Exhaustion

So, this whole Mono thing is getting a little bit annoying. I don't usually go on a lot of sleep. Now I'm no architecture major, I like to sleep more than two nights a week, but give me five or six hours a night and I'll do alright. But now that I am feeling better--that is, I can swallow and breathe and stuff like that--I am STILL tired. All. The. Time.

It's not tired like "I just stayed up all night doing that report" tired. It's tired like "I just got done with a busy day of running errands and doing work" tired. I wake up in the morning and I hit snooze until the last possible minute (8:21) and I drag myself out of bed not feeling refreshed. I go to work and when I get home, I usually fall asleep somewhere from 5:30-8. That's when I finally eat something for the day, and then I get into bed when Full House comes on at 9, and fall asleep somewhere between 11 and 12. Well, except tonight. Tonight I was doing homework. But I did sleep from about 6:30 till 8.

All this sleep is taking up so much time. I'm ready to enjoy summer! Being sick SUCKS.

Rhubarb pie is:

a. very good.
b. something i can make.
c. spilled all over the seat of my car from the ride down to oxford.
d. all of the above.

the answer, obviously (and with c. unfortunately), is d.

I made this pie all by myself, it's my first one ever, aren't you proud of me?

Record Breaker

Today was a special day. Why? Because today was the third day this month that I have been to the health center. That's more doctor visits in one month than in the past five years combined. Let's recap:

November: shingles
May: broken finger
May: mono/strep
May: allergic reaction to antibiotics meant to cure said strep throat.

I never want to go to the health center again.

Some things never change and if they do they don't stay changed for long

Oxford just got a new Super Wal-Mart, and we have all sort of been marveling at how clean it is. The most wonderful thing is that it is open 24 hours a day, which I am sure I will capitalize on in the next few years.

So tonight, Brendan and I went at about 11:30 and there were piles of stuff everywhere waiting to be put on the shelves. At one point we had to move a shopping cart full of wireless routers just to get out of the electronics section. As we were leaving I noticed a woman filling a big bin with dvd's--you know the bin I'm talking about, the 2 dvd's for $11 bin.

And I looked around and thought, "well, this will be a regular Wal-Mart soon enough."

And you know, that's too bad.

I should have tried to sell this to Disney and they could have used it as an ad

I know Nate posted it already but I love this picture. It's from my Junior year of high school on our trip to Disney World, and we look so...Disney-ed out it's just amazing.

I don't NEED it anymore. I swear.

Well I went through internet withdrawl the week before which was very painful. Then I was sick and I didn't care if there was internet, and I would have been willing to give up the internet, my car, and my firstborn child if I could have just swallowed without feeling like my throat was on fire. (The little phamphlet they gave me on Mono was just great. On the front it said, "So you have Mono: taking the next step." Like it's an STD or something. Then on the inside it said, "You may have a sore throat, perhaps the worst you've ever had." No kidding. THE ABSOLUTE WORST.) So now, I still don't have internet but I am over it. I mostly miss the e-mail.

So now when I get online I have sort of dropped all my old habits (Dear God, I sound like a junkie, don't I?) and I have found a new love, which is internet shopping. Well internet window shopping as I have yet to purchase anything. But it is so much fun. It started out with looking for a cheap wireless router and now it has escalated to expensive shoes (think Manolo Blahniks and Jimmy Choos, I spent this semester watching Sex and the City, remember) on eBay, which is just about the most amazing place on the internet, and clothes on just about every online store you can think of. I have also been looking at recipies, because although I ate Ramen and hot dogs that first week and sustained my sick self on Gatorade and a can (yes, A can) of chicken noodle soup last week, it may be time to learn to cook. But food is expensive, so maybe I should just sacrifice and then be able to afford the shoes? I just can't decide.

I love this show. LOVE IT.

Well I was struck with cases of mono and strep throat last weekend, so I have been too sick and tired to eat, in some cases sleep, work, talk, and seek out internet access. Although yesterday I did find out that the modem at my house is broken, so hopefully soon I will get a new one and not have to wander all over campus to be online.

Anyway, while I was sick I watched a lot of tv, and by watched I mean I was curled up trying not to swallow on the couch while the tv was on in front of me. However, at 9 pm every night, if I was awake I watched an hour of Full House, and it was awesome and I love it and that is why I want the first season on DVD for my birthday, which is in five weeks and two days. You have plenty of time to have it shipped. It is the best show EVER, and I will always love it and I don't care what you say. Sure, the Olsen twins got annoying by the time the show ended, but at the beginning they weren't so bad. And maybe you don't like the 80's flair, well, tough. I love the predictable plotlines, bad jokes, and sappy, feel-good lessons. So don't make fun of me, because the doctor told me if I do anything strenuous (like roughing you up for making fun of my show) my spleen might burst, and we don't want that to happen, do we.

Proof that I probably should never have children. Or pets.

