Graceland

There is a girl in New York City, Who calls herself the human trampoline,
And sometimes when I'm falling flying, Or tumbling in turmoil I say-
Whoa so this is what she means.

Paul Simon

Monday, October 11, 2010

Sunday April 27th 2003

Dear Journal,
For months it was all about springbreak - waiting, waiting.
It's all over now, but it was honestly one of the best weeks of my whole life! The clubs were amazing, the girls we met from Brooklyn were awesome- it was so much fun! I didn't know what to expect when we went, but it was amazing! We got out heads braided, Annie rode a mechanical bull, we spent nearly every second being drunk, we had a door that didn't lock so we "hipped" it open, I think we all gained mad weight. Wwe had seven girls take a 3 hour nap in a 1/2 hour courtesy room ...
Best time of my life! Viva Los Bahamas!
Springbreak '03.

Laura Leigh

What a brilliant scam. Charge kids a ton of money to go on a trip to the Bahamas where you steal their money out of their rooms and let them drink jungle juice and think it's a vacation.
Well, they got me!

Thursday April 24th 2003

Dear Journal,
I fucking love spring break!
I can't get enough of it, we're having the hottest time here. It's awesome as hell! Sure there have been small annoyances, and our room got robbed ... but I have never had this much fun! It's just too much for my head! I still can't even believe it!
It's almost over and that sucks cause this is the hottest time ever!
The other night I met a cute guy at a club and I hung out with him for a while. We made out a few times but then it was time to get rid of him.
This rocks!

Laura Leigh

Oh man. Me, meeting a guy at a club ... another lifetime. Thank God there was no Facebook or any of that shit to document the embarrassment that was me as a teenage girl.

Monday April 21st 2003

Dear Journal,
I've never been that drunk on Easter! We drank too much last night at happy hour, then we kept drinking, then we went out to a club and drank even more. We are having a fucking blast though! Yesterday we spent the whole day lying on the beach in front of the gorgeous blue water, surrounded by palm trees. This is too much fun, so awesome!
My head is pounding, but we're getting our bathing suits on and going to eat some lunch.

Laura Leigh

Oh God the outfits we wore. Insanity.

Saturday April 19th 2003

Dear Journal,
Today was the awaited day- our trip to the Bahamas! It took a fucking LOT to make it here, but it is now 4:45am and we're ready to pass out!
The airport was a bit of a hassle, but we eventually made it to our rooms and got ready to go out. We went to some club and immediately some guy bought us drinks. Later we met a cute guy who said he was staying in Atlantis and had a Hummer limo waiting outside. He invited us out but the girls said no, that he was probably lying. Later when we were walking out we passed a big Hummer limo ...
We've met some kids and we're having a fucking hot time!

Peace,
Laura Leigh

I should be dead ten times. Good thing I have friends who (occasionally) said no.

Thursday April 17th 2003

Dear Journal,
It's Thursday night ... but super late so technically it's Friday which means 1 DAY UNTIL THE BAHAMAS!
Aghh - I am so freaking excited!
Annie and I went to Queens today and did some shopping on Jamaica Ave.
I've been talking a lot with a girl from upstate NY who is going to Emerson next year, and she is actually really cool. It's awesome to get to know people beforehand. We're both starting to get super excited about Emerson. Whatever doubts I may have had are going away, I'm going into this with an open mind and having the time of my life!
I'm totally excited!
Anyway, I crave sleep.

Laura Leigh

Yeah so she and I met up at Emerson and hung out approximately one time ... I wasn't a fan.

Wednesday April 16th 2003

Dear Journal,
It was 86 degrees out today!
After school we went to the shelter as usual. The kids there right now are absolutely adorable! We played basketball and I realized that it is SO not my sport! I suck at it, it's unbelievable how bad I am.
Anyway, it was fun there today. I'm dead tired. I really need to catch some ZZZ's.

Peace,
Laura Leigh


Catch some zzz's? Yikes.
I do, however, stand by my love of peace.

Tuesday April 15th 2003

Dear Journal,
Today after I left the gym I was cruising past the golf course in the convertible and I looked over at the grass and the trees, the blue sky and the sun shining an I just got SO happy! I actually shouted, "Yes! We made it to spring!"
It was 80 degrees out today, and I just can't believe we made it though that awful winter! I'm ready for some gorgeous weather.
I don't know, I've been really happy lately and I don't want to stop feeling this good. Bad days come now and then but things have been fun lately, and I'm really excited for the Bahamas!
Maybe 18 isn't so bad after all!
Hate to admit it- I'm gonna miss high school.

