Applying: SWF seeks LIFE

I don't do well with free time.
Summer truly isn't my season.

So far, this summer, I have worked for my father (cleaned a refrigerator, mowed the lawn, done general cleaning) and earned a bit of money, gone to a baseball game, read, and --- the reply from most members of my generation - I have gone on the computer, as I am doing now.

Today, I realized that some of my sort-of-sneaky bad mood that has been hovering for the past week was due to my frustration at not really having a life back here in this town. I miss going to classes, having places that I need to be, things I need to do. True, I'd don't think I'd be too excited to receive any homework at this point in time -- that's not quite what I mean. Many of the people that I would like to see are not in town. True, I have become reacquainted with the part of me that likes to read for fun, and that's been nice.

Anyways, starting tomorrow, I will actively seek out things to do. Today, I recognized my frustration early on, and in reaction to that -- I went on a run, took a shower, ate breakfast, mowed the lawn, went swimming, then went to a memorial day party, and NOW, I feel like I've done something with my day. Let's hope the trend continues.

After further consideration....

So, I think I mentioned that I wrote an actual post down while I was in no-internet land, but upon rereading it, I found it pretentious and dull and have therefore decided not to post it here. The basic gist was: Sometimes the shortness of my attention span when it comes to projects bothers me, I'm a snob about coffee and tea, and my daydreams sometimes come out like Hollywood-movie montages. That's all!

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

As some of you may recognize, the title of this post comes from Harry Potter (and the Sorcerer's Stone). I watched most of the first movie with my family tonight, and oh-DEAR did it bring back memories.

I have such vivid memories of sitting at my father's feet in my grandmother's apartment as he read us the end of the first book (he read the first three, I believe, out loud to my sister and I) -- the chapter that ends with "It wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort." -- and then the next one that starts with: It was Quirrell.

I was so completely taken aback! And I remember being excited out of my wits when they won the Quidditch cup in the third book, falling in love with the idea of the game as well as the idea of all the amazing creatures that were there -- and watching, in a way, as the books became so incredibly powerful in our world. That's something that fascinates me, really. The right ideas, the right delivery, and the right timing for it to come to the public -- all of those had to be in place for these books to take off with such a bang.

And then, watching the movie -- I remember so well seeing it for the first time, and being so overwhelmed by how wonderful I thought the music was. I still think it's wonderful.

It's just crazy to go back and see how much those books had an impact on me when I was younger. I'm happy they came out when they did.

--

Books are pretty darn amazing.

Hey ho, back in the 'Ville

So, I'm now back from a weekend-and-then-some jaunt to D.C. and other side of PA to visit various relatives. The trip was fun and informative (see a previous post!), and also quite tiring. I wrote -- yes, actually wrote down a post yesterday (in the land of no internet and no cell phone service) that I would like to write up soon, but not tonight. So, that's to come, and I just wanted to let everyone know.

Also -- I've discovered (or, well -- let's call this a hypothesis: based on evidence I've gathered yet not quite proven) that a person acting childish, or at all young, is highly dependent on how people treat the person in question. For example, I am very likely to act very young (or younger, anyway) if my parents are treating me as someone younger (not necessarily in a condescending way), but I am more likely to act older if that is the way I am treated. However, this does not go for all situations, one exception being when a person is having that Hollywood-famous conversation of "You always treat me like I'm a kid!!!" -- which, as the films tell us, is an extensive and frustrating conversation that will get you nowhere.

With that, I'm off to bed -- or, off to my novel. : ) Thank you, GB! The contents of your bookshelves astonish and awe me!

My (one) Grandma's Wisdom

I was going to tell you the context, but I think it’s funnier if I don’t.

--“We’re going to have to PAY someone in a suit of armor to get rid of it.”

--“Well, I wasn’t here to tell it where to go, you see – and you cannot let grape vine decide for itself.”

--“Well, rosebushes are man-eating beasts, and I’ve worked with them for 50 years, so I can say that.” ☺

Remarks:

1) Washington, D.C. is very much like another country -- or certainly a very distinct culture.

