Day 208 - A Blizzard as a Shadow

Today my mom went to the dentist, and ended up staying for close to 5 hours. She came home and I made her some pudding to eat. She's up and moving around now, and she was able to talk on the phone right after she came back, but I still know her mouth is a bit tender.

Most of the day I just lounged around - watched 27 Dresses and Pawn Stars. Worked out for the first time in a while. It felt really good - ran on the treadmill (it was raining outside, so I couldn't go for a real run) and then biked for close to 45 minutes. It always helps me to bring a giant book to read while I exercise, but I was disappointed with the gym facility - they turned the music up so that it was rather loud and I couldn't concentrate much.

I came back and talked to my cousin about some details for my visit next week (I'm super excited about it!!) and then just hung around and had dinner. I've taken a shower, cleaned my bathroom, tidied my closet, sorted laundry into loads, and made sugar cookies ... all while having a cat as my shadow.

No, I'm not kidding. Blizzard (the weird cat who likes to "hide") has been trailing me all day. I didn't mind it for the first four hours, but when she continually whines and butts her head against my calf, my patience wears thin. I must admit, I shoved her out of the way a couple of times (I didn't kick her, I promise!). She would be fine in my bedroom, where she would just hang out underneath my bed. but whenever I moved, or went to the kitchen, she would just want to "help," not realizing that cats really shouldn't try to help take cookies out of a hot oven.

Let's just hope tomorrow isn't another "mommy's little helper" days.

Day 207 - No right arm.

Today has been a very long day. I woke up super early (well ... super early compared to when I have been waking up) and went to Lenscrafters with my mom to get her an eye exam and new glasses. I didn't do much, but did have some quality reading time while sitting in the lobby.

We eventually went out and ran errands: Walgreens, Office Depot, and Albertson's, and I got a lot of my school supplies. Granted, there will still be a Target run pretty soon to get the random things (electric kettle, tea, socks) but it feels great to have all of the school supply shopping done.

For the rest of the afternoon I've basically just been hanging out. My right wrist is absolutely killing me (hence the short post tonight), and even though I've had it in a brace for almost 10 hours, the pain just seems to get stronger. Right now it's not too bad, but the idea of chopping off my right arm has definitely crossed my mind. It has come to the point where I was in pain to chop up three zucchini for dinner, and having the brace off just for those few minutes hurt my wrist. I'm hoping that having it on throughout the night will help, and maybe tomorrow it'll be magically healed.

Otherwise, I'm going for the saw. After all, I am a lefty ... my right hand is just superfluous, right?

Day 203-206 - Make-up Posts

This weekend was crazy what with my friend Lizzie visiting. Here are quick snippets about what we did, followed by something more ... personal. I hope you enjoy.

Friday
Friday was a fun day - we went to the mall to go shopping (obviously) and I got some amazing clothes both for my trip and for back-to-school. We stopped by Victoria's Secret PINK and I picked up some yoga pants that have LSU tags on them (TIGERS is on the fold-over lip, and there's a tiger head underneath the PINK label on my left thigh). Then we went to lunch (we had Raising Cane's - it was superb, as always). We hit up New York & Company because they had a super cute sundress I was hoping to wear to my grandma's tea party that she's hosting (I'm the guest of honor), but ended up walking out with two pairs of skinny jeans (that is also the new store I will buy jeans from) and a button-down top (sleeveless, brown pinstripes, and ruffles at the collar) that should be good for travelling, school, and maybe even the tea party. We finally stopped at Delia's and I picked up a new Out of Print t-shirt (Pride & Prejudice - I love it) and two other graphic tees (a dinosaur one and a penguin one).

Saturday
We lounged around in the morning (I believe) and then in the afternoon we went to visit Rosedown plantation. It was absolutely gorgeous. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip:

Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner - delicious. We dressed nicely, which was definitely a good thing because we saw a ton of really cute guys. No complaints. We also went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. We cried. A lot. As in, more than I'd like to admit.

Sunday
It was rainy all day, so we just relaxed. We hung out on our computers and sang along to music. Laughed, giggled, and overall just had a nice day. Went out for one last lunch (to Times, one of my favorite restaurants down here) and had a great chat about everything and anything under the sun.

Monday
Today we drove Lizzie to the airport and then my mom and I went to the dollar store to pick up some things she was looking for for her classroom. I ended up getting some wall decals for my dorm room, a laundry hamper, and a Winnie the Pooh coloring book with crayons. It was a pretty successful trip. After that, we've just hung around, enjoying having some much-missed mother-daughter time, and making sure Lizzie made it through her flights alright (first flight delayed, almost missed her second one, which was then delayed (almost cancelled) around 4 hours). She's back home now.

Overall, it was great to see Lizzie again. I guess I didn't really realize how much I truly missed my friends in the north until I saw one of them. Sure, Skype changes a lot of things, and it's nice to stay in contact via Facebook and texting, but it's also nice to be able to hug one of your best friends. Or have a second (or third) opinion while shopping. Or just be able to belt out random lyrics and random times and have her understand you.

I'll miss her. But I also know that it's only 3 weeks until I get to see everyone. I can't wait.

Warning: Personal
That's not to say you can't read. But I know that some people shy away from some of the more personal stuff that I write. I thought it was only fair to give a warning. This is something I just wrote for Tumblr, but I thought it might be nice to put it here too. Just some late night musings.


So I just spent about 20 minutes going through one of my Word documents that holds some of the conversations with people I never want to forget; there are text messages, facebook chats, even some blog posts. But each one is special to me, and for whatever reason I want to always have it with me, not just in my memory.


Looking back, I can see who has truly cared about me. Whether it's my cousin who sent me a five word text that has changed and inspired me ("Dear Claire, I admire you.") or a blog post from one of my best friends about how to make it through a rough time or a facebook chat with my on-again-off-again crush asking me what the "fat man" gave me for Christmas, all have been saved. Including a fair amount of conversations between me and him.


Yes, I realize that going through this document may not necessarily let me truly "let go" of anyone who isn't in my life anymore. But no, I refuse to delete things out of this document. It's like an unspoken ... or unwritten ... rule. Never delete. Only add. I can change the format, I can rearrange the order of things, but I can never, and will never, delete any message. Because sometimes it's not the message that's important, but it's the moment in which I thought it was that is important. It's not that I wanted to get a slurpee with a friend, it's that it was at a time when my wishing for the North was at its peak - it was when I wanted my life to return to "normal," whatever that was.


But going through the document tonight has made me realize just how much my life has changed in the past year. This time last year (almost to the date), I had a conversation with one of my best friends (who actually just left to head back to Michigan today) in which I was begging to go back to my hometown. I exclaimed "this isn't my life" and "I want to come home."


I didn't accept my reality. It was my life, and always has been. And this is home now. It's strange to imagine a time that I was yearning to go back to the place I now shy away from (for the most part). That the place I've been alienating once held such an important place in my heart. Yes, I can remember, and yes, it makes sense. My hometown in Michigan was all I grew up with, it was where my friends/boyfriend were; it was where my belongings were; it was where my history was, and where I hoped part of my future would lie. It was home.


But with everything that has gone on in the past year, college, moving, the break-up, the loss of friendships, and so much more, it's no wonder things have shifted.This is where I call home. This is where m family is, and my belongings. This is where some of my most treasured memories are (plantation tours with my dad, pool water fights with my brother, library trips with my mom, even quality time with my grandma). No, most of my friends are still in Michigan, and yes, my history still lies there as well. But my history doesn't have as much of a hold on me as it did last year.


And as much as my former self would hate to admit it, I'm overjoyed that I have finally left "the bubble" and have started a new chapter of my life.


I'm glad that I am home.

Day 202 - Goodnight Mike!

Today Lizzie and I woke up pretty late (around 11:00-ish). What neither of us realized was that the other one was actually awake when it looked like we were sleeping .... so since neither of us wanted to wake the other up, we both just stayed still. Oops.

We finally got up, had lunch (since breakfast time had definitely passed), and then made a absolutely disgusting cake-in-a-mug thing. I mean, this thing was gross. The sides were slimy, the inside was dry, the eggs tasted cooked, there really was no peanut butter taste, and the glaze just soaked into the cake to make it squishy. Gross.

We went down to the pool, and got a little sun. Last night, my parents bought us each a float-raft thing for the pool, so we had fun with those (trying to stay on them ... trying to push each other under the fountains ... playing games with them). It started to rain, so we decided to go back to the apartment and just hang out for a while. We went to the library (I needed a book) and to Starbucks (we both got venti teas) and to CVS (candy stop!). Coming back, we had dinner, and then went to see Mike the Tiger at LSU. Yes. It was exciting.

