Day 153 - A fish out of water ...

Today has been ... interesting. I've been quite a fish out of water.

I started the day by going to LSU (Louisiana State University) in order to drop off the last of my forms (this was an immunization one) and to get the textbook for the class I'm starting next week. I got lost a bit, but eventually found my way to the visitor's parking lot, obtained a map, and was on my way to the Student Health Center.

When I got there, I got lost (again) inside the building, but luckily ran into someone who was going to the Immunization desk as well. After waiting for a couple of minutes, the lady at the desk turned to me and I handed her the first form, explaining that I had already faxed in the second page. She had me fill out the form again (it had something to do with rabies), turned to me, and asked "Have you been bitten by an alligator?" Taken aback, I responded "Can alligators carry rabies?" This started an intricate Google search on whether alligators could, in fact, carry rabies. They can't. Once this was learned, the lady turned back to me and asked, in all seriousness, "Well then, have you been bitten by a tiger recently?"

You know what? I don't think I have. But thanks for asking.

Once that was done, I found my way to the Student Union, and to the bookstore in order to get the textbook for the course. I asked the student to get the book, which he did, and when he handed it to me, he called to another worker "Shirley, can you help out this cute Northerner? I don't think she knows where she is." An older woman comes over and tells me, in all seriousness, "Well, honey, you can just hop on 59 North. That should take you in the right direction."

If that weren't enough, my dad came back from work and took me to a concert. Someone names John Waite. I had never heard of him, so dressed in what I thought was normal concert wear (usually we go to classical concerts): a sundress (white bodice, black elastic at the waist, light denim skirt), paired with gold gladiator shoes and a ballet pink cropped cardigan. Little did I know that John Waite was an '80s rock-and-roll hit. So I was only a bit out of place. More like completely out of place.

But it was fun anyways.

Right now I'm looking at Blizzard, one of our cats, who has just curled up into the most adorable ball of fluff on the other bed in my room. Really. She's curled into a ball, is sleeping, but had her head upside down. Her tail is covering her eyes, and one of her front paws is holding on to her back leg, like she's trying hard to stay in formation. I almost feel bad about kicking her out in a little bit (I need to go to bed, and our two cats get really loud at about 2:00 a.m.).

Day 152 - A pattern emerges

This morning was a rough start - I was woken up at 1:30 a.m. by the cats, and eventually threw them out of my room so I could finally have some peace and quiet to sleep in. But sometime when I was up, I decided to turn off my alarm for the morning, and ended up rolling out of bed around 10:30 a.m..

Not a problem, right? Wrong. Because I had planned to go to the mall between 9 and 10, in order to beat any traffic on the way. So I finally left the apartment around 11:30, only to hit major traffic on the way there, and arrive at the first store about 12:15 (the trip was only supposed to take 20 minutes).

I was in desperate need for more bathing suits (stupid me had believed that 2 suits would suffice for 3 months in the South ... yup, not so much). I found two cute ones at Old Navy (I was getting desperate for ANYWHERE that would sell bikinis). And I must admit, I love them - one is an asymmetrical black bandeau top with a bikini bottom with multi-colored anchors on them [enough preppy to stay me, but still modern/edgy]. The other is neon pink string bottom with a blue flower, with a top in the blue flower pattern and pink strings. The second one is more of a "goal" suit - something I'll wear when I get more tan, and work out more.

After getting back from the mall, I had lunch, then laid out for a bit ... well ... maybe for an hour or two. I then just hung around the apartment until my dad came home. Then it was off to dinner, grocery stores, and finally home to work-out.

Here's Claire's second not-so-smart thing of the day (the first was thinking two bathing suits would last in the South): I realized that I forgot to bring down work-out clothes made for the South. Meaning? The other day I worked out in light yoga pants. But the only other pair of pants I brought down to work out in were heavy sweatpants with MICHIGAN down the leg. Not the smartest thing, when it was 97 degrees outside. But I went, and worked out, and sweated in the sweatpants (I  guess the name is correct, at least). Maybe my next investment is some shorts .....

