A whirlwind of a while

By next Monday, I will have:
-packed my apartment
-driven from Indiana to Maryland
-unpacked
-driven from Maryland to New Jersey
-attended a wedding
-flown from New Jersey to Kansas
-celebrated an engagement weekend
-flown from Kansas to Maryland
-started work

...all in three weeks' time.

Everything has been wonderful, despite the frenzied pace. My cousin's wedding was lovely — very romantic and an excellent starting point for my own wedding (T. and I took quite a few notes on things we liked, didn't like, etc.). Interesting and trivial things that have occurred in this same time:
-Dad suggests both a traditional Vietnamese band AND a Polish band for the wedding.
-I shot them down.
-I ate my weight in strawberries.
-I met my cousin A.'s dog, who is cute BUT NOT EVEN CLOSE to being as cute as Honeycomb and Lucky.
-I played with Honeycomb and Lucky a lot.
-My uncle sent me two kangaroos from Australia (stuffed, not alive)
-I learned that kangaroos cannot jump backwards
-I am a little aghast at my list-making tendencies

The engagement weekend was really fun, although it was a whole lot of shtuff crammed into a whole not lot of time. I wore a traditional Vietnamese gown and T. wore a suit. We took a lot of pictures. There were a lot of things wrapped in red cellophane. And as always, there was a whole lot of food involved.

Apologies for my delay in updating but I will try to be better about in future. Hopefully, this summer I will do many interesting things to provide me with plenty of blog-fodder (blodder?).

The real world, aka boredom, layovers, cooking dinner

Life has finally settled down a bit--I've arrived at T's and am pretty much at home...except for the spare room that has essentially turned into an explosion of all my clothes. A few days here resulted in some delicious experimental pasta dinners, some massive shopping for summer suits, and a lot of sitting around being bored. All necessary activities for post-finals recovery.

Today we leave for NJ: my cousin is getting married on Saturday. Then I leave to go to KS for a week and a half (during which time engagement events will commence and doggies will be snuggled), and then I come back. And then I start work (hopefully, considering my funding hasn't come through yet). And then the summer will go by quicker than you know it.

Phew! Two paragraphs of recap and I'm off to pack. Happy summer!

Studying, or: How I'm done for

I have a lot of stuff to be doing now. All the time. Which may mean I blog less or may mean that I blog more. We'll see how this goes. Apologies in advance if it turns out to be the former.

The saddest sight

Behold. The banana chocolate chip mini muffin I forgot about and left in the oven for half an hour. It is both hard and gummy. I could play marbles with these guys.

Dress up in you

Or, rather, dress up in the dress!

Ever seen that episode of Friends where the girls all sit around in their apartments wearing wedding dresses? It is taking so much willpower for me to not do that. You don't even know how much. So much, in fact, that it's sucked up all the discipline I had dedicated to not eating too much chocolate and not watching TV.

Spelled asleep

Due to an unfortunate (and irresponsible) combination of too much caffeine, nerves/a little bit of stress, and the excellence of late night television, I've been having some interesting sleep issues over the last few days. By issues I mean: Saturday = 5 hrs of sleep, Sunday = 2.5 hours of sleep, Monday (afternoon and night) = 12 hrs of sleep.

Yesterday (Monday) I had class at 8 a.m. and a presentation later in the day that keyed me up so much I was unable to fall asleep the night before, until I finally smothered myself in pillows and blankets and forced my brain to think about the number of squares on a chess board, combined with mentally putting together the outfit I would wear if I were a spy who was going undercover as a fashion editor in Paris. I fully recognize that my brain is weird.

I got home from school, scarfed down some delicious Chinese food and decided to "just close my eyes for a little bit," with the best of intentions to wake up in about half an hour. This was at about 6:32 or so. I woke up from a dream in which I was late for class to squint at the clock and realize that it was 9:45 and I had slept the sleep of the martyred dead, mouth open and hand still clutching the TV remote control, for approximately 3 hours. Called L. back (she'd called while I was unconscious) and, taking her excellent advice, dragged myself up to drink a couple glasses of water, watch a couple episodes of SATC, and then collapse back to sleep.

This is a clearly unhealthy and highly unproductive way to live. I clearly need to figure out a way to get my sleep schedule back on track. Before finals come around, because once those arrive all bets are off.

I hurt all over

In the interest of getting back into shape I did the Jillian Michaels 30-day shred workout on OnDemand cable. Please, let me just say, that if my muscles were trembling anymore today I would be a quivery puddle on the floor. I cannot even type without a slight shake in my arms. Ahhhhhhhh....

Playing dress up

Because I (a) no longer have a fish, (b) am sick of looking at the same old layout, and (c) am sort of at a cross-roads in my life, please welcome Magical Realist's new look. A round of applause for my rudimentary photo-editing skills!

School Time

Apologies to the five or six people who read this blog, but due to a little thing called law school posts may be sparse on the ground over the next few weeks. Updates on my life thus far:

-Barrister's ball was awesome! I had a great time, especially since T. trekked long, long miles just to be here for the big event.
-It's almost April. Crap!
-...I got nothing

When more interesting things happen I'll be sure to post. Until then, rest assured that I've settled into a boring, but necessary, routine of study, study, study, interrupted by forays into healthy snacking (yeah right) and the occasional nap.

I want a dog

It may seem ironic that I am posting this immediately after a notice that my fish has died, but I don't care. I want a dog. The desire is now full-blown, completely and totally out of control, to the point where I'm trolling the internet on Petfinder looking for dogs to adopt even when I know that I can't adopt one right now.

I can't wait until I'm "grown up" and know where I'm going to be, and am finally in the position to have a dog of my own. I know I'm not ready to have one now--at least, with all the craziness going on in my life, it wouldn't be the ideal time. Also, I want my dog to know both me and T., and for that to really happen we'll have to get the dog together.

At the same time I just want something warm to cuddle with when I watch TV and play with and take care of. Not sure what it says about me, but my apartment was actually neater and more organized when Honeycomb and Lucky were living with me — I couldn't leave stuff around because I knew they would get into it. It's nice to have something to take care of that will love you unconditionally.

I can't wait until I can have a dog of my own!

I give up

Percy is dead. Am I really that bad of a fish mom?! WHAT HAPPENED? He was TOTALLY FINE yesterday. WHAT WENT WRONG? AND WHY CAN I NOT STOP TYPING IN ALL CAPS?

Various attempts

Because due dates are fast approaching, not to mention exam dates, I've tried to put in a concerted effort to be more productive in my off time, instead of doing things like endlessly reorganizing my stationary drawer and shredding junk mail (suprisingly, one of the most emotionally satisfying things you can do!). With that in mind, I'm currently at the undergrad library on campus in the basement. A brief recap of my evening thus far:

—7:30 p.m.: depart apartment. Forget to bring travel mug, so return to apartment and then depart once more.
—7:35: stop at 7-Eleven for coffee, gummy worms, and Twizzlers. The clerk compliments me on my travel mug, engages in a brief discussion about how he has a similar cup that isn't insulated, asks me if I am a student at Notre Dame, and then rings me up.
—7:40ish: arrive at school parking lot. Park. Enter library and descend the steps to the basement, where I successfully find an open table with an outlet. SCORE.
—7:43: commence studying. Some people, such as L., find it hilarious that it takes me 3 minutes to unload all my stuff and longer to pack it all back up. Hey, I just have a lot of stuff.
—8:21: shoulder cramp! Shoulder cramp! I perform various contortions to try and stretch it out. I think the guy across from me is worried that I'm spasming or something. Over the next half hour I will study in many different positions in an attempt to ease the cramping—not very successfully.
—9:15: J swings by for a visit, takes a couple of Twizzlers, and departs for the land of fed tax unknown.