2) Pool is a good game to play when you want to discuss things (and feel English, if you please).

3)Learning to "let go" may be something that is hard to take seriously, but it is even harder to actually do.

4) It turns out, control (over what's going on in our lives, over what people think of us, over what's going to happen) is one of our favorite, favorite illusions, and we do not like it when the fact that it is an illusion is made clear to us.

5) Going a day without email, cell phone, or Internet use may be a healthy thing to do, but if you don't do it, it's no judgment of your self-worth.

6) Money makes people act strangely.

7) Even though it is often used as such, guilt is not a very good motivator.

8) The number 8 is my favorite number.

9) No matter how good or bad or righteous it might feel, comparing yourself to other people is not the way to assess yourself.

-----

With any luck, I'll understand half of one of these by the time I'm sixty. I'll let you know how it goes.

Isn't it weird?

Isn't it weird how there are some places in which we are totally comfortable being a certain way, but in other places, totally not?

Let me explain. I often do that -- give a weird, obscure statement that is a generalization of a specific case in my head, but then I have to make the specific case anyway...

SO! For instance, I am completely comfortable being alone in my dorm room at Mills (which I realized today I will never be in again. Probably. Certainly will never sleep in that bed again. It just -- won't be my room. Ever. Again.) (this is slightly sad) -- I'm totally comfortable being alone on a plane, I'm fine with being alone while walking the dog around the neighborhood. But right now, I'm alone in my house -- and it's weird!!! Why? Dunno! I've been alone here before..maybe it's because I thought people were going to be home earlier. Oh, well. And -- other places it would be weird to be alone in: my high school, at the gym, or in a pool.

Weird examples. Sorry. :D I'm trying to think of another example (I mean, another emotion or something) to illustrate this point more, see if my conjecture holds true...that'll be pretty easy. It just has to be weird to prove the conjecture true. And, well -- it's not that hard for life to be weird!

-----

Oddly enough, I can't think of another example. Prolly 'cause I got distracted by tumblr. Oh, that website is a tricksy one!!!

I hope everyone's having a fantastic summer so far -- whether you're about to go visit family, start a new job, embark on a new book to read, or explore the land of relaxation just a bit further. :D

OH! Forgot one!

Ohohohohoh--- I had another idea. I forgot. :)

My other idea was to write out a list of things I'd like, like a wishlist -- sort of as enticement for me to get out and do stuff, on the philosophy that if I actually KNOW my goals, I'd be more likely to go and...y'know...achieve them.

This was rejected because I was worried it would come across as materialistic or greedy, but I think it brings up an interesting point.

Why is it that it's harder to come up with ideas for things you want, gift ideas when you get older?
When I was younger, coming up with a birthday or Christmas wishlist was so fun! But now....it's hard!

I mean, sure, there's things I want -- but they're far away. Such as...to graduate. To go to grad school (I think). To have a nice car. To have an apartment/house. To figure out where the hell I'm going to end up living (country-wise). To have my parents heal the shit between them, at least so they can not be as tense when the other comes up in conversation, to have an internship at Pixar -- but even the material things on this list aren't things that could be realized very soon. Well, maybe the car if I win the lottery. :D (MINI!!!!!)

What about material things?
This is not a list that I'm making because I want people to get them for me. I want to know what I want, if that makes any sense at all.

(also, thank you, Lily Allen, for boosting my mood. It's really much appreciated.)

Sooooooo...

-PURPLE HIGH TOP CONVERSE. Yes, that deserves to be in all-caps. Totally.
-CDs...but which ones? Just ideas: Sheryl Crow, Metric, Muse, The XX, The Up Soundtrack, uh....Beyoncé, Sam Tsui, The Blanks, Arctic Monkeys, more Lily Allen, Kate Nash, more KT Tunstall, the Proclaimers.....Oh, definitely ideas there!!!
-A pair of jeans that actually FIT ME!!!! Gosh, wouldn't that be swell. I want jeans that make me look sexy!! (Who doesn't?)
-A pair of heels. Possibly boots. Not sure yet. But...something classy. :D
-Tickets to a concert.....: Lady Gaga, The Killers, Lily Allen, -- maybe a musical. Or Eddie Izzard!
-Cups of tea with my friends. :) Maybe they could make me coupons -- something like : This is good for one proper cup of tea with me at the earliest convenience! (the me referring to the friend -- that'd be nice.)