Day 151 - The Official Beginning of Summer

Today has been surprisingly productive. I woke up (a tad later than I planned) at 8:45 a.m. and straightened hair/got ready for the day. I took an inventory of the kitchen and went out to the grocery store to get the ingredients for dinner (rather simple - we're just grilling out).

I "accidentally" passed the grocery store and just happened to pull in to a Starbucks parking lot - but really, what can I say? It was 9:00 a.m., 92 degrees, and I needed a fix. With a venti Raspberry Passion tea in hand (about 10 minutes later ... they were really slow), I finally went to Albertson's, only to get lost in the aisles. Oops. I guess I don't really remember where everything is.

I came back home, unloaded groceries, and made myself lunch (peanut butter sandwich and some Honey Nut Cheerios). After putzing around for a while (there was a MADE marathon on MTV that I got sucked into), I worked out some, mostly just strength stuff and ab workouts. I made cookies, and then put a swimsuit on and went to tan.

I surprised myself by laying out for about an hour and a half, and as of right now, I'm not even burned! Though I am beginning to get tan lines .... which I'm not a big fan of (I'm thinking an investment in another bandeau top might be in order). But the most exciting thing? (other than realizing that I may not always be Casper the Ghost) I'm getting shoulder freckles, which, to me, is the quintessential sign that it is summer.

The freckles always show up right at the tops of my shoulders, where the arm meets the torso. They're light and small, and I find them adorable. I'm sure it's probably bad to get freckles (too much sun?), but I always get excited when I get them.

Since then, I've started laundry, eaten dinner with my dad, and have just hung around. I need to finish laundry tonight, and read some. Tomorrow looks like it'll be a shopping day. Oh glorious summer .... how I'm going to enjoy you.

Day 150 - Day Two in Gumboland

So I know I promised the rest of the trip, but I also realized that all of the photos I thought I had taken were, in fact, from day 1 of the drive. May I just say that it wasn't all that interesting? I slept through half of Mississippi (a very boring state), and actually missed us entering Louisiana.

Today has been more notable:

8:15: wake up (the earliest in a while) and lounge around a bit. Get breakfast (unfortunately we only had plain, boring Cheerios) and read the local paper (well, the comics, mostly). Then it was time to pick out an outfit, straighten hair, douse it in anti-humidity hairspray, and get all pretty

11:30: my dad finally rolls out of bed (he has woken up at 4:00 a.m. to drive my mom to New Orleans so she could fly back to Michigan - it's an hour drive each way) and we spend a good chunk of time just watching a Law&Order marathon on TNT. I brushed a cat, took some photos, and perused the internet

3:45: my dad and I finally get our wits about us and decide to go down to the pool and tan for a bit. I slip into a bikini (VERY strange and different than in Michigan), spray on a generous amount of sunscreen, and head down. There was a group of 5 college-aged kids (2 girls [cheerleaders] and 3 guys [2 looked like football players]) who were doing cheerleading stunts in the pool. It was quite fun/funny to watch, so we stayed down at the pool for about an hour and half or so.

6:00: after getting back from the pool and cleaning up a bit (changing, showers, etc.) my dad and I head over to LSU to go to dinner at Chimes. The food was AMAZING - I had a blackened chicken breast sandwich, and may I say, the dorms CANNOT replicate the real thing. At all. The spices were spicy, but yet not too overpowering. All around delicious.

7:30: we finally get back home, after driving around a bit and looking at houses and such. I change into workout stuff and go down to the fitness center to work out a bit. I'm going to be frank: I'm going to be sore tomorrow. Overall, my workout summary:

1. 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. Burned 300 calories. Incline 10/10, resistance 4. Total distance: 1.5 miles
2. 30 minutes on stationary bike (upright). Burned 150 calories (was taking it easy). Program had me alternate between leisurely pedaling and rapid bursts of speed. Total distance: 4.75 miles
3. Walk with my dad to cool down. Total distance: 0.5 miles

So, in all, I stepped/walked/biked over 6 1/2 miles. After sitting in the car for two days, I think my legs will be sore ... I'll take a day off of distance stuff and focus on core/abs tomorrow.