Mike VI was basically ripping up grass and trying to eat it (he forgot he was a carnivore). People were making noises and everything trying to get his attention, but he was pretty intent on ripping up the grass. We overheard a guy who said he went to see Mike two or three times per week, and he used to see the vet there and ask him tons of questions every day. He hasn't seen the vet in a couple of months - he comes in the mornings now. I don't blame him.

Day 201 - The first burn of the season.

Today Lizzie and I woke up a bit late (maybe around 10:30 or so ...) and just hung around for a bit (we had originally planned on going straight down to the pool, but it was closed for maintenance). Around 12:00 we went down, and ended up laying out/playing in the pool for close to 2 1/2 hours.

We came back up to the apartment and decided where we were going to go for lunch: Sonic. It's a staple down here, but there are only 2 of them in the entire state of Michigan. We had to go.

Oh boy did we enjoy it ... until we had to climb the three sets of stairs to get to the apartment. Those weren't the greatest moments of our lives ....

After lunch, we had to digest a bit in order to get any energy, so we watched Switched at Birth for a bit. This is the one and only show that I actually keep track of. Maybe because it's going to be over by the time I leave for school, which means that I am able to watch it on a television and don't have to remember to get it online. Or maybe just because I like the premise of it: I find it fascinating.

While we were watching the show, I started noticing that my shoulders felt a little warm. And they were more than a little warm. And more than a little tan. Yes, they might in fact have a bit of a red color to them .... which indicates a slight burn. My back has the same thing. The only conclusion that I can come to is that when we were playing in the pool, the sunscreen came off, and because my back was to the sun most of the time, that was the body part that got burned. And yes, I'm going to have some strange tan lines (I didn't notice that my bikini bottoms were lopsided .... oops).

We went back down to the pool for a bit just to hang out - I brought a book and Beckett (the camera) and took lots of photos while Lizzie played in the water. Some of the favorites:

We came up for dinner, and have just been hanging out since then. Showering, changing, blowing up pool floats on our own. Talking. Pure amazing-ness.

Day 199-200 - Mi manca italiano

I apologize in advance for the post in another language - for the past couple of days, I have missed the Italian language something fierce. It's gotten to the point where I didn't know what to do - I would start randomly speaking Italian just for fun. So I decided to rid myself of some of the longing and just write. There's always Google Translate if you need help ...

Lunedi

Alcun non é successo ralmente di nota - sono andata a una cosa di quilting con mia madre per la maggior parte del giorno. Ha portato la sua macchina per cucire ed abbiamao seduto per un paio di ore con due altre signore ed appena cucito. Bene, ho lavorato a maglia. Ma tutti hanno cucito altro. Era piacevole; le signore erano piacevole ed uno di loro ha offerto di darmi anche ancuni dei suoi vecchi libri che lavorano a maglia. Siamo venuti a casa e mi sono preparata per la visita del Lizzie - i fogli cambiati, aspirapolvere la stanza, ha riordinato il bagno. Sono stata alzato tardi leggendo (oops), ma é andata a letto alla fine.

Martedí

Oggi uno dei miei migliori amici é venuta a visitare.  Ho aspettato con ansia la sua visita da settimane, ed é stata cosí bella essera finalmente in grado di darle un abbraccio nell'aeroporto. Siamo tornate a casa, e solo parlato per un po', poi é andati fuori per la cena, e poi centro di guardarsi intorno per un po'. Abbiamo preso un sacco di foto del fiume, tra cui alcuni di noi stessi. Ecco alcuni dei piú ... quelli interessanti.

Day 198 - Skype and Make-Up

Today was another day of nothing-ness. Or at least nothing super super productive.

Woke up and learned that my dad had already gone into the office to work for a bit. It was expected, but I didn't realize he would be gone by 10:00 a.m.! Made myself some french toast (not too great, but I was also still groggy) then chatted with some friends online.

I ended up being super bored and actually caring what I looked like, so I straightened my hair super well and put on all sorts of make-up. It was a surprise. I looked like a Barbie doll. It was unnerving, but acceptable.

After making myself look all pretty (which I promptly followed by throwing a sweatshirt on), I Skyped with one of my best friends who is visiting next week (I am so excited to see her again!).

The afternoon/evening passed in a blur. Good movies (Legally Blonde and Mean Girls) were on TV, so I watched some of those, we had dinner (I had toast) and I downloaded some new songs to add to my summer playlist.

