A Year in the Life

Day 201

2010-07-02T23:57:00.003-04:00

Some updates in my life:

I got a 163 on my LSAT, which is exactly what I got on the practice test. So... months of preparation didn't improve my score at all. But hey, it's still good, and I can still get into some good schools.

Snoopy, my dachshund, went to a new home yesterday. Dad finally had it with him, and there was nothing I could do. It's been a hard couple of days.

I'm currently at the beach with my parents. It doesn't quite look like the picture above--yet. They've found a couple of tar balls, but have been cleaning it up. We're going to try a beach day tomorrow, so here's hoping I don't come back covered in crude oil.

Day 200

2010-06-22T23:32:00.004-04:00

So this is Day 200! It has actually been well over a year since I started this Project 365, which was supposed to be a daily photo blog. Since then, I stopped posting every day, and it doesn't always include a photo, much less one that I took. However, I keep up with the titles because I like the continuity.

Anyway, here is a ridiculously long survey that I found on Facebook that you are in no way required to read. It's mostly because I think they're fun to fill out.

1. One of your scars, how did you get it?
I actually have one on both knees, and each of them are from a rock. My right knee was when I was swimming in the lake and my knee hit a rock, and my left knee was from tripping over one rock and landing on another. I don't like rocks.

2. What is on the walls in your room?
In my room at home, two Pirates of the Caribbean puzzles that I put together and framed. In my apartment, masks that I got in New Orleans.

3. What is your current living situation?
I have an apartment, but I'm at home for the summer.

4. What type of music do you listen to?
A little of everything. I like metal the most, though.

5. Do you know what time you were born?
I think somewhere around 11 PM. But honestly I could be making that up.

6. What do you want more than anything right now?
Hmm... I'm pretty satisfied right now, actually. Maybe a cream puff, thanks to Cake Boss.

7. What do you miss?
Mitch. And the days when I had no responsibilities.

8. What is your most prized possession(s)?
My books.

9. How tall are you?
5'5" and a half. Have been that height for years... I just can't reach 5' 6".

10. Are you claustrophobic?
A little. Maybe not so much small spaces, but more being stuck--like in a cave--and not being able to move.

11. Do you get scared in the dark?
Most of the time I don't, but every now and then I will spook myself.

12. The last person to make you cry?
Toy Story 3. Does that count?

13 What is your worst fear?
Failure at life. And fire.

14. What kind of hair/eye color do you like on the opposite sex?
Brown hair--any shade will do. Blue-green eyes or brown, but only if it's the right shade.

15. Where can you see yourself being proposed to at?
I don't know. I'd like to be surprised!

16.Coffee or energy drink?
Neither. Hot tea, please.

17. Favorite pizza topping?
Extra cheese or pepperoni.

18. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?
Nothing. I'm really quite full.

19. Favorite color of all time?
Cerulean.

20. Have you ever eaten a goldfish?
The cracker? Yes.

21. What was the first meaningful gift you've ever received?
I'm not sure about the first. But my mom has always given me little things, just because she thinks of me.

22. Do you have a crush?
I have a wonderful boyfriend... so yes.

23. Are you double jointed?
Nope. I have regular old joints.

24. Favorite clothing brand?
American Eagle. They're the only brand that fits me well.

25. Who is your favorite female/male celebrity?
Umm.... you know, I don't think I do.

26. Do you have a pet?
One Snoopy, a lazy dachshund who is snoring at my feet.

27. What kind is it?
Oh, well I just said that.

28. Would you fall in love knowing that the person is leaving?
I don't think I can really control who I fall in love with. It just happens.

30. Say a number from one to a hundred:
92

31. Blonds, brunettes, or red heads?
Brunettes, because I am one.

32.Favorite quote?
Do I contradict myself?
I can't think of one off the top of my head.

33. Favorite place?
It depends on my mood. Sometimes home, sometimes Athens, sometimes... places I haven't been to yet.

34. Have you been out of the USA?
I went to Oxford, England this time last year.

35. Your weakness?
Food

36. Met anyone famous?
Not that I know of, I don't think.

37. First job?
Sales associate at Banana Republic.

38. Ever done a prank call?
I think I was in the room, but I'm not sure I was ever actually on the phone.

39. Do you think everyone out there has a soul mate?
I honestly think they do.

40.What were you doing before you filled this out?
Watching Hidalgo on TV.

41. Have you ever had surgery?
Not really. Just getting my wisdom teeth out.

42. What do you get complimented about most?
My hair. And oddly, once, my skin.

43.Have you ever had braces?
Oh, yes. Two years of hell.

44. What do you want for your birthday?
That's way off in October... so I haven't really thought about it yet. Cake. Mmmm, cake.

45. How many kids do you want and their names?
I would really only want one, a girl. Her name will be Audrey Christina. A boy, though, if I have one, would be something John. Aiden John, Ian John.

46. Were you named after anyone?
Yes, my father. His name is Stephen, I'm Stephanie.

47. What is your biggest turn-off of the opposite sex?
Smoking or any kind of drug use. No thank you.

48. What is the one thing you liked about high school?
Having a really close group of friends, and having pretty much no responsibility.

49. What kind of shampoo do you use?
Garnier Fructis Length and Strength

50. Do you like your handwriting?
Sometimes. Other times, I hate it.

51. What is your favorite lunch meat?
Turkey

52. Any bad habits?
Procrastination and laziness.

53. Are you a jealous person?
Sometimes I can be.

54. If you were another person, would you be friends with you?
Of course. I'm awesome.

55. Do you agree with "friend with benefits?"
If the two parties are okay with that, but it's a weird arrangement.

56. Do looks matter?
Of course. Even though no one likes to admit it, we all make first impressions based on appearance.

57. How do you release anger?
I don't get truly angry very often. More often, I get frustrated. Every time, though, reading is the way to go. I get lost in the lives of others and forget about my own troubles.

58. OH NO, THIS IS MISSING!

59. What's your main goal in life?
To be happy and financially comfortable.

60. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Probably my Barbies. I also really liked coloring.

61. How old were you when you first fell in love?
20.

62. Were you a fan of Barney as a little kid?
For a little while, yes. And then I discovered Rugrats!

63. Do you use sarcasm?
Me? I have no idea what you're talking about with this sarcasm nonsense.

64. Mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese?
Oh goodness. Those are my two favorite foods. Mac and cheese and potatoes... both.

65. What do you look for in a guy/girl?
Acceptance. Humor. Someone to love me.

66. What are your nicknames?
Most people just call me Stephanie. However, I have been called Step-On-Me and Stephanopoulous. Also, Twozzle and Stepharoo.

67. Favorite super hero?
Batman. He did all that WITHOUT super powers.

68. What's your favorite TV show?
Big Bang Theory, but I never get to watch it.

69.What's the best way to deal with you enemies?
As my mama always said, kill them with kindness.

70. What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Mint!

71. Do you have all your fingers and toes?
Indeed. Ten on both counts.

72. Do you have a computer in your room?
My laptop goes with me everywhere.

73. Plans for tonight?
Well it's 12:30... so read some and go to bed.

74. Where do you want to live when you are older?
Somewhere in the South. My family is here and there's just no place like home.

75.Do you want everyone to answer these questions?
They can if they want. I don't care.

76. What are you listening to?
Deadliest Catch on Discover Channel

77. Last thing you drank?
Coke Zero

78. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Hmmm.... my mother.

79. The first thing you notice in the opposite sex?
Hair and mouth.

80. What do you like to do in your spare time?
Read, spend time with my boyfriend/friends, paint. At the moment I'm tackling a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle.

81. Favorite thing to hate?
Screaming babies.

82. Favorite season of the year?
Fall

83. What's your favorite type of candy?
Skittles

84. Have you ever really truly had a best friend?
I still do, and I actually have two.

85. What color is your hair?
Brown, with some reddish and goldish highlights in the sun.

86. Eye color?
Brownish black.

87. Shoe size?
Oh, 8.5-9, depending on the shoe.

88. Favorite fast food place?
McDonald's

89. Favorite restaurant?
Angler's in Destin, FL. And Olive Garden!

90. Do you like sushi?
Eh, I'll eat it if it's cheap, but it's not my favorite.

91. Watch TV today?
I'm watching it now.

92. Favorite day of the year?
Probably Christmas Day. My whole family is together, we're all happy, and we just enjoy the day.

93. Play any musical instruments?
I can play a few scales on the piano.

94. Republican or Democrat.
Republican.

95. Kisses or hugs.
Hmm... I like hugs better. Kisses are good, but they're a lot of chocolate. Hugs have white chocolate!

96. Relationship or one night stands?
Oh definitely relationship.

97. What is the last thing someone bought you.
My dad bought me lunch? Does that count?

98. Would you ever be a housewife?
I could be, I guess. But I'm not working so hard on an education to sit home for the rest of my life.

99. What book are you reading?
Dead as a Doornail, number 5 in the Sookie Stackhouse series. AKA, the True Blood series. Don't judge me...

100.Describe your love life.
Quite happy =]

Day 199

2010-05-28T13:10:00.002-04:00

This is Snoopy. He is my dog, and I love him.

I got him in 7th grade. My dad told me that if I were to join a sports team for a year, he would get me a dog. I don't think he actually thought I would do it, but I joined my school kayak team. Hey, that's an Olympic sport, it counts. On January 14, 2003, we brought Snoopy home from the humane society, and we've had him ever since.

Now, fast forward to 2010. Dad hates this dog. He claims that if Snoop even touches the carpet, he'll pee on it. It's true that he's had accidents in the kitchen before. Dad claims that the dog has forgotten that he isn't allowed to go to the bathroom in the house. What I don't understand, though, is that when I had him at my apartment, he didn't go to the bathroom on the floor once. He went to the door when he needed to go out, just like he's supposed to. To me, this means that he isn't taken out enough here, and if you have to go, well, you have to go. You can't fault an animal for that.

So, now, he keeps Snoopy locked up all the time. He's either out on the deck, in his bed, but attached to his leash, or in his kennel. ALL THE TIME. I personally think that's cruel, to keep him like that. And then Dad gets mad if Snoopy barks, but he's gonna bark if he's locked up all the time. Dad told me my job this summer is to get rid of him. Me. My job. Get rid of the dog that I love. I offered earlier, in the spring, to find an apartment that would allow pets, and I would take him with me. Dad told me no. Now I'm supposed to get rid of him? I told Dad that I would take him. Now I've signed a lease in a place that won't even allow goldfish.

What an asshole.

Day 198

2010-05-19T10:28:00.002-04:00

Does anyone else have a problem with spam? Not the food--which I'm sure is disgusting, even though I've never eaten it--but in reference to the internet?

I've been getting a lot of spam comments on my blog posts lately. Usually about fake James Bond watches, Chinese dresses, etc. It's irritating and I don't know how to stop it.

Any suggestions?

Day 197

2010-05-18T10:19:00.001-04:00

· Thoughts during my Maymester class:

o I swear the clock moves slower in class. Do professors have the ability to bend time? I’m sure they do. It’s the only way this class could possibly take this long. It’s only been 45 minutes… two hours to go.

o My Lord I’m hungry. I don’t get it. I ate breakfast this morning, but I think breakfast only makes me hungrier. I wish we could take a break so I could eat a cereal bar or something.

o I have a headache right in the middle of my forehead and around my ears. How random is that?

o The girl in front of me is really tan. I wish I was really tan. Not so orange-y, like her though. I’m pretty sure her color comes from fake n’ bake. She’ll probably get skin cancer one day.

o I wonder if the guy next to me is gay. Not that I have anything against him, I’m just wondering. Sometimes he comes in looking straight. Today, however, he does not. I need better gaydar.

o I would like some yellow Gatorade.

o How does one get up to leave the classroom gracefully and unnoticed to go to the bathroom when you sit across the room from the door?

o All desks should come with a footrest.

o Why is it so cold in here?

o I’m so glad college doesn’t have a dress code. It would be really obnoxious to have to wear either jeans or shorts that came to my knees. Here’s to Soffees and a t-shirt!

o Man, I’m hungry…

Day 196

2010-05-11T12:21:00.002-04:00

This is possibly my all-time favorite roller coaster. I have ridden it 23 times, 18 of which have been in the past couple of months. It is Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia, and Boy and I have a slight obsession with it.

We have season passes to Six Flags this year, and we went on Saturday from open to close, which is 11 hours. It was in celebration of the end of finals: possibly the worst finals week I've ever had. Ever. I had two rather lengthy research papers (one was 7 pages, the other was 10), as well as 4 finals... all in the same week.

However, I survived. I had my fun on roller coasters. On Sunday, Mother's Day, I saw Iron Man 2 with Mom, and then the family had a big dinner that night. On Monday, I did absolutely nothing--I got up at 9 (because Dad literally waved a plate of cinnamon rolls under my nose without telling me what time of day it was. Evil man.) and sat on the couch until 2. Then I had lunch and watched a movie with one of my best friends, and drove back to Athens.

A normal student would be on summer break after spring finals, no? However, I'm taking two Maymester classes, which is a whole classes jammed into three weeks. However, after last summer's debacle, I feel like nothing can phase me. One class is in the morning, and then one in the afternoon. I am currently waiting for class two to start.

Only two classes and one LSAT away from me and summer! I think I can do it.

Day 195

2010-05-03T07:22:00.003-04:00

This is usually the scene in my bathroom come morning. My routine: hit the snooze button 4 times. Roll out of bed. Stumble over to the bathroom. Use the bathroom. Brush my teeth. Turn on the shower. And, while I'm waiting for the water to heat up, I step on the scale. It's not a fun way to start the morning, by any means. But you know what was different this morning?...Drum Roll please.... I've lost 3 pounds!

Okay, so I know it's only 3 pounds. But this is the first time that I have actually lost weight while making an effort to exercise and eat better. I lost about 10 pounds this time last year, but that was because I was too lazy to walk down to the dining hall, so I only ate one meal a day. This year, I'm actually trying, and these are the first results that I've seen.

It's really nice to know I'm not doing all of this for nothing. This whole diet and exercise thing does not at all come to me naturally. I love to eat, and I love food. I'm a social eater--it's one of the few things in Athens to do. Want to hang out with someone? Go to dinner! Go get dessert! Already eaten? It's okay, eat again!

My other problem is, as I've said, carbs. I LOVE bread. It's that third roll at dinner, with real butter. Baked potatoes. Mashed potatoes. Scalloped potatoes. Fried potatoes. Rice. Any cake or pastry.

So even though it's hard to keep it up, for the first time I've motivated myself to get up off the couch and do something for once. Even though I would much rather go to the pool or take a nap, I walk on the treadmill for 40-50 minutes. Even though everyone around me (except my mother, who will perpetually eat healthier than me) is eating all the foods that I want to be, I'll go with the option that's better for me. Maybe one day, my scale will smile at me!

Day 194

2010-04-27T22:58:00.003-04:00

So I'm on this new health kick. Okay, it's actually an old health kick that I keep kicking to the curb when I get tired of it. But this time, I'm going to stick to it. My mother and I have made an agreement with each other that we'll do something good for ourselves physically at least once a day. In my case, I've started walking for an hour on the treadmill. She is walking on the track at the college she works for.

Another component to this is eating healthier. This part is hard for me in particular, because I'm really picky. I don't like vegetables, really, and the only fruits I like are peaches and apples. My biggest problem isn't sugar (although I do have a big sweet tooth), it's carbs. I LOVE bread. And potatoes. And pasta. Other than steak, which isn't the greatest for you, carbs encompass some of my most favorite dishes, and that's what I have issues controlling.

Since I know that I can't completely overhaul my eating habits--I've tried and failed many times--all I can do is try to scale them back some. Get something baked or grilled, instead of battered and deep-fried. So, I thought I would share one of my new foods with you.

It's nothing earth-shattering, and I'm sure many people have heard of it. I take low-carb cinnamon graham crackers and cool whip, and do one of two things:

Take two whole crackers and put cool whip in the middle. Freeze it overnight for a different version of the ice cream sandwich!
Take two graham crackers and break them in half. Take cool whip and spread it over each cracker half.

