i resisted typing "dear to whom it may concern."

Our assignment for this week is to respond to some of the recent entries that our tracked bloggers have posted. Although I'd like to respond to the essays that my blogger, http://nomorewastedpaper.wordpress.com/, sent to me last week, that would be impossible. That'd be impossible because due to the excruciatingly back-breaking load of homework that has been plaguing me and majority of my fellow undergraduates, I've been unable to read them. Yes, it has come to this, that pleasure reading takes a backseat to the principles of economics chapters that I "would read tomorrow" and then about 60 tomorrows came and went. Would I rather be reading something else? Naturally. Would I rather be responding to her essays? You bet. Would you like to hear about supply and demand? Not so much. I digress. In any case, NoMoreWastedPaper is still a prime blog to be responding to, and as I've expressed before, I am really, really glad I picked this blog to track. Lately in the going-ons of everyone's favorite letter-writer, she's written to Britney Spears, alluding to the fact that the crazy girl's gone off and shaved her head. I work in a restaurant on campus. Last night, my middle-aged boss went up to me and one of my co-workers and said, "So how about that girl who shaved her head?" To which my co-worker automatically yelled, "ANNIE, THE OTHER WAITRESS, DID WHAT?" My boss said, "No! No! That psycho girl." I'm sure for a second it crossed my co-worker's mind that he meant me, but that is neither here nor there. If my boss, completely lost in 'the times' though lovable in his own "I'll let you go home early if you scrub the counters" kind of way, is referencing Britney Spears in casual conversation... well, there must be some kind of problem here.

My friends and I were watching VH1 Best Week Ever the other day (actually we watch it almost every day because we are in college and our lives mean nothing more than watching TV) and they were interviewing the woman who is selling Britney Spears' hair. Yes. Selling it. FOR ONE MILLION DOLLARS. I felt like Dr. Evil saying that. Except I'm not. A cool mil to hang Brit's hair on your mantlepiece, or something. The thing is, whatever you do with it is either sad or just plain creepy. Plus, the lady was saying she couldn't even tell which pieces were extensions and which ones were real - and she was a hairdresser! So sad. Oh, but wait. In addition to the hair, natural and not, you get a lighter Brit left behind, the razor, AND her empty can of red bull. Clearly I know what I need for Christmas. I wonder if, when I become rich and famous, I can pawn off my empty Starbucks cups for a couple thou or so each. Because I go through a lot of those, and you know, I could use the spare cash. You know, this might sound mean but I'm kind of glad that Britney didn't completely lose her marbles while she was in her prime. Look at it this way. Do you remember her in her heyday? Hey, back then, even I would be smashing piggy banks to get some of her hair. She was fantastic. But imagine if she'd cracked back then - the consequences would be devastating. Because back then, she was a role model. Tons of kids, hell, even adults, considered her an idol. She was the first true American Idol (though Kelly is my girl for life, okay). The last thing we'd all need is for thirteen-year-old girls everywhere to start shaving their heads. I mean that has to be bad for the environment. Let's think of Al Gore here. What would Al do? My roommate (hi Laura) says, "What would we do if everyone started shaving their heads?!" And I just replied, "Well, I'd start having nightmares more frequently. And I don't like having nightmares." She's laughing and sort of shaking her head at me. She does this a lot.

Wow. I really did not mean to blog about Britney Spears' hair, or lack thereof, for two whole paragraphs. I feel like such a waste considering I normally blog about really heavy stuff but you know what? These things really must be said! And plus, I'm responding to NoMoreWastedPaper and that was the assignment, after all. Okay, onto more important things that actually have significance in the real world. The last thing that I must, must, must mention is that February 22nd was my blogger's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I am tempted to send her an e-card but it will inevitably be marked spam and I don't want her to mentally stamp me with a terrorist level 5 warning or anything. So let me just use this post as a venue to say, I hope you had the most marvelous of birthdays. We were e-mailing about her being 25 and though I joke that it's a quarter of a century (scary, innit?) it is HARDLY old at all. In fact, I can't wait to be 25. I'm 19 right now, and turning 19 was one of those 'milestone' birthdays because it's your last year of being a teenager yap yap yap blah blah. Here's the thing. I don't feel that much older. Aging is this slow, gradual progression, and it's suited me just fine. As much as I have PMSy days when I wish can revert back to my 6-year-old self, what good will that do? Times have changed, literally, and I like the life I live right now. And even moreso, I can't wait for the life that I have yet to live. The opportunities and possibilities that hopefully await me make me want to rush through life just to find out what happens next. But you know what? There's no need to rush. I'm enjoying my last year of teenagedom thus far and when I turn two decades, well, maybe I'll stop watching Disney Channel on weekends. Well, maybe not. So happy birthday again and remember that you are still young on the limitless journey of life. Enjoy it. I'd insert some kind of cute quote about acting your shoe size and not your age but I think you've probably heard enough of those by now. So I'll just leave you with this. You will never be too old for Disney Channel.

because the address "katgotyourtongue" was taken.

On January 13, 1988, I was born with the name Katherine Ann, but I went through phases about what I wanted to be called. I was Katherine growing up until about the fourth grade when I insisted upon being called Katie. But that got old after two years and I forced the name Kate until about eighth or ninth grade when I realized I was exactly what my family had been calling me all along, which was Kat. So Kat it became and I’ve been Kat ever since. Looking back on my so-called phases now, I lose myself in thought about how it could relate to my past shifting personalities in a quest to find ‘who I really was.’ But then I realize that this is another silly instance of ‘who I am’ – who is someone who overanalyzes and often digresses from points. The point is that my name is Kat and if you call me by my full name, I will assume that I am in either in deep trouble or that you don’t know me - and hopefully after this, you will.

I was born in New York, New York, and like to tell people that it’s the reason I chose to attend college in a city. I’ve always romanticized and idolized city life – from the busyness, to the noise, to the rhythm of the sidewalk trotters always on their way to point B from point A, and most likely hurrying to the beat of the music on their iPods. Ironically enough, I didn’t spend any time growing up in a city. I moved constantly during my early childhood – from suburbs in New York to New Jersey to Florida and back to New Jersey. Eventually, the last move was from collegiate Princeton to small town Flemington, New Jersey, and that’s where I like to call home and even miss every once in awhile. The one constant from all the moving, however, was schooling. I went to a Catholic school my whole life, including pre-school. I was raised as a traditional Roman Catholic under my devoutly religious parents who pushed me to be the same. The Catholic Church was the first way I got involved in community service when I started singing in the children’s choir back in third grade. I’m convinced that I had a much more beautiful voice back then – richer and higher and with a more accurate pitch – and I was often given solos and asked to cantor masses, though many thought it was unusual as I was so young. Caught up in the dizzying pace of the success of my singing, I dropped out of ballet and piano classes in order to focus on choir. I like to tell people that I could have been brilliant with a piano, as I have “pianist’s fingers” but I suppose the world will never know. I continued singing in high school but fell out of love with music. I was too wrapped up in everything else.

I discovered student council when I was in fourth grade and became almost obsessed with it from that year onward. I can proudly say that I was elected into student council every year from fourth to eleventh grade, and even attended and later taught at a student council overnight summer camp. I eventually became a part of that organization, the Association of Catholic Student Councils (East Coast Sector), and served as a member of their executive board for one year. I realized that I loved public speaking, elections, campaigns, and teaching children how to love it as much as I did. Perhaps that’s why it was so simple to choose Political Science as my major, when coming to college. Nevertheless, I spent every year of high school being wildly involved with the student body. Throughout the span of those four years, I served as Homecoming Chairperson, Spirit Captain, Junior Prom Chairperson, a Peer Mediator, a Youth Retreat Leader, and Class President. Throughout everything, however, my favorite position was as Yearbook and Video Yearbook Co-Editor my senior year, which derailed some of my senior slacking behavior. I realized while working on the Yearbook that my strength of reaching out to people could be applied in several different ways – not just in student council. It was my decision not to accept a position on the student council executive board my senior year in a quest to try new things – a decision I still take pride in and even wrote my admissions essay about.

Yet, every position and activity involved hard work, which is something I know very well. I graduated high school with honors and our school’s esteemed Sister Maria Virginia Award for Achievement and Service and was also a member of National Honor Society. I currently attend the George Washington University and am majoring in Political Science, with a possible minor in Criminal Justice. I hope to attend law school and become an attorney, a profession I’ve been infatuated with since attending the National Student Leadership Conference on Law and Advocacy in D.C. back in 2004. So far, I have modest work experience. I’ve worked at a Tommy Hilfiger retail store for three years, interned for an attorney two summers ago, and most recently, mentored with the Higher Achievement program in D.C. as well as interning for my Congressman, Mike Ferguson (R-NJ, though I am a liberal Democrat and it killed me every time I went into the office), and working at the RH Bistro. My first job was as an ice cream scooper at the tender age of just fifteen on the Princeton University campus. The memories of that job are bittersweet since during that time, I went through a phase of thinking I was lactose-intolerant and never ate a single scoop of ice cream. It wasn’t until I had come to my senses about a year later after leaving the job that I realized that I, like most normal people, could eat and loved ice cream. I often go through phases. Thankfully, none of the others have ever been that extreme.

The people who have seen me through these phases are the people I care about and love the most. I have incredible friends back home who I still rely on as a support system and source of companionship though we have all moved on to different places. But most of all, I am very close with my family. At home, I live with my mother and father and little sister, Kimberly, with whom I am extremely close. When I was in eighth grade, my sister wrote about me for a third grade essay on her own personal hero. To this day, it still reminds me of why I work hard in the first place and also acts as another outlet to tease her about. Currently, as I write this, I am talking to my sister on Instant Messenger about the Disney Channel and American Idol. I admit to her that I miss her. However, life in D.C. has been nothing but fun and I wouldn’t take back any of the experiences I’ve had, people I’ve met, or things I’ve learned. I look forward to every morning waking up to the city and every night going to bed to the noise of F Street. I’m optimistic about my future and about the opportunities that I hope will be available to me. Most importantly, I hope that in the end, when I look back on my life and on the things I did or the decisions I made, I can say I made them freely and independently – and that I made my family proud. I want to be able to say that I made something out of life and didn’t just deal with what life dealt me. And I want to be able to say that through it all, I was just Kat. Just me, through and through.