For the past 45 minutes, I've been looking at my own Facebook page (I'm backlogged to September 2010) and have been debating with my mom exactly what our plans are for tomorrow. It sounds as if I need to get up early, get ready, and then am her personal assistant at some sewing thing. It should be interesting .... but I'd best be getting to bed.

Day 197 - Stories, Showers, and Slug-a-bugs

Today wasn't filled with much of anything.

I woke up to a phone call from my friend who is travelling down here next week - she had a bit of a crisis last night, but I was more than happy to wake up and talk to her this morning. When I finally rolled out of bed, I wandered to the kitchen to make waffles for my dad and I.

Then came the boring part of the day: I did some laundry (and even put it away too!), watched TV, Skyped with a friend from school (it was so great to talk to her!), read (some ....), watched TV (probably more than I should have), and just have been putzing around doing odd little things (transferring tables and lists to the corresponding OneNote notebook pages).

My mom, dad, and I eventually went out to Hobby Lobby [my mom needed white fabric] and went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. It was pretty good ... though I didn't plan the best by wearing skinny jeans to a place where you're supposed to eat your weight in food. Oops.

I came home, parents went to work out, and I made my Summer playlist (complete with new country songs!) and cleaned (bathroom, closet) and have been writing (a new story, thought of the idea on our way to dinner, but it's too soon to tell how I'm going to like the overall product). Hopefully I'll Skype with another friend tonight, but then it's early to bed so I can actually be productive tomorrow!

Day 195-196 - A Sickly Sensation

So Thursday and Friday I felt super sick, so I decided not to post, since all you would hear would be "ahhh, my stomach hurts .... why aren't the meds working?!?"

Now you get a somewhat coherent post about nothing in particular.

Thursday: nothing of note happened. I laid on the couch, or in my bed, most of the day. My mom and I made a cake in order to satisfy our cravings of something sweet. It was a yellow cake, frosted with chocolate. And it was delicious.

Friday was pretty much the same thing: I had about 28394 pieces of cake (no exaggeration, at all) and lounged around again. Went out to lunch to get some Raising Cane's (best chicken ever) and then went back home to chill out some more.

I've been reading a ton, but yesterday I just kinda stopped. No real reason why, but I just didn't want to anymore. Which is a slight problem, since I have four more books to go through, plus the one I'm currently reading, and I was hoping to do it all before Tuesday, when my friend comes to visit. But I guess now I'll just have some books to read by the pool when we tan.

Day 194 - Woeful Winifred

Today has been up and down.

Woke up and just lounged around for a bit, mostly reading, taking a shower, etc. Finally went out with my mom around 12:30 to Costco (we needed page protectors) and to lunch.

As our last errand, we stopped by Bes Buy becaue my laptop, Winifred, has been sick lately. It's been quite sad. Basically, within the past couple of months, the webcam all of a sudden stopped working. The little light next to the webcam would still come on, but no picture would show up. Very odd.

So we went to Best Buy to talk to the geeks [it's a self-imposed name, don't worry] who asked me a whole bunch of questions. Yes, I had uninstalled and reinstalled all of the programs. Yes, I had run for updates. They told me another thing to do, but one was very pessimistic. He said it was part of the hardware of the computer, and that it'd have to be shipped out to get fixed. We finally decided that it wouldn't work, and so that left me with three options:

1. Buy an external webcam. Though this sounds like a good idea, I always think that they're a bit strange, and rather pricey to get one to attach to a laptop. Plus, I haven't ever really heard good things about the ones made for laptops, since most laptops come with an internal webcam.
2. Ship the computer out to get fixed. Winifred would have to be shipped out, taken apart, fixed, then sent back. The bottom line? It's pricey. As in, the men told me I'd be better off with Option #3.
3. Buy a new computer. It doesn't need to be fancy, or super expensive, but a good, reliable laptop that won't break two years into my ownership. We went over to the computer section and talked to someone about computers and I might have found a couple, but we'll see.

I'm sorry to say that Winifred may not make it to the new school year. But he'll have a nice home here in sunny Louisiana - I'm sure he'll enjoy being retired.

Day 192-193 - Reading MARATHON

Sorry for no post yesterday, I was buried under 3421 pages of books.