It's now quarter to ten and I have been surprisingly productive. Although I might have just destroyed all that work by taking four minutes to write this post. Defeated!

Stuff

For some reason I'm just suddenly overwhelmed by STUFF. STUFF to do, stuff to read, stuff to clean up, stuff stuff stuff. This includes:

-taxes
-financial aid
-regular school assignments
-2 term papers, one with a rough draft due on on Friday
-thank you notes
-planning and preparing for the summer
-trying to get back into shape so I can enjoy said summer in less than a full-body caftan

Sheesh. Accomplish literally nothing for a whole week, and all of a sudden there's stuff that needs doing. Whoda thunk?

The First Wedding

This weekend we went to the first wedding of one of our own Disney Divas (high school friends, to the uninformed). It was different and happy and sad and hello and good-bye all at the same time. The first night, we clapped and sang songs to drum beats as Tater sat and was admired. I got my first henna tattoo which was really cool. The second night we ate dinner, and took pictures as the bride and groom sat on the cushions at the front of the room.

Probably the strongest thing I'll take from this weekend is the vague, unfamiliar taste of things changing. Tater's the first one to go. Eventually, other people will get married, and have babies, and buy houses and grow up. I will too. And it's so strange to think about, because everytime we're back in K-zoo it's just like we're in high school again. Except this time it wasn't.

I guess I'm growing up? This is all very peculiar.

An ode to my willpower: how I'm awesome

I am proud to announce that as of last night, the floor of my bedroom is actually visible. I forced myself to organize all the piles and do a massive laundry attack. Go ahead and marvel at my greatness. Also, feel free to marvel at T.'s wisdom and understanding in threatening to actually disapprove if I didn't do something — ANYTHING — other than lie on the couch all day.

And the streak of success continues! This morning, I actually GOT UP in time for my 8 o'clock class. I am AMAZING. FANTASTIC. SUPERB.

I am also half asleep, but who's counting? I'm physically present and that's good enough for the JV team.

Uhhhh...what? or Am I normal?

It's Lent, and as a result I've started looking my habits, both good and bad, in order to try and figure out what will be the most healthy thing for me to do. While I don't really believe in "giving something up" for Lent, I don't think it's ever a bad thing to try and improve yourself with a purpose in mind. Lent often makes it easier because it has a definite end date, so you sort of trick yourself into thinking that the good habits won't stick (but they usually do).

Some of my (bad) habits:
--hitting the snooze button a minimum of 3 times
--taking clothes out of the closet, trying them on, and throwing them on the bed instead of hanging them back up
--leaving DVDs and CDs out of their cases, such that I can never find what I'm looking for

This morning, especially, my snooze habit amazed me a little. I know I do it just because it feels so wicked and delicious to snuggle back into the warm covers after launching myself across the room at the alarm clock. But today was particularly bad. A brief description of my morning from 6:46 to 7:14—

6:46—my first alarm goes off. I don't remember getting out of bed to hit the snooze but I must have.
6:53—my second alarm goes off. I get out of bed and hit the snooze. My alarm clock has 2 alarms which you can stagger to your liking. I do this KNOWING that in 5 minutes the other alarm will go off again.
6:58—first alarm goes off again. I get out of bed, hit the snooze, and return.
7:01—T. calls me to wake me up. I mutter something about two more minutes with my face squished into the pillow.
7:02—I rouse myself enough to SET MY PHONE ALARM for 7:04. I lay back down and close my eyes. Why I thought 2 minutes was a good idea is beyond me. It gets better, though.
7:04—phone alarm goes off. I set it again for 7:07.
7:05—the second alarm goes off (my snooze is only 12 minutes). I get out of bed, hit the snooze, and then go back to bed.
7:07—phone alarm goes off. I turn it off.
7:10—the first alarm goes off again. I stagger out of bed, turn it off, return to the bed where I lie for a few minutes before mentally flagellating at the realization that I have spent more time in the last 15 minutes getting up and turning stuff off than having my eyes closed, uncomfortable with the idea that I've actually gone to absurd lengths for what amounts to approximately 4.5 minutes of extra sleep.
7:14—I get up and hop in the shower. I have class at 8.


Is this normal? For reals. I have no idea whether or not my insanely convoluted and difficult morning routine is just a typical thing, or whether I am exhibiting symptoms of some profound and rare sleep disorder.

As a final note, I had considered giving up the snooze button for Lent. As you can tell, I rejected that idea pretty darn quick.

Overheard in Lafun:

Girl #1: What's the capital of Washington?
Girl #2: Uhhh...uhhhh...Helena!
Girl #1: Helena?
Girl #2: Wait, no. Helena is...
Girl #1: Tacoma!
Girl #2: Helena?
Guy: Olympia
Girl #2: Olympia?
Girl #1: Olympia? Olympia! How did you know that?
Girl #2: So what's Helena? Ah! Montana!


Round of applause, folks!

Clarification: I wouldn't really care about this at all had it been a simple conversation between friends. However, it happened to be a simple conversation between friends from across a crowded room. As in, shouting. The rule is: if you're going to be loud, we're going to make fun of you.

Percy: It's complicated

Percy has an unusual habit that Maurice did not: he likes to go into the castle (and I mean, really go into the castle) and squeeze himself up into the hollow body. Maurice, too, enjoyed the castle, but he used to just lie in it with his head and tail sticking out. Percy folds himself up to such a degree that I'll often look into the tank and panic because I can't see him anywhere.

I'm not really sure what to do with this. On one hand, I'm glad he likes his tank and castle. On the other, I'm a little worried that something is wrong with him; Maurice was very lethargic in the latter days of his life and I'm concerned that Percy might follow in those footsteps (finsteps? tail sweeps? whatever).

Getting used to the habits of a new fish is an interesting endeavor. I won't really be comfortable with this little routine of Percy's until a month or so goes by and I'm reassured that he is, in fact, just chilling (rather than, you know, slowly wasting away to a sad and lonely death).

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming

Big news (like getting engaged) is a rarity in my life. Instead, I usually blog about the mundane trivialities — how I'm planning for the 30th time to organize my apartment (it's going to happen, I swear!), what delicious but calorie-laden baked good I've recently produced, the weather, etc. Clearly, I know what the public wants. And I deliver. Case in point, this M&M:






It's attached! A mutant M&M!

I have a weird thing for funny shaped foods. Once, in college, I discovered a heart-shaped potato chip which I saved in a little plastic container. My roommate Ruth, on a cleaning frenzy, thought that it was an empty container and washed it. She realized a little late that my special chip was inside — despite her valiant attempts to dry it out in the oven, it was never the same and we had to throw it away. This story, to me, demonstrates 2 things: one, that I'm really odd and two, that Ruth loves me. A lot. Enough to indulge my whims and do things like try to salvage a heart-shaped potato chip.

Not sure yet if I'm going to save this. I've already photographed it so it's been preserved for posterity. We'll see how this goes.

At last, a bullet point

--I'm engaged.

I'm really excited and happy. It couldn't have been any more romantic — T. took me to the top of the Hancock building in Chicago and proposed overlooking the city at night. It was wonderful. Even a number of minor snafus (forgot to pack my outfit for Saturday, couldn't find my camera charger so had to use a low-quality disposable, etc.) couldn't dampen the trip.

Did I mention it was Valentine's day? Because it was. And Chicago on Valentine's day will always be special because of it.

