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It's been a little while, but I've been busy. Really busy. Lots of things have been going on and I can tell that everyone around me feels it - Arti, Ruth, and Irene already have begun their cycle of going to the library late at night, and we talk about tests and homework as if it isn't only the second week of the semester. I've been so busy lately that I've sort of let a few things slide - time I usually keep for myself at night before I go to bed has disappeared, because I'm so tired I fall asleep as soon as I hit the sheets. The candles are keeping me sane, I'm telling you. They're nice and flickery and perfect for making the study atmosphere a little more serene and less hectic. I miss all my divas, too, and the fam. We went to state last weekend to visit MJ and that was a really good time; I got to hang out with some of my favorite people. Plus the long weekend was really nice because I got to spend some extra time with my Tom. I'm duckless, though- how sad.
Stay cool.

Toweled up

Right now, I feel nice and warm and toasty, all wrapped up in PJs and a towel for my wet hair. I miss my Tom. Christmas was wonderful this year, as always, and even more special because we had some seldom-seen Aussie relatives visiting us. I got Cinderella shoes for Christmas from Nganny-the-bungy! They are so awesome. I miss her - but she is a lucky stiff because Rutgers doesn't go back to school until the 17th! Booooooooo.
Lots of books to read - my classes for this semester seem like they'll be harder than ever. This means a lot of work. I also picked up another job and am on call twice as often at the Daily. This means Bernie = often absent.
Much love to all who I haven't seen in a while - I miss you all. Send me love! Send me letters! Send me both!
The ducks say hi.

so relaxed

I am so relaxed right now. I am wearing sweatpants and cuddled in my brand new gray fleece blanket that is SO SO soft. Thanks again, Ruth! I think I am going to be a vegetable today. That sounds like a good plan. Hooray, vegetable!

AUGH FINALS AUGH

Wow. Finals time! i have a lot of work to do and not really that much time to do it in. Every semester I always forget how absolutely terrible finals time is, and then it hits me with the full force of BlueBook-takehome-termpaper power combined. (And no, that doesn't produce Captain Planet, and, even more unfortunately, that doesn't produce Captain A+ either). Send hugs! Send love! Send support! I send all those things to you too.

Bernie's Christmas List

- Anything shoes

- Anything Victoria's Secret

- Anything sweet

- Anything Duckish

Not much

I am at work, which means I'm waiting for the page to come through so that I can actually DO some work. Missing my Tom, my DDs and anything else that would make my time here more fun. I miss everyone! These next few weeks are going to be hell. On a brighter note, i get to live with Jody next year! On another brighter note, I get to see my Tom tomorrow! hmmmm....
Tom
or
Row?

I shall pick Tom, tomorrow!!!!

Owowow

ow I just squished my finger and it hurts. Ow.

Not much else to report but it looks like I really get to go Vietnam after all this summer! Hooray!!! THat is awesome.

Endless food...

Equals endless bliss.

Not really, but sort of.

This week is going to be as hectic and stress-filled as all get out. I have so much work to do! I have TWO GIGANTIC papers due next week - one of which is a RESEARCH paper and I haven't started either...oy polloi. But I get to go to two Christmas parties this weekend - a formal one at Tom's school, and an awesome and fun one at home where I will play with the doggies all day. It will be a fun and wonderful treat.

And now I have to do homework.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is almost here. I have been overwhelmed by a sudden, irrepressible desire to do absolutely nothing with all of my time. All I want to do is relax and hang out and not read for classes that hey, I really do need to read for. Whatever.
Yes! I get to go to NJ. And check this out, I think Arti and I are on the same flight to Newark. That's pretty much fabulous. There are only two things that are going to suck about this Thanksgiving. 1) I don't get to see my doggies. 2) I don't get to see my Tom because he is going to a hunting camp in Alpena for Thanksgiving.

GUESS WHAT I HEARD OF THE CRAZIEST THING LAST NIGHT!

A Turducken!