Laura Leigh

Every once in a while I still miss that crap.

April 13th, 2003

Dear Journal,
This weekend was too many kinds of funny!
On Friday after work I went to dinner with Meg, Boyle, Luke, Jackee and Annie at Chili's. After dinner Meg had a bunch of people over. A bunch of them were drinking, I wasn't, but I ripped bong hits with everyone later in the night ... We put Annie on my lap and I would speak but she would move her mouth, it was TOO funny. I saw her trip over every one of Meg's dogs not once but TWICE and one of those times she actually crashed into the floor. Luke, who had never smoked before, was coaxed into taking bong hits. He BUGGED OUT! He just went nuts. He thoughts his hands were purple and his whole body was shaking. It was so fucked up. We tried not to laugh but it was just too damn funny!
Later in the night I was sitting on the floor with Tim and Annie, eating cereal, and Annie says, "Wow, cereal is like, like the new Christ!" (Meaning it was really good) and Tim and I look at her blankly and Tim goes, "Yeah, because we eat Jesus!" And I just thought that was the funniest thing ever! Eventually I went home.
Yesterday I went to the gym then to work. It was a member wedding. Towards the end of the night we were all standing by the band and some guy who had been at my table said I was "very good looking." When he walked away everyone burst out laughing and I almost died. After work everyone ended up at Meg's again for more silliness. We all got blazed of course, and we were playing card games and stuff, and at one point Annie threw a frosted minnie wheat smack into Mike's forehead, which somehow caused him to fall backwards off of his chair. It was so funny. I saw too many things this weekend. I literally hurt my stomach from laughing so hard! I stayed at Meg's last night and worked this morning.
Bahamas in 6 days!

Laura Leigh

Oh high school. Anytime someone's parents were away we would live at that house for the week. Good times.

Wednesday March 12th 2003

Dear Journal,
Yes I'm still crazy, it's entirely possible that I always will be. But, I'm also a bit sad tonight, for a few reasons I suppose. First, I'm fighting with my dad, which I HATE! We never fight, but then Katy comes home and it's like there's too much estrogen in the house or something and he just needs to fight with someone- it's usually me and it's often about the car - Ridiculous I know, but to me it's more. He just treats me like I should be more thankful than my siblings, like I should consider myself lucky to have the "luxury" to do or use things that were their "rights." I just feel like nothing's ever gonna be enough fr him, I really do! I'm a good kid, I really am!
I'm very independent, I have a job, I do well in school, I'm in the honor society, have extra-curricular activities, am President of a community service club, and volunteer at a shelter weekly, and I just found out that I am going to be published in a book. My work was chosen out of over 88,000- I'm kinda proud of this! But I feel like he thinks deep down I'm a bad seed. We've never really known each other very well because unlike my sister, I never really opened upt o my parents, especially not when I needed them most. I just did my own thing, and wrote in my journal. Maybe growing up I should have, and although I know I'm lying, I feel like it's too late now. I'm just stressed lately and that's not helping. I don't know. All I can say is I don't know, that's my only certainty.

Thursday March 6th 2003

Dear Journal,
And so begins another book. A new journal. Every time I start a journal I think of the things to come, the things I will write about ... College, how frightening and exciting all in one! I'm full of complaints today, life isn't going very smoothly right now. And it's not that my life has strayed from the plan- there is no plan. After almost 18 years one of the few things I will say that I definitely know for a fact is that is that life, 99% of the time will not follow the plan if I choose to make one. So I haven't made one. Nevertheless, life is very little fun right now. I feel like I have nothing to look forward to, which is beyond ridiculous because my 18th birthday is on April 1st, but still, I'm almost sad- being 17 was a fucking good time, one of the best. It's that age right in between, you're really still a kid, but in my case a free kid free to have fun and enjoy all the perks of life. But 18 soon becomes me.
This is the first winter in my life that is destroying me. I honestly feel like I am suffocating. Outside it's gray and dirty, and when we think we've seen the last of the snow the sky musters up another storm. I thought that once I survived junior year things would be a breeze, but truly, I am tired. I feel like I'm floating through the days, nothing for me ... but if tomorrow isn't brighter, I sleep another night and cross my fingers.

LLS

I say this all the time- I wish I could have lightened up a little as a teenager.