I like to use the strawberry-flavored cool whip, but the regular is just as good. Next time you want a dessert, you should try it--it's tasty and guilt-free!

Do you know any of low-calorie goodies that don't involve rabbit food?

Day 193

2010-04-26T12:43:00.007-04:00

Is that not a rockin wedding cake? My friend, Ashley, made it. Okay, so it's not REAL cake--the part that would be the cake is actually styrofoam. However, the decorations on the outside are all real, and it took her two weeks to finish.

She did this for UGA's Relay for Life, which my sorority took part in this year. The theme was Change the Channel on Cancer, so each booth was supposed to pick a TV show. We did "Say Yes to the Dress", or, in our case, Say Sure to the Cure. Everything was wedding themed--we sold veils, wedding cookies, cupcakes and tiaras. People could also take pictures with this:

To pass the time, the Relay Exec ran a Relay-wide scavenger hunt that was hands down the best part of the whole night. We had to do lots of things, like....

Sumo Wrestle

Eat Puppy Chow like a dog

Drink a daiquiri

Throw popcorn in someone's mouth

This was a lot of fun, and encouraged spending money at the booths. We came in third place! The total raised throughout the UGA community was $306,561.62, with my own team raising a little over $2,000. Since Xi Delta has our own cancer survivor, and since I have both survivors and victims in my own family, I think Relay for Life is a particularly good cause. It's fun and it helps with cancer research! You should look into Relay in your own community--it's worth it!

Day 192

2010-04-22T18:22:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, you just have to be silly.

Day 191

2010-04-18T22:44:00.002-04:00

AHHHHH! SCHOOL!!

This is how I feel right about now. I'm slowly going insane. End of the semester is so close... and yet 4 papers, a speech, and 4 finals away.

Anyway, this is blog is less about me and more about this guy. My boyfriend is writing a blog for a class, and he needs to get as many people following it as possible. So, as a favor to me (since I'm so wonderful), it would be FANTASTIC if y'all could follow it! You don't actually have to read it, since it's about UGA football (which I don't expect many of you are interested in), and you can stop following it in a couple weeks, when the semester is over.

In the meantime... check it out! Please? The link:

The Bulldawg Blawg

Day 190

2010-04-13T14:12:00.002-04:00

Crab rangoon! This dish is one of my favorites at a Chinese restaurant, and I've come to judge the quality of the restaurant based on how good the crab rangoon is. Sadly, here in Athens... well, the restaurants all fail. I went to two or three different places (there aren't too many Chinese places to choose from, sadly), and none of them passed the test. So, I just focused on other cuisines--Japanese, Italian, or just plain American.

There's a place next to the East Side Walmart in Athens that I kept noticing--Golden Sun. It looked really sketchy, but I've learned that often the better Chinese restaurants are the ones that look a little dingy on the outside. (You always want to check the health inspection grade though, just to make sure). This Sunday, I decided to try Golden Sun, and... voila! Finally! Good crab rangoon. My Athens restaurant life is complete.

Day 189

2010-04-06T11:49:00.002-04:00

Pollen! It's everywhere! I'm pretty sure it wasn't there Sunday. But Monday! BOOM, pollen bomb. It's on cars, on the sidewalk (as you can see above, it was so thick that there were FOOTPRINTS in it), and in my hair. My sinuses are killing me! It's ridiculous!

Day 188

2010-04-04T11:58:00.004-04:00

Happy Easter everybody!

I'm 20 years old, and my mother still gives me an Easter basket. Or, well, an Easter bag. I got a chocolate bunny, sour Starburst jellybeans, Cadbury eggs, Sweet Tart gummies, robins eggs malted milk balls, and... something else, but I can't remember what. Oh! A cute stuffed flower for my room in my apartment. It also came with a gift certificate for a pedicure, which I was supposed to get this weekend. Alas, I cannot. Why, you may ask? Well...

Warning! This picture is somewhat graphic. I apologize if you're eating or squeamish.

I did this to my toe in dance class. You see, I'm an idiot, and on Wednesday, I thought it was Tuesday. I don't have my dance class on Tuesday. So, I wore flip flops. Well, when I figured out it was Wednesday, I realized I had to go to dance, but without the proper footwear. I made it through the whole class, until the last one--the guy's shoe brushed up against the toe nail in just the wrong way, and it ripped in half. So.. no pedicure for me, at least until this heals. Boo =[

However, I still had to go to a Friday Night Ballroom Magic--a requirement for my class. Since I couldn't actually do any of the dances (didn't want to get stepped on again), I sat back and watched. What did I see? I saw this:

That's right, dancing bunnies. They later did the waltz and the cha-cha.

Have you seen anything weird lately?

Day 187

2010-03-30T13:53:00.003-04:00

Do you remember Gak? That smelly, gooey, not-quite-as-fun-as-Play-doh Nickelodeon concoction? Well these, my friends, are the Gak Trees:

Now, you may recognize these under their more commonly known name of "dogwood". However, as I have seen no resemblance to either dogs or wood (except for that whole being a tree thing), I have taken to calling them Gak Trees. Why? Because they smell exactly like Gak!

For weeks I've been walking around wondering why on Earth I kept smelling the stuff. It's not like anyone plays with it anymore. It's not even manufactured anymore, so far as I know, which means any supply would have to be at least 10 years old. Ten year old Gak would be dried out, right? And therefore not emitting any smell.

Finally, I discovered the culprit. They were above my head! I think dogwoods are very pretty trees, but good LORD do they smell bad. I will be quite happy when they are no longer blooming.

Day 186

2010-03-25T13:58:00.002-04:00

This is Frank. Frank is one of the most epically cute cats on the planet. He also has a small fascination with bathrooms--here, he is in my shower, and he once fell in my toilet.

I'm going to miss Frank. You know why?... I signed a lease at my dream apartment! A friend from Oxford knew a girl who was in a similar roommate situation as me, so we decided to live together. It's always iffy, living with strangers, but she seems cool. I'm not looking for a best friend, just someone who is easy to get along with and who isn't insane.

We signed at the place with the huge walk-in closets and private studies that were remodeled a year or two ago. Can we say fabulous? (Pardon my Sex and the City moment, this place just excites me!) Furthermore, I get to decorate according a little more to my taste, which is another big plus.

In other news...

I'm going to Six Flags on Saturday. Now, I feel like Six Flags is a universally-known theme park. If you've never heard of it, it's amazing and I recommend that you go. My favorite part is, of course, going on the roller coasters. I used to be terrified of them until one of my friends convinced me to go on Batman (which is still my all-time favorite). Now I like all of them! Well, except the Ninja, but that's only because it actually hurts to ride it. I'm also a big fan of the giant swings because I like to feel the air between my toes =]

The Boy and I are thinking of buying season passes for the summer. It costs $45 to go for one day, and right now, the passes are only $49.99. So really, if we go twice (which we plan to do), then the passes pay for themselves. I could also then finally pay back my good friend and former roommate, who let me use quite a few of her "take a friend for free" tickets that come with the passes.

That's an update on my life for now. What's new with you? It has been gorgeous for the past few days in Georgia--I laid out by the pool yesterday! Have you been enjoying the spring weather?

Day 185

2010-03-13T00:18:00.004-05:00

SNOW TUBING. Snow tubing, if you've never done it, is quite possibly the best thing ever. Unlike skiing, it requires pretty much no physical exertion whatsoever. You hook your tube to a rope, and it pulls you up the hill. Then, all you do is go down the hill! And it's FAST.

My uncle took me, my mom, and my two cousins to do this today. I even managed to wipe out and roll down the hill some, but it didn't hurt! Because it's snow. Seriously, if you are anywhere near an area that offers this, do it. I just found out that there's a place called Scaly Mountain, NC, which is only two hours away from home/Athens, that is all about snow tubing. And, weather permitting, I will definitely be going as soon as I can!

Day 184

2010-03-11T20:21:00.005-05:00

Today I went skiing! I'm in Utah visiting my aunt, uncle, and two cousins for Spring Break with my mom. The slopes are only thirty minutes from their house, so, of course, we headed up there today. And man, am I tired. We skiied for five hours--about four hours longer than any physical activity I've done in the past year, since the last time I went skiing. I only fell twice, and both times was more sitting down than actual falling. I took this picture on the ski lift at Brighton Ski Resort on the Majestic lift up to the green runs, which are the easiest ones.

Tomorrow we'll be snow tubing, which I've never done before. I'm not entirely sure what it entails, other than just what it sounds like--tubing in the snow.

On another note, while I'm having fun here, I miss home too. I miss my dog. I miss my dad. I miss my Boy. You don't realize how big a part of your life someone is until they're not there for a few days. Something is always missing.

Oh! I forgot. This:

is Kelly. She might look cute, but oh, how appearances are deceiving. Have you ever seen Marley and Me? This is Marley's long lost twin sister, Clearance Puppy Number Two.

Day 183

2010-03-04T10:57:00.003-05:00

SO! I'm finally getting around to my Valentine's Day post. I know, I know, this is rather belated, but I said I would get around to it, and I did. So, here we go.

The weekend started off with snow! Now, for anyone not from the South, this might not seem overly exciting. But for us? Two or three inches (about five or six, in this case) and we cancel school. The state shuts down. Why? Because we're all out playing in it!

The Boy and I played in the snow at my house. We made snow angels and threw snowballs at each other, but we failed completely at making a snowman (some Canadian he turned out to be.... kidding =]) The snow wouldn't pack well enough, but I had fun anyway.

Saturday, he took me to The Cheesecake Factory! Which is possibly the most awesome place ever. The food is fantastic, in my opinion. I had the best chicken parmesan I've ever put in my mouth. Carrot cake cheesecake. They had one called Stefanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake, but I couldn't talk them into giving it to me for free, even though it has my name in it. We got all dressed up--most cheesecake factories aren't dressy, but this one was in Buckhead, an upscale area of Atlanta. He also got me the super cute teddy bear from above, who I named Russell (which may or may not have to do with the Russell Stover chocolates that came with the bear...).

Sunday, which was actual Valentine's Day, we went to Medieval Times! Medieval Times is a dinner show that's in a big castle. You get to watch jousting, sword fighting, etc in a big arena while cheering for your knight, all while being served some really good food. You have to eat with your hands--they didn't really have utensils in the actual medieval times. I LOVE Medieval Times. It's like the Renaissance Festival, but I don't have to walk around, and they bring food to me.

You also get to wear a really awesome crown with the color of your knight. We took advantage of the Valentine's special--two flags (also yellow), two drinks in goblets (that you get to keep), a light-up rose, and light-up wand, a scroll, and admission to the Dungeon, a torture device museum.

For my Valentine's present, I made a two-layer (white and chocolate) cake with strawberry icing and red sprinkles, as well as a framed picture of the two of us from our first hockey game.

All in all, I had an amazing weekend. I'd never had a real Valentine's Day (I always managed to time things so that I was single... go me), and it was nice to feel wanted instead of celebrating Singles' Awareness Day. Basically, the Boy is awesome. I know this was a while ago, but it makes me smile just to remember it =]

Day 182

2010-02-28T15:42:00.002-05:00

Today is one of those days when I really, really hate my roommate. For the most part, since the last time I wrote about our issues in the fall, things have been quiet. We learned to coexist, to an extent, even if anything resembling a friendship has long since passed.

Today, when I got back after being home for a few days, there was a little note on my door saying that it was my turn to empty the dishwasher and take out the trash. Now, under normal circumstances, I would be fine with that. However, I have been ridiculously busy for the past month, so I haven't been home--to cook or make trash. I rarely eat at home, much less cook, so my contribution to these dishes in the dishwasher? One coffee mug, one water glass, and a spoon. I don't exactly use trash in the kitchen very often either, I mostly use the one in my bedroom, which I empty myself. So the mountain of garbage that was sitting in our utility closet? Yeah, not mine.

Now, when this girl makes trash, she doesn't just put it in the trashcan. Anything big--like milk cartons, OJ containers, pizza boxes--gets put next to the trashcan. They recently bought a blender, so the empty blender box was full of all the larger things that they had gone through recently, and it was even spilling over the sides. I, on the other hand, had one milk carton. One. And it was a half gallon. To even get this stuff outside to the dumpster, I had to use a whole other large trash bag, which means we're out of them. Since I bought this box of trash bags, it means that it's her turn to buy them. We'll see if she actually does.

Normally I don't mind this whole switch off thing of taking turns emptying the trash and the dishwasher. However, in the beginning of the semester, she NEVER did any of it! Never mind that she's never even lifted a duster and the vacuum cleaner only once, when there was a bug on the floor that she didn't want to touch, but she did this same thing to me for months. She didn't even have the excuse of being busy because it's not like she has a social life or anything. She's always there. And yet, now that I have been a little busy and haven't had time, that is apparently unacceptable.

I am counting down the days to when we won't be living together anymore. Sixty-eight days until the end of finals, and I assume (or hope) that she leaves for the summer. One hundred and fifty-two days until the end of our lease. I think I can make it.

Day 181

2010-02-27T00:09:00.002-05:00

This is my new computer! It's a 14" Sony Vaio with a Core i3 processor. It has 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. There are lots more specifications, of course, but I have no idea what any of them means. I know that I can play the Sims on it, it has Bluetooth, and it works. I have completely Stephanie-ized it--Google Chrome has a flowers theme and Shaun White is my background. I have to say, it's nice to just have the dang thing and not have to worry about it anymore!

I'm still getting used to it. The buttons are a little more spaced apart on the keyboard, so typing feels a little odd. I don't know what some of the buttons do--(what does the Vaio button do?? Or the Assist button? What is Evernote?) But I'm confident I'll figure it out. I thought Sony laptops weren't very good, but according to the sales associates, Sony is one of their best products. Since the Boy was with me, who used to work at that Best Buy, I trust them--he hooked me up with the non-sketchy sales people, who wouldn't try to screw me over.

I also got a pink wireless mouse to go with it, and with the extended warranty plan (which would let me drop it in a pool, and they'd have to fix it), it only cost about $130 for the whole thing. Thank you, Best Buy no-lemon policy (if you bring it back 4 times, they'll junk your computer out as a lemon. Then you get a new one, pretty much free of charge.) Even after all the stressing... I kinda like this one =]

And yes, I know, I'm slacking on Valentine's Day pictures. BUT, I will soon have ALL of my pictures off of my external hard drive permanently stored on the new laptop, and then will promptly (well... I do have two tests and am going to an Atlanta Thrashers hockey game this week. So as soon as I can) post pictures and share about them. Really. I will.

Day 180

2010-02-23T14:08:00.002-05:00

So I found my camera, but it's not currently with me. I will write about Valentine's Day--promise! Because I know that you're all eager to hear about it =]

This post is about something else entirely--computers. I can't remember if I wrote about this or not, but my beloved Dell XPS died. The mother board on it crashed, so I took it to Geek Squad. Fortunately, I have a service plan with them, so they were able to ship it off to be fixed. In the mean time, Dad has been meaning to buy a laptop for the family for a long time, so he bought be a mid-range Asus to tide me over until mine came back, and he would use it when I got my Dell back.

A month later, and it comes back to the store. They ran a few tests on it to check for integrity, and, lo and behold... it wasn't okay. To make up for things, the guy overnighted it back to Computer-Fix-It-Land. A week goes by, and I didn't hear anything from them. Finally, I got an email saying I need to call my local Best Buy because they needed some additional information from me. When I called, they informed me that my laptop had become a "junk-out"--basically the computer version of a totaled car. The cost of fixing it was higher than the value of the laptop, so the guy told me I could come into the store and pick out a new laptop for the same price as my old one, which is, with tax, roughly $1100.

