bowl-chair after church. LOL, I feel like such a lame. I'm determined to finish The Shack before school completely takes over my life. I think I can do it. Wish me luck :)

I need a job. Seriously. Anyone know of anybody that's hiring? I refuse to be poor this summer and I need to buy stuff for new apartment in the fall. Oh yeah, and make September rent. Ahhh! Being a real adult person isn't the greatest right now.

On a happier note, Kate's B-day was pretty awesome. Just a couple of us hanging out at her and Sam's new place, but it was definitely cool. We played LIFE, which is my new favorite game, and I didn't suck too badly. Kate and Hannah definitely blew us out of the water though they made almost three million dollars apiece! The birthday girl won the game, though, which I'm sure only added to the awesomeness that was her day.

Another happy note: My mom and Dad surprised me today and took me out to brunch @ Flattop. It was pretty good and they stayed almost the entire day. The bummy part is that I didn't get to see my dad that much since Mom and I went to a baby shower while Dad worked on his sermon. But at least he got most of it written, and we set up a day to go to the Goodwill Downtown the weekend after next. I love my dad!

Random: I was thinking about Luke earlier today. For those of you who don't know, Luke is my ex-boyfriend (who just came out of the closet). Anyway, he graduated today and for a brief second I thought that I might like to see his parents. I thought again. While they were sweethearts, I really don't need that kind of drama in my life anymore. Besides, I'm almost positive that I couldn't have kept the fact that he's gay a secret: I seriously doubt they know. Anyway, I am happy that he graduated (for his sake and my own) and I hope that I won't see him again for a very long time, maybe never. Rumor is, he's staying around Chicago, but my hope is that he'll be far from Evanston.

Another random note: I have yet to ask certain someone to hang out. True, it's only been a week, but it feels like much longer. And as for the other certain someone, I was told that it is now "illegal" for us to date. Oh, the irony. Perhaps there will be an exception if I can get him to look twice at me. (Which in turn means, I actually have to TRY; I really don't.) Here's to a summer full of agony: school and unrequited love (sort of). Ohh, add in the beach and a few good books to make it bearable. (Please note the lack of seriousness in this section. I'm actually really excited for the summer, whether it be with or without male attention.)

So there. I think that's enough for right now. I'll try to write again soon, when something interesting happens to me.

I'm holding my breath and crossing my fingers :)