Yes. I totaled the pages. And yes, I am hoping to read all of those pages in a week. Let me explain:

Yesterday morning, my mom and I went to the Baton Rouge library. I got a library card (I know, it was a shocker that I haven't had one ...) and they made the mistake of telling me I could have 50 things checked out. Challenge accepted.


I left library branch #1 with four books: three in a series, and fourth one that just looked cool. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any of the Harry Potter books, which I was hoping to get and re-read. So we head off to library branch #2.

This is the library that I've been studying at, so I know the shelves pretty well.  I found the one book I was looking for (The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear) and saw that the author had written two other books. I grabbed those, thinking that if this library didn't have the Harry Potters I was looking for, I would still leave with a pretty good haul. Turns out they didn't have the books, so I left with the three I grabbed.

Seven books, not too bad for a day's work. Granted, they come up to mid-shin when stacked on the ground, and total over 3,000 pages of reading material. But still, I've done worse (how much worse, you probably don't want to know). Well, the problem I encountered was that I was still 150 pages short of finishing The Freedom Writer's Diary, so what did I do? Grabbed a reading pillow, blanket, and just hunkered down on the ground and read in my room.

Freedom Writer's Diary: completed. 1 1/2 hours.
The Diamond of Drury Lane: started. 220/419 done.

Went to bed around 12:30, after talking to my friend about her visit here.

This morning, woke up and talked to the same friend about her flights, and then realized "shoot, she's coming in a week. I need to finish reading all of these before she comes. Otherwise, everyone I have ever met will consider me a failure." Yes, that is what I thought. Yes, I understand it's ridiculous. No, I still have not changed my goal.

So today my mom and I took a short excursion to the mall (we might go again tomorrow ... I need to find some grandma-appropriate sundresses for my trip in August). But other than that, I've just been reading.

The Diamond of Drury Lane: completed.
Cat Among the Pigeons: started. 58/367 done.

Hoping to finish the second book tonight. Let the marathon continue!

Day 191 - Facebook Freedom

I woke up this morning around 8:00 a.m. after having a dream that everything in our garage in MI was stolen (including my car). I cried in my dream, and woke up freaking out. Yes, I would cry about my car. He and I have a strong relationship (please pretend that that's not weird). I lounged around for a bit, mostly reading and such, and then wandered out to get breakfast. We had French toast and sausage. Yummmmm.

Planned menus for the week with my mom, then went out shopping by myself. Talked with one of my friends from up north, came back, tanned for a bit. Not super exciting.

This afternoon/evening I've basically just been hanging out. Made some pudding. Played cards with my mom. Watched Law & Order with my parents. Read. A lot. Texted with friends.

Oh, and I deleted him from being my friend on Facebook. Yes, it was pretty momentous. But I realized that it would give me clocure. I won't try to "check up" on him, and then get upset. I won't be able to see how he's saying the same things to her that he did to me. He won't be a part of my life, which will be good.

I'm also debating deleting my Facebook. I've realized recently exactly how much we are attached to social networking sites now, and yes, I understand that I'll be in the minority. But I'm not saying the lack of profile would be forever, just maybe for a week, or two, or a month. The end of the summer, tops. Maybe until I get back to the state of Michigan. It'll be a little experiment.

Yes, that means that the only way to contact me would be through texting, and maybe the occasional Skype. Yes, I know that it means that I may not talk to as many people. No, these facts do not scare me, and no, they do not sway me from my probable decision. No Facebook means that I spend less time on the computer, it means that I won't spend hours just sitting on the computer (though I definitely would still blog ... I think I'd go crazy without it). No Facebook would mean that I can get back to my past, and reenact a summer where I just sit around and read, go on adventures, and have fun without technology.

Yes, it's a crazy idea. And yes, I'm going to do it. This is my last week of Facebook. I'd better make the best of it.

Day 188-190 - Australopithe-what?

Sorry I've been missing for the last couple of days - I just took my final exam today for the class I've been taking, and the studying for it was rather brutal. Let me recap:

Thursday
Went to class, where we finished learning an impossible amount of information. Went to the library to study - ended up staying close to 5 hours. Came home, hung out, relaxed, went to bed super early.

Friday
No class because our professor was "gracious" and gave us a study day. Though I do appreciate it, I would also have appreciated it if she hadn't buried us alive with material. I spent close to 7 hours in the library, which included reading notes, taking quizzes, studying an insane amount of flashcards, and just praying that this was all just a big joke and that everyone would get an A. Came home around 4:00 p.m. and continued to study.