Now, you would think that with that chunk of change, I could find something really nice that I liked. Well, you think wrong. Because I have store credit, I have to go with what Best Buy offers. In this price range, they offer: Dell, HP, Sony Vaio, Asus, Toshiba, Apple, and Gateway.
Here is my problem:

I refuse to buy another Dell. I loved the one that I had, but it was the top of the line, and it still messed up. What does that say about the cheaper ones?
I know several people whose HPs have died right after the warranty was up. I also had a rather expensive HP printer crap out on me after only a year or two. No HP for me.
I've been told that Sony Vaio is alright, but it's really not that reliable and is overpriced.
I like the Asus, but I'm not sure I really want another one. I don't have a problem with the machine I'm on now, but... I don't know. I'm just not blown out of the water by it.
Toshibas, I've heard, are fairly decent computers too. The problem is that I can't find one at Best Buy that I like--they either have awesome battery life, but are 8 lbs, or they're light and sound good...with a 2 hour battery life.
I'm scared of getting a Macbook. I've always been a Windows girl, and I have NO idea how to use a Mac. Also, I would have to install Windows because most law school technology runs off of Windows XP.
Gateways are dinosaurs. The end.

No matter which computer I look at, there's something about it that I don't like. With my XPS, there was NOTHING wrong... well except for that pesky motherboard problem.

What do you think?

Day 180

2010-02-16T09:27:00.003-05:00

So I can't find my camera (it's been lost somewhere in my bedroom... or maybe my car... or possibly my purse?), but I promise I'll post pictures when I find it. I will. Really.

Anyway, this weekend I celebrated Valentine's Day, along with the rest of the world. I have to say, it might be my best one yet (considering I actually had a significant other for this one).

Friday, it snowed about 5 inches, which, for Georgia, is a BIG deal. Everyone freaks out--they go to the grocery store to get supplies and drive 5 mph even if there's no ice on the road. Kids go sledding when there's just barely a dusting on the ground. It's amusing (not that I'm any exception to this...). Although, to be fair, I refrained from playing around in the snow until about 11 PM, when there was a more respectable amount on the ground.

I also watched The Collector, a movie from the people who made Saw IV, V, and VI. That alone should've warned me what I was in for, but no, I watched it anyway. And OH MY GOD--it made my stomach turn. The premise for this movie is that a guy breaks into a home to steal a giant ruby from inside a safe because the family is supposed to be gone. But when he gets there, someone has taken the family hostage. He's rigged the entire house so that anything that could be considered a weapon and all the exits are booby-trapped (in the most horrible ways you can imagine).

For instance, one exit (next to an upstairs window) has glue in front of it so you can't make it to the window. But the glue also happens to be acid--so when the family cat gets stuck in it, the glue starts to eat away at the poor thing while it's still alive. When Mr. Kitty finally gets unstuck and makes it to the window to get out, a giant blade cuts it in half. Anyone else think that's wrong on about 600 different levels?

Anyway, the thief then has to try to save the family while remaining unseen and undetected by the scary man.

If you feel like watching a really gory, horrifying, opposite-of-anything-happy movie, I would recommend The Collector. But it's definitely not for the faint of heart.

I'll expand upon my Valentine's Day activities when I have my camera and can have pictures to go with everything. Until then, you'll just have to wait!

What did you do for Valentine's Day? Watch any good horror movies?

Day 179

2010-02-08T21:41:00.002-05:00

163! I got a 163!

For those of you who don't know LSAT scores, that puts me in the 92nd percentile. Without studying. On my first try. With that score, I could get into UGA Law, Emory Law, University of Alabama Law, and UNC at Chapel Hill Law. To get into Vanderbilt, I'll need a 168, and for Georgetown, I'll need a 170.

After actual studying, my score will go up. For the first time, I'm thinking... I could actually do it. I could go Ivy League.

Day 178

2010-02-08T11:24:00.002-05:00

At this very moment, I am sitting in the UGA library, patiently waiting for the little numbers on the clock to say 12:00 PM. Why, you may ask? Well, this past Saturday I took a practice LSAT, which is the admissions exam for law school (like the SATs, but ten times harder and WAY more important). At noon, the Kaplan Center opens (they administer the test), and I can pick up my scores.

I went into this test with absolutely NO preparation whatsoever. I wanted to see what my base score was, so I would not exactly what I needed to work on, what my strengths are, and to just get a idea of what I'm facing. I have no clue how well (or how badly) I did. No idea. But I'm still really, really nervous.

I know it's just a practice test. But the thing about the LSAT is this: it's not like the SAT. In high school and while applying to college, a good GPA could counterbalance a poor SAT score, because the SAT score is a standardized test used to measure how much you've learned over the course of your education. The LSAT, however, is different--it shows your aptitude for thinking like a lawyer. A good GPA will demonstrate that you're a good student. But a bad LSAT score can mean that you just don't have the mental capacity to think like an attorney needs to, so I could have a 4.0, and it wouldn't matter.

What if I do get a low score? I don't have a backup plan to law. I know that's not the greatest idea, but I honestly don't know what else to do with my life. A history degree is useless, really, unless I want to go into teaching (which I definitely DON'T). If I can't think like a lawyer... how could I succeed in it?

I'm probably just being paranoid, especially since I didn't study for it at all. But still. It's a pretty nerve-wracking thing.

OH! And I found a different apartment that I want to live in. It's GORGEOUS... and also $50 more than I pay now.

The other place I was looking at is a 2 BR/2.5 bath townhouse. It has a working fire place, storage shed, built in bookcases, and a dining room. The bedrooms are humongous. However, it's also older, and each of them have been updated differently. There's a master bedroom and a regular one, with the bathroom in the regular one having a stand-up shower that's really tiny, instead of a full bath (which I believe would lead to an interesting situation with figuring out who gets which room...). This new place was once a 4 bedroom apartment that has been remodeled within the last couple years. It has a private study. A walk-in closet. A huge bathroom. It is also in a better location, close to public transportation (which my hopefully future roommate will be needing), has a clubhouse/pool/weight room, and modern, stainless steel appliances. And did I mention it's pretty? I want to live there.

I just hope that I can convince my father to pay more and that my roommmate (if she decides to live with me) can afford it too.

Day 177

2010-01-30T01:11:00.002-05:00

Do you ever get the feeling that no matter how hard you try at something, you'll never be good enough? No matter how many times you tell someone something, they'll never believe you? You try. You really, really do. You give all you can. You try to balance out all the aspects of your life. But no matter what, no matter how much you give up or how much you try to satisfy everyone, you can't make everyone happy. And then you get stressed, and you think about it all the time, but you can't think of a solution. You tell someone something over and over and over again, but they don't believe you. They'll never believe you. So why bother? What's the point?

Or do you ever try so hard to see someone, even though they don't seem to have the time of day for you? You've known the person for years, consider them one of your closest friends. But for some reason, they don't seem to care anymore. Again, you try. You give them a call, you send them a message, but nothing seems to work. You begin to grow apart, and no matter what you try, you can't seem to get the person to respond. To make the time for you. Even though you're only five minutes down the road. And it hurts your soul to know that you're doing all you can, but it's just not good enough. It's not good enough to save a friendship that means more to you than the world.

Damn it, there's only so much a person can take. And it's just not fair.

In other news, I saw Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein tonight. I highly recommend it.

Day 176

2010-01-16T15:31:00.002-05:00

I HATE Apple. Hate it. Hate it, hate it, hate it.

A couple days ago, I started walking after school. I tried running, but realized I'm way too out of shape for that, so, for now, I'll walk--3 miles total, from my apartment to Five Points in Athens and back. It helps if I have upbeat, fast-paced music because I figured out that I walk at the same tempo of the song (thank you, marching band). To make my walking easier and more fun, I made a "work out" playlist in iTunes to put on my iPod. I plugged in the USB cable to add the playlist to my iPod, and... nothing. Even though my laptop recognizes that my iPod is connected, iTunes doesn't. It won't pop up under "devices", won't do... anything.

So, I turned to the internet. I tried all they suggested: I reset the iPod, put it into disk mode, uninstalled and reinstalled iTunes, restarted my computer, all of it. And still, nothing. I've looked all over the Apple website, and none of their suggestions worked. So, finally, I decided to talk to customer service, and that was just the cherry on top.

YOU HAVE TO PAY TO TALK TO SOMEONE ON THE PHONE.

I apparently do not qualify for free phone support, so for the small price of $29, I can purchase a single incident plan so I can just talk to one of their illustrious Apple Experts. Gee, I didn't realize how important their time must be!

So, I'm going to have to drive down to the Apple Store at the Mall of Georgia--about an hour away. If they tell me I have to pay to have it looked at, I'm going to take a rusty spoon, scoop someone's eyeballs out, and crush them. Then, I'm going to pour salt into their eye sockets. And you know what? I'll enjoy every blessed minute of it.

Day 175

2010-01-12T17:14:00.004-05:00

This is Frankfurt and Beanerschnitzel. Also known as Frank and Beans (Frank is the all orange, and Beans is the white and orange fluffy one), my roommate's new kitties! She brought them to live with us at our apartment, and they're adorable. Best part--I get to live with kitties. I get to play with kitties. I get to watch kitties as they do all their ridiculously cute kitty-like things. But do I have to clean the litter box? Feed them? Give them baths if they jump in a cake or dip their paws in paraffin wax? No. No, I do not. And that is what makes the kitty-roommationship absolutely fantastic.

Other than our new house guests, not too much is new. Randa has decided to de-sister from our sorority, leaving me alone to handle the pledge babies. I'm taking over her position as Pledge Educator, since I was the assistant last semester. What does this mean? I get to babysit the new girls for ten weeks, from day one until they are initiated. I don't particularly want to be the Pledge Educator, but I'll be damned if I work under someone new, who's never done any of this before. So I'll step up, but Miranda gets to hear all about it--every complaint, every time I need to vent. I think of it as a condition for her scurrying off.

Also, I think I've found where I'm going to live next year. It's a townhouse, 2 bedroom and 2.5 bath, which will be nice because then when someone comes over they won't all have to parade through my slightly messy bedroom to get to the bathroom. Instead, there will be a separation between public space (downstairs) and private (upstairs). Not to mention the HUMASSIVE bedrooms. And patio. And storage shed. And front porch. It also happens to be less than what I'm paying now, and... even better... lacking a certain someone who's name starts with an E and is currently sharing my apartment.

Let's see... anything else to report? The Boy and I are having dinner tonight. I felt like making myself chicken, and then I realized I felt like having an actual meal tonight (as opposed to something that I throw together at the last minute), with baked potatoes, bread, green beans, and dessert. It's not fancy, but it's more of a meal than I usually make myself. I figured since I was cooking all that for me, I may as well cook for him. We also both realized, while at the grocery store, that today is our one month anniversary. One month, I know, not a huge deal, but hey, it's a reason to celebrate. Here's to hoping that I don't poison either of us!

What's new with you?

Day 174

2010-01-02T03:32:00.002-05:00

So.. my blog has apparently been un-commentable for a while. Sorry guys! I got bored one night and changed the layout, but I don't have any idea what I'm doing in HTML, so I didn't know the comment part didn't work. Therefore, I have changed it back, and I believe everything works? Please feel free to leave me any comments you wish on the things I've posted since the HTML debacle. I promise to read and respond to all of them!

In other news, what you see above is my fancy schmancy new phone. I realized, when I went to take a picture of it, that my camera is in my car, and therefore too far away for me to go get. And, since I can't take a picture of my phone with my phone, I googled to find a suitable replacement. Mine has a red gel case on it (although I'm getting a blue one, with flowers! soon). It was a sad day to switch from the RAZR, but hey! I can get internet on my phone now! And the touch screen is actually really easy to use.

Also, Happy New Year! I haven't made my list of resolutions yet, so my official "Yay, it's 2010!" post will have to be next time. This was mainly an apology for not allowing you, my wonderful readers (all 11 of you), to comment.

Day 173

2009-12-27T02:38:00.002-05:00

This year for Christmas, I got a new phone. It's one of those fancy touch screen things, along with unlimited internet, texting, and calling, and I'm ridiculously excited about it. However, getting a new phone means leaving an old one behind--my beloved pink RAZR.

I got my RAZR on my 18th birthday, October 4, 2007. The very first picture I took on it, one of my car, which had been decorated by my friends for my birthday, that night after band practice, is still on it. Looking back to then, I realize how far that phone has taken me. It's something I usually take for granted, a way to communicate with friends and family. But it has been there for EVERYTHING in the past two years. My senior year of high school. Senior prom. Graduation. My first year in college. My first job. My first apartment. Best friends. Break ups. My phone knows me better than anyone on Earth, and for some reason, getting a new one feels like I'm not only upgrading service, but moving on with my life. I'm literally starting a new chapter of my life, along with a new decade.

A by-product of getting new phones (and new service) is that my dad will be getting rid of our home phone number--the same number we've had for 16 years. It has taken me through my entire life in Gainesville, which is all the life I can remember. It's funny how something as simple as a telephone--or a telephone number-- can be so attached to an identity. Giving up our home phone number means my parents are already pulling up roots, getting ready to move on with their lives and out of the house that I will forever know as my home. That thought is possibly one of the most saddening thoughts to contemplate, because I absolutely hate change. It scares the hell out of me. Will I ever find a new home? Or will I come back 20 years from now, when some other family with some other little girl is living in my house, and feel like something is horribly wrong with the world because my key no longer works there?

So why should I get so emotional over something as simple as a cell phone? It feels like I'm leaving behind a piece of myself and entering a frightening new world when I really want to run back home. Am I excited to have the internet at my fingertips at all times? Of course. But my little pink phone is a small part of the happiness I felt in high school that I always carried with me. It saw many late night calls to Miranda, my best friend, who would talk with me for hours about nothing at all. To my mother, either as just an update on my day, good news about grades, or sobbing and needing to hear Mom's comforting words. To Dad, just to see how he was doing. To Nana, as a "happy day" call, so she wouldn't feel lonely.

Now, I'm not saying I'm not happy now. I love the college life. Sure, I miss my parents like crazy when I'm there, but I have lots of friends and a new boyfriend to keep me company. What I mean is that life was a lot more simple two years ago. I saw my 5 best friends every day. After school, we would hang out in the parking lot, at McDonald's, in the band room, or wherever two or three of us happened to congregate. I miss having a support system that strong, one that was built on years and years of friendship. And that is a kind of carefree attitude that I don't think I can ever find again. I watched a video of our halftime show from junior year and got incredibly nostalgic for those days and fun I had in them.

One thing that I'm determined to take with me, on my new phone, is this text message, saved for over a year and sent by my very best friend: "I love you too, man. And I'm not only glad you're in my life, but grateful as hell." Like my phone, she's been there just as often--although fortunately, I'm not leaving her behind anywhere.

Day 172

2009-12-19T03:02:00.002-05:00

Well, this is going to be a relationship post. It's not so much for other people to read, but for myself. So here we go.

I finally found him. The boy I mentioned in my last post and I have hit it off--we are "together", Facebook official and all. And, to be honest, I'm ridiculously happy and terrified at the same time.

With Boy, I feel like I've found something different--a person who cares for me exactly the same as how I care for him. He's not dating me because he's bored. I'm not forcing something to happen that has no basis. He likes me. Me. Not someone I've pretended to be, not some persona that I put on to try to make him fall for me. Just plain old Stephanie. And for someone with a lot of insecurities, it is a balm for a sore heart that has been rejected ten times more than it has been accepted. He doesn't seem to care that I'm not 120 pounds, blonde, and gorgeous, like so many of the girls in Athens are. He thinks (or so he has told me) that I'm funny and sweet and cute, just the way I am. After years of looking, I've finally found what I've always been looking for, and to top it off, I can't help but smile when I think of him.

On the other side, now that I have him, I'm scared of losing him. I've never really had a relationship before, just a lot of dating--what if I do something wrong? What if, after everything, I somehow drive him away?

Day 171

2009-12-08T00:32:00.003-05:00

So, I have good news and bad news. First the bad news.

On December 5, 2009, Mr. Wiggles died. He had a respiratory infection due to stress and being too cold (I left him at a friend's house over Thanksgiving, and it didn't go well). The vet told me he would be fine, but by Saturday afternoon he was lethargic and unresponsive. He passed on the way to the animal hospital. While I'd only had him a few months, I became attached to him. He was the first and only pet who was completely mine-- I bought him, paid for all his stuff. He was my companion in my first apartment, and kept me company when I felt alone or frustrated with my roommate. He was the first thing I saw in the morning and the last I saw at night. It broke my heart to lose him, and I didn't realize the full extent until I came home last night and saw the empty hole where his cage used to be. No matter what happened in my life, he was always a cute, sweet presence when I felt distanced from the people I love or stressed out from one too many papers. I miss him, I love him, and I only wish I had taken him to the vet a few days sooner. RIP Mr. Wiggles.

The good news is that I met a boy. I like him, and he seems to actually be interested in me--I'm not the one doing the pursuing. I can be myself around him, which is another big plus. He also happens to go to UGA and live in my hometown, which is ridiculously convenient. I don't have my hopes up quite yet, but I like where this is heading. My mom always told me something would find me when I least expected it--maybe this is it.

Day 170

2009-11-10T16:37:00.003-05:00

Sick, sick, sick. This is my little corner of drugs in my bathroom-- cough drops, Cepacol, cough medicine, antibiotic, Mucinex, Vicks VapoRub, Nyquil, and Chloroseptic. I hate sinus infections. I once had a sinus infection that lasted somewhere between 6 and 8 months (my fault, I didn't take all of my antibiotics... but my symptoms were gone! And I just left one of them!), so I'm quite familiar with them. The coughing so hard my lungs pop out part is my personal favorite. Fortunately, I think I'm mostly better? Or I'm just so drugged up I don't notice it as much anymore.

In other news, I really want to see Men Who Stare at Goats. Anybody else with me?

Day 169

2009-11-01T22:51:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween! Well, belated Halloween. This is my super awesome pumpkin that I carved, as well as the tasty chocolate candy Miranda and I made.

This year, I wasn't particularly interested in anything I saw at Party City, and I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg buying a costume (especially since said costume would then look funny with one leg/arm missing). I racked my brain for days for something I could be that I could just make at home or use things that I already had--and then I realized I'm an idiot. Easiest costume in the world? Biker. My parents are bikers and have tons of stuff, so the only thing I had to buy was a leather skirt (which turned out to be a "pleather" skirt made out of 90% PVC and 10% polyurethane. I was a walking flammable pipe.). I went to the annual Halloween party my sorority throws in my biker costume--it was a lot of fun!

For the actual Halloween night (the party was on Wednesday), I was at home. This week is Fall Break. I'm pretty sure it will always be Halloween weekend because Halloween weekend happens to coincide with the GA/FL football game, which is always held in Jacksonville, since it's neutral ground, and they want to allow everyone to drive down. So, we get Friday off, giving me a three day weekend. I get out of class at noon on Thursdays, so I was home by about 1:30, giving me a three and a half day weekend. I spent it doing absolutely nothing. And it was amazing.

I did dress up to hand out candy with one of my friends, using my Greek goddess costume from last year. She was a cat. Now I'm sitting in my apartment, gearing up for another busy week. I was also sick earlier this week--didn't go to class Tuesday because of a 100 degree fever. I'm better now, although my throat is still sore and I have a lot of sinus drainage. Hopefully a lot of drugs will cure me!

Day 168

2009-10-22T00:04:00.002-04:00

Today... well, today was an interesting day.

Let's start with the back story:
Yesterday, I got a flat tire (on the tires I just got a month ago). Not just a slightly flat tire, oh no, I mean the rim was sitting on the ground and the tire was just a rubber pool underneath it. I, of course, have no idea how to change a tire and was completely useless. Fortunately, Randa's dad has a towing company, and he sent someone out to put the spare on for me--after being stranded at a friend's apartment for about 6 hours.

So today, my dad came out to Athens to get everything fixed up. He took me out to lunch, yelled at the stupid tire guys who put an off-brand kind on instead of Bridgestone, bought a new one to replace the one that I apparently ripped to shreds, and sent me on my way.

I went to my College Republicans meeting and then went back to my apartment to have a quiet night of reading and watching TV.

Then, there's a knock on the door. I open it and am told that I am being kidnapped, so I need to go get my shoes and jacket. It is apparently not acceptable that I haven't seen Toy Story 2, so my wonderful friends came to force me to go watch the Disney 3D Toy Story and Toy Story 2 double feature. I have to say--if this is what kidnapping usually involves, it should happen more often.

Day 167

2009-10-20T13:04:00.005-04:00

So, I've been completely AWAL for about a month. But, to be fair, I've been celebrating my birthday! And a slew of other things.

October 4 was my 20th birthday, and it was amazing. To kick things off, I had dinner at Olive Garden with about 23 of my closest friends. I felt so loved! And did you know that they now charge if you want to take home extra breadsticks? It's ridiculous!

On my actual birthday weekend, I went home to spend time with my family. I spent that Saturday watching an embarassing loss to LSU by my Georgia Bulldogs and ate a HUGE steak dinner that night. On Sunday, my dad and I went to the Metallica concert!! Best. Birthday. Ever.

The next weekend, my best friends came to my house. We carved pumpkins, went to dinner at O'Charley's, and saw Zombieland, which, to my surprise, was actually pretty good. A little gory, but funny--a good Halloween zombie flick.

This past weekend, I spent Friday and Saturday with 15 of my Xi Delta sisters at our fall Sister Retreat. It was a weekend of basically being really lazy and hanging out. We watched movies, the Georgia game, and laid around in our pajamas all day. Then, I went to the Gold Rush Festival with my mom!

Finally, I've planned a trip to Disney World for the weekend before Thanksgivings. One of my friends did the Disney College Program, so she is getting us in for free. So, this weekend is semi-formal, then Fall Break, then Homecoming, then a home football game, and then my Disney weekend, and then Thanksgiving! I'm busy but I love it =]

Day 166

2009-09-23T22:41:00.002-04:00

No picture today, because this is just a really short post.

Today, my life changed forever. Why, you ask?

Thanks to some genius at mylifeisaverage.com, I discovered that by typing (^^^) and
<(") into Facebook chat, you will get a shark and a penguin, respectively. :putnam: makes a little man.

If you have Facebook, I suggest you try it. It will rock your world.

Day 165

2009-09-20T22:23:00.005-04:00

Today started out as a normal Sunday. My mom got me up. I went into the living room. I said good morning to my parents. My dad got up and went to the kitchen. He came back with an envelope...WITH METALLICA TICKETS INSIDE!!!!!

Metallica is my all-time favorite band, and they are coming to Atlanta on October 4th, which just happens to be my birthday! So they gave me the tickets today, because I'll have to make plans to go back to Athens that Monday morning. My parents are awesome!

I also bought a rainbow-colored GIANT umbrella today that also happens to fold up small enough to fit into my bookbag. It both opens and closes with a button. Amazingness? Yes.

While walking through Belks to get the umbrella, I happened to see, out of the corner of my eye, a gray, black and red dress on SALE! It's the perfect colors for a Georgia game, which I will be going to this weekend (most likely in the rain, since this monsoon isn't going away for another week). I also had a ten dollar off coupon, so I got ridiculously good deals on both umbrella and dress.

One of my good friends got back from a cruise recently, and brought me back a t-shirt from Nassau, as well as some of my favorite body spray in a scent that has been discontinued. Oh, and I took a nap. Basically, I had a good day.

Now off to have some of my favorite frozen yogurt, Cool Mint Cookie. Yum!

Day 164

2009-09-18T10:53:00.002-04:00

RAIN.

Oh my God it has done nothing but rain for the entire week. Every day, it's drippy, and wet, and puddly, and... rainy. Sometimes it's a really good drenching, other times it's a fairly decent drizzle, and occasionally a weak little mist that coats your glasses so you can't see (which I'm wearing until this weekend, when I can grab another pair of contacts). And when is it going to stop? There's not a single sun to be found on the weather forecast until next Saturday.

Yesterday, I ran to the mailbox. It was not raining. Halfway to the mailbox. It started raining. Not just raining, oh no--POURING. I was drenched within five minutes, and I even had to go change clothes. Not cool. I like rockin my super awesome Republican rain boots, but there's only so much stuff I have that is navy blue.

Day 163

2009-09-14T16:14:00.005-04:00

IT'S SATURDAY IN ATHENS! GO DAWGS!

Okay, well, it was Saturday, two days ago. I've had an amazing weekend. Seriously, these are the ones that are the ultimate college experience.

Friday, I went to a birthday dinner for one of my sorority sisters. There were about 22-23 of us, and we took up about half the restaurant. It was awesome =]

Then, later that night, I went to Phi Kappa Theta's Margaritaville...a frat party. Yes, I know what you're thinking (or at least what Miranda's thinking). You? Stephanie?? At a party??? I figured that I should go to at least one real party before I graduate, so I did. Surprise, surprise, I actually had a lot of fun! I talked to friends, met some new people, and finally got to see what the inside of a Greek house looks like. (Word of advice: bring your own toilet paper to frat houses. They tend to run out in the girls' bathroom).

Saturday was game day! We played the University of South Carolina and won 41-37. It was simultaneously the best and most stressful football game I've ever been to. The score went back and forth and back and forth, and we didn't know if the Dawgs were going to win or not until the last SIXTEEN SECONDS. It was fourth down, three yards from the goal, and USC has an incredible passing game. The receiver missed the ball in the endzone though, and at that moment my voice hit octaves I didn't know it had. It still kinda sounds funny today.

Before the game, I tailgated at the Phi Kapp house and with some of the Xi Delta alumnae, and after it I went to Waffle House with a couple of friends. We determined that Waffle House never tastes better than after 12 AM.

Yesterday, I finally talked to the roommate about the disgustingness that was our kitchen. I came home to this:

And it was unacceptable. So hopefully from now on it won't be as bad. I still have to talk to her about the whole her boyfriend is living with us thing, but one step at a time.

Also, I might be going on a Disney cruise for Spring Break?

Life is good!

Day 162

2009-09-11T10:03:00.003-04:00

Eight years ago, I was in sixth grade. The one thing I will remember about 9-11 until the day I die is standing in the lunch line and saying that I guess the Pentagon's a square now.

Say a prayer for the victims and their families of the attacks. They certainly haven't forgotten, and neither should we.

Day 161

2009-09-10T23:42:00.002-04:00

Okay... so I'm going to try really hard to not make this the rant about the roomie blog a permanent thing. Hopefully this will be the last time for a while.

I leave for class tomorrow at 8:15. My roommate leaves at 7:45. Her boyfriend does not have class until 2:30, so he won't be leaving until a lot later. Now, from what I've heard, he has no intention of getting up and leaving when my roommate does. So.. he's going to be here, and get ready for class here, by himself. Alone. In my apartment.

Now, I've tried really hard to remember if the old roomie and her boyfriend ever did this, and I honestly can't. I don't think they did. She usually got him up when she had to go to class/work, and he would go up to his own room and go back to sleep.

The roommate doesn't get out of class until 2:15, but I get out at 1:10, so in all likelihood, he will still be here when I get back. He can't leave, because he doesn't have a key and therefore can't lock the door.

Should this bother me? I feel like I'm being too picky, but for some reason I just really don't like that. It's one thing for the two of them to be here, but just him? By himself? I really, really don't like that, but they've already gone to bed, and I didn't realize it until just a few minutes ago, so I can't bring it up. It just solidifies the whole "living, not visiting" thing.

Day 160

2009-09-08T16:07:00.005-04:00

This is my roommate's toilet.

Ew.

I happened to come across this when I went into her bathroom to get dental floss (I asked first!) and OH MY GOD. You know those bathroom cleanser commercials where they show their amazing product wiping away all the grime? I always wonder, who in the world would actually let things get that dirty. Well... now I guess I know. Seriously, how hard is it to pour Lysol in the toilet and swish a toilet brush around it? I'll tell you. It's not.

Once again...

Ew.

To clarify, this is not Randa, my old roomie. This is new roomie, who shall remain nameless. What shall I call her? Noomie? New + roomie?

Day 159

2009-09-06T23:16:00.004-04:00

I have mushrooms in my plant.

My mother has a green thumb. Seriously, she can grow anything--she even saved a tomato plant that my dog ate until nothing was left but a little stick. I have never taken care of plants before. I water them from time to time when I'm at home, but for the most part that's my mom's domain, not mine.

To make my apartment look homier and warmer, Mom bought me three plants--two for inside the apartment, and one to go next to the front door. I'm supposed to water the indoor ones once a week, and the outdoor one twice a week, since the heat and sun makes the water evaporate faster. When I went to water the outdoor plant on Thursday, I noticed something... there were giant mushrooms growing everywhere!

Mom says this is because it's getting too much water, but I'm just doing what she told me! One Big Kahuna's cup worth of water twice a week. So instead of forgetting to water it, I've somehow managed to cultivate mushrooms. Great.

Day 158

2009-09-01T11:09:00.002-04:00

So, I'm in my ecology class. We've been talking about population growth and today are focusing on overpopulation in China and the resulting one-child law. People who had more than one child had to either pay massive fines or were often sterilized. As a result, many people started to come to the States to claim asylum. A lot of people opposed having them here, because this was not a reason for us to let them in and because we had to worry about our own overcrowding. Okay, that makes sense.

But why is it that we cannot let the Chinese in, who were being sterilized, but the millions of illegal immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries are okay? I don't get it...

Day 157

2009-08-30T23:50:00.003-04:00

This is the only picture that has anything to do with me in all the pictures that my roommate has taken of "our" new apartment. (Yes, that is a shot glass with butter in it. I melt it to put on my popcorn). Why? Because all of the other ones are of her and her boyfriend. He's on the couch, they're cooking dinner (a picture with a caption--"our first meal")...even though I'm sitting right next to them.

I really and truly don't mind if he's here. I knew he would be, and from last year, I'm used to having significant others around fairly often. What's different between this year's roommate and last year's roommate, however, is that he lives here. He sleeps here, has clothes here (I'm pretty sure), showers here (at least a couple times that I know of), eats dinner here, does homework here. Does that sound like living here to you? It does to me.

Again, I really don't mind that he's here. But, for instance, he has done laundry here. That's my water bill what I am paying for. He's taking advantage of all the amenities of an apartment--a private kitchen, for example, which the dorm he lives in does not have-- but he is not paying for them. There is a difference between visiting often and living. He is living, and not contributing anything. He is apparently incapable of putting anything in the dishwasher, for instance. He's diabetic, and has to drink a lot of juice. However, he doesn't reuse the same glass, so they just build up next to the sink. My roommate isn't much better about it, and while I know I'm not her mother and shouldn't clean up after them, I don't want to get ants from sugary juice left in a glass for days. Also, we alternate taking the trash out, and my roommate didn't want to do it, so she asked her boyfriend. His response? Why should I, it's not my place. If you're not going to help pay for things, the least he could do is help keep it clean.

Of the two weeks and a half weeks I have spent in my apartment, I have spent one of them with just Emma, if I'm not by myself. She's one of my good friends, but we don't get to have any time alone. There's no "girl talk", because there's a guy around. I understand that he has become her best friend, especially after last year when this is how they lived. She stayed in his dorm every night because it had a private bathroom, she didn't get along with her own roommate, and because, of course, she wanted to spend time with her boyfriend. I get it. But, seriously, this violates the terms of our lease. We can't have anyone "visiting", for over a week. After that, that person is technically living with us, and we're not supposed to have third roommate.

I know I should talk to her about it, but it's a touchy subject. I told her I didn't mind if he came over (which I don't), and I don't want her to feel like I never want him here again, which just isn't true. But when I said I didn't mind if he was here, I didn't realize that meant every single night. I also don't want things to be awkward between us, or for her to get mad at me. I don't do well with conflict, and I'd hate to live with it. But if I want a girl's night, I have to schedule it. In my own house.

Don't get me wrong, I love my roommate, and I'm glad I'm living with her. I just needed to vent for a bit =]

Day 156

2009-08-24T10:15:00.003-04:00

Hello world, my name is Mr. Wiggles, and I live in Stephanie's bathroom.

I have a new member of my family! I've bought myself a teddy bear hamster. It's not quite the rabbit I had in mind, but he's adorable and I love him already. I put him in my bathroom mostly because I didn't have anywhere else for him to go, but also so I can close the door to block out noise/smell. He went through several names. I originally thought Gizmo, but he doesn't look like a Gizmo. Then there was Gus-Gus, Angus, Fat Louie, Sir Poops A Lot... and then Mr. Wiggles!