Besos

life is not that busy, but really busy right now. I guess I'm spending a lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing, which is good for my stress level but bad for my productivity. A few things of note:

--Monday night tennis lessons have turned out to be really fun and one of the few things I look forward to each week. If I can keep it up I might be able to hit more than 3 shots in a row.

--


--



Wow. My life is really boring. I can't even muster up enough news for more than one bullet point. If you have only one bullet point, what's the point of even bullet pointing?

I'm thinking in circles here. Maybe I should stop procrastinating and just do my reading.

The crumbs of life

So between the baking, the baking, and the still more baking, life has rolled on. T. comes to visit in less than 2 weeks and I am so! excited! Percy is doing well, just chilling in his tank, and my apartment is gradually sliding out of the canyon of despair (a.k.a. piles of clothes and books).

In a conscious effort to declutter my life I've started trying to maintain a neater and more organized apartment in the hope that it will lead to a neater and more organized mind. Can't tell you much about the latter, but at least the former has had a positive effect on my life. It feels pretty good to come home, look around, and be serene because my surroundings are serene.

I've also tried to get a jumpstart on the two papers I have to write this semester. i figure that if I can manage to get them done earlier I'll have more time to study for exams. Come on, productivity! You know you can do it!

Having said that, it might be time for a nap.

Confirmation of my absolute insanity

Stayed up until 3:30 baking and frosting these bad boys:







I'm a little shocked at how ambitious this project was, but really proud of how they turned out. Even though some of the cardinals do look a little...blobby. And the blue on the Steeler stars isn't as dark as it should be.

Please welcome

Percival Pasquale Daubert.

A.k.a., Percy.

I got him yesterday. He seems to be adapting to his new home fairly well and has even taken up Maurice's old habit of chilling in the castle. He looks very different from Maurice, which is good — as a blue/purple fish he even coordinates well with his bowl. Who knew fish could be so fashionable?

Houston, we have a problem

Let's see if I remember anything from algebra/geometry/whatever math uses proofs:

--Sleeping in + 2 hour nap = not sleepy
--Not sleepy + procrastination = baking
--Baking + new cookie cutters - not enough counter space + creative use of washer and dryer = roll-out sugar cookies
--Roll-out sugar cookies + they look naked = frosting
--Frosting + 1.5 hours - 2 cookies bravely lost in combat - 1 cookie sampled by the baker = 50 frosted sugar cookies

Therefore:

Sleeping in = 50 frosted sugar cookies


Something tells me that my math is a little off, but in the twisted logic that is my brain, this makes complete sense. Ah, the joys of the semester's early weeks...plenty of time later to feel guilty about all the hours of possible productivity I've wasted.

But look how pretty!

Wednesday morning coffee

Not much has happened in my life since my last post—the bad day adventure chronicled actually continued, if you can believe it. Since I don't feel like reliving the moments spent sobbing on the highway in bumper-to-bumper traffic because I had missed my exit and was about to run of gas, I'll move on to bigger and better things. Like...finishing my note (relief) and the terrible, terrible weather, and lemon bars. Which I baked on Sunday and which Tom and I inhaled. They were delicious...so lemony and tart.

Next: angel food cake w/ berry sauce.

Pretty much the crappiest 24 hours I've had in a long time

If this comes across as whining, that's because it is. If you can complain to the internets it minimizes complaining in real life. This is actually true.

Things that happened
-woke up yesterday with sore throat, slight cough (sure signs of being sick)
-my fish died
-it was butt-freezing cold
-came home at 2 in the morning to discover that my hot water pipes had frozen in the kitchen
-My cable and internet are disabled, probably from the cold
-maintenance arrives at 4:30 to check it out — I have waited a long stinking time for them to show up
-maintenance informs me that my pipe has burst. He shuts off my hot water so I can't take a shower or wash my face without contracting frostbite.
-I get approximately 2 hours of sleep. The weather is such that every moron on the road drives approximately .007 miles per hour. I am exactly 1 minute late to my 8 o'clock class and the door is locked.
-I check Tom's flight status online. His flight into Detroit is delayed. His flight to South Bend will be leaving without him most likely, unless it is also delayed. The next flight is at noon.

Good things have happened too, but they aren't exactly counter-balancing the total suckage of the last day or so. Ugh. When it rains it pours — my bad days are always REALLY REALLY BAD days.

I write this from Lula's cafe while nursing hot chocolate, capped with a staggering froth of whipped cream. I have given up on this week.

Requiem for Maurice

Maurice has died. For the last day or so he had been really lethargic, lying on the bottom of his tank, with alternate bouts of spastic activity when I tried to prod him into action. I'm not sure what it was caused by — he had been relatively normal. My only conclusion is that during my prolonged absence he was so weak from hunger that he succumbed to an infection, and that is how he died. Today, I came home from school and he was dead.

I'm sorry, Maurice, that I left you for so long and didn't take good enough care of you. But you had a great life and you were a great pet while you lasted. Enjoy your time in fish heaven — I hope you have many castles to swim in and around.

I'm not sure if I'll get another fish, considering the difficult logistics of vacations and whatnot that I hadn't considered before. I did like having Maurice around though, so I guess we'll see.

The Curious Case of Maurice Murphy

I return home and Maurice, who ended up staying at my apartment (alone! for three weeks!) after all due to slight technical difficulties in fish transfer, is alive. Or is he? This Maurice is smaller and less flamboyant of tail than the Maurice I remember. Not to mention the characteristic white streak in this fin is gone.

Suspicious. I have a few theories. First, and most absurd, is that the maintenance staff noticed that he was dead and replaced him with a similar looking fish. Second, Maurice "thinned out" due to his lack of diet and company and his new appearance is such a result. Third, I'm losing it. This is highly possible.

Clearly, I was a better writer

Found this while going through our interminable boxes full of old crap. Punctuation and capitalization copied verbatim.

The bag full of rocks.

Once there was a little ghost who had a bag. but what was in it? Try to guess. how about a rock? close. how about rocks. Right.


I think I was probably about five or six when I wrote that. Gotta say it's better than anything I've written lately. What happened to that prodigy? How about law school. Right.

2008 recap

On second thought, let's not do this, because 2008 turned out to be a surprisingly disappointing year. Let's hear it for 2009! Actually, according to the Chinese zodiac 2009 is supposed to be a good year for me because it is the year of my sign (the Ox). On that note:

Goals for 2009 if I were an ox:
-plow an extra acre of field a day
-keep hooves clean
-be productive enough to stay skinny and therefore, less desirable as food

And now, real goals for 2009:
-stay happy
-stay healthy
-become a lean, mean, ambition driven machine. With plenty of room for squishy doggies, snuggles, and nights spent exercising my dancing queen muscles.

The last few weeks

Highlights, of course with commentary:

Christmas: incredibly low key, accompanied by one f.a.n.t.a.s.t.i.c. steak dinner. Holy toledo, that was good. We did not open Christmas presents on Christmas eve, as is usual in this family. Instead we waited for the NJ contingent to arrive on Christmas day and opened presents then. Some highlights: assorted tart pans, measuring cups (silicon collapsible AND porcelain DUCK!), lotions, clothes, and hopefully (when I get back), one very large TV.

Sister's Sweet Sixteen: Lucky ran away during the party. Tom found him. Twenty something sixteen year olds bopping along to club music in the basement and a DJ who also did digital sketches. She got a car. And she does not even have her learner's permit. I'll just leave this one at that. Oh, and she also got Rock Band and a PS3. Which is AWESOME and really fun. I like the singing because it is the easiest, clearly.

Family vacay: played untold hours of online Tetris and watched movies in the new, shiny, incredibly spacious home theatre. Did not get enough sleep.

New Year's Eve: family all left during the day. Spent a few hours cleaning up the whirlwind mess. Then collapsed and slept for a zillion hours straight.

And the last few days: some more low key stuff. Nothing to report. Which is exactly how I like it.

The busiest time of year

All I wanted was to be able to sleep for, oh, 20 hours or so. Instead, since arriving home on Sunday night, this is what I have done:
-vacuumed and dusted this entire house, top to bottom
-spent 3 hrs at Sam's Club, shopping for Christmas dinner and my sister's party
-picked up a Tom from the airport (YAY! one of the only good parts so far)
-put together a solid wood freaking gigantic table and 8 chairs to go with it
-put up and decorated a TWELVE. FOOT. TALL. Christmas tree.
-hung curtains, shower curtains, placed pictures
-ordered party favors, planned menus, decorated.

I have barely had a moment to myself except for eating, sleeping, and a late night screening of Mamma Mia last night in the as-yet-unfinished theatre. Please, let things calm down. I'm looking forward to a quiet Christmas and New Year.

Hear that sound? That's the universe, laughing at me.

Why?

I can tell you where to get these shoes for $2.50 — any Chinese variety store. I have no idea what is going on here, but somewhere in Southeast Asia a bunch of pajama wearing grandparents suddenly became very fashionable.

Minneapolis: surprisingly cold, hospitable OR At least I got a blog post out of it

So I haven't posted in a long time...I guess I'll use the seven hours of spare time I have in the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport to update my life. Readers who are aware, feel free to skip the garbled mumbo-jumbo below. I haven't removed my contacts since Friday, so I also cannot vouch for the spelling or grammatical accuracy of this entry. Forewarned!

Behold: the travel saga, abridged in bullet form. All times are estimated, but close to accurate and NOT exaggerated. Believe me. This is the best I could do while looking at the NWA flight schedules and comparing them to the call log from my cell phone.

-4:56: Flight scheduled to leave South Bend
-5:15: Flight arrives in South Bend
-5:21: Board flight in South Bend
-5:30: Everyone on board in South Bend.
-5:45: Everyone still on board in South Bend.
-5:55: Everyone still on board in...you guessed it, South Bend.
-6:00: Six people are taken off our plane. It is too heavy. Apparently the agent thought it'd be a better idea to burn 3 hrs of fuel to lighten the weight instead of removing 6 passengers who were last minute bookings from other airlines. Pilot disagreed. Argument ensued. Pilot wins after forty five minutes.
-6:15: Cargo dudes finally find the departees' luggage and close the door. We chill for a little while for no apparent reason.
-7:15: Wheels up! YES. [Note: if you look on the NWA site it says that we left at 6:12 and arrived at 7:51. This is false because it does not take 1.5 hours to fly from South Bend to Detroit. What they really mean is that we moved away from the gate at 6:12].
-7:51: Arrive Detroit. Connection from Detroit to Minneapolis was scheduled for 7:12. I assume I didn't make it. I assume wrong, because it is delayed.
-8:40: Flight from Detroit to Minneapolis scheduled to depart.
-9:35: Flight from Minneapolis to Wichita departs...without me.
-9:50: Flight from Detroit to Minneapolis actually departs.
-11:08: Arrive Minneapolis.

This is followed by a blur of waiting in lines of hundreds of people, news that the next flight to Wichita that they can guarantee me isn't until MONDAY (but standby for a Sunday flight is available), a late night shuttle trip to a hotel in Eagan, Minnesota, the realization that I have eaten nothing but a bowl of cereal at noon and have therefore consumed no food for over 13 hours, the realization that nothing is open here in South Fargo and my hotel has no room service, the quiet and desperate inhalation of a single granola bar, five hours of fitful sleep, and a trip back to the airport at 11:30 to wait for the standby flight. And apparently, the longest run-on sentence in the history of blogging. Ever.

It was (and is) also -26 here. The first time I was struck in the face by that wind, I think I broke out in cold blisters immediately. The people here are obviously made of hardy Scandinavian peasant stock, whereas my folk come from the land of 100+ degrees and 80% humidity. Clearly, I was built for this.


And then...THEN! Success!!!!!!

I am booked on a flight to Kansas City tonight at 7:05. KC is about 3 hrs from my house but at this point, I just want to get home before Christmas. Parental units will be arriving to pick me up, hopefully with food in tow. I will sleep for 48 hours straight and, with any luck, wake to find that if nothing else this ordeal has caused me to lose two pounds. Score.

When in doubt, blog

I need to outline, outline, outline...and yet, here I am.

Quick updates:

-baking time has been severely reduced, so the shiny new implements I acquired over Thanksgiving break are going to have to take a back seat until I get back to school in 2009...sob.

-I think I might be getting addicted to caffeine...I get these weird behind-the-eye headaches and they tend to go away with that first cup of coffee. This is absolutely not good and come break, I might have to figure out a way to slowly wean myself off the magic concoction that is 2 packets of sugar + a big splash of half and half. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

-I have given up getting my apartment clean; I simply don't have the time. Therefore, I've resorted to trying to control the mess: I have a bag for all the mail. All the dishes are in the sink. All the clothes are in a pile. Yes, they're clean, and yes, there's plenty of closet space and they should be there—but the point is that they're not EVERYWHERE.

-Taylor Swift. That's about all I'm going to say without going into a hundreds-of-words long review of how genius her pop songwriting skills are.

ACK. My life is a shambles. Please, please, please let me pull through the next few weeks with some of my sanity intact.

Please.

Drowning...

...in Christmas present shopping, packing boxes, laundry, notes, books, unopened mail, and mismatched socks.

There could not be a better description of my life right now.

Santa, baby.

This year's wishlist:

-The Joy of Cooking/Baking
-A Le Creuset Dutch Oven (yeah right)
-Silpat
-Extra bowl for KitchenAid Artisan mixer
-BtVS season 8 comics
-A replacement power cord for my MBP
-Frye riding boots (again, yeah right)

The geeky housewife factor here is through the roof.

Maurice: an update

I've now had Maurice for over 6 months; possibly a record for me when it comes to fish-raising. As far as I can tell, he's doing pretty well. He just swims around in his tank all day, and since fish have memory spans of maybe 10 seconds, it means that every time he makes a circuit around his tank he notices his castle anew and is like "Cool! A castle!" And repeat...repeat...repeat.

The interesting thing about Maurice (well, I find it interesting) is that he's cold-blooded, and therefore is entirely dependent on the temperature of his surroundings. When my apartment is cold, he's sluggish, and when it's warmer, he's perky. There a few implications to this, but the most important one is that I'm afraid to really lower the temperature in my apartment when I'm not here, for fear that I'll return and find him a floating ice cube.

This poses some interesting dilemmas; this week I'll be traveling to the wilds of Northern Michigan for Thanksgiving with T.'s family, but since I won't be here I want to lower the temperature in my apartment so as not to waste money and energy heating rooms that no one will be in. Which means that I'll have to either leave Maurice here to freeze, or take him with me. Guess which option I'm taking here?

And the real problem will be Christmas break, because I'm not sure what I'm going to do, being gone for three weeks. I'll be flying home, so I won't be able to take him with me. But I can't leave him here by himself—he'll freeze, and starve, to death. So what should I do?

The options are:
-send him home with my Mom when she comes in a few weeks to pack up her stuff and take it back to Kansas. The problem with this is that she's killed the last 2 betta fish she's owned. While I trust him with her for just a few weeks, I can't figure out a way to get him back here when vacation is over. This might take some figuring out.