I was a bit ticked off throughout the day, because I had received an email from a classmate asking (well ... assuming) for me to send him my notes. All of them. For the entire last unit of class. It ends up that he really just can't be bothered with coming to class. I feel as if I have a legitimate excuse for saying this, since I had already sent him eight days of notes. That's almost a whole week and a half of class that he missed .... plus the week he was asking for ... so that's 2 1/2 weeks of class he missed in a 4 week course. Really?

So I did the only mature thing I could think of ... I just didn't respond. And when I did, I told him I couldn't send him the notes. Sorry, buddy. But I'm sick of being taken advantage of.

Saturday
Today I woke up, and went to school. Got there super early and just sat in the commons studying. I started to feel bad for the guy I snubbed yesterday, and since I had received a couple more desperate emails from him, I sent him the notes with an hour to spare before the exam. I considered that generous .... I mean, no, it didn't give him a ton of time to prepare, but he should have thought of that when he decided not to come to class.

Took the exam, and I think it went moderately well. No, I don't think I got a 100% on it, but I also know that I got what I needed to: a 20%. Yup, that's right, I needed a whopping 20% in order to pass the class and get transfer credit at U of M. Which meant that I needed to get 10 points on the exam; I could have answered all the true/false questions correctly and just skipped the multiple choice and essays altogether. But I didn't, don't worry.

Came home, and ended up going to my dad's office for lunch (he had to go in because his boss and two of his co-workers are on vacation/trips next week and they had to get things in order). It was pretty fun.

I came home and finished making an answer key to a Wordly Wise book my mom asked me to. Looked up Harry Potter books, and watched the 4th Harry Potter movie. I must admit, I love the Yule Ball portion of it. Absolutely love it.

Now I'm just catching up with blogging (both on here and Tumblr) and making a to-do list for Monday.

• read
• get library card
• find HP books at library
• reread HP books
• return parking permit
• order transcript

That's all that I have right now, but I'm sure more will be added. Mostly to do with reading.

By the way, I have a new goal: read at least two books per week for the rest of the summer. I figure that will keep my brain active, and will give me something to do. I'm not imposing any rules on myself, other than reading mostly from the stock of books I brought down with me from school (the ones that I bought at book stores and just didn't have time to read). Hopefully it works out!

Now I'm off to read The Freedom Writer's Diary for a bit before finally turning in.

Day 187 - Too much for a title

Today was a full day. Started out getting up, straightening my hair, going to school (getting Starbucks, of course).

In class, we did a review game (that we've been doing throughout the class) where we divide into teams and answer Jeopardy-like questions. Well, usually each team has around 4 of 5 people. Today, I was the only one from my team there. But you know what? I scored 6 points out of the 20 questions ... one person answered over 25% of the possibly questions. I was pretty proud of myself.

My friend Amanda and I hung out after class - she took me to "Redneck heaven" ... aka a Bass Pro Shop that was larger than any outdoor sporting supply store I'd ever seen. This place was huge!! I saw some classy camo things (lingerie anyone?) but am honestly debating getting a camo bikini - they're so cute! We also stopped and got some fudge from the fudge shop in the store (yes, it was that larger ... it also had a restaurant). I'll pause for a moment for you to drool over the photos:

You done? It's okay ... I am still in awe of the beauty that is Bass Pro shop fudge.

After going out to lunch (I'm now introduced to everyone in Denham Springs as "This is my friend Claire, she's from Michigan), and coming back home, I went to the library for yet another long study session. But this time it was only around 3 hours ... and I had a nice visitor (the barista from the bookstore Starbucks at LSU). It was so nice to talk to her, and she gave me a wonderful clothing website (she had noticed that my sweatshirt was from OutofPrintClothing). I finally finished the book notes, and got a pretty good start on flashcards, which hopefully I'll finish up tomorrow.

After coming back from the library, I had dinner and basically just relaxed. One of my friends posted a blog article for an online magazine and I somewhat fell in love with a tote bag. And by somewhat, I mean really. But honestly, just look at it. It's beautiful. But then I started looking at all of the bags on the website, and oh boy, I got myself in some trouble there .... there's this one, and this one - those are my three favorites. I'm honestly debating using those as a reward system throughout the year. Yes?

I think it's a wonderful idea.