Day 155

2009-08-17T16:10:00.008-04:00

I finally moved into my apartment! I actually moved in last Friday, but today was the first day of class so there are just all kinds of new beginnings. This is my living room, or one view of it, anyway (I picked the one that didn't show the white couch that I don't really like).

This is our kitchen. I didn't get to choose the wallpaper, unfortunately, and it's a little loud. I also expected to really hate the table (yellow 50s era Formica), but it turned out to be really cute. Yesterday, I even baked a potato yesterday. And a pie! Which is a big deal for someone who doesn't cook.

I really love my bedroom. It feels exactly like the one I have at home, so I'm really comfortable there. Not to mention, that's the furniture I used when I was little, so it's like reliving my childhood! I even have a TV in it, which I've never had before.

And I have my own bathroom! No more dorm community bathroom! It's kind of small, but I don't have to wear flip flops in the shower or carry my shampoo with me.

So this is my humble home. It's so nice to have a place that's separate from school--I don't live, eat, and go to school in the same little area.

Day 154

2009-08-05T17:15:00.004-04:00

My GOD I have a lot of clothes. I figured out the full extent of that today when I started the daunting task of tackling my wardrobe to pack it up for the apartment. I'm entirely too lazy to fold, pack, unfold, and hang back up in my new closet. Instead, I got a whole bunch of new hangers (black and green) to take with me that I'm going to put my clothes on. I'll just throw them in the car and hang them up when I get there. Now, most people wouldn't be as anal as me about what hangers they take with them. I want all plastic hangers though (no wire hangers!) and roughly the same color. This means re-hanging most of my wardrobe. Yes, I'm crazy.

I didn't realize exactly how much stuff I've accumulated over the years. I've taken a lot of my t-shirts out, folded them, and put them in drawers/in boxes in the attic to make room for other things. But even after that, I had 42 t-shirts hung up. 42, just in my closet! I have 11 Old Navy tank tops, 10 pairs of jeans (I had more but took them to Plato's Closet earlier this summer), 25 short sleeve shirts, 8 camisoles, and 6 cardigans. Holy crap! When did I get all this stuff?! I don't remember going on a massive shopping spree. I don't even remember going shopping all that often. I'm in college--my money goes towards food, textbooks, and massive amounts of caffeine. Did the clothes fairy pay me a visit in my sleep?

After all that though, my closet is actually organized for one of the few times in my life (at least until I move all of it on Friday). It's not in color order, because I'm not quite that OCD (Miranda), but it's separated into long sleeves, short sleeves, t-shirts, dresses, skirts, shorts, trousers, jeans, cardigans, sleeveless, tank tops, and camisoles. In the way back is all the stuff I'm not taking with me (there's not much of it). In honor of this, I decided to document this momentous occasion by taking a picture. It'll probably never be like this again.

Day 153

2009-08-02T22:20:00.002-04:00

Today was the ultimate lazy day. I spent the night at a friend's house last night (sadly because I'm addicted to her Nintendo DS. I want one and the Rhythm game!), and in the morning I came home to a nice, homecooked breakfast. Then I took a nap on the couch for an hour and took a shower.

After the shower, I gave my dog a bath. I painted a couple of picture frames. I watched Legally Blonde 1 and 2. I made and ate dinner. Now I'm watching Shark Week on the Discovery Channel (best TV week of the year). I'm seriously considering doing my nails.

That's it. That's all I did all day. And it was awesome =] This is what summer's about.

And my mom bought me a euro sham! Good day.

Day 152

2009-08-01T15:26:00.004-04:00

Over the course of two months, I wrote and researched 80 pages for my two study abroad classes, 30 of which was in the past two weeks--over three times the length of my senior thesis and in about half the time. But now, I am happy to say...

I'M DONE!!!

And I have to say, it feels pretty amazing. I can get up and just do whatever I feel like. I don't have to spend hours researching or trying to BS my way through a 15 page paper.

So now, I'm watching Australia with my mom while we pack up all the crap I'm taking with me to my apartment. I forgot what an amazing movie this is--anyone want to take a trip to the Outback with me? (And I don't mean the restaurant). Also, I'd really like to marry Hugh Jackman. Think his wife would mind?

I'm about to go start the daunting task of packing my clothes, which will probably take me the rest of the week. And I have no idea how I'm going to transport them all. Or maybe I'll just head up to the outlets and buy more...why deal with the problem when I can just add to it?

=]

Day 151

2009-07-24T19:54:00.003-04:00

Well it took me six months, but I finally reached my 111th post. I know most people do this at the 100th post, but I didn't have the time. So I will be celebrating today, on day Eleventy-one, by writing eleventy-one things about me.

I have a dachshund named Snoopy. He's lazy and good for nothing.
I also once had a hamster named Cookie Dough. He lived for three years and is now in a shoebox under my bay window.
I have a California King size bed that makes me room look three times smaller, but I wouldn't give it up for the world.
I kept a piece of my tail light from my first wreck. It's on a shelf next to the bed.
I'm an only child, and my parents spoil me.
I had a sister who died as a baby when I was two. Her name was Natalie.
The only kind of pizza I like is cheese.
I'll eat pepperoni or even hamburger on occasion, but it's not as good.
The only thing I can make from scratch is peach cobbler.
My favorite color is cerulean, but my room is green and yellow.
My apartment bedroom will be in green and pink.
Even though green's not one of my favorites colors.
I drive a gold 2000 Malibu LS.
I told my dad I didn't care what kind of car I got, so long as it wasn't gold.
It also happens to be the same color as dirt, so I never wash it.
If he'd wanted me to wash my car, it shouldn't have been gold.
I do like the sunroof, so I can't complain too much.
I've seen every single James Bond movie ever made.
I've seen most of them at least twice, except On Her Majesty's Secret Service because George Lazenby sucks.
I'm half British - my dad was born in Manchester.
I like Irish, Scottish, and Australian accents better than British.
At this very moment, I am looking up cruises for Spring Break to celebrate my parents' 30th anniversary.
Last time they took a trip like this was to Hawaii, and they left me back in Georgia.
It won't happen again.
Even if Dad is under the impression that I'm not going.
One of the most valuable things in life is a long, hot shower.
I like to play with Scotch tape.
I have three best friends, one of which is my mom.
My hair refuses to curl.
I have 9 different colored solid tank tops from Old Navy. I have an addiction.
I have matching flip flops for each one. Addiction number 2.
I have a pink Razr phone that I love, even if everyone always told me they were crap.
I live in a yellow house that used to be sky blue.
It has a red roof (even though Dad swears it's brown).
Destin is my other home.
I have a strange attachment to Van Gogh's Starry Night that started all because of a Cyndi Lauper album.
I really like mixing paint.
The only authors I cannot read are Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.
I took ballet for five years and jazz for one.
I performed in the Nutcracker and Beauty and the Beast.
But I can't dance.
Aladdin is my favorite Disney movie.
Belle, Jasmine, and Ariel are my favorite princesses.
I wear Princess perfume, by Vera Wang.
My favorite lotion is Magnolia Blossom from Bath and Body Works, but it's been discontinued.
I use my Garmin GPS all the time. It saves my life.
Sometimes I watch it just for fun even when I know where I'm going, and I end up getting distracted and passing my destination.
I love strawberry jam (not jelly, not preserves), but not strawberries.
I've never eaten a watermelon.
The only cat that's ever liked me was eaten by an alligator.
I hate snakes.
And spiders, lizards, and frogs.
Pretty much all reptiles.
Except turtles. I like to feed them pancakes.
I get into pancake battles with my mother.
I joined Twitter specifically to follow Tom Felton. I'm sad.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl is my favorite movie.
Ave Maria is my favorite thing to sing in the kitchen when no one's at home (great acoustics in there).
I like to make fleece blankets. Both my parents and all of my cousins have one. I have three.
I have more books than I know what to do with, but I'll never get rid of a single one.
I'm too cheap to buy dresses, even though they're comfier than anything else.
The first and only alcohol I've ever bought was some English Scotch for my dad.
Getting through US customs was a nightmare because I was convinced they'd find it, and I'd get arrested.
I had tuna noodle goo for dinner.
You must be related to a Dekalb Co. fireman to know what that is.
I like to take pictures, but I never remember to take my camera anywhere.
My favorite kind of gum is the blue 5 kind.
It used to be Polar Ice Extra.
I live in a Beaver Cleaver type neighborhood.
I would rather spend the day inside reading by the fire instead of playing out in the snow (when we actually have snow).
I will never eat another Chick-fil-a milkshake because it once gave me food poisoning.
Right before Thanksgiving.
I very rarely get really angry with anyone.
I honk everytime I pass a golf course in the hopes that I'll make someone miss the ball because I think it's funny =]
Because of an Are You Afraid of the Dark episode, I'm afraid of pool drains.
I live in the Poultry Capital of the World.
The Civil War is my favorite time in American history because I think it's the most interesting.
There are a lot of Beatles songs I only like in the Across the Universe remake.
I've recently started to watch NCIS on USA every single day.
I have a crease in my nose from rubbing it up and down my entire life.
I've actually gotten a nosebleed in the nosebleed section. I'm not sure they're related.
My face refuses to tan and is usually several shades lighter than the rest of me.
I highly support the lottery because it pays for my education - thanks HOPE!
I like writing in pencil better than I like writing in pen.
I have to sleep with my door and the hall door closed because I was told as a child fire couldn't get me that way.
I've always wanted green eyes.
Braces were absolutely awful, but my Herbst appliance was about as nice as a medieval torture device.
I was on colorguard in high school, and joining was one of the best decisions I've made.
Because I got to march in a parade in New York
And eat cat in Chinatown.
My first and only job was at Banana Republic.
It made me hate people.
Especially Asians. Not in a racist way, but they mess up stacks more than anyone else.
I can't wait for Shark Week!
I'm glad they put it at the end of the summer because if I saw it in May I wouldn't get in the ocean.
I'm constantly on the lookout for animalage.
Dirty Jobs and Ice Road Truckers are two of my favorite TV shows.
So are Myth Busters and America's Next Top Model.
I would rule at Cash Cab if I ever got in it.
I love horror movies, but I spend most of the time watching them with my eyes closed.
My favorite one is Darkness Falls, but the most scared I've been is watching The Descent.
I have vastly different vision in each eye: 20/100 in my right, and 20/25 in my left.
One day I'll get lasik surgery so I won't have to worry about contacts ever again.
I love brightly colored, decorated socks.
I don't like inanimate objects to stare at me.
I would cheat on my husband with Taylor Lautner.
Just because I like the guy doesn't mean I like the movie.
I know how to make apple pie... with no apples.
The B flat scale on the piano is my favorite to play.
Sheboygan is one of my favorite words.
Complete with distractions, this took me about three hours to finish.

Anyone know where the phrase eleventy-one comes from? Brownie points if you can guess without Google!

Day 150

2009-07-16T13:22:00.006-04:00

I HATE UGA Parking Services. Hate them. Why? Because they decided not to give me a parking permit for this coming school year. Instead, I'm on waitlists. About five or six of them.

I applied for a parking spot in North Campus because, hey, that's where all my classes are, so it makes sense, right? I put my name down for 7 lots and figured that I'd get into at least one of them - especially the ones that are farther away. However, I was wrong. For my desired lot, I am 906 on the waiting list. The best chance I have of getting into a North Campus lot is for N02, where I am 259.

Needless to say, this freaked me out. I have to have a parking permit - I'm not on the UGA bus line at my apartment, and it's certainly way too far to walk. So, I called UGA Parking. Apparently there are no available lots. The best chance I have is the Carlton Street Deck, in South Campus.

My classes are at A. My parking spot, should I even get one, since I am 15th on the wait list, is at B. To give you an idea of how large this space is, (sorry the picture's so small), there's a green circle surrounded by a brownish circle about half way up and to the right. That's Sanford Stadium. So, as you can see, this is a REALLY long way from where I need to be.

So, I decided to call downtown Athens and see if I could get a spot in one of the parking decks there. Three. Year. Wait list. THREE YEARS! So that's not going to happen. There are, however, three lots that will probably be available by September (even though I start school in August). If you look at the first map, the red box at the top is where my parking spot would be. I'd have quite a ways to walk to get to campus... yay.

However, Randa came to my rescue, and is willing to let me park at her apartment and walk to the UGA bus line. It's still a long way to walk, but it's a lot better than having to rely on the Athens Transit System, which is really unreliable and would make me late to class pretty much every day.

Ugh... this is unneeded stress. I'd rather be reading about 1580s English Society than having to deal with this. So I think I will.

Day 149

2009-07-13T23:20:00.003-04:00

Well, the "vacation" portion of my summer is over. I've been to Destin twice, then England, then New Orleans, then Destin again, and now I'm home for good. Until I move into my apartment on August 8, anyway.

I'd never been to New Orleans before. It's SOOOOOOO hot. Heat index of 115. Just going outside meant you'd sweat about a gallon - ew. I liked the French Quarter though, and for the Fourth we went on the steamboat Natchez for dinner and to see the fireworks. Before we got on the boat though, we had to wait in a long line to board. Apparently I hadn't had enough water or food or both, because I almost passed out from the heat, but Dad came to the rescue with a bottle of water and a cold rag. I still felt really sick the rest of the night, but regardless, it's been one of the best Independence Days to date!

Destin was fun, if uneventful. I ate fish, went to the beach, and rented a ton of movies (we don't have internet there). I also bought some of the first few things for the apartment. I'm particularly proud of my pots and pans - a 10 piece set that also came with 3 utensils, 5 glass (or clear plastic... I don't know) mixing bowls, and a covered roasting dish. All for fifty bucks! I don't know exactly how much cooking I'm doing to do, but I have the stuff to do it in!

On a completely random note, my laptop is sick. It doesn't have a virus, but the Internet Explorer has started to freeze my whole computer, and sometimes the fingerpad decides it wants to go wacko. So I took it to Best Buy, where the Geek Squad is running a diagnostic on it, which will take two to three days. In the meantime, I'm using an ancient Gateway that my mom brought home from work.

I've also finally started working on one of my two 15-page term papers for the Oxford classes. Since I don't have my own laptop, and therefore my iTunes, I'm using Pandora. I've had "All That Jazz" from Chicago stuck in my head all day, so that was my radio of choice. The first song it came up with was "Roxie", also from Chicago. But this wasn't the movie soundtrack version that I'm familiar with, it was the actual Broadway version. It's really different... and I really don't like it.

Day 148

2009-06-30T01:46:00.004-04:00

I'm finally home! And man am I loving the food - I've had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, giant pancakes, real bacon, and macaroni and cheese in the past day and a half. But England was amazing. I absolutely know that I'm going back one day, no matter what. There's so much that I didn't get to see or do, and I will see Stonehenge before I die.

This is me in front of the Queen Victoria monument in front of the gates to Buckingham Palace. Two friends and I took a day trip there on one of our days off. We went to Harrods, Buckingham Palace, and Trafalgar Square.

I'm really tired now, because I've been writing all day, so I won't say much, other than I wish I hadn't had to leave so early. I never even got to try treacle sponge!

Day 146

2009-06-22T19:35:00.012-04:00

Today, we went to Westminster Abbey. It was absolutely gorgeous, but they wouldn't let you take pictures! I thought that was ridiculous, so I cheated and took them with my phone instead. They're horribly quality, especially compared with my fancy new camera, but I thought I'd post them because it was easy to send
them to my computer via Bluetooth.

Ceiling

Someone's tomb. One of the King Richards, I think?

Coronation Chair

Queen Elizabeth I's tomb

And again

One of the people buried with Mary, Queen of Scots whose name I can't remember

Top of Mary, Queen of Scots Effigy Tomb

Mary, Queen of Scots Effigy Tomb

Day 145

2009-06-21T04:54:00.002-04:00

Picture custom of BBC

So, here's my interesting story for the day:

I got up this morning to go see a play, The Tempest, in Regents Park in the Open Air Theatre at 9:45 AM. We were to leave at 7 AM in order to get there in time, but three people didn't wake up on time, making us late. Instead of hiring a bus to take us there, Dr. Trivedi, the program director, decided that we would use public transportation to take us to London, since there's a bus stop right next to Regents Park, and it would be cheaper and convenient. Because we were late, we had to take the Oxford bus to the bus station to take us to London.