You can't really tell in this picture, but the thing my sister's new puppy (for the life of me, I can't remember what they named it) has in her mouth is the plastic thing that goes in the memory card slot of my computer. I don't really need it, but she needed something to do while I was getting my internet fix. My family better come home soon before I accidently decide the cat5 cable would make a good tug-of-war toy.

La Vita è Bella

(I'm allowed to say it in Italian because I passed Italian this semester.)

Early in the semester my pledge class was driving to Cincinnati and we started talking about movies. Actually, they started talking about movies and I mostly just sat there. I am by far the most cinema-knowledge-challenged member of the four of us; they all have huge dvd collections and could go on for hours about the movies they've seen. (On a sidenote, I've watched seven movies this week so maybe if I keep it up this summer I'll be able to catch up with them.)

Then we started talking about our favorite movies, and Mike said one of his favorites was the Italian film La Vita è Bella (Life is Beautiful).

"Have you ever seen Life is Beautiful? That is such a good movie."

"No, but it's about the Holocaust, right? What's it like?"

"Yeah...I'd say it's a romantic comedy."

"A romantic comedy? Set in a concentration camp?"

"Yeah, it's a really happy story."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No! It's about this guy and this woman he falls in love with. And then they have a son, and they go to the concentration camp but they try to stay together. It's one of those 'feel-good' movies."

"Right. I'm sure. A feel good movie about World War II."

So, we made a lot of fun of Mike for this little exchange. Last night I decided to watch it, and the plotline alone--how a man's bravery and love saves his son's life--is heart-warming. I'll give him that. But I'm still not going to go with romantic comedy.

I'm blogging from my phone

Miami tulips

I'm either very nerdy or very computer savvy. And you don't need to comment on that.

Lunchtime Observations

Summertime is not treating Shriver well, I'm sorry to say. First, they are ripping up the floor in front of Tuffy's and putting down a new one, so there's a lot of dust and power tools everywhere. Second, the people on campus now do not understand the way you are supposed to form lines in the food court. The pasta place line forms on the RIGHT, not the LEFT, thankyouverymuch. You not only screw up the order of the food for the workers, but you also give me undeserved dirty looks when I try to stand in the right place. Well you are the ones deserving the dirty looks.

Also, I just had some very terrible jello and I just have to say that this is the biggest disappointment yet. If you can't get good orange jello at Shriver, well then, where can you?

The Stovetop Redemption, plus why I need an internet connection RIGHT NOW.

So, yes. The cooking. It didn't start out so well at the beginning of this week and I'll have to admit, I was a little worried it was never going to pan out (seriously, no pun intended). However, last night I was all, what would be good for dinner? I could really go for some Chinese. So instead of calling up China One or Phan Shin, I made my own Chinese. From scratch.

Actually that part about "from scratch" is a lie. The stir fry vegetables were frozen, and the rice was the boil-in-bag kind. The important thing here is that I did not ruin the food. It was actually sort of good. I don't like soy sauce and we don't really have much in the way of a spice cupboard, so it was plain. But it turned out the way I wanted it to. Could you ask for anything more? I don't think so.

Oh and by the way, I MISS THE INTERNET more than I miss air conditioning, living with other people, and paying for my meals with my card instead of actual cash. I NEED A CONNECTION THAT WORKS OR I AM GOING TO GO CRAZY. Do you know where I am right now? I am sitting outside Shriver, because it closed early tonight. I know this sounds pretty terrible, but I sit at work all day with a computer and I can't talk to people or do anything fun, so it's like smoking in front of someone chewing nicorette. It makes me crazy. Also, I am pretty lonesome seeing as how I am alone all the time except for the two people I work with. So internet=AIM=people to talk to. So, since my internet is AWOL, when everyone shows up for classes next week, they're going to come looking for me and find me curled up, nearly dead and shaking, in the corner of the living room with my mouse pointed at the refresh button on my internet explorer. And it will be PATHETIC.

Happy 13th Birthday, Erin!

Love you, even though you aren't this little and cute anymore. :)

It's the solitude of living alone slowly driving me a little crazy

Let's say there are three people. And person 1 makes an absolutely TERRIBLE joke, and stands there waiting for person 2's reaction. But person 2 doesn't get it--like, this joke is about three miles over his/her head. And you are person 3, and you unfortunately get the joke, but pretend you don't because this joke was SO AMAZINGLY BAD that you are actually embarrassed not only for person 1 but also for yourself, because you got it. You just sort of sit there uncomfortably hoping the conversation heads in a more normal direction.

Oh, I hate that.

On a completely unrelated note, I am sitting in Shriver and the lights are mostly all turned off and the only other person I've seen is some guy watching Home Improvement on the other side of the building. I think it's the Christmas special, they're singing "The First Noel."

Would you like to know why I am here in this very bizarre situation? Because the internet at my house is not working. I work for the internet people, and yