internal alarm clocks

they're good for some things. however, when you go to bed at 5:30a and said internal clock buzzes sometime before 8a as usual, it is highly unfortunate. my co-op has a big party once per semester (there are a bunch of smaller ones too, but i digress), and we held the fall party last night. technically it started at 10p, but there were definitely more people here between 3 and 4a then there were at midnight. rumor has it there were still people here at 7a, though i think most people left between 5 and 6a.

i invited some of the people i rode with this summer, and one of the younger ones made an interesting observation. we were standing on the porch talking and he looked over at a bunch of people and said he felt like a lot of the people there could be his ta. i scanned the crowd, recognizing phd students from physics and various engineering disciplines. and laughed. yes, the crowd on the porch was definitely grad student heavy (most of the undergrads were inside). i turned around later and was surprised to see 1/3 to 1/2 of the first and second year bme grad students playing flip cup on the front lawn. i'll see them all in class tomorrow. i'm generally not a fan of huge parties, but i will be the first to admit that everytime i've gone out with my housemates or hung out at one of our house parties, i have thoroughly enjoyed myself.

yesterday evening (and this morning) taught me something very important. if you find something that makes you feel like a million dollars, get it...and then make sure you wear it. three of my roommates and i had gone shopping yesterday afternoon for fun clothes to wear for the party. in one of the stores, i stumbed upon a clearance rack i hadn't noticed before and decided to sort check it out. not too long later, i found it...the perfect little black dress. it was strapless, fitted and came down approximately to the middle of my knee. the top section across the bust was a black satiny fabric bunched together and the rest of the dress was matte black. i tried it on, and it fit perfectly. i stood in the dressing room debating whether or not i actually had something to wear it too, and finally i just decided to go for it. i'm glad i made that decision. several other roommates ended up getting decked out as well.

i have a weakness for cocktail and formal dresses and love getting dressed up. i was reading one of the nytimes blogs a few weeks ago, and the author was talking about the unspoken thing that women wear when they go out--confidence. although it may sound silly, i think sporting that special outfit, piece of jewelry, pair of underwear, color of lipstick or whatever sometimes gives you that confidence that makes you glow. i can definitely see it in my friends and, last night, felt it in myself.