It's a duck inside a chicken inside a turkey! Or a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey, or something like that. Isn't that crazy?! I saw it on MNF. It was nuts.

Ok, enough from me.

Check me out

After a Meijer run, this is what I have purchased:
-Waffle Crisp Cereal
-Peach Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal
-Wheatables, Seven Grain and Honey Wheat
-1 gallon Rocky Road ice cream
-Edy's whole fruit popsicles
-2 boxes of Fruit snacks
-2 blocks of cheese
-Mountain Dew
-a box of Bisquick mix
-Eggs
-Milk
-Brown sugar
-2 bags of Lays potato chips (they were buy one get one free!)
-Chocolate
-More chocolate
-gummies

I am going to be very very fat after eating all of this. Therefore I shall spread it out over many weeks and shall be less fat more gradually. Which means no one will hopefully be able to tell.

Reading List

In my spare time [what spare time?!]...

The Guns of August
Brothers Karamazov
Orlando
Ghost Stories by Edith Wharton
Make Wsy for Ducklings

Stress

I have a takehome midterm due tomorrow worth 40% of my grade. I have to squeeze information that scholars have written thousands of volumes on (judicial authority in the US) into 4 doublespaced pages.

Let's just write this thing.

Housebound

There are only a few things I want to say in this post.

First of all. Drugs = bad. Drugs = headache, tummyache, dizziness and irrational desire to do something fun.
Second of all. Socks are underrated.
Third of all. Ducks rock.

This. Is. Not. A. Fun. Night.

wow, way to overpunctuate.

Now I'm going on a food binge to console myself with calories.

If I had chocolate I would eat it. Since I do not I am going to make a grilled cheese sandwich.

I want to cut off my leg

I have an abscess (sp?) on my leg. It hurts like hell. I have to take many medicines many times a day. It sucks. I am also missing class which sucks because now I will be behind. I am going to sleep now.

OWWWWWWW I AM SICK LIKE A BIC!

Nothing much

WOW WOW WOW!

I am super duper busy!

I also miss my doggies a lot. I've tried petting dogs on the Diag but their owners usually get annoyed or I don't have time to stop.

On another note, fall is here! This means several wonderful things: colorful trees, hot drinks (yum yummy), blankets to snuggle in, and sweaters! I also now have an excuse to pull out my coats, which I adore. On another, less wonderful note, it also means exams. Blehhhhhhhhh.

Bernie = worried about grades. Why am I only getting checks in my creative writing class and not check pluses?! It's really frustrating. I'm working realyl hard and I'm not getting any check pluses! Augh!

Yesterday, Tom and I cooked a venison dinner and I tasted venison for the first time. It was yummy. We ate it with mushrooms, onions, and green beans. This weekend we watched a LOT of football, and I learned a ton of new things about sports. I am getting so sporty. It's pretty sweet. We also slept a lot this weekend. I like sleep. I think it is one of my great loves, especially during this kind of weather because your bed is so soft and warm and blanket-y and outside it's nippy and frosty.

Grocery list:
-Hot chocolate/chai
-Peanut butter
-AAA batteries
-another notebook
-Apples
-Butter (enough to make cookies)
-Pam cooking spray

I miss my Disney Divas. I really wish I had a teleport machine that would allow me to travel to any part of the world in an instant.

Busy busy

Busy busy is the name of the game. I'm trying to stay on my toes, what with homework, and Daily and my social/romantic life. There's little pockets of time in every day that I just sit and do nothing, too, which is bizarre because I could use that time to my advantage and instead I just...don't.
Things have fallen into a sort of groove. I wake up and I either study or relax and then I'm off to class, and then Daily, and then (if I'm lucky and it's the right day of the week) my favorite part of any day - my Tom! Apartment life is nice and convenient, with pieces of growing up built right into the foundation - cooking for myself, cleaning for myself, paying bills and washing dishes and doing laundry. I've found that I like it. There's a neat rhythm to it that keeps me calm if I can just manage to stay busy. It's only when I'm idle that thoughts come into my head about my future, about any problems I'm having, about weird stuff like what's happening in the world.
It seems, sadly enough, that I have to schedule time to think now.