Hmm...I think that's the main ones. I mean, that took a while -- they didn't just jump into my mind. I had to really search for them.

Still, it's nice to say them. Wanting things is something simple, you know? It's a cope-with-able emotion. What's the word for that? Cope-with-able...manageable! That's what I was looking for. :)

Thanks for reading, all of you. :) It's nice to have you out there.

BROUGHT TO YOU LIVE! - From Emily's Room

Howdy.

So, my house has turned into a dormitory, for those of you who haven't heard it yet -- that is, the guys who work for my mom and live too far away to drive home every night are now housing in our guest and music rooms....Yeah. Fun to be had at Casa SW these days.

So, I had tons of ideas for a blog post tonight. Well, tons is exaggerating (that was said with David Tennant's voice in my head -- just thought I'd let you know), but I had some, which is more than usual. But I couldn't decide on any of them, so I decided to write a list, and then -- y'know, see what happens.

Lists are kind of my thing, if you know me.

So, some ideas (and the reasons for not going through with them) were:
1) Stories about my dog, Abby (terrier-mutt-mix that we got at the pound when she was small enough to fall through my legs if I sat cross-legged, looks a bit like Benji but fluffier, a blessing because she doesn't bark, and has huge, sweet, understanding brown eyes -- I love her.) --- rejected because I didn't know if it would be interesting or if I had good enough stories.

2)Favorite literary characters -- rejected because...Dunno. Felt like something I'd do a couple years ago, and what with being home again, I'm full of an angsty need to be MORE MATURE, to be a DIFFERENT PERSON than I used to be, though the contradictions are all around me, from the walls of my room to the high-school folks I used to know so well. Not like I was such a horrible person before. I just feel like there's a whole new part of me - a new facet, new E-personality, and I'd rather have them be together, all these personalities. I want the Mills-me to thrive at home. It's not so easy.

3) Books that shaped my childhood --- okay, this one may still come into being someday. I was doing some literary reminiscence today, and that's always nice. Just a little shout-out to the author who probably had the MOST impact: Tamora Pierce!!!! Thank you so much for all of your novels. :) Gave me that little girl-power flame oh-so-long ago. I won't forget it!

4) --a list of the ideas that I had for a blog post.

Yeeeeaaah....not my shining moment. If this were an essay, this would be a draft that I would throw out. But somehow, this medium of communication accepts failures without so much as a blink, so away into the ether you go, post!!!

(NOTE: I was typing so seriously, with such force in my fingers that I accidentally hit that unknown key combination that switches my keyboard into German...oh, je.)

Une chanson pour tout dire

Back at home.

You know one thing that changes almost as much as people do? Music. Some days -- some of the hardest days are the ones during which I cannot tell which songs I most want to hear. When I can't place my mood, when I don't know the best way to properly feel, or properly suppress what I almost feel. Those days are hard.

Mostly, this hasn't been one of those days. There was time for Metric, time for Lady Gaga, time for Meatloaf and Muse --- and this evening, when I couldn't have picked out the proper songs, somebody sent me a playlist that fit almost perfectly.

And life throws curveballs sometimes. Tonight, I auditioned for a play for the first time in my life. I read a monologue -- in a British accent -- read with another person, and sang without a guitar or anything, while onstage. Those are huge steps for me, for those of you who don't know me. Theater is my sister's arena, as is singing. Two big steps for Emily.