-drive home to Kansas so that he can ride in the car with me. I realize that this is absolutely insane and that I'm nuts to even momentarily entertain this idea for a pet that can't actually make eye contact with me. Really, this would be the only way for him to get to and from Kansas safely. However, I'm not quite enamored enough to drive 12 hours each way just to ensure that Maurice is comfortable.

-find a sitter. I have some friends who are rectors at the school who might be willing to let him dwell there for a little while; it'll be warm there at least (I think?) and depending on when they get back he should be OK with the no food (or I could get him some slow-feeding pellets). Or I can ask the law school staff if it's OK to let him chill at the school for a few weeks; at least there will be heat there and I wonder if they would feed him. Again, I understand that this is complete ridiculous, but I don't want him to die.

Suggestions are welcome. I'm sure you are all glad to know that I have given so much thought to the welfare of my fish, while putting off any concern for the welfare of my fed courts outline. Stay tuned for the outcome—I know you're all just riveted to your seats.

Sigh. Pudding. Remix.

Unlike the delicious little sample I practically inhaled last night, the rest of the pudding...never...set.

What happened? What went wrong? I NEED TO KNOW!


Also, this is basically how I feel about Fed Courts right now:
Habeas brainus? Please?

Sigh. Pudding.

I'm a bad person.



But it tasted sooooooo good.

Poem, before bed

I have a lot of work to do.
Ooh, "Friends"!

On the ground

There's snow on the ground. I don't remember feeling quite this enraged/frustrated last year when that happened. My cynical side must be catching up with me...that, and my cold toes.

The trends, they are a-changing

This is what I wore last winter:





And this, thanks to the generosity of a much-missed trans-Atlantic friend, is what I will be wearing this winter:




The only thing that could make this better? If I could somehow wear both at the same time. Thank you, S.! I will picture you laughing at me every time I wear this hat.

It's that time of year again

I've done some looking back in my archives, and it seems like each year, around this time, I post some sort of panicked/denial-ridden-perky post about how I need to sprint quickly and successfully through my final exams without losing my dignity or sense of personal hygiene. And I am here to say "Enough! No more pseudo-motivational phrases with snappy alliteration! No more talking about how stress is great, but success is greater! No more, I say! Let's just be honest."

I am in full-blown, 100%, all out holy-crap-I-need-to-get-my-rear-in-gear mode. And I am not ashamed to admit it! I do not deny it! Finals times SUCKS!

Whew. I feel strangely empowered now.







PS: Back to the clean slate. It was nice flirting with the girly swirl, but this is a little easier for me to look at.

What I've learned about myself

I do way better when everything is a competition. Yesterday, t. and I compiled lists of things we had to do (lists that were comparable...we made sure of that) and held a contest to see who could get the most things done by the end of the day. And while I didn't get all my things done, I "little chunked" and won. BOO. YAH.

Why stop?

If I'm going to dream, I might as well go all out.

Addiction

I was already aware of my fondness for Gucci, Dior, and Valentino.

But I never thought I was a Jimmy Choo girl, until now.

Anyone have a cool three grand to drop on these? Something tells me I won't be able to find any of these on a final clearance rack at 95% off.

Election Day

Amazing.

GOAL!

In my attempts to be a more goal-oriented, forward thinking, and proactive person, I've adopted a new system for getting through my day--a system I like to call "little chunks" (which, now that I think about it, sounds kind of gross).

My problem, usually, is that I cannot manage to get things done because I feel that the enormity of the tasks I set for myself render any steps I might be able to take negligible unless the entire thing gets done (clean apartment from top to bottom, including scrubbing baseboards with a toothbrush! read all my reading for a whole week in one day! organize all my clothes, hem three pairs of pants, and fold all t-shirts in a perfect square in an hour!).

Breaking up daily to-do lists into more manageable pieces is a time-saving task, a.k.a. life hack, that has been promulgated on the net and in various self-help books numerous times. I've tried it before. However, even when I did break up my day, I still found myself lingering over the first few tasks and eventually finding myself at dusk with a dishwasher half-loaded and a sofa covered in unfolded laundry.

Therefore, I have now found some success with breaking up the breaking up. By setting ridiculously doable standards, I find myself surpassing them: "Put away that dish" becomes "Well, I'm already putting away this dish...I might as well put away that mug, and that spoon, and that plate, and hey, let's put away all the dishes." Maybe I should call this "little little chunks"?

At any rate, it's working, and that's all that matters. So today's goals: read 4 pages of evidence. Throw away the old circular sitting on my coffee table. Put away my boots. Let's see how far these three things get me.

She's back!

My computer! Is back! And fixed! Hooray! This is a cause for celebration!

If this blog were a baby

I'd be a terrible mother. Hello, regular posting, how I've missed you.

Some updates on the past few weeks:

T. came and "surprised" me with a visit over Columbus Day weekend, which also happened to be the weekend of the Law School Fall Ball. It was so amazing to see him, and the weekend turned out to be one of the best ones ever. Thanks for driving 10 hours each way, sweetie!

I have turned into some kind of domestic whirlwind. The urge to bake comes over me so frequently that usually, the utensils from the previous cookie/cake/cupcake experiment aren't even washed yet. You know it's bad when you don't mind doing the dishes just so you can dirty them again. On the upside, I think I have managed to strengthen my relationships with all of my friends. Never underestimate the power of a chocolate chip.

School is...school. I have reached that point in the semester where I start buckling down and making all kinds of resolutions that, as usual, go half-fulfilled. This time: I've decided to regiment my TV time. This means that instead of flicking the dreaded box on for background noise and finding myself distracted by financial crisis/political scandal/Madonna's getting divorced, I will only watch television at appointed times with a purpose. Therefore, every time I pick up the remote control, I must say to myself something that involves a conceivable end: "The Hills is on at 10. I will watch until 10:30." or "90210 is on at 8. I will watch it until 9." Please, no comments on my terrible taste in television.

Finally, I've found an alternative to BtVS (still my first love, but I'll take what I can get). HBO's new series True Blood deals with similar issues (vampires living among the...living, I guess) and while it's a lot grittier and more scandalous, it still gives me that fantasy/action TV fix I've had to do without since Buffy went off the air. Thanks, l., for introducing me!

That's it for now. I've got classes to read for, things to do, cookies to bake. All in a day's work.

Quick hits

-Fall ball. We're going. Got mani/pedi today--nails look great!
-Shoes. I am both purging and stocking my shoe closet.
-Buttermilk cookies. Oh. My. Gosh. They are sooooooooo good.
-School. Crazy. Per usual.

Today, summed up

Nap from 5-8.

Topsy-turvy

My life is a mess right now. Drastic measures need to be taken. Partial lobotomy possibly the only solution.

Honesty

Really, the best policy.

My life has been in a constant state of stress lately; school, job search, life. All have been sort of an intense overload. I've been trying to cope by just taking things a step at a time, not letting myself get freaked out or feel overly pressured, but I think the time has come for me to acknowledge that something needs to be different. A good capsule example:

My apartment has been constantly messy since the beginning of the semester, when I moved back and didn't unpack all my clothes, but rather dumped them into a huge pile on the floor. It only got worse when I would do laundry and then fail to put my clothes away, instead leaving them jumbled in the basket.

While my apartment was like that, I felt assailed by an almost physical wall of frustration the second I walked through my door. Anything that was on my mind — assignments, bills, plans — would be instantly overwhelmed by MY APARTMENT! MY APARTMENT! IT IS MESSY! It became almost impossible for me to get things done.