Well, off to take a shower, and finally pack up the fudge. I can't stop staring at it. It really is beautiful. Really, I give you full permission to look at those photos again. Linger on your favorite one. Go ahead. Make it your computer background. I won't judge.

Day 186 - Study Marathon in the Genealogy Room

Today started like any other day: woke up, went to school (had a bit of a debacle about which car I could drive, since my car was running out of gas).

When I stopped at the Starbucks in the Barnes & Noble bookstore, the baristas started talking about how they should just know my usual drink by now. They were upset when I told them that my class ends this week! It was also really nice because one of the baristas offered to either give me her phone number, or have me give her mine, and she would tell me things about places to go and things to do in the city. She even offered to hang out! It's nice, since she also gave me a tip about where to study at the public library (apparently she works there too), and she's just really sweet.

Went after class to see my last exam (did rather well on it, thankyouverymuch). I went with another lady from class - she's coming back to school after 25 years (I think I mentioned her before) and it ends up she might not have done as well as she hoped. I offered to study with her before the exam, and part of me hopes she'll take me up on it - she seems really nice, and I really want her to succeed.

After getting home, my mom and I went out to run some errands: CVS for medications, Jason's for lunch, Office Depot for ink and flashcards. It was pretty exciting (please note sarcasm there). I finally got to the library and headed to the Genealogy Room, the place where the barista said was super quiet and only had cranky old men.

She was partly right: it was really quiet, but there was also an old woman. And a younger girl, maybe a bit older than me. I ended up staying there for close to 5 hours, just taking notes from my book and making some flashcards. Unfortunately, it looks as if I'll have to go there again tomorrow to take notes on another 50 pages from the book (I took notes on 70 pages today), make tons of flashcards, and start to actually figure out what this information is alluding to.

Came home, ate dinner, watched some TV with my parents, and now I'm just organizing the notes I've printed out, packing up my backpack/purse for tomorrow (going out to lunch with a friend from class) and will shower in a minute or so ... as soon as I press the "publish post" button.

Day 185 - Fourth of July, Filled Flights, and Cat Vomit.

Yes, you read it right. Cat vomit.

Went to bed super late last night, didn't sleep well at all, and then finally got up around 10. Had breakfast (waffles and bacon ... yummmm) and then just kind of hung around for a bit.

I learned how to crochet Granny Squares, so that's a new project. Granted, it's not like I needed another project to do [I haven't finished the purple sweater from May, and have about half of a back of another sweater done], but they're fun, and fast. The yarn I'm using is navy, and I'm thinking that maybe I could make it Michigan themed and put a maize block M in the center of it. Yes. I am obsessed.

In the early afternoon, our cat Blizzard (yes, the one that isn't too skilled at hiding) started vomiting. It was pretty disgusting (as is most vomit) but we thought it was a one-and-done deal. Nope. It kept going. When we finally had to leave to go to the airport to drop my brother off for his flight back to the Mitten, we ended up locking both cats in the bathroom so as to contain everything. I feel so bad for her .... it's obvious tha she doesn't feel well .... but hopefully everything is okay!

Today I also made reservations to go visit my grandma and cousin at the beginning of August. I am super excited because not only will it mean that I'll go on a vacation, but also I get to visit some really fun people (well ... my cousin is fun, my grandma is relaxing). There was a bit of trouble, though, when I originally tried to reserve the flight, because I found out that the one flight I was hoping to get wasn't showing up on Delta's website. But yet it was on Orbitz. And believe it or not, I didn't really want a 5:00 a.m. flight out of Raleigh, NC, arriving in Baton Rouge at 4:00 p.m.. 12 hours of travel just didn't seem too appealing. Luckily everything worked out (I just ended up booking on Orbitz), and I'm all set to go!

Class tomorrow, and then to the library to do a marathon of studying and note-taking. It's going to be a blast.

Day 184 - Pawn Stars and Bigfoot

Another day chock full of nothing. Woke up at 6:15 a.m. when my brother's phone went off. And again at 6:45. And yet again at 7:15. I think it's safe to say that I didn't have a very restful night of sleep. We finally woke up around 8:30 and had pancakes and sausage for breakfast (yummy).

My family and I just watched Pawn Stars for some of the morning - there was a marathon on. And then later in the afternoon, there was another marathon of Finding Bigfoot. Yup. I got hooked.