And then, just now, I was on Facebook (why is it that my generation is so fascinated by it? Why is it that we have these connections with email and everything? Does it scare anyone else that things can be completely superfluous and new in society and then in an incredibly small ((relatively)) period of time, become nearly essential??? -- By this I mean cell phones. The Internet. Computers. Televisions. I say this as a happy member of the internet and cell phone system. It just scares me sometimes.) -- and I was talking to someone that I still (in my mind's eye --- what a weird expression) see as a six-year-old with spikey hair and too much energy for a nice evening with our two families together. And this "kid" tells me, out of the blue, that he's had rough stuff with drugs and girls this year, that he's suspended from school. I realize that he must be older now than I remember --- probably nearing 14 or 15 --- and, something else that caught me possibly more off-guard: he missed me.

I just -- I never thought he liked me all that much; he always got me confused with my sister. And does it sound weird to say that it didn't really matter to me? I guess not. I was older, he was younger --- and I was younger, too, if that makes sense. But all of a sudden, he's so open and so kind. I hope I see him soon. I feel like I have to re-meet all the people I met when we were young so that I can meet them as actual people now.

I think I need to do that with cities, too. Reacquaint myself with new eyes.

---and I also think it's time for bed. Sorry for the long break between posts. Being home has been more complicated than I expected.

The Current Threat Advisory Level Is Orange

For safety reasons, please do not leave baggage unattended, and DO NOT FLY THROUGH CHICAGO-OHARE.

It is now 9:45 local Chicago time. This makes it 7:45 Oakland/Mills time, and 10:45 Pittsburgh time, my “final destination” as far as airports go. My first flight from San Francisco to Chicago went quite smoothly indeed, and it put us here in the airport in the Windy City around 5:05. Did I mention that it is now 9:45? Hm. This flight was supposed to leave at 8:10. Our captain is apparently not arriving until 10:30. Current departure time projection: 10:45. This will put me into Pittsburgh around 1 a.m., local time. I’m so sorry, mom.

--

Meanwhile, let’s talk about the ambiance of traveling! On the airplane, it’s cramped. Holy crap is it cramped. I had to go to there restroom on my first flight, as any normal person would in a four hour time period – and you CANNOT walk through the aisle (if you are a normal, me-sized person) without stepping on toes, whacking the heads of innocently sleeping folks rudely with your elbows, or –godforbid- passing someone coming in the opposite direction without causing frankly an obscene amount of hootenanny!

(it’s my first time using that word. Bear with me. ☺)

But there’s also the talking rules, the unspoken rules, which is actually ironic! The chap who was sitting next to me on the first flight followed them beautifully. I was on the end, the aisle seat that is so nice for comfort but so bad for sleeping, though not as bad as the middle seat. Anywho, as I sat down, he said to me, “what happened to your guitar?” because he had noticed that it was ruthlessly taken from me and tossed haphazardly down a cruel waterslide-for-baggage-sans-the-water that went down to the ground for it to be put in the plane. I answered about the lack of overhead compartment space, and he nodded, understanding, and told a similar story about that happening to his guitar once-upon-a-time. The story was short, had a point, and he didn’t stare awkwardly or smell bad. And then he didn’t talk for the rest of the flight. Good plane etiquette.

Sometimes you meet a person who you would gladly chat with for a half hour, but how many times have you met such a person and they thought that the conversation was over the same time you did? Huh? Exactly.

So, plane etiquette is one thing. Waiting-at-the-gate etiquette is another thing, I feel. When you’re all gathered at the gate, basically sighing and slapping your foreheads exasperatedly in unison when the people at the desk announce more delays, you feel like a herd of unfortunate cattle. And I feel conversations between parties are much more tasteful when they happen in this situation. You can commiserate, swap questions of, “So, is suchandsuchaplace home? Nah, not for me either…”/”Jeez, I hope you didn’t have a connecting flight, did you?”…etc. You laugh, you shrug, mumble things about the airline, the airport, the weather – whatever makes you feel better. And then, when you do eventually board the plane, everyone can go back to their silent, stranger-fearing ways, pretending they never did such a thing as have almost meaningful relations with strangers, because we Americans don’t do that. Then, you put those fake smiles back into place and nod at the flight attendants, and think about how you’re finally going somewhere.

And, since I’m on the subject of Americans – does anyone else ever feel astoundingly boring when you walk around speaking English all the time? Today, I have already heard two languages that I didn’t recognize. It was pretty much fantastic to hear them, but then, I heard my own voice afterwards, asking for a coffee or directions to the concourse, and that boring English just flowed over my lips, as if it were my native tongue or something.

Nah, I don’t hate English all that much. Sometimes it just seems dull, though – but only when it’s simple statements, like coffee orders. Does ordering coffee ever sound good, regardless of language? Can it sound fascinating and beautiful? I wonder. I’ll let you know when I find that magical language.

As many of you may have guessed, I am writing this from my seat at the gate, looking around at the mosaic of passengers, ranging from the happy-go-lucky-frizzy-haired-white-guy to the pensive-looking-guy-in-a-suit to the adorable-looking-man-in-turban-who-fell-asleep-with-his-headphones-in. Moods range from the mildly peeved (see blonde girl across from me!!) to the “It’s out of my hands!”, to the simple “well, I’ll sleep until we leave”. Oh, people. We deal with this in such different ways.

Also, I’ve seen too many beautiful women in beautiful saris to not miss the professor that I wrote about a couple of days ago. Not the one I to which I referred as a spider. No. The other one. Tu me manques beaucoup, Prof B.

So, if this does get posted, that means I made it home. Thank you, BJ!!!

*Read this post with a British Accent!*

Hello, everyone.

My name is Giles, and I'd like to share with you the happenings of this evening.

First, upon arriving at my dwelling for this night before my voyage home, I bade the young girls goodnight and waved them off to bed, before taking a quiet place at the dining room table. After a few minutes reading about the growth of the Pixar company (fascinating what they can do with computer animation these days), I made myself a cup of tea, and sat down to the New York Times, where I read about the murders of several school children in China, the happenings in Bangkok, appalling new trends in fashion, and an article about women serving in submarines, which I thought might interest some of you, and from which I will now quote:

"...but while the decision opens a prestigious career path to women and increases the Navy's recruiting pool for submarine postings, it has been met with quiet resistance..."The chief of the boat calls it a brotherhood of master mariners, -- not a brother and sisterhood," said the sailor, who withheld his name..."If all of a sudden they put females on my submarine, things would change so drastically, I don't think we would be able to flow as well..." Mr.Mason ((another sailor)) said the presence of women would put an end to the kind of camaraderie "that involves close physical contact, like man hugs and bottom pats"...."

My word!

On a previous page, I came across the following statement: "..debauchery awaits. Up and down Dale Mabry Highway (near Tampa, Florida), a stretch that claims to have more lap-dance emporiums per square mile than any city in the country..."

What is this world coming to?!!?

So, once I'm at home...

I don't have to get up for classes.
I don't have to sign on to the internet.
I don't have to eat what Founders wants to serve.
Wow.

I'm sitting in a computer lab, not even gone from this campus yet -- but it already feels so empty. The hallways are quiet (how blissful!!!), those slightly-haunting yellow pieces of paper are taped to most doors, and it sort of feels like I'm already gone.

More stuff than I ever knew I possessed is cluttering up my room. It's pretty amazing.

---Grandfather just called -- he's outside, waiting to pick up said stuff. Here we go!

Some days, you know?

Some days are just wonderful.

I went running with a good friend this morning, and when I came back and showered, on my way to my room, I saw that some hidden benefactor had placed a bag of my favorite potato chips on my door handle, and then as I was leaving the library a couple of hours later after some serious studying (crazy, right?), I went to get my phone from my bag to turn the sound back on as it had been on silent in the library, and who should be calling at that exact instant but my girlfriend!

We just had a lovely conversation while I sat in the sun next to a fountain, and even though there's a big exam this afternoon, I think this day is just amazing.

: )

Why do revelations always come in the middle of something else important?

I'm serious.

Haven't you been in the middle of an exam and remembered that thing that you had to drop off at that place the day before?
Or been in the middle of a concert or a movie and realized you haven't called so and so back?
Or been on your way somewhere, a serious car/train/ or plane ride underway when you realized that first, you were supposed to deliver that important message?

Or maybe, like today, you're in the middle of studying for that very important exam when you get an inspiration for a blog post...which may not, in fact, be that much of a revelation anyway, and may in fact coming across only as pretentious --- no matter how it comes across, no one can argue when it comes to what won in the epic Blog vs. Studying battle.

For the Benefit of Mr. Kite-

And everyone else on this campus, and anything to do with kites ---

The sun is out today. Somebody be praised. Seriously.

Chère Prof B. -

So we showed up for our exam this morning, and you showed up half an hour early with croissants, chocolates, a bouquet of sunflowers, and answers for any last minute questions we might have had. You stood there, offered us all croissants and stared at us with your big brown eyes, telling us to breathe deeply and not stress about the exam. And when I handed you the exam after I had finished, you wished me a good vacation, and I don't think anyone has ever wished me that as sincerely as you did.

Professor B, you are simply fantastic. Thank you so much for being our maman à Mills. I will miss you so much this summer!

Caught in a bad romance...

With my blog.

Or, rather, with finals, because they get in the way of me updating my blog -- and they get in the way of going to the gym, talking to my family, writing letters, reading -- pesky little buggers.

Point is, in a couple of hours, I will be technically done with half of my finals -- one test, one paper. Go me. The others -- well, I'll handle them when I get there. I wish everyone else who starts their finals today good luck and hope that you have a nice cup of hot chocolate/tea/coffee/something waiting for you when you finish, because you deserve it.

Alright. Let's go! We kill the best!

Ugh.

I just realized - when I sign my name fast, my first name comes out looking like Enid. Oh dear.

"I'll write you harmony in C...."

Listening to some Metric this morning. Nice way to start out the day.

Actually, I started out the day with a walk around campus with a friend, followed by tea and the end of an extremely disturbing French film that I hope none of you will ever see - in fact, I wish I had never seen it. Following that which set my eyes on fire, I had a lovely discussion with said friend about our mutual friend, David Attenborough. : ) Good times.

Now, it's Friday. Finals start tomorrow. I need to study. I need to write a paper. I also need to do laundry. I also need to keep packing up my room. I also have this desperate desire to do anything but those things above. How's this going to go?

I think no matter what comes first, be it procrastination or floor-sweeping or whatnot, raucous music will accompany my actions -- and if that's the case, how bad could it be?

Happy winding down of the semester, all.

Also: I have received a challenge from a reader of the movie-chain that I made the other day. I will be addressing that challenge soon! Stay tuned!

A fun exercise in association:

Name two movies that have the same actor/actress in them -- see if you can follow the chain of actors/actresses! I thought this was cool..

Chicago --- Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman -- Notting Hill
Notting Hill -- Music & Lyrics
Music & Lyrics -- Ever After
Ever After -- The Witches
The Witches -- Love Actually
Love Actually -- Harry Potter
Harry Potter -- The Patriot
The Patriot - The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight - The Prestige
The Prestige - Happy Feet
Happy Feet - Girl Interrupted
Girl Interrupted - Edward Scissorhands
Edward Scissorhands - Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow - Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Two Towers - The Aviator
The Aviator - Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven - Chicago

So, that's for today. : ) Enjoy!!! I think it's really cool.

During the process of cleaning...

I found several cards/pictures/notes/doodles from folks around that I do not think I will bring with me next year, but this post is in remembrance!

Trader Joe's, that receipt that you gave me when I went and bought exactly what I wanted (i.e. blueberry jam, chocolate chips, baby carrots, Irish breakfast tea, sugar snap peas, and cheddar cheese) was very kind and I have fond memories of that trip, but I think it will have to go.
Friends, you know who you are - you gave me a card last semester when I was very ill, and I wanted to say thank you one more time.

Gosh this sounds cheesy.
Maybe I'll skip the individual ones for the rest, but this is my way of making sure that they were noted before they get tossed. Thank you all!! They graced my desk for a good long while.

Yeah, yeah....

I know I said I'd be working on my Anthropology midterm. I know the technical due date is tomorrow, but he's giving us until next week. I know it's been a week since I've had the assignment...I just have this procrastination urge. Call it... a call to blog, if you will.