Last night I took an affirmative step and finally organized, folded, and hung all the clothes that were making my room look like that of an 11-year old boy. I was finally honest to myself about the fact that I could no longer bear to step over piles of socks and scattered shoes on my way to my bed; that the giant piles of junk mail slowly conquering my living room were not good for my sanity; and that I needed to just suck it up (side note: this is, indeed, proper usage) and devote a whole evening to putting my life back in order.

So I did. And now I feel great about it. I'm still busy and occupied, but at least I can come home, walk in, and not feel immediately overwhelmed. A great weight has been lifted. And all because I was finally honest enough with myself to admit that I was turning into a messy, disorganized wacko and needed to make a drastic change.

Despite my best intentions

As any semi-regular reader of this blog knows, I have attempted to kick start no fewer than three fitness regimens over the last few years. All have failed. This is a little discouraging, but change is always possible (YES WE CAN!).

In the interest of starting up again (my goal being a lung capacity greater than that of a two-year old child, and possibly the ability to run more than a few blocks without wheezing like I'm going to die), I have taken a number of fitness-geared actions.

To wit: I've purchased new running shoes (now with actual cushioning for your feet, as opposed to the clearance-purchased Meijer brand shoes I was using before), joined the 2L Powderpuff team (really fun!) and vowed to go to the gym.

Problem: I have NO IDEA where the gym is. Last night I got all swanked up in my new shoes and some ratty shorts, drove to campus, got out of my car, and walked around for twenty minutes without finding it. All the while I was on the phone with two different people trying to tell me how to get there. Then I gave up and went to go watch the boys' flag football game instead.

Also, the headphones I purchased yesterday for my iPod were broken. I swear, it's like the universe is conspiring against my getting trim and toned. If that's the case, I would appreciate a clearer sign, so that I can just start mowing down the potato chips and watching endless reruns on TV, instead of fighting inevitable fate.

A clear and present problem

Not only are these butter-sugar-cocoa filled and frosted cupcakes delicious, they are also 100% homemade. Which means that I spent 1.5 hours that could have been otherwise productive churning out these bad boys.

The worst part of this whole thing? There are 12 of them (despite the relative harmlessness of the four in this photo). Which means that some of my friends are going to get choco-bombed tomorrow at school, because I sure as heck don't trust myself to be alone with these guys over the next few days without devouring them all. And the inevitable sugar rush alone would be devastating to my nerves. Some people play video games when they don't want to do homework. Me? The Kitchen-Aid is my procrastination station.

Back to reality

These last few weeks have been filled with laughter, fun, miniature golf, an amazing day of shopping (sneakers! jeans! jacket! tank tops! vintage poster!). It's amazing how you forget the awesomeness of having your best bud around, how quickly awareness of that awesomeness returns to you, and how sad you feel once it's gone again. And it's also amazing how you can manage to squeeze such bad alliteration into one teeny, tiny blog post.

After an amazing week, back to the daily grind: homework, class, job search, apartment cleaning, etc., etc., etc.

A week's worth

It has rained, virtually non-stop, for the last three days. Hard rain, too, not just little drizzles—today, walking on campus, I splashed through a puddle that was literally ankle deep. And the worms! Don't get me started on the worms.

In other and better news, T comes to visit me tomorrow. WOOHOO! He'll be here until Saturday. I am practically crippled with happiness.

And the real benefits...

Of having a wonderful boyfriend: getting things like this in the mail.

Dangers and Benefits

First: the dangers of being absent-minded. Paid for a coffee refill in the lounge this morning, filled my mug, left. Realized an hour later that I had left my wallet and phone on the milk counter.

Second: the benefits of attending a smaller, [relatively] honest school. When I went back in a panic, the woman behind the counter had it. It was not stolen.

I think there are several things that I should start doing in order to make my life less crazy.
1. Not forget things.
2. Put things away after I use them...in the same place!
3. Be conscious of what the heck I'm doing at all times, if possible.

Good plan. Now, if only I could implement it...

4. Follow through with plans.

Haircut

Haircut: $40
Gas to get to salon: $1
Blow-dryer: $11.99
Finally getting rid of all the split ends and useless, dead volume: PRICELESS

OMG

And a pair of Crocs lined with fur just passed me.

Spotted

The season's first confirmed mini-skirt + Ugg combo. Avert your eyes, lest ye be scorched by the sight and turned to stone.

My favorite procrastination

If I don't want to do homework, I cook something. This is a fact well-known to all of my friends, who have pretty much welcomed the ritual bringing-of-the-baked-goods, usually commemorated on Sunday evenings when my unwillingness to read for class leads me to food websites dedicated to making my life more delicious. All those recipes! So little time!


On today's menu: macaroni and cheese with broccoli and sausage. Chocolate chip banana bread.

Ugh...my tummy....

Good morning klutz

While getting ready this morning I accidentally knocked my favorite hair brush off the counter and into the toilet. Please, observe a moment of silent mourning; it went straight into the trash.

I also drove to school this morning eating yogurt and banana out of the giant, 16 oz. yogurt container — there wasn't that much left, so I decided not to dirty a dish. In case anyone was wondering who that girl with the big plastic tub was — yeah, that was me.

Poolside

Short update, but I haven't written in a while and I feel like providing a little news.

Over the last couple of days I've done a little bit of pool-side relaxing and the sunshine, warm breeze, and cool (verging on cold) water is exactly what I need right now, before school starts (in just two days!) and I have more to worry about than the state of my tan.

Giving in

Now that I have my own kitchen I have been completely, utterly overwhelmed by the urge to cook. It's hot outside and I have a million things to do, but someone put a roast in my hands and I'll give you a slow-cooked, 5 hour long ordeal that has the whole apartment smelling delicious.

War

All-out. It has been declared.

I tried to be nice, spiders. I tried to be understanding and compassionate. Plus there was that whole "Charlotte's Web was my favorite book when I was a kid and all these spiders must be just like that spider who is both a good writer and a good friend" thing. No more. No more, I say. You have overrun my apartment. You are even in my car — I saw you, spider crawling up my arm!! There is not a square inch that your spiny legs have not touched. If I see another fuzzy egg sac, I may just lose it.

So be forewarned, spiders. Here is your chance to get the heckles out of my apartment. Because last year, when I let you quietly go about your lives spinning your webs, is over. This year, it will be a spider slaughter. Run for your lives, because I will show you no mercy.

Everyone else

Is awesome too. Happy, L?

Irene

Is da bomb. Bomb diggity! Da butters. Da sugar sweet sugars. Something else awesome.

End of summer listmania

CDs I have purchased:
Van Lear Rose--Loretta Lynn
Kala--M.I.A.
Between Here and Gone--Mary Chapin Carpenter
1999--Prince
Come to the Mountain--Assorted
Hairspray: the soundtrack
The Woman in White--Andrew Lloyd Webber
Raising Sand--Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

Movies I have watched:
Wall-E
Michael Clayton
Kung Fu Panda
The Company
Volver

Books I have read:
March by Geraldine Brooks
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Books I have re-read:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K.Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K.Rowling
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Lists made:
Too many to count

Overthinking [everything]

Still awake — the natural consequence of having taken too long a nap in the afternoon and having stayed up too late finishing a book. I've tried several times to fall asleep and all I do is lay in the dark, thoughts bubbling up out of my head (my stomach? Sometimes it feels that way).

I worry about a lot of things, probably (definitely) more than I should. Right now, all I can think of is the ending I am quickly drawing to, and the beginning of something new that will be even more difficult because of all the changes it will bring.

I worry that as the summer draws to a close, I won't finish my products properly or in time; that I'll leave with regrets from not having done this or that; that I'll leave without any more confidence in myself than I arrived with.