I swear I'm going to be ripped by the end of summer. And look great in a bikini.

Tomorrow's plans: work-out, grocery shopping, baking, and maybe some tanning. May go to Target or somewhere to get another bikini top to hide some tan lines ....

Day 137-149: A new route

So I know I have been horrible with posting - I have been keeping track of the days, but it has just been a hassle to sit down at the computer and type them all up. So, I'm thinking about doing a new sort of thing: instead of having a set topic to write about each day, I'll have a choice - either write about my day/something I find interesting, or, if nothing comes to mind, I can use the topics I originally planned on.

Since I haven't posted in a while, I'm hoping an extra-long post will make up for it. Here's what's happened so far:

• Cafeteria duty: my mom "volunteered" me to help out at my old elementary school (she currently teaches there) as a lunch lady. Meaning, for half of lunch hour, I supervised 200 kids playing on a playscape and the blacktop area of the playground. Boy, was that interesting. Mainly, I didn't remember exactly how cool ice packs were until all of the kids came up to me with invisible boo-boos and wanted to go to the clinic and get one. Luckily, during my three weeks there, not one kid died, or was injured permanently. After 30 minutes outside, I would go inside with the kids to watch them while they ate lunch. Now that was interesting - I was assigned to two second grade classes, each holding about 30 kids, and was told, simply, to "handle" them. I had the hardest time controlling the volume, their incessant bathroom and water fountain needs, and, of course, the ultimate crime of throwing/sharing food. It. was. horrible. But we made it through, with only a couple of kids crying (they didn't like getting punished), and only one girl getting sick (luckily she had the foresight to go to the bathroom).
• Friends: Since the cafeteria job only lasted for an hour each day, I had the afternoons to myself. While sometimes I would just go home and watch copious amounts of House, I also enjoyed getting to see friends (both new and old). I would usually grab a late lunch with them, and then hang out for a bit before heading home to meet my mom after work. A couple of times, I drove out to see friends from school, and, I must admit, that was so nice. It's strange going from seeing a person every day, multiple times per day, and living only down the hall from them, to being an hour or two away from them at any time. It was great to see everyone again, and though I didn't catch up as much as I'd have liked to with everyone, it was amazing to spend the time we did together.
• The drive to Baton Rouge: yesterday my mom and I set out, along with our two cats and my three fish (from school) on the drive from Grosse Pointe to Baton Rouge (about 1200 miles). It was going to be an adventure, and I had my camera ready every step of the way. Here we go!

Michigan: we set out around 8:00 a.m. EST. The car was loaded (surprisingly there was room left - surprising because I'm a teenage girl who was leaving for three months) and the cats were already yowling to get out of their cage. Starting on I-94, we hit I-75 and began the trek south.

This is what I left: grey skies, threatening rain, and industrial smoke. Luckily, I wasn't too attached to it, otherwise I would have been leaving my version of paradise.

Ohio: Ew. Let me just say that I'm a Michigan person: I was born and raised there, and attend the University of Michigan. Therefore, it is my opinion that Ohio is a good-for-nothing state. It just isn't. I mean, other than connecting Michigan with the rest of the United States, it doesn't do anything for me (and on that note, I could always just drive West and go down into Indiana). And, apparently Ohio isn't the biggest fan of me, either, since it was grey and rainy throughout the state as well

But, our luck with stormy skies turned around Cincinnati, when we got our first glimpse of blue. It was like a beacon of light from Kentucky, calling to us, saying "come here! Don't worry - you won't be in horrible Ohio much longer!". And we weren't. We passed over my favorite bridge (the one that connects Cincinnati to Kentucky) and were finally rid of the worst state in the United States.

Kentucky: nothing really of note happened here. Unfortunately. We had sunny skies throughout the state, but saw a lot of police officers on patrol, which really hampered our speed (we usually try to cruise around 75 or 80 to make nice time, but with the police out, we were forced to top out at 70 mph). But, the slowed speed certainly let me take nice pictures of the mountains and rocky summits that surrounded the highway!