It was a pretty uneventful day - my mom and I went shopping and drove right into a storm, which then followed us from store to store. We went to the fruit stand I raved about the other day, but it was pouring out, so I didn't take my camera out of the car. Though I loved the way the rain sounded on the tin roof. So therapeutic, even though the rest of the shoppers didn't really enjoy it.

We got soaked, then came home to make dinner (marinated pork, twice-baked potatoes, and fresh corn-on-the-cob). Played cards with my Mom, watched more Pawn Stars, brushed the cat. Oh, and my brother got part of earbud stuck in his ear. It was extracted with the help of tweezers. It was also pretty hilarious.

Tomorrow is probably doing more of nothing - my brother leaves in the evening, we'll cook out (even though we can't continue our tradition of having coney dogs on the Fourth), and I'll probably end up doing some homework to stay ahead of stuff in class. Maybe I'll read, too. And tan.

Day 183 - Pandora Country and Computer Games

I'm turning into a country girl, I swear to you. No, I don't have a drawl (yet), and no, I still haven't eaten crawfish. Nor do I plan to. But I am listening to country music almost exclusively. It's pretty interesting how long my list of songs is that I want to get.

Right now, my song list:


Knee Deep
If I Die Young
Dirt Road Anthem
Tomorrow
Shotgun Girl
Teenage Daughters
Just A Kiss
Honey Bee
Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not
If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away

And yes, these songs are only from my latest Pandora station ... there were a ton more on my last one, but unfortunately my computer died without saving the playlist. Darn. But I guess that means I just have to listen more!

I've also been playing some of the "hidden objects" computer games. Probably more than is healthy for one day .... my eyes are definitely going to need some rest tonight!

In other news: my brother landed safely and is visiting for the long weekend. We've basically just hung around the house today, but tomorrow it sounds as if we'll go to Natchez, MS to walk around and visit some shops. I'm taking Beckett, so expect pictures.

Well, probably time for me to call it a night. I'll wait for 11:11 to make a wish, and then head to bed.

Day 182 - Text Twist and Freedom Writers

I have to admit, I quite possibly have an addictive personality. No, that's not to say that people become attached to me or need my presence. But rather, when I do something, I do it wholeheartedly, and nothing (or very few things) can try me away from the activity. Let me explain, using today as an example:

Went to school today (after waking up at 6:00 for the 5th day in a row, I might add) and stopped at the Starbucks in the bookstore. I'm becoming famous there, since I introduced the baristas to my new favorite drink: a tall, nonfat no-whip double chocolate chip frappuccino made with white chocolate mocha. It is amazing - just like drinking an Oreo. The baristas have been making extra of it, so they can put it in small cups and have some for themselves- it's quite amusing. Anyway, I went today and got one, and then stopped at a bagel stand to get some breakfast (I was dragging this morning and forgot to grab food before leaving). I tried a vanilla cinnamon bagel, toasted, with light honey butter. Absolutely delicious.

So I went and sat in the lobby of the building where my class is held, and just read more of The Freedom Writers. Finished another 30 pages or so, and then went to class. During the lecture, I kept looking up things related to the Freedom Writers (as well as checking to see if yesterday's post had posted - it hadn't).

Class was dismissed and I headed home. Eventually made lunch, and then just lounged around for a bit, you guessed it, reading The Freedom Writers. That's what I did most of my afternoon. Well, until I tore myself away from it to start my newest obsession: Text Twist.

It's a computer game where you have to figure out what words can be made out of the letters you're given. It's kind of like an anagrams game, and you're timed, and it's fantastic.

I've had two games: one ended with around 150,000 points. The one I'm still playing is sitting at 345,000 points. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do when I have to go to bed (which is soon).

Tomorrow my brother flies in for the weekend to celebrate the Fourth of July with us. It should be fun to have him around ... if anything it will force me to be social!

Day 181 - Onward!

Sorry - the queue messed up again!

Went to class, where there were about 5 of us. Went home and started my reading fest. I eventually went out to run some errands: fruit market (pictures will come the next time I go) and to get lunch (Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers) [very yummy!].

Other than that, I basically just sat at home reading Onward by Howard Schultz. After 220 pages, I finally finished it, and then promptly spent 2 hours on various Starbucks blogs, websites, and photo sites. Yes, it was a very productive afternoon.

We had dinner, planned menus, and then just hung around. Started another book (yes, another one): The Freedom Writers Diary - it's so good, I'm surprised it has taken me this long to start reading it.