I worry that as the new school year starts, I'll be too busy to study properly, or well; that I won't be able to handle my new schedule; that I'll miss Tom too much.

Well, I know for a fact that I'll miss Tom too much. It's no secret to confess that our impending separation (he will soon be much more than a few hours' drive away) has worn a little knot in the pit of my stomach. I don't worry about us; I worry about me. Is that wrong? I try to deal the best I can with his absence, and I admit that I've gotten better at it, even though I'm far from perfect. I've spoken to a number of people this summer who are even married and separated from their spouses. Does it get easier? Will it be OK?

No doubt I can blame these semi-coherent, post-midnight ramblings on the sticky half of a cinnamon bun that I ate for dessert. Late nights always put me in a pensive mood. I just need to stop worrying, I guess. Though I've told myself that many times, and never with much success.

This has been a very long post, and for that I apologize (to the few people who read/care). But I guess that's what this blog is all about — it serves as a catch-all for what I'm feeling, or fearing, or looking forward to. And thank goodness, because otherwise all this would still be roaming around my mind, large thoughts inside a small head. Maybe now it will be easier to fall asleep.

So here's the thing

The summer is almost over. Done. Kaput. Finito!

Remind me again how that happened? I feel like just six blog posts ago it was the beginning of the summer. Oh. Wait.

Things to do:
-interview/job crap
-packing crap
-saying goodbye (always is awful)
-haircut (might be awful)

And various other end-of-summer things, including project wrap-up at work. Blech. I like to work on projects. I just don't like to work on projects when I know I'm going to have to start wrapping up those projects.

The single redemptive feature of these next few weeks: Tom comes to visit. YES!

Where I am

Chicaaaaaaaaago...HEY!

Independence Day

My parents came back from vacation yesterday and the only thing on my dad's mind: buy fireworks.

"Dad," I said. "You can get them at Wal-Mart."

"Not if you want the really good ones," he insisted. "You gotta go to the tent." Recently, white tents have popped up, mushroom-like, in parking lots and vacant fields all over the city, with names like Big Daddy Fireworks and an ever-present stream of customers coming in and going out, their arms filled with explosives. On the way back from the airport he pulled over to the first tent he saw, and left my mom and me in the car talking about Pride & Prejudice while he browsed for pyrotechnics. He came back with a giant white box called "The King." "I got a variety," he said. "I can't tell what all that stuff in there is."

Tonight he donned safety glasses and a headlamp (where he got it from, I have no idea) and lit about a dozen fireworks out in the cul-de-sac. My mom and I observed from a safe distance, holding on to our lame sparklers while my dad lit the big stuff and then ran for cover. He was like a little kid again and I can't say it wasn't the most fun I've had on a Fourth of July in a long time, watching him kneel down to light the fuses and then tear back toward the house, his headlamp bobbing while bright pinwheels sparked behind him. Some neighbors down the street were lighting fireworks too, big green ones that whistled into the air and sprouted like giant palms. A couple houses down, a bunch of kids and adults spilled out onto their porch and watched my dad work his incendiary magic, cheering at even the dinky little ones and letting out a disappointed "Awwwwww" when my dad announced the last one.

Afterward we doused the cardboard containers, just in case, and then swept them all into the trashbin. We used all the fireworks he'd bought, except for the "really big ones," he said, that we couldn't light because there were "too many houses." The law student in me let out a big sigh when he decided not to go for the gusto. The kid in me still wants to see those suckers explode. Maybe next year.

Happy fourth, everyone.

The shortest long week...longest short week?

Exhaustamafied. This weekend I have no plans for the Fourth of July except I must. see. Wall-E. No joke, my urge to watch this movie has reached critical mass; the only thing that stopped me from going to see it alone this week was waiting for my sister who will also love it, I know.

Doggies = not as fun as when they lived with me. Don't ask me why.

Next weekend I'm going to Chicago to see the girls; it will be such a nice break and I can't wait to see them and do many many fun things, including, but not limited to, shoppingeatingdancingjumpingaroundsightseeing. HOORAY!

Catch and release

Weekly softball has been surprisingly fun. Especially considering that I. SUCK. at softball.

I cannot catch. Nor can I release the ball when I'm throwing at the right point for it not to plow into the ground six feet in front of me.

The only thing I am semi-decent at is batting. The only trouble is that I have no strength in my arms, so one of three things happens:

1) I hit a slow grounder, someone scoops it up, I'm out at first.
2) I hit a soft, graceful lob, someone catches it, I'm out.
3) I hit the ball, it falls to the ground, I run like heck, and I get to first. Miracle.

I think that in order to get better at softball, I need to learn how to a) throw and b) catch. I am, however, too lazy to practice, and I also do not own a softball. Therefore I will neither throw nor catch and instead, will simply chase after the ball in a completely undignified way when it bounces out of my glove.

Library, where art thou?

This weekend, I am making it MY MISSION to get a library card and start some reading. MY MISSION, I say. See the all caps? That means I'm SERIOUS.

Sun. Bern.

This summer's weather has been a whole lotta hot, stormy, humid insanity. Despite this I think I might be falling in love with Kansas a little bit. There are more than a few quirks that take some getting used to — the strange fact that locations in Kansas don't show up on my car's navigational system, for one thing — it has been a pleasurable June by all accounts.

Getting used to living at home again is definitely a challenge, though easier than I expected it to be. The best part is just having my parents around. Living alone has taught me to value company a whole lot more than I used to. Maurice, too, seems to have adjusted well to his new abode. Mohawk, my mom's fish, likes to swim near the side of his tank and then they both puff up. It's fun to watch.

In other news, T and I will probably be apart for the longest time ever this summer. This sucks. However, being as busy as I've been (8-5 work days, often 8-6, and social events besides) I've had little time to dwell on the separation. What with my work schedule and his study schedule, this summer is just a hump we're going to have to get over. I think we're doing OK so far. I've definitely been missing other people too — it's not really any fun without my girlfriends here to be wild and crazy with. But before I know it the summer will be over and school will be upon me.

Now, some quick bullets:
-this summer's beverage: Diet Coke (free at my firm)
-this summer's bad habit: buying shoes
-this summer's anthem: Forever by Chris Brown
-this summer's soundtrack: Little Voice, Sara Bareilles
-this summer so far: sunny, with a side of storm (both figurative and literal descriptions)

My life, once again my own

Quick bullet post:

-YooHoo: world's greatest beverage. Just don't look at the ingredients.
-Braum's: world's greatest ice cream. Try the peanut butter cup.
-Kansas weather this summer so far: totally. utterly. wack.

Obligatory post about "Sorry, I didn't post"

I was very busy.

And I am still very busy. Posts will likely be very sporadic until such time as things in my life calm down a little.

Ahhhhh...

The slug-like viscosity of a brain doing nothing for three...whole...days....

Interspersed with a little bit of mental activity, but not much, I can tell you that.

The end

So it's over...

Right now, I'm so consumed by the hectic frenzy of packing, cleaning, and last minute to dos (insurance! lease renewals! utility bills! car registration!) that I haven't really been able to focus on the fact that the wild, crazy, amazing ride that I've been on since September is really over. As if to seal the deal, L., S., and J. left this morning, and it was an incredibly sad feeling driving by L.'s apartment, seeing her car sitting outside, but knowing that she wasn't there to hang out with.

It's been incredible, and knowing that it's ending is just a little too much for me handle right now. At least I've got a million and one things to do before I leave to take the stress of changing times, places, and faces off my mind.

Not to mention the nerve-wracking waiting game of grades that kicked off with the worst Con Law final in...well, ever.

Again...

