Day 180 - I like to eat, eat, eat cupcakes and bonobos

Today was the dreaded second exam. Well ... maybe not so dreaded, but definitely intricate! Last night I studied so much, there were monkeys (and apes) in my dreams. I couldn't help but classify them even while I was sleeping. Bonobos: pan paniscus; Chimpanzees: pan troglodytes; Orangutan: pongo pygmaeus. My dreams were like a scene from Ape World. If there is such a place ....

The test went well - I wore a lucky Michigan shirt, and I think I did rather well. I know that I got a couple of tricky questions right, but now it's just how many points I'll get for my short answer questions.

Came home, went to library because our internet was still down. Read (a lot!) of Onward. Hopefully I'll finish it tonight ... but looking at the time, maybe I won't.

And then (drumroll please!) we got news that my dad got a promotion at work! His original boss was moved to a different department, so my dad took his place. It was very exciting news. So what did I do? Bake 4 dozen cupcakes, of course! (y'all should know me by now ...) Now, enjoy the pictures:

Day 179 - Back to the Stone Age

Sorry for no post yesterday, we didn't have internet, and though I went to the library for an insane amount of time, I didn't think that our internet would be down all night. But, here's what happened:

Yesterday I woke up, went to class. Black double-scoop ballet shirt, denim skirt, black & white plaid ballet flats. Curly hair, pulled half back into a clip. Sorry for the description if you don't care anything about it, but I got compliments on it.

I went to the professor's office hours after class to get some clarification on some of my notes- she was in awe of my note-taking skills, and originally thought that they were printed off from a website or something. Little did she know that I have note-taking down to a science. Literally ... I have a format on my computer for notes for each class. It's pretty intense.

I went home, and went out to lunch with my mom. It was really good, and really fun too. After we got home, I went to the library to study for a while - ended up staying there around 2 hours, just going over flashcards, over and over and over again until I had monkey names stuck in my head.

Came home and read Onward for a while - absolutely loving it. Cleaned the bathroom (I know ... very exciting), and then went to bed. Oh, and Blizzard tried hiding so that I wouldn't kick her out of my room.

Day 178 - I AM a bronze goddess

Well, maybe not so much. But I'd like to believe I am.

Went to class today, turned in the assignment where we had to map out a dead body. Came home, had lunch (grilled cheese) and then went to the library to study for the exam on Wednesday. I thought I would only be there for about an hour, but ended up staying for three hours and making flashcards for the majority of my class notes - plus flashcards for the book vocabulary. I was very productive. Now all I have to do is review said flashcards and maybe I won't crash and burn as much as I expected on this upcoming exam.

I came home after studying and went to tan by the pool with my mom. I've only recently started tanning again (got out of the habit when I was frantic about the first exam), and I must say, I am becoming less ghost-like in appearance. I may not be as much of a "bronze goddess" as I claim, but I do have tan lines, and there is a marked difference in shade.

After tanning, we had dinner (BBQ pork, corn, and potatoes) and have just been relaxing since then. I've looked up books and such and think I'm going to go to Barnes & Noble tomorrow to get the seventh Harry Potter book.

I know, I know. It came out in 2007. I know, really. And I own it up north, but didn't bring it down with me for the summer. What with the movie coming out, I decided it may be time for me to get over my qualms with the book (I hated that Dumbledore died at the end of the sixth book) and just read it. That way, I can say that I finished the series.

I'll keep y'all updated on my progress. But first I should probably finish the other two books I have going right now: Onward by Howard Schultz (it's about Starbucks, what can I say?) and Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos. Both are good, in their own way. Haven't finished either yet.

Day 177 - "Are you pro-Jesus?"

Today started off with some swearing. I'm not kidding: one of my best friends called me this morning at 9:30 a.m.. I forgot to turn my phone on silent last night, and her ring tone is ... well ... rather profane. So, I wake up to a voice swearing at me that "your f#)&#*% phone is f#*%)$! ringing you stupid b#!#%)#." It was quite a wake-up call.

I put glasses on because I could not, for the life of me, see anything, and wandered out to the living room, grabbed a bowl of cereal and had breakfast. It was rather exciting (not).

While my parents went to work-out, I had a freak-out about classes for the rest of my college career, worried that I wouldn't have time to do all of the requirements for both of my majors if I continued at the pace I was going at. When I mapped it all out, it turns out I was correct. So, some panic ensued and I changed around my schedule (note to people: there is a difference between asking for an opinion and asking for permission).

Eventually we went down to the pool to tan - there was the cutest little boy who had a floating jacket and who kept jumping off the ledge. I wanted to bottle up his laugh and take it home with me.

We had dinner, and then hung out for a bit. I had a really nice chat with one of my best friends (who's at school in Tennessee) about serious subjects. Don't worry, not all of our conversations are on such heavy topics as views about sex (before marriage allowed?) and religion ("are you pro-Jesus?"), but even when they are, I still enjoy them. She challenges me to articulate my beliefs, which only makes them stronger, yet also provides a fresh perspective on everything. It's not that we get into heated debates, but rather, we force the other one to think about what they're arguing for (or against).

Overall it's been a really good day. Now I just need to print off some stuff for school, finish up an assignment, and maybe read for a bit before going to bed.

Day 176 - "A book? What do you want a book for?"

Today was pretty much uneventful (I feel as if I've been saying that a lot recently). I woke up late because a cat kept me up (Blizzard .....) and made myself some chocolate chip pancakes. They were quite delicious.

All day I've pretty much been attempting to work on my homework for class, which is to plot a crime scene (complete with dead body) based on measurements we took yesterday in class. Basically, our professor planted a crime scene with a skeleton and knife and we had to take measurements using skills forensic anthropologists would use, and now we have to map our data. It's pretty boring, kind of like connect-the-dots with a human skeleton.

My parents and I went grocery shopping, which sounds rather boring, but it was pretty fun. We went to a fruit market that was amazing and I really wish I had taken my camera. The colors were so vibrant, and the mood of the stand was just incredible.

We came home and tanned for a bit, then had dinner. My parents went to work out and I caught up with some friends, and continued to plot the human body. When they came back, we ended up watching the movie Matilda, which is undoubtedly one of my all-time favorite movies. I think I wrote about it before. Anyways, it was absolutely spectacular - I hadn't watched it in a while, so there were little details I forgot about.

I love Matilda - I love her love of books, and how she takes initiative. I especially love when she's four and goes to the library - it reminds me of how I used to count down until I could go again, then just curl up in a corner and read for hours. I've been doing that recently here, just going to the library and hunkering down for a couple of hours, but usually I'm on my laptop and doing school work. Maybe that'll change sometime this week, though.

On the whole "book" topic, I started a new book last night: Onward by Howard Schultz. He was the ceo of Starbucks, and he wrote about his experiences with the company. I needed a break from my other book (Sing Them Home) and this fit the ticket. It's amazing. And I bet I'm going to stay up way too late tonight reading. But you know what? I'm not going to regret it.

So, to answer Harry Wormwood, "A book? What do you want a book for?"

Well, I want a book for happiness. I want a book to let me escape, and expand my horizons and imagination. I want a book as a friend, because it's never going to change, though the way I see it may. Really? Why wouldn't I want a book?

Day 175 - Excavating a Human

Yesterday in class we excavated a human. Don't worry, LSU doesn't let Anthropology 1001 students go to a live crime scene and just let them loose. Nope. This was staged, and was only a skeleton.

Either way, it was really cool. I mean, the whole skeleton still kind of freaked me out, but I liked how we had to measure the distance from the grid block sides using the two measuring tapes - it was like math, but in real life. Plotting coordinates, and now having to scale the photo.

I went home, and eventually went out with my mom. We went to lunch (chinese food), shoe shopping (got some cute white sneakers and tan topsiders), to the library (didn't get any books, but may get in trouble with the knitting book section), to Hobby Lobby (will definitely get in trouble in the yarn and craft section), and finally to Starbucks (not the regular one, and I didn't like it as much).

Yup, it was a fun day. And this weekend can only get better.

Day 174 - Freedom Writers

Today started like most other days- woke up, got ready for class (curled hair instead of straightened it) and decided to wear jeans. Yes, it was hot outside. Yes, it was super humid. But there's something to be said for being a creature of habit.

I went to class (it was raining), and we watched a movie on monkeys. It was ... interesting. Don't get me wrong, I love the adorable chimps, but I could do without watching mountain gorillas killing other monkeys just because they stepped on a certain tree.

Came home, made lunch, talked to a friend back in Michigan.

Then my mom arrived. She left yesterday morning from Michigan, and rolled into Louisiana this afternoon. It was so great to see her again, and to have her around.

She and I watched Freedom Writers while my dad was at the office. I love that movie, not only because it's about a teacher and writing, but because it makes me realize that maybe one of my dreams can cone true: writing something that is beautiful.

You see, this blog may be part of that. But I know that it's not all. I want to write something worth reading, something that shows that I can write, that I am ... a writer. Not just someone who blogs every day, or someone who journals when things get crazy, but someone who people look at and say "Yeah, she's a writer. She's a gosh darn good writer." Maybe not that phrasing.

Freedom Writers makes me believe that this goal is attainable. And no, maybe I haven't been a part of a gang, or been in horrible situations, but part of me thinks, if those kids could do it, can't I? If they can make a book worth reading, even if it's just about their life and feelings, doesn't that mean I can too?

I want to read their book. I want to own it, and get the movie too. And when I become a writer, I want to meet one (or several) of the students. I ant to meet a true Freedom Writer.