Hey kids, what's a great way to spend a Saturday night right before final exams on Monday? If you answered going to an ugly sweater party, you are correct. After spending the better part of my day studying neuroanatomy, I also wiled away my afternoon doing the same thing. Around 7, a very important chat with Dr. Vina was interrupted by my landlord and his wife. The two of them very awkwardly invited me to the big ugly sweater party, an invitation partly because they like me and partly because, were I to stay in my own quarters for the evening, I wouldn't be able to get anything done thanks to all the people talking loudly, running around, and trying to snowboard on the fake snow someone dumped in the grass.

I ventured warily to the house, figuring I'd make an appearance and then leave after half an hour. The ugly sweaters were pretty much what I expected. That is to say, one main reason I was able to handle being around some of the crazies who came to the party was because I could openly laugh at them for looking like they'd just stepped out of a Kmart ad. The other main reason was because of the artichoke dip and the beverages. For most in attendance , there's no alcohol strong enough to handle being around them (I'm looking at the ones telling racist jokes, the group who's currently trying to sing choral style outside right now, and the girl who scrunched her face when her friend mentioned Prop 8 - The Musical. She was all, "Ugh, gay--it's just so wrong!" And I was all, "GIRL, IF YOU HAD A GAY FRIEND, HE WOULD NEVER HAVE LET YOU WEAR THOSE SHOES. GET WITH THE PROGRAM." There were a few gems among them, and given that I quickly realized that I couldn't escape the madness, much less leave the premises (my car was blocked in the driveway anyway), I decided to eat brie and shoot the breeze with them.

I've escaped after a couple of hours and am now rocking the iPod and attempting to finish reading some articles for class. It's 12:45, this chicken is home to roost, but that probably won't happen til all the rowdiness subsides. You know it's a sad time when studying is preferable to socializing and carrying on with people. This means either (a) I'm a grinch, (b) I'm totally focused on finishing this semester on a good note, or (c) this is, overall, a lame group to party with. All I can say is that that artichoke dip was a fucking lifesaver. Seriously.