We passed a couple of tourist attractions that never fail to make us laugh. Our favorite? Dinosaur World.

Tennessee: again, nothing really of note. I drove for most of the state, so there weren't too many chances to snap photos. The roads were windy, and wound around mountains, so I had a minor freak out when I heard a strange whistling noise that I swore was coming from the tires. After testing them by braking, accelerating, etc. , my mom woke up from her nap and asked what I was doing. I told her, and she gently explained that the sound was, in fact, only wind, and that had I been listening to which direction it was coming from, I would have noticed that it was always on the side of the car closest to the mountain, meaning that it was only a crosswind.

Alabama: by far my favorite state. Not only is it (as the sign says) absolutely BEAUTIFUL, but I also lost my heart to the University of Alabama. We entered it around 5:00 p.m. CST, and we had been making good time all day. So, we relaxed the pace a bit, and the search for my favorite house began.

We were greeted by a space shuttle at the Welcome Center of Alabama. So we thought we were getting close to my all-time favorite part of the drive. You see, there's this house. Well, it's not really just a house. It's my future. It's gorgeous, and on a hill, with a river at the bottom and a winding driveway, complete with a white fence. There are fields and a barn and horses and it's just all-around stunning. And I'm going to live there when I grow up. No, honestly. I'm going to.

The one problem is that we never know exactly where this house is. It's much like Nanny McPhee, where the house will only appear when you need it to, once you've lost all hope at catching a glimpse of it. I remembered that it was in Alabama (last time we thought it was right outside Nashville, TN), but thought it was around 10 miles into the state (just past the Welcome Center). So I began stalking all the right-hand bends, camera ready, and snapping whenever we passed by.

The first five or six times were all false alarms. There was nothing (except for a random shack) in any of the fields, and so I lost hope. I was convinced that we had missed it, or that something had happened to it (disappeared? tornado? I'm not quite sure what my mind thought would happen to a giant house to make it just vanish). But, about 10 miles before Birmingham, AL, my mom gasped and pointed to the side of the road.

There it was, in all its glory. The house, and road, and lake, and barn, and fields. There was paradise. And though I couldn't get a photo of the house (the trees surrounding it were too lush to see through), I still squealed with excitement. Here was my house: we hadn't missed it, and it hadn't left me.

With that, we pulled into the hotel (to the discovery that my mom was the "Guest of the Day") and hunkered down for the night. And it is there that my tale ends, since the photos from today's journey have yet to be uploaded to my computer. But I guess it'll just wait until tomorrow.

Day 136 - A song that makes you cry (or nearly)

Don't watch the video. Just listen to the song.

I'm not sure why this always gets me, but it does. Especially if I try to sing along ... I just can't. Maybe it's because it's so ... deep. It's not a song about sex, or drugs, or a guy just looking for a play-thing. This is the real deal: he loves her. He really really loves her.

Unlike some of the more popular songs of today, the song doesn't seem to be mournful because the girl isn't sure about what she wants (think "Grenade"), but rather, it seems to be pleading for the girl to give him a chance to express just how much he loves her.

And that's what gets me. I want her to say yes. I want her to love him back just the same.

Day 135 - Your favorite website

There are way too many.

• blogger: obviously. I mean, I need to post 365 posts this year, which means that I'm getting to know it quite personally
• tumblr: my other blog is fun as well - I like that there are more than one type of post, and it's more of a "here's a spurt of my thinking ...." rather than a "let's sit down and write a legible post"
• Facebook: I've tried to ween myself off, and have been successful a couple of times. I'm trying it again, but it isn't working out too well .... depending on how bad it gets, I may just delete it for a bit and see how it goes.
• Dear Old Love: it's really sad, but something draws me to it. I have the Dear Old Love book, and every day I go to three websites the first time I log onto the computer: email, Facebook, and dearoldlove.

Those are my top 4. Another one? GMail. I'm slightly addicted to checking my email (even though I don't usually have anything other than subscription notifications).