We got to the play 5 minutes before it started, watched it, and left (unfortunately they had designed this one to be geared towards kids, so I didn't like it as much as the one I watched a few days ago).

Dr. Trivedi had given us round trip bus tickets, so we could go back any time we wanted. The Victorian literature people had class at 2:30, so they had to leave immediately to get back in time, but history wasn't until 4:40, giving us some time to do whatever before going back. Two friends and I decided to get lunch before getting back on the bus to go home, so everyone else left, and we went to Pizza Express (which was actually pretty good!).

In the middle of lunch, we get a call from Trivedi. Did you know that there was a protest about Sri Lanka going on in London today? Well, that means that all the roads get blocked surrounding the protest. The rest of the class hadn't been able to use the bus stop we arrived at, because the roads around us were blocked. He told us to get a cab to take us to Victoria Coach Station, and we could catch another bus there to take us to Oxford. So, we finished eating and hailed a cab. Twenty minutes later, the cab driver told us that he couldn't get to Victoria Coach Station, because with the road blocks, he was just going in circles. So we got out, and called Trivedi again. He told us to hail another cab and go to Paddington Station, then catch a train to Oxford. We got the cab, and drove around for another twenty to thirty minutes. We made it to Paddington Station, and bought three train tickets. However, the train was leaving in 6 minutes, and we didn't know where the platform was or how to get to it. We did find it, right as it was leaving, and were able to get on.

Once in Oxford, we had no idea where we were, because none of us had ever been to the train station. We asked several bus drivers, but none of them could take us to the UGA House. So, we got another cab.

Three hours after we left Pizza Express, three cabs, and a train later, we finally made it back - before anyone else! They must still be either in London, on a bus, or on a train - I'm not sure. On the bright side, we did get to see a lot of London our first day there, and we're being reimbursed for all the money we spent on transportation. Plus, we figured out where the train station is and bought our tickets for when we go back tomorrow!

Day 144

2009-06-15T11:01:00.003-04:00

While you can't see it very well in this picture, because we were facing the wrong way, this is me and some others from the UGA at Oxford program standing in front of Christ Church, which has one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen. I haven't gone in yet, but I'm planning on it as soon as I have the time. This is where they filmed the moving staircase scene from Harry Potter! I've also seen the place where they filmed the dining hall scenes. Exciting =]

On the same day that we took this picture, I also went into a building that has been around since the 1200s. It's been completely refurbished - in the 1500s! Everything is so old here. What they consider to be "recent" is often before my country was even a real country yet. It's incredible!

Yesterday and today have been devoted to papers. I was up until about 4 AM finishing one, and I'm now working on the other. But after that, I don't really have much due the whole time I'm here.

As a side note, here are some things I've learned thus far:

The dollar to pound exchange rate SUCKS
Coke Zero tastes funny
You're supposed to eat pizza with a knife and fork
They intentionally give you more reading than you could ever possibly finish
Drunk Englishmen will serenade you with birthday songs if asked nicely
The peanut butter also tastes funny
People back home sometimes forget about the time difference and call you at 3 AM
In the summer, the birds start chirping at 3:45 AM and the sun starts to rise at 4
Pea puree comes with everything
This is the land of no free refills
Everything comes in really tiny glasses. Obviously they don't like liquids
Baked beans are a breakfast food
It's a trolley, not a cart or a buggy, and you must pay for it, along with your plastic grocery bags
If you have one foot in the bike lane, someone will ring their bike bell angrily at you

Well, I'm off to do more of my paper. Cheerio!

Day 143

2009-06-13T11:00:00.003-04:00

Well, I made it to Oxford in one piece. This is a picture of my bedroom. There are four beds (you can't see one), but I only have one roommate. I'm on the third floor, and let me tell you, dragging a 65 pound suitcase up two flights of stairs is NO FUN.

It was... interesting, getting here. I arrived in London at noon yesterday after the longest flight of my life. I found several other people from UGA, and we managed to find the right bus to get us to Oxford. Then they went to their hotel, and I went to mine. It was quite possibly the smallest room I've ever seen, but comfy enough. It had a bed and a shower, which is all I really cared about. The jet lag is getting to me though - I went to bed at 8:45 PM, woke up at 1 AM, went back to sleep aroud 4:30 AM, and then woke up around 8 AM. And now, I'm sleepy again, but I'm trying to keep myself from taking a nap so I'll get used to the time difference.

It's weird. The people here have been either really rude, or really nice. Some of the rude ones were in the airport, and all airport people are rude, so that's not too surprising. I went to lunch at an Italian place with 4 other girls today, though, and the man who brought our food out was terribly rude to us. He was nice to the rest of the (British) customers though, so it had to be because we're American. Our waitress was really nice, however. It's like there's no "in the middle".

I've also found that I'm a little more homesick than I thought that I would be. It's probably because this is the first time that I'm really traveling alone, with absolutely no one that I know and am familiar with. I've met some people, but it's not quite the same. I find myself wanting to call my parents all the time, but at $1 a minute, I can't.

Also, the voltage converter I brought with me so that I can use British outlets decided it doesn't want to work. One of the other people here let me use his, so I'm able to charge my laptop. I just hope that the stores are still open when I go on my walking tour through the City Center of Oxford later.

I'm also slightly stressed, since I have two papers due Monday, neither of which I've started. I guess that's what I'll be doing tonight and tomorrow night, I guess. I have a free day on Monday, so I'm really hoping that the papers will be due by Monday night.

Overall, I'm doing pretty well. I feel a bit lonely, since I'm separated from the other 4 girls, who are rooming together, and my roommate is off with her dad. I think things will improve in that area once we start going to class and on the various excursions. I'll be taking lots of pictures!

Day 142 Part 2

2009-06-11T01:51:00.002-04:00

I thought I would post my itinerary. Just in case you're wondering what I'm up to!

Friday, June 12: Arrive at Heathrow Airport at 12 PM. Take the bus to Oxford and check into Parklands Bed and Breakfast.

Saturday, June 13: Check in at Oxford Center by 10:30 AM. Orientation meeting at 12 PM. Walking tour of Oxford at 1:30 PM

Sunday, June 14: 9 AM-11 AM History class. 2 PM-4 PM Shakespeare class

Monday, June 15: Free day

Tuesday, June 16: 9 A-11 AM Shakespeare class. 11:15 AM- 1:15 PM History class

Wednesday, June 17: Excursion to Stratford (Shakespeare's birthplace) and play at 7:30 PM

Thursday, June 18: Visit to Hatfield House

Friday, June 19: Free day

Saturday, June 20: 9 AM-11 AM Shakespeare class, possible play in London at 9:45 AM. 4:40 PM-6:40 PM History class

Sunday, June 21: Free day

Monday, June 22: Visit to Westminster Abbey, Westminster Hall, and Banqueting House

Tuesday, June 23: Visit to London. Play at 2 PM. Lecture at Globe Theatre at 6:00 PM. Globe Theatre plat at 7:30 PM.

Wednesday, June 24: 8:30 AM-10:30 AM Shakespeare class. Play in London at 2:30 PM and 8 PM

Thursday, June 25: 9 AM-11 AM History class. Play in Stratford at 7:30 PM.

Friday, June 26: Excurson to Hampton Court Palace and Tower of London

Saturday, June 27: 11:15 AM-1:15 AM Shakespeare class. 2 PM-4 PM History class.

Sunday, June 28: Check out of Oxford Center by 12 PM. Flight around 1 PM. Arrive in Atlanta around 5 PM.

Day 142

2009-06-10T23:23:00.003-04:00

My Oxford history professor is insane. He honestly expects me to be able to read 20 pages of that. Even if I could make out what the words say, I don't read Old English! Did you know that sometimes, they liked to use weird looking f's instead of s's? It looks like a lowercase f, but with the right side of the horizontal line cut off. I can't find any pattern to it - one time they used "pass" and another time they used "pafs". So this is what it looks like: the Prieft of the Parifh must Ufe the new Prayer Book to preach to his Parifhioners. 56 pages of that!

But anyway, this time tomorrow, I will be on an airplane, somewhere over the Atlantic, just barely into my nine-hour flight. I will either be asleep or reading Julius Caesar, or possibly eating some sour gummy worms. I'm kind of nervous about travelling by myself... ever seen the movie Taken? Not a good idea to watch as a girl travelling abroad by yourself. But I'm still excited. I just really hope the schoolwork part dies down a bit while we're there. For $2000 plus airfare, meals, and souvenirs, this trip isn't exactly cheap, and I want to have fun! I do have two assignments due tomorrow (on the day when everyone will be flying over... not cool) and two 5-6 page papers due a couple days after I get there. I have no idea how I'll get it all done, but I guess I don't have much of a choice!

So, here we go... about to become a world traveler. I'll try to post some while I'm there, but if I don't, I'll be back on June 28th, hopefully all in one piece. Wish me luck!

Day 141

2009-06-09T17:44:00.002-04:00

This is my neighbor's pool. You can't see it, but there are about a trillion bugs floating on the top of the water. But that's okay. You know why? Because it's a pool.

Last summer, I had access to the apartment pool where one of my friends babysat. We'd go three to four times a week, and I had a very nice tan. This summer though, the family doesn't live there, and so I have no pool access. We sold our boat a few years ago to pay for my car, so I can't go to the lake. I had convinced my dad to buy us an above ground pool, but the only level area we have in our yard is on the side, where it would be in view of the street, and the stupid neighborhood laws say we can't do that. So, I was missing out on the summer fun of swimming and floating and basically doing anything to get wet.

So, on the day of The Meltdown (as I've come to call it), my dad went over to our neighbor's house (an older couple) and asked if I could use their pool in an attempt to make me feel better. Well, now I have a pool... kinda.

I sat out today with Romeo and Juliet so I could simultaneously enjoy my summer and do my work. I put on SPF 30... and still got fried. My attempts to set myself apart from all the pasty British people has worked - but I'll be red, instead of tan.

Day 140

2009-06-03T23:03:00.005-04:00

Hi. My name is Stephanie, and I'm a bad blogger. I came to this realization when I noticed that my supposedly daily photo blog has turned into a once in a while when I have the time and I feel like it blog. So, from now on, that's what it will be. I wish I could remember to do it every night, but since I can't, I won't try. I will no longer feel remorse for being remiss in my recounts (or what I remember of them) of my life.

Anyway. I haven't had the greatest day. The online portion of my study abroad classes started yesterday, so I've been doing nothing but reading Shakespeare in preparation for the past week. Unfortunately, I didn't get ahead in my reading enough for life not to be stressful. Last night, I was up fairly late writing my two page response to the assignment on The Winter's Tale, which I finished up this morning. When I got the grade back... it was a C. I do not get C's. Ever. I've only ever made one B in a class in my life. My really crappy grade paired with the fact that I have another assignment (in the history class) due tomorrow, which, at the time, I hadn't even started on (for which I had to read an entire 300 page book as well as about 40 pages of online stuff), and I have to read The Tempest by tomorrow as well lead to my first academic breakdown. I've never had that feeling of "oh crap, I'm not going to get this done. I'm not going to get this right. I'm not going to get a good grade and there's nothing I can do about it." Let me tell you, it's really not a good feeling. At one point I actually considered withdrawing from both classes, getting over the loss of almost $3000, and not going.

After a couple of particularly bad hours, I calmed down enough to rationalize and make a plan. I contacted my Shakespeare professor and realized that the history assignment isn't that hard, as well as had some of my mom's homemade fried chicken and a bowl of ice cream, so I'm feeling a lot better about life now. I'm still stressed, more so now than I've ever been for finals or for any other class, or any other thing in my life, really. But as an optimist, there is a bright side: tomorrow, my neighbors are letting me use their pool to study by, so I can take a swim and get a tan, all while reading. Also, if I can get through this and not fail, there will never be another class as hard as this one. I just don't get Shakespeare. I don't think he wrote his plays with any kind of deep literary meaning in mind. I don't think he agonized over the subtleties of every single world. I think he just sat down, and he wrote it, because that was how he made his living. It was either write a pretty decent play that would sell out the theatres, because otherwise, all he'd have to eat is a couple of shoelaces. This opinion of mine makes it slightly difficult to analyze his work, because I'm making things up. I don't believe what I'm saying, I think it's a load of crap. And it probably is.

As for the pictures, I was taking a break last night around 2 when I decided to start playing with my webcam. The first one is my favorite because the book that's burning is Shakespeare. Too bad it wasn't a real fire...

I also just realized that this is my 100th post! So yay. I didn't do the 100 things about me... but oh well. I'll do them on the next post, and it'll be 101 things about me. Or maybe I'll save it for 111, so I can call it Eleventy-One things about me =]

Day 139

2009-05-25T22:38:00.003-04:00

This is my dog, Snoopy. There's nothing particularly special about him today, but this picture was taken on my new digital camera!

As you might've read earlier, I was going to go with either the Canon Powershot or the Sony Cybershot. However, when I got to Best Buy today, they didn't have the specific version of either camera that I wanted, so I bought the Nikon Coolpix instead. Now, the camera I have now is also a Nikon Coolpix, just a much earlier version of it. I love that camera, but it's just outlived its expiration date, only turning on when it feels like it. I'd hate to get to England and my camera be in a bad mood!

The new one has 10 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom! It also has VR & ISO 3200, but I have absolutely no clue what that means. I also got a package deal with a 4GB memory card, an extra lithium-ion battery, and a camera case all for 50 bucks, instead of the $100 it would've cost had I bought it separately. So yay for good deals!

I also saw the Night at the Museum sequel. Great movie! Very funny, and something the whole family can enjoy. The new Terminator is pretty awesome as well - not nearly as cheesy, now that Arnold's not in it. I recommend both =]

Days 135-138

2009-05-25T22:34:00.002-04:00

I was in Destin. But was I at the beach? No. No, I was not at the beach. You know why? Because I was in the middle of a tropical depression.

The picture is not of a river. That is a picture of what is supposed to be a storm drain. It just looks like a river.

Day 134

2009-05-20T23:12:00.002-04:00

Well, I'm headed to Destin again in the morning. Yes, I just got back, but that trip was with a friend, and this one is with my family for Memorial Day weekend. Because of that, I won't be posting for the next few days. I'd love to, really, but there's no internet at our condo unless I sit on the big rock in the parking lot. That usually leads to getting ants up my pants, since they happen to like that rock, and I don't think the internet is worth that much!

Today I spent the day doing... not much. I got up, went to breakfast with my dad, came home, and watched TV/played around on the internet. After a while, I got motivated and cleaned out the computer room/guest room, which had all of my stuff from my dorm that was not being used as well as bags of clothes that I no longer wear.

I went to a friend's house for a little while during the afternoon to give her a poster she wanted. I ended up staying two hours watching episodes of season 2 of Big Bang Theory, which is a new favorite show for me. If you haven't seen it, it's pretty funny - watch it =] If I was a man and slightly more neurotic than I am now, I would be a member of the cast. Maybe that's why I like it so much...

Now I'm off to pack for the beach, which I've been putting off all day. I don't know why, because it will only take me a half hour, but I'm really wishing I had some Harry Potter-like magic powers that could just bippity boppity boo it all in the suitcase for me. But I can't put it off anymore... wait! I have to take a shower. So yes I can!

Day 133

2009-05-20T00:44:00.002-04:00

I have a dilemma. My apartment complex allows small pets, as in hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, snakes, lizards, etc. My original plan was to get a hamster, but I really want something that I can actually play with, so I thought I'd get a bunny. I've been going back and forth between the two for weeks. I took my mom to the pet store, and we found a bunny, a mini rex (shown above), that we both fell in love with. The cage is big enough for the rabbit, but small enough that I could have it on the floor of my bedroom. I really want a rabbit.

The pet store guy said that so long as the cage was big enough, having one in an apartment would be fine. Several people have told me that rabbits smell stongly, though, and I don't want me room to smell bad. However, the internet has told me that so long as I change the hay/bedding stuff regularly, it won't be a problem. I'm worried that it'll chew things too... but I want a bunny!