Brown sugar meringue cookies — unbelievably airy and light, with the most fantastic brown sugar flavor.

Also: let's see how many different sweatshirts we can screen-capture me in. Here, I sport a lovely red zip-up, complete with baggy sweats and ratty ponytail.

So it begins

Tomorrow is my first final exam: Property. Then, in quick succession:

Monday—Contracts
Wednesday—Constitutional Law

I've been surprisingly calm so far and have managed to give myself relatively good pep talks that have prevented me from my customary every-other-day freak outs. This might be a sign of maturity, but don't worry — I'm on the look out for more indications that I'm a normal person and will report any such symptoms accordingly.

The third product (sort of)

This is what happens when you make a French Silk pie and don't remember to take a picture of it before...well, you know.

The second product

Key. Lime. Pie.

The first product

DOUBLE WONDERFUL!

I have the most amazing friends anyone could ever ask for—tonight they threw me a surprise birthday party!

Because my birthday is during the summer and we're all scattered around the country, they were super sneaky and L. got me to E.'s where they all jumped out and surprised me with a scavenger hunt, which took me around the entire grad housing complex and then back to the apartment where...

...

...

...a PINK KITCHEN-AID MIXER was waiting for me, wrapped beautifully in pink paper! And accompanied by a pink card!

AMAZING!

This was followed by an absolutely lovely dinner of pasta primavera and a fantastic dessert of molten chocolate cake, all lovingly prepared by E. I just do not have words. TWO surprises in one weekend! TWO!

THE CAPS ARE GOING WILD! AND THE EXCLAMATION POINTS TOO!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH, GIRLS!

Won, Wonder, Wonderful

On Thursday, T. surprised me by showing up on my doorstep unannounced. It was unbelievable, amazing, and one of the best things anyone has ever done for me. My spirits lifted from "finals-down-in-the-dumps" to "OH MY GOD HE IS HERE." I can't even describe it, it was so incredible.

Then we got food poisoning (or stomach flu, but I'm betting on the food poisoning b/c the symptoms seem to line up).

While the whole dehydrated, can't-keep-anything-down feeling was not the highlight of the last few days, at least we had each other. Basically, we were sick together and I'm not even exaggerating—being sick with T. was better than being OK on my own. He's gone now, and I really miss that guy.

But nothing will take away the sheer and utter ecstasy I felt when I opened that door and saw him smiling at me...just thinking about it makes me feel wonderful.

Getting through it

This might certify me as a little bit nutty (or at the very least, kind of eccentric), but having Maurice around really makes things a lot better. It's kind of nice to look over and see him swimming around in his tank. Also, whenever I use the coffee table to type (i.e., now), he comes over to the side of his tank nearest me and chills out. I like to think he wants to be near me, but I'm pretty sure it's just that he likes seeing motion, instead of the inanimate objects he's stuck looking at all day. I haven't gone so far yet as to leave the TV on just for him. Let's hope I never get there....

Also, S. made a request that I put a quote on her blog. Because it is embarrassing, I'm not gonna. But I've mentioned it! So I'm sure that counts for something.

(Not) studying

I'm back from a wonderful weekend, and now the fun really starts. If I can manage to motivate myself, I might actually make it through this finals week with my dignity and peace of mind intact.

We'll see about that...

Flu

I don't think I need to say anything more, nor do I have the energy.

A delayed, but no less dedicated, weekend post

I might be narcoleptic, but I never let sleep get in the way of a good time.

Last weekend, we (aka les girls) all went out with two of L.'s friends, St. and M., both of whom are rollicking good times. We also went out with J. and R. (hey guys!) and I promised I would write a blog post about our evening. So here it is!

After hanging out at at the c-house for a little (see, I'm even using the lingo) I fell asleep, probably for a solid 30 minutes, while everyone else probably made fun of me. No matter! I (wo)manned up, got into that cab, and made it to Finny's, where I proceeded to dance, play photohunt, and stand around with the best of the non-sleepers. That's right. I rock.

The disadvantages of sleep deprivation

-Frequent and deep-seated urges to nap, wherever I am, throughout the day.
-An inability to fall asleep at night, because of those naps
-The perpetuating cycle

I'm spiraling out of slumber control...

I'm it

I've been tagged by Sales Rack Raider to do this survey. No time like the present to put off another Con Law reading!

Also, this is the first meme I've ever been tagged for. Chalk one up for me!

8 Things I'm Passionate About
1) Reading/books
2) Shoes (is it sad that this is so high on the list?)
3) Friends/family/pets
4) Satisfaction and a job well done
5) Good food (and learning what isn't good food during my many experiments)
6) Changing the world! Someday.
7) Trying to be a good person
8) De-stressing and organizing my life

8 Things I want to do before I die
1) Visit all 50 states
2) Have a dog (or dogs) of my own
3) Learn to play the guitar (for real)
4) Be published
5) Catch and cook a fish
6) Start an organization/charity/foundation/scholarship/etc
7) Master that tennis backhand
8) Ski the Alps

8 Things I say often
1) LIES!
2) No
3) Yes (I realize that these are cop-outs)
4) Duck
5) Tell me what it is (in response to surprises)
6) Really?
7) Hooray!
8) I'm hungry.

8 Books I've read lately
1) Constitutional Law: Cases in Context
2) Property
3) Problems in Contract Law
4) Little Women
5) Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife (P&P sequel)
6) 100 Years of Solitude
7) Pride & Prejudice
8) Perspectives on Property Law

8 Songs I can listen to over and over again
1) "I take my chances" by MCC
2) "Why walk when you can fly" by MCC
3) "World on Fire" by Sarah McLachlan
4) "The Long Way Around" by the Dixie Chicks
5) "Sire of Sorrow [Job's Sad Song]" by Joni Mitchell (as rearranged on Travelogue)
6) "Let me touch you for awhile" by Alison Krauss
7) "Jesus, Etc." by Wilco
8) "Galang" by M.I.A.

8 Things that attract me to my best friends
1) Their senses of humor
2) That they understand my sense of humor
3) Intelligence
4) Generally, they're nice people
5) Loyalty
6) Personality and character
7) Willingness to lend a hand (to anyone)
8) Ability to laugh at themselves

A musical longing

I've watched about half a dozen movies this weekend alone, and I've come to the realization that what my life is missing, that intangible something that adds depth to both emotion and whimsy, is an orchestral score. Just imagine — it would boost me in my triumphant moments, render my blue days heart-felt and full-bodied, and give me quick way to zip through the more boring parts of life.

My life needs a score. Preferably something with delicate violins, low-throated cellos, melodic piano interludes, and a robust choral rendition of Handel's "Hallelujah," to be sung at the conclusion of this semester's finals.

Life, bulleted

-Barrister's Ball. Fun, fancy dress, food only ok, left-the-curling-iron-on panic attack. So, altogether normal for any near-formal event requiring me to get dressed up.

-Trivia Night. Team Hamstar comes in NOT LAST. WOOOOOHOOOO.

-My hair. Thanks to L.'s timely intervention I've been using conditioner for the last few weeks and really seeing a difference. Who knew that changing up a daily cheap shampoo-rub-blow dry regimen could have such a difference!?

-Lexie is due for her 20,000 mile service. Already. WHERE DO I DRIVE THAT I KEEP GETTING SO MANY MILES?

-Sitting in the lounge and someone is playing music on a computer. Annoying. No interest in hearing Michelle Branch's latest oeuvre at this time, thanks.

-This drives home how boring my life really is — studying is the pinnacle of excitement around here and when a good episode of Friends is on...boy howdy, you better watch your back! All sort of craziness going on!