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?

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.

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?

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.

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?

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 =]

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.

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?

=]