But maybe I should get a hamster. I've had one before, when I was younger, so I already know what they entail. But now that I'm on the whole rabbit kick, I don't really want one anymore. I may as well get a stuffed bear. But it would be better than nothing...

I just don't know which one to choose!

Days... Well, Lots of Days

2009-05-18T21:34:00.002-04:00

I have to say, summer is incredible. I've been AWOL for a while, and I apologize. I haven't really been up to much. I finished finals and got my grades back. I earned my first B in my life: a B+ in my Latin American history class. Honestly, I don't even care. I'm just glad to get out of that class!

I also moved back home. I haven't unpacked everything yet, so our guest room is full of boxes, bags, and some other miscellaneous items, but regardless, it's really nice to be back in my bed and have my own bathroom. Never again will I have to live in a dorm!

This past weekend I went to Destin, FL with one of my friends from Thursday to today, Monday. She's married and pregnant, her husband about to deploy overseas, so this was a last hoorah for her before she enters mommy-hood. We both had a really good time - I got enough sleep that I actually started waking up at 8:30. On my own.

I'll be leaving again for Destin on Thursday for Memorial Day with my parents to go see my grandmother. At this rate, I won't be blending in with all the pale British people after all!

Day 114 - 115

2009-04-30T23:55:00.002-04:00

This is going to be my work station for the next week: a folding card table in my living room, with my dog for company (he's on the right side, on the couch). That's right - it's finals week at the University of Georgia. It doesn't actually start until Monday, but I have lots of studying to do before then. In light of this, I apologize if I don't post until sometime next week. I'll try to, but I'll be really busy.

Also, I cleaned out my closet today of clothes that I'm planning on taking to Plato's Closet and hopefully sell back. I know they won't take everything, but I have about 5 bags worth of stuff. Even if they just take some of it, I'd be grateful!

According to my fortune cookie, a dark haired woman will give me a present soon. I wonder who it will be... and what I'll get! Hopefully the cupcake I found in the fridge that my mom brought home for me doesn't count =]

Day 113

2009-04-29T00:27:00.002-04:00

This is all that is left of my stupid German workbook for my stupid pointless stupid German class. Can we tell I'm a bit frustrated? I had a lot of German homework to do today... I've been working on it since roughly 1 PM today, on and off, and I'm finally done, completely, with the workbook. I have to say, it was quite therapeutic to rip it to shreds =]

Now I'm off to read my last assigned book for Western Civ... also about Germany.

FML.

Day 112

2009-04-28T00:55:00.002-04:00

Gobstoppers and Smart Water: the midnight snack of the ever vigilant college student.

Today was the last chapter of Xi Delta for the year. We had the swearing in of the officers and all that, so I am now officially the historian and assistant pledge educator! I have a lot of ideas for both positions, so I think I'll really enjoy both of them.

In other news... drum roll please... I am done with anything and everything about Bertolt Brecht, Martin Heideggar, Walter Benjamin, Sigmund Freud, and Friedrich Nietzsche.... FOREVER!!

I feel like doing a happy dance... if only I knew how to do one.

Lastly, there is this stupid gnat/fly thing that is tormenting me. I have no idea how it got in here - I'm on the 7th floor and while our window is open, it has a screen on it that has not previously allowed for bugs. If I had better ninja-like skills, I could catch it. However, I am not that talented, so it just keeps landing on my head, computer screen, and foot.

Damn flies.

Day 111

2009-04-28T00:43:00.003-04:00

Sunday was day number eleventy-one! Just like Bilbo Baggins's big birthday celebration in the beginning on the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.

Yes, I know I'm a giant nerd. =]

Sunday was a day full of Xi Delta stuff - officer training and street clean ups. Then I did a lot of homework. And I mean a lot.

What is most significant is my dorm room. The roommate and I took our beds down. See it? I can actually touch the floor... with my feet... and not because I'd managed to fall out of it! And... I'm sitting in my bed. On the internet. Because now my cord reaches here! On the downside, we have no TV, fridge, etc, that made the room nice.

And did I mention how boiling hot it is in here?

Days 102-110

2009-04-26T00:19:00.003-04:00

I've been a bad, bad blogger... I'm so sorry for my disappearance in the past week. Busy as usual! So since it's bee so long, I'll just group the days together with a picture or two, that way this won't be a novel instead of a post.

Days 102-104

Last weekend was Sister Retreat with my sorority, so we rented out this huge house up in the mountains. We spent the weekend laying out by the pool, lounging in the hot tub, eating huge amounts of sugar, and basically just getting some relaxing time away from Athens and school work. I managed to sunburn my legs to a nice lobster-ish color, even after putting SPF 30 on them, but I think it was definitely worth it! Sunday I went home (my house is on the way back to Athens), and my parents and I went to see State of Play (very good movie) and out to eat at Chili's.

Days 105-107

Monday through Wednesday was Initiation Week for the new Xi Delta sisters. They went through several different ceremony/ritual/tradition-like things. Monday was a lot less involved - only for older sisters, so I was exempt. Tuesday was Inspector Xi Delta, which is a scavenger hunt around campus (but we can't call it a scavenger hunt, because apparently that's hazing) that ended in a really long drive to the middle of no where, also known as the roommate's house for a cook out and marshmallow roasting. Wednesday was the family dinner (big sisters and little sisters), but my family adopted three others who didn't have little sisters this semester. We had a picnic in a park, with sandwiches, pigs in a blanket (which I made in the dorm kitchen... fun), chips and dip, and those really tasty bumblebee cupcakes! Later on that night was the inititation ceremony. We have 4 new sisters!

Day 108

Thursday I went to a hibachi grill called Inoko for a friend's birthday. This was our group!

Day 109

Friday was a pretty awesome day too. Miranda and I went to the 2009 Yaarab Shrine Circus and Carnival. My dad is a member of the Shriners, so he got us in for free =]

Day 110

Today the roommate and I moved partially out of our dorms! We had to de-loft our beds (take them down from being up high), meaning the futon, fridge, microwave, etc that was under the bed had to go. I took the opportunity to move out the things I'm not currently using as well. Only two weeks left until I'm out of the dorm for good! Later, my mom and I went to Olive Garden for a celebratory lunch where I had this awesome lemon cream cake =]

Day 101

2009-04-17T15:43:00.003-04:00

Thursday was the last day of Hell Week - I had to take my last test (German) and do my presentation (German Culture). It's like an elephant has been lifted off of my shoulders...

But on to more important things. I FINALLY have a check card! Previously, I only had an ATM card. I could use it some places, but only when I was able to put my PIN number in (I couldn't run it as credit). Consequently, I always had to have cash or just charge it to my credit card. Not good. But, since they're the best thing to use overseas, I got to order one. This is the first time I used it - the roommate and I went to dinner at Chili's with one of our Xi Delta friends. And man, did it feel good =]

Day 100

2009-04-16T01:52:00.006-04:00

Today is Day 100! I can't believe it's been 100 days since I started - it doesn't seem like it's been nearly that long. So... yay!

The pictures were my attempt at creating a panoramic view of North Campus. I sat here today for about an hour in the shade reading. When I finished my book, I still had another half hour before class, so I decided to take advantage of the most amazingly cushy grass known to man and lay in the sun for a while. Twenty minutes later, I got up and went to class. Fast forward to 7 PM. I went to the bathroom. While there, I noticed... I'm sunburned. I sat in the grass for twenty minutes in 68 degree weather, and I got sunburned. DAMN ENGLISH SKIN!

And I just accidentally scratched it.

Ouch.

Day 99

2009-04-16T01:48:00.002-04:00

Tuesday: I turned in my last paper of the semester! It's so nice to have it over with.

Other than that, the only thing of significance that I did was try crepes for the first time. This is the S'Mores crepe from Pauley's Crepe Bar, made with Nutella, marshmallows, and graham crackers. It was pretty much amazing.

Day 98

2009-04-14T01:02:00.002-04:00

This was my lunch for the day. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (strawberry, of course) with cheddar Sun Chips and some of the best hot chocolate I've ever had (since it was freezing in the library for some reason).

Also... I'm done with my Latin American history paper! It was my last one for the semester.

The only other thing of import I did today was register for classes. I'm really happy with my schedule. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I'll be taking African History since 1800, German 3, and Intro to Religion, and I'll go from 9 AM to 3:20 PM. It's a long day, but I'll get over it. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I'll be taking Intro to British Culture (an upper level English course) and Environmental Issues, a really easy science class which is like ecology but without a lab, and I'll go from 9:30 to 12:05. That's right, 12:05. I'll be done at noon!!! Unfortunately, the catch to that is that there's only 15 minutes between those classes... and they're way more than 15 minutes apart. One is in North Campus, and the other is in South. So I'll be late... pretty much every day. But noon! I just couldn't resist.

Day 97

2009-04-13T12:37:00.002-04:00

This is how, at the moment, showers must be taken in my household. Or at least, that's how it was yesterday. I'm not too sure about today.

Saturday night, I noticed that the faucet in my bathtub wouldn't turn off completely. It wasn't just dripping, it was a steady trickle of water that I just couldn't get to stop. My dad looked at it and said it was just a problem with the washers (whatever those are), and would only take 15 minutes to fix. In order to fix it, he had to turn the water to the house off. A half hour later, he was still working on it. It hasn't been worked on since we built the house, 15 years ago, so some things have rusted together. Apparently, when he was using a wrench to twist something off, that something had rusted to two copper pipes, and the wrench twisted those pipes. So... he couldn't turn the water back on.

You don't realize what all you need water for until you don't have it. Toilets, laundry, dish washers, brushing your teeth, showering... So we hauled buckets from the hot water heater (which still had 50 gallons of water in it), and used buckets and a watering can to bathe.

Other than that, Easter was good. We didn't end up going to church, since none of us could shower, and Dad was working on the plumbing. We did have honey-baked ham, though, and I made peach cobbler - from scratch - and it was actually not only edible, but really good!

Day 96

2009-04-13T12:19:00.003-04:00

Saturday was a busy day, for a day I usually spend being lazy around the house. We got up for breakfast, as per usual, then my mom and I cleaned up and went to the Mall of Georgia for a much-needed day of shopping. I didn't really get much, since I don't have a ton of money at the moment, but I found a pair of sandals to go with one of the dresses I bought with my grandmother, as well as a tank top and a bathing suit coverup, as seen above.

We were originally going to go buy a vacuum cleaner as well... but that didn't happen. Way too much effort.

While I worked on [yet another] paper, my parents cooked dinner - steak!

So maybe it wasn't that busy... but it sure seemed like it.

Day 95

2009-04-10T21:51:00.006-04:00

I turned in my Nazi paper today. It felt really good to get it over, with I have to say. In between classes, I had lunch at this really good place similar to Subway called Which Wich?, then went to Logic, went to a dining hall with the roommate, then back to the dorm to pack and leave.

The drive was boring. That's all you see, the whole way. Fields. Cows. Trees. The occasional cop. Yay.

When I got home, I decided to tackle the daunting task of unpacking 10 boxes of books, alphabetizing them, and putting them back on the shelf. I have somewhere between 350 and 400, I believe, and it took forever. I didn't actually get to put them back on the shelves, since there was some really bad weather in the South today. The tornado siren went off, so Mom and I went into a hallway, the only place with no windows, with pillow, shoes, blankets, a flash light, and the dog, along with our weather alert system to wait it out. We did get hail and some pretty wicked lightning, but missed all the other bad stuff. It's still raining (or monsooning) outside, but at least it's not a tornado!

Day 94

2009-04-10T21:08:00.003-04:00

This is the bench I sat on Thursday while reading in North Campus. See that? It says Class of 1885 - I sat on a bench that's over 120 years old!

I had two out of my three classes cancelled today! Both German and German Culture =] Meaning, I got up at 9, but didn't have class until 3:30. I wasn't really sleepy, so I decided to actually do something. To start, I switched into my new wallet, where I found a $25 gift certificate for American Eagle lurking in the back of my old wallet. Then I went to breakfast at IHOP with a friend, since I had the time. After dropping her off, I ran a couple of errands at the bank, then went shopping! I didn't find anything that I wanted, sadly, at American Eagle or Macy's, both of which I have gift cards for. Instead, I bought a black camisole from Express, something I've been desperately needing. I actually have 3, but none of them fit right, one is too short, one is too big, and one is too short and too wide. This one, however, fits perfectly.

Later, after class, I went out with the roommate to a vegetarian place called The Grit, since she was hungry and I was bored. I had a bowl of Scotch Broth, that I actually really liked.

Day 93

2009-04-08T22:45:00.002-04:00

It was finally warm again today! Well... warmish. Better than yesterday, at the very least. I got a good review back from my TA about my paper on Nazi Germany, so I'm pretty confident that I'll get an A. Other than that.. I guess today was kind of a lonely day. I spent all of it, with the exception of time during class, by myself. Sometimes that's nice, but with the weather I wanted to go out and so something... but instead, I spent about 4 hours reading for my next paper, so at least I was productive. I even went to the trouble of doing my nails, something they were in desperate need of. At the moment, I'm really hungry, but we have practically no food in the room, I don't want to spend the money on delivery, and I'm not walking all the way to Snelling (the 24 hour dining hall) at 11 o'clock at night by myself. So I'll just be hungry. Maybe I'll just go to sleep so I can ignore it.

Days 88-92

2009-04-08T01:32:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the lack of new posts within the last week - I've been really busy and tired =[

Friday was the last free day before I started writing my paper, so I took advantage of it and of the beautiful weather by having lunch with a friend and treating myself to a slight shopping splurge. I took some of the money my grandmother gave me for Oxford and decided to hit the Coach store. They had some amazing sales - the purse [not pictured] was originally $350, but I got it for $169! The wallet was my favorite purchase though, because I've needed a checkbook-sized wallet for a really long time. Currently, my checkbook just floats around in my purse. It was originally $228, but I got it for the bargain price of $90! Retail therapy is a great way to end a busy week.

Saturday

Starting Saturday, I moved into Nazi Germany. At 12:30, I sat down in our overstuffed arm chair and began reading. At 7:30ish, I was finally done. I swear I think I know everything there is to know about lives of Jewish and non-Nazi citizens during the 30s and World War II. Gotta love Western Civ... and writing papers.

Because of this, I was suddenly in the mood to watch Schindler's List. I'd seen it before, but wanted to see it again. Because of several sex scenes and other nudity, I specifically waited until my parents had gone to bed, not because I'm not allowed to watch it, but because it's just awkward to watch that with your parents. Thirty minutes in, my dad gets back up and says he can't sleep. So I sit there, in utter silence, for almost three hours, going through several sex scenes and one scene with a lot of naked running Jews (with lots of floppy, bouncing bits)... with my father.

If you haven't seen it, you should watch it. It's very graphic, and extremely sad, but definitely worth it.

Sunday

No picture because all I did all day was write my paper and read some more. I did drive back to Athens and contemplate what I would do if I won a million dollars, and I ate at Ru Sans, a Japanese place, with some friends. But then there was mostly more writing.

Monday

Monday was class and more writing. We also had formal chapter (we had to dress up), after which several sisters and I went, again, to Ru Sans, because it's really cheap and very good. I came back and finally (!) finished my paper, sent it to my TA, and went to bed. It was also ridiculously cold outside, so wearing a dress for formal chapter meant I was a wee bit chilly.

Tuesday

This is my uber warm UGA hoodie (sorry for the bad picture quality). I thought it would be sufficient in keeping me nice and toasty today, but oh, was I wrong. Because today in Athens, Ga, on April 7th, at roughly 12:30 pm, it snowed. WTF?? I don't understand... Georgia is where people move to in order to get away from the snowy states. So where am I supposed to go? Guess I'm moving to Panama...

Day 87

2009-04-03T00:11:00.004-04:00

This describes my night pretty well: I came back from class and crashed for probably about three hours. It was completely unintentional! I managed to make it to the last half hour or so of my Phi Alpha Delta meeting, but I missed the beginning. I came back and started reading The Associate by John Grisham, for my book club. Then I started to want a milkshake, so my twin and I drove downtown to Ben and Jerry's for a cake batter milkshake. It was quite good.

I've also started to rethink the hamster idea. Instead, I'm thinking bunny. I know they say rabbits are mean, but then that's what they say about hamsters too. And bunnies are bigger, so I could actually hold and play with it... but I'm not sure. I have a pretty good feeling that it would be a lot more to take care of. I'll have to do some research on it. Regardless of what I get, it's name will most definitely still be Gizmo.

Also, did you know that the purse rental thing from the Sex and the City movie is real? BagBorrowOrSteal.com. I've been nosing around it for about a half hour, and I'm actually considering it. Prada or Gucci in Oxford? Hmm... I like this idea. I like it a lot =]

Day 86

2009-04-02T23:45:00.006-04:00

Wednesday was rainy, just like the rest of the week. It wasn't a bad day of classes. I got a good grade on my Logic test and talked to my Western Civ TA about the B+ I got on my last paper. I agreed with everything he'd written, but I got some pointers on how to improve for the paper I get to write this weekend.

Then the roommate and I went to a really good, fairly cheap Chinese buffet for dinner, then to Target.

After errands, we went to a Ghost Tour through the historical North Campus at UGA put on by the Athens Historical Society. That's what the picture's from - it's a "ghost" hung next to the Arch. I think the ghost looks like it hung itself... which I don't believe is actually possible for a ghost. I learned there's a hanging story behind the staircase that leads nowhere I stumbled upon earlier this semester, and that there is apparently a Voodoo priestess buried under the statue in The Founders Garden.

Maybe I'll see the blood that seeps from under the statue one day... but I doubt it.

=]

Day 85

2009-04-01T09:11:00.002-04:00

Random picture of me and my dad at Disney World a really long time ago.

Tuesday was another regular day. Went to class, learned some stuff, etc. There were two small things of interest: group discussion with my German Culture professor on how to find Freud in reality TV for our presentation on Freud. Should be interesting. And I went to trivia at Loco's.

That's about it. Exciting, yes?

Days 81-84

2009-03-30T22:40:00.006-04:00

Sorry I've been bad about posting on time lately. I've been really busy/tired, so it's not exactly on the top of my priorities.

Friday:

I went to class. Only had one that day because of a Logic test Wednesday, meaning no discussion class Friday. It rained like crazy pretty much all day... ew. The drive home was worse than usual because of the rain and the old lady I got stuck behind who would not go over 43 mph with a speed limit of 55. I was going crazy!

When I got home, my grandmother and I went to Kiku, a Japanese hibachi grill that's really good. I think I ate every grain of rice in the restaurant. =]

Saturday:

Today, Nana took me shopping at Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta to get stuff for my trip to Oxford. I actually had a lot of fun, which was surprising because, although I love my grandmothr, she has the unique ability to drive me up the wall. She refuses to believe that I don't like to shop in department stores, whether it's Macy's or Nieman Marcus, because there's just too much stuff. I can never find anything I like. The picture is a kiwi in blue decorative rocks in Nieman Marcus - that's their idea of elegant, which I found funny. I did find a new favorite store: Anthropologie. I also bought some things from J. Crew, Aldo, and American Eagle. I had quite a good time =]

Sunday:

Sunday, my parents and I went to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast with my grandparents on my mom's side. I really enjoyed it - in part because I not only got to eat a giant carrot raisin nut muffin, but because they give you 4 free muffins for those who've never been there. Well, I'd "never been there", so I get to eat muffins for breakfast!

I drove back to Athens in the afternoon, had dinner with my big sister, and did my German workbook.

That's the pair of shoes I bought from Aldo. I don't usually go for sandals, but these are uber comfortable and go well with jeans.

Monday:

Another normal class day that I didn't want to go to. I went to chapter, came back to my room, and did tomorrow's homework so I can go to trivia at Loco's tomorrow night! I've been munching on these Starburst jellybeans since yesterday. They're tons better than Jelly Belly and even Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. I highly recommend them!

Day 80

2009-03-27T00:39:00.002-04:00

Tonight, the Film Appreciation Society had a screening of Casablanca. I'd never seen it... and I have to say, I really liked it! I don't think I've ever actually watched a black and white movie before. Most of the older movies I watch are musicals and in color (think Fiddler on the Roof and My Fair Lady). It's nice to know where all those famous tag lines came from (here's looking at you, kid, for instance), and where that scene at the beginning of some movies that is an anti-movie pirating campaign was taken from. And it was funny! Best of all, the only thing this cost me was a walk down the street - gotta love free entertainment!

Other than that... well, it monsooned today, and I didn't even realize it was raining, so I didn't have any rainboots. Even with an umbrella and raincoat, I was soaked to the knee just from walking from the bus to class. My German Culture class was cancelled though, apparently due to some kind of dental emergency on my professor's part, which just made me day. Then I took my Latin American history test, before which I finally broke down and asked my professor for help. It hurts me to do that, because I shouldn't need help, I should be fine on my own, but I'm glad I went. I guess high school really is different from college!

Day 79

2009-03-26T12:36:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was another normal day. I took a really easy Logic test, went to class, and all that kind of stuff. My big sister invited me, the roommate, and my "twin" over for dinner, so no dining hall!

Other than that, I spent most of my night reading and studying for a history test...ew.

However, sometimes I color, yes, like a 4 year old, to relieve stress.

Day 78

2009-03-26T09:37:00.003-04:00

Tuesday, I went to class, just like any other day. I had my orientation meeting for Oxford that day, so my dad drove down to Athens to attend it with me. We got some good information, they gave me my syllabus (I'll have to write 2 fifteen page papers... yikes!), and all that jazz. As per tradition, Dad took me out for dinner - yay for free non-dining hall food!

I also got a nifty free T-Shirt!

I was going to go to Trivia Night at Loco's again, but I had too much homework =[

Day 77

2009-03-24T00:39:00.003-04:00

This is the bag that my sorority gave me after I had been offered an invitation to join. It's my picture of the day because today has been a sorority-centered day. Well, night, anyway.

We had elections for next year's officer positions tonight. The roommate and I wanted Pledge Educator and Assistant Pledge Educator, respectively, because we went through a rather bad pledge semester and want to change how things are done. Originally, we thought it wouldn't be possible because we haven't been sisters long enough, but, lo and behold, we discovered at chapter tonight that we were wrong! And so, we are the future Pledge Mommy and Pledge Mommy Jr. =] I got the Historian position as well, which I wanted (being a history major).

Other than that, I'm really sleepy and am probably going to bed soon. I get to sleep til 9 tomorrow!

Day 76

2009-03-22T22:45:00.003-04:00

This picture pretty accurately describes my day. Pedicures, shopping, and my passport!

Today was Parents' Day for my sorority. Mine did manage to come, even with my dad's surgery - he just took lots of pain pills and wore his sling. I had originally planned to walk them through North Campus, which is the most historical and interesting part of UGA, but Dad didn't feel up to it, so we just drove around it some, and I showed my mom my future apartment, which she hadn't seen yet. I was really glad they came. It's nice to have them see what I do and where I am every day, since they can't be here all the time.

After my parents left, Miranda and I went to get our toes done because, well, they needed it. Walking pretty much everywhere is not conducive to pretty feet, and after a while all that dry skin starts to crack and really hurt. Fortunately, a very nice Asian woman fixed that problem. Because it was, again, a warm, sunny day, we felt like being out and about, going over to Old Navy for some new flip flops and, unintentionally, a new skirt because it's comfy, and I convinced myself I needed it. We went in Barnes and Noble, too, since it's right next door, and I was out of reading material (which is unacceptable!).

Miranda also showed me the apartment she will hopefully be living in next year. It's literally just down the street and within walking distance of mine. I think it's meant to be - she didn't even know where I was living when she found it! Fate? I'm thinking yes.

When I got back to the dorm, I found that my passport had come in the mail. I'm that much closer to England! Then I did German homework and watched a cheesy horror movie before the roommate came back from her weekly Sunday meeting. She brought back a ginormous box of Goldfish, which we've been munching on ever since. Now I think I'll start my book =]

Day 75

2009-03-22T22:28:00.002-04:00

Saturday was another great day. After the traditional breakfast at Tori's, I spent a lot of the day cleaning - my room, the guest room, the bathroom, the dog - as a start in putting our house back together. We (FINALLY) got rid of our antique TV and brought down the one from our bonus room until we can convince Dad to get a flat screen or until August, when I'm taking it (since it's mine) for my apartment. While I cleaned and did laundry, Mom unpacked some boxes, tended to my dad, and got ready for my grandmother (on Dad's side) to visit.

At about 6, I headed back to Athens for the second date with the guy I went out with the day after Valentine's Day - it took forever, but I did finally get to see him again, so I was happy. We went to Loco's Grill and Pub and had what I think was a great time.

I came back and was pretty hyper, having consumed probably a gallon of sweet tea. The roommate and I drew Punnett Squares on our mirror to predict the traits of our future children and watched what I believe to be one of the best movies of all time, Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Large men and Dave Chappelle dancing and singing in green tights and feathered hats? Can you give me something better? I think not.

Day 74

2009-03-22T22:08:00.003-04:00

Warm weather makes me happy. So do skirts and tank tops. Friday had both! After class, the roommate and I decided to take advantage of the first day of spring to walk around downtown, something we've been wanting to do for some time now. We went in a few extremely-overpriced boutiques and came to the conclusion that our money was much better spent on something we both love - food! After trying in vain to find someplace new to eat, we went to the fallback restaurant, an Italian cafe called Amici's. Since we'd been there so many times, we both tried a new dish and had their desserts for the first time - peanut butter blast and creme brulee cheesecake (both of which were culinary heaven incarnate). Unfortunately, I left my sunglasses on the table... but I'm going to pick them up soon, so no harm done!

One of the stores we went in downtown was Junkman's Daughter's Brother, and I could probably spend hours there. They had delightful finds such as a randomly large shoe, Chewbacca's decapitated head, rabbit suits, Chinese hats, African drums, and lots more. I'll definitely be going back =]

After walking around, I drove home for the night. I was originally going to stay the whole weekend in Athens, but my dad had fairly extensive rotator cuff surgery, so I went home to see him and help my mom. He's an awful patient... stubborn as hell and grumpy. Recovery, apparently, takes roughly a month. My poor mother...

Day 73

2009-03-19T22:59:00.004-04:00

Introducing my new favorite lotion in the world: Jergens! I don't know how I hadn't tried this stuff previously, because I've definitely been missing out. Within one day, my hands and legs went from scaly-winter-dry to the exact opposite - I think they must've stolen its recipe from Hogwarts, cause there's no way normal people thought this stuff up. It's like crack for skin!

Another beautiful day today - 74 degrees and sunny, the perfect skirt and flip flop weather (even if the legs are a bit pale). I managed to hit the "disable" button instead of the "snooze" button on my alarm clock, so I slept through my first class. Since it was German, I didn't feel too awful about it. After classes were done, I had dinner with my future roommate, and we caught up on news and all that. Now I'm back in my room and have watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sister Act.

I also somehow got Ave Maria stuck in my head today, which I sang in chorus about 3 years ago. Singing it off and on all day made me nostalgic for chorus. I love to sing, and did so every day in class for 7 years, so it's a big change to just stop that. So, I started looking up songs we sang on YouTube. My high school chorus teacher was a big nerd and loved the game Civilization IV, so we performed a really cool African song called Baba Yetu that played in the game. I've listened to this song nonstop for roughly the past hour =]

Day 72

2009-03-18T23:22:00.003-04:00

Spring is here! Or at least it is in my mind, even though the first day of spring isn't technically until Friday. But I saw this flower outside of one of our dining commons, and it was just so pretty and bright that it convinced me Mother Nature brought the new season in a couple of days early.

Other than my flower-spotting, I had pretty awesome day. The Weather Channel did lie to me, so I was a little chilly in my yellow and pink skirt, but it warmed up quite nicely later on. After class, I went to dinner with my big sister, her new little sister (my "twin"), and the roommate at Five Star Day, a southern-cooking cafe type place downtown. I'd never been before but it was really good. I had a huge barbeque sandwich, macaroni and cheese, a sweet cornbread muffin, and red Kool-Aid (which is quite possibly the most exciting part of it all). Then we had a sister-pledge activity (to get to know the new girls in the sorority) with ice cream sundaes and the game Mafia, which is pretty fun if you've never played. At 8, we had "study hours", which are mandatory, but we all basically go in there and talk to each other. Not a whole lot of actual studying gets done =]

I just finished some very short German homework and have nothing else to do. I like it!

Day 71

2009-03-18T13:47:00.002-04:00

Well, I completely forgot to post yesterday...oops. So I'll do it today!

The weather was perfect yesterday. Sunny, around 70 degrees... and I had to be in class. Do you have any idea how tempting it is to just sleep all day in the sun instead of sitting in a cold classroom trying to not doze off?

Also, Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day! Hopefully nobody has the killer hangovers that half the student body here in Athens seem to have (I've seen a lot of indoor-sunglass wearers and large cups of coffee today). My idea of celebrating was to go to trivia night at Loco's Grill and Pub, instead of doing my homework like a good kid. We didn't win - not even close - but I got to eat some rather tasty de-chunked chunky cheese fries and hang out with friends, which is exactly what I needed after Monday. I did do my homework (Mom, I'm talking to you), I just did it later than I would have otherwise, which is why I forgot to post!

In regards to the cat wearing the wig, I read about it here and found it amusing =]

Day 70

2009-03-17T01:16:00.004-04:00

This is a worm. I hate worms. They're squishy, they're icky, they're gross. The rain brings them out like there's a half off sale on chocolate and it's national PMS day.

And so: Rain = Worms. Worms = Ew. Therefore, Rain = Ew.
I know my transitive property!

Other than having a shampoo bottle fall on my head this morning and stepping on worms all day, the first Monday of the long dry spell between Spring Break and summer wasn't too bad. I ate Chick-fil-a, spent way too much money at Walmart (but I finally bought Robin Hood: Men in Tights! A banner day. And some exciting new cereal bars!), and watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium with the roommate. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it for all ages. It's worth it.

"Your life is an occasion. Rise to it."
-Mr. Magorium
(My new favorite quote)

Also, a bonus picture for the day:

I walk past this every day when I go up the stupid hill between the street and my dorm. It's supposed to be a drainage pipe, but, as you can see, somebody thought it looked like a sea monster, or an earth monster in this case, and decorated it accordingly. I think it's cute!

Day 69

2009-03-16T00:19:00.003-04:00

Today... well, today went by really fast, then really slow. I woke up around 11, ate breakfast, and hung out with the dog. Then I started folding up my clothes, packing things up in my giant suitcase to take back to school, and hung out with the dog again. I helped my mom move some furniture around (because my father is incapable of/doesn't care about centering things), hung out with the dog, and packed some more. The urge for the "after-breakfast siesta", as Mom calls it, hit us both at the same time, so we took a nap. Then I hung out with the dog and finished packing. Sounds exciting, right? Well this was the part of the day that went by quickly.

The minute I sat behind the wheel to drive the hour back to Athens, time slowed down. I swear, it's like the batteries in the clock of the universe were dying and the earth stopped spinning as quickly. The orbit of the planets around the sun and the sun around the center of the galaxy slowed down. Get the picture? I really didn't want to come back.. I want it to be summer! It didn't help that it was German workbook time again. I just finished, and they suck just as much as I remember. Ugh. I did get this really cute personal pizza from a Taco Bell/Pizza Hut Express, along with this giant cup of pink lemonade. Non-caffeinated and still tasty!

Day 68

2009-03-15T12:02:00.002-04:00

Today I spent pretty the much the whole day at the Scottish Rite Children's Hospital in Atlanta. One of my best friends has a brother there because he's had a build up of excess spinal fluid, causing pressure on the brain accompanied by extreme pain and optical nerve damage behind one eye. He's going to go okay, fortunately, and they're letting him out in a day or two, but she asked me to go with her, so I did. It wasn't the most exciting day - filled mostly with several games of Battleship and a 27 games of Speed (the card game) on the Nintendo DS. Her dad drove us home, and we went over to one of my favorite Chinese places, Sun Garden, because we both really wanted some crab rangoon. Then I went back to my house, watched Transporter 3 with my dad, and went to sleep. Maybe not an eventful day, but I liked it all the same!