I've had a couple of interesting experiences today, unprecedented ones. First of all, I brought the wrong folder to a class. x_X I have not done that this entire year, which is surprising even to me. However, true nerd as I am, I noticed that I didn't have the folder while I was at the office hours of the professor for whose class I needed the folder, so there was still time to dash back across the bleeding hot campus to get it. Seriously, folks - it was hot today!

Second unprecedented thing: I left my phone on vibrate during class today. Not on purpose, you must understand. It just... happened. But THEN -- the really incredible thing: I got a text during class!! I always check my phone after class, hoping against hope that I was important enough to merit a message in that hour from 1 to 2 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays -- but never anything, until the day when the bloody thing isn't on silent.

Oh, well. No one noticed, anyway.

I also realized a couple of things that I just think might never change, and I wanted to write them here.
Person X will always be shockingly tactless in conversation.
Person XY will never, ever finish her homework before coming to class. Not this semester, anyway.
Professor XZY will always bother me, even though I try not to be bothered by her. It's a personality issue. (though today, it was a me-defending-some-other-student-that-she-treated-wrongly-thing. Or wanting to defend. I didn't say anything....)
I will always inevitably switch my iPod to Sam's Town while I'm at the gym. (People, have you HEARD this album? The Killers are incredible. I swear, I feel like I could do anything as long as I'm listening to 'When You Were Young', and I feel like the coolest person in the world during 'Bling (Confessions of a King)'. I think I might have even stayed on crew if they had played this during practice, and that's saying something. BTW: I'm officially OFF the team, as in not coming back next year. Just wanted to make sure y'all knew it was official.)
The menu at Founders will never be what I was hoping for it to be. Best to not think of it at all, and then, you know, it might show up!

I also was thinking, just, for the heck of it about what I would miss if I lived in a space station. I would miss sunshine -- nothing else on your skin feels like sunshine does, you know? Even in winter, that warmth is so comforting. And another thing I'd miss -- the feeling when you're hot and sweaty for one reason or another and a slight breeze just catches you and it's the most blissful feeling... Yeah. I'd miss that.
And I'd miss the smell of freshly mowed grass. I feel like if space-station-grass were grown and then cut, it still wouldn't smell the same.

Gotta love this earth, man. Woman. Sorry. I forget I'm still at Mills -- gotta watch myself!

:)

Wait, hang on a sec...

It's..almost...summer?!?!?!

What am I going to do without homework?

I'm going to lie in bed in the mornings, having just shut off an alarm that I set for no reason, and I'll think: "I really ought to get up; I need to work on-----" and then I'll draw a blank, and I will feel so lost!!!

Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to serious cuddle time with my dog, endless cups of tea, movies with my sister, periods of lounging in the sun, and hours of sitting in dark movie theaters...if I can get someone to go with me and pay for part of it. Ticket prices these days...

This is the first of probably several "I can't wait to just be at home" posts... just to warn ya.

It's late. I'm turnin' in.

Welcome to the first full week of May, y'all.

Will you take me back?

Hey, blog. Hey, folks....

I have a confession to make. I've been cheating on you, blog...with...well, several people. Tumblr, for one -- that's a foxy lady right there. Then there's also Buffy, that vixen --- and I can't leave out homework. I don't know what it is, but homework always seems to have some power over me. She's powerful.

So, that's why I've been so weird and distant with you. Those are the reasons that I've seemed so distracted in our conversations and why it seems like my mind is always elsewhere.

My sincerest apologies. Even if I can't promise an immediate change in behavior (given that finals are coming up), know that I do feel very, very bad about my behavior.

So, after I blast through the last homework assignments and those pesky exams, we'll spend some quality time together. Promise.

WHOAAAA ----I can put pictures up on BLOGGER!!!

Holy goodness, this is fantastic. : )

Above is a picture of a part of the monastery where I spent 10 days for a meditation retreat in Thailand...See my other blog (in a couple months) for details. I just thought the picture was gorgeous --- and I didn't take it, so I can say that -- and wanted to show it.