I miss the butts

Lazy, yet satisfying.

Today I am being lazy and productive! Oh yes, beat that, other productive people who went to the library (read: Ruth). It is only 4 and I somehow feel like it's 6:30. This is a good arrangement, because now I have more time than I think I do! Oh joy!

This weekend was super duper awesome. I did nothing but laze around like a sleeping koala bear and I had a ton of fun doing it. Sometimes it's good to let your brain gelatinize. All that work it usually goes through tuckers it out.

I miss Tom. And Pudge the duck, who is at Tom's place so that he will be good company. But mostly I miss Tom. And it's only been...5 hours since I last saw him. Still. I always miss him the instant I don't see him any more.

Bernie has decided (that's me) to work hard. Really really hard. Therefore, I am going to BURN through my homework with all deliberate speed - Shakespeare! Critique! Stupidly dense and difficult to understand courts and judicial reading! Weird psych stuff that gives me a headache when I think about it too hard! YESSSSSSSSSS!

I have decided that logic does not go in circles. Instead it goes in curlicues. This is a good explanation for the fact that I can't always explain why I think what I think. It's complicated. See?

Look for my first column on Wednesday. I have decided that my column title will be "Take a quack at it" in honor of ducks everywhere. Again, my duck bathroom is pretty effin' sweet. Come take a look at it! It rocks. It is super cool. It fits the bill (hahahahahahahahahaha).

Should I do Honors English? Should I apply?

Oh Lordie. This is a dilemma.

Buckling down

Yes, I am, indeed, buckling down. I have lots of work to do and all of today to do it. And so, for the next 8 hours, I will be listening to music, snacking (but hopefully not too much as the pounds, I'm sure, are starting to pack on), and doing lots of homework while gossiping with my roomies. YAY I GOT DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES DVDS from the DAILY! Way to get free stuff.

Hmmm. I can make really good pasta dishes.

Tomorrow is my 6 month anniversary with my Tom. We are going out to dinner. I will be dressed up. OH IT IS SO EXSKITING.

Hmmm, let's see. What homework do I have today?

Reading for 317 and 330 (mucho mucho reading)
3 critiques for 223 and an assignment.
Reading for Shakespeare (who, in my notes, is affectionately known as Shake)
Some other shtuff.

Buckle down, Bernie, buckle down.

Cracking up

I fear that I am...cracking up. My brain doesn't seem to function at normal levels anymore. I have to read stuff twice and sometimes three times just to get it, and it's only the second week of school. Oy.

Let's see, new things in my life. I miss Tom a lot whenever I'm not with him, and both of us are busy busy bees so that isn't really helping matters much. The apartment is still in a strange state of transition - we really have to do something about it because there just isn't really a comfortable place to sit. The kitchen situation is working well, though. We've kind of all just assumed familiarity with each others' habits and so far it's going well, except all of us are so busy that we're just in and out and hardly see each other. Arti's in the B-school, which apparently sucks out life force, Ruth has Pizza House and class, Irene has research work and class, and I have Daily and class. We run around all day and come home and collapse at night into our tiny little beds and wake up the next day to the stupid alarms that never seem to shut up.

Other than that, life at school is great. The weather's nice, if a little warm for my taste, my classes are interesting, I've seen lots of people from last year and done some catching up, and I've started cooking for myself. I even have my own set of keys, which is exciting because it makes me feel like I really have a place to call my own - though I do share it with three other girls. But they are three fabulous girls.

My bathroom is all ducks. It's pretty cool.

Not much else to report on the front, except that I seem to have this perpetual headache humming underneath my eyes, just below the surface. The only time it goes away is when I'm with Tom, when I'm cooking something especially yummy, or when I'm hanging out with the girls, which doesn't happen enough since we're all just scurrying around like ants. I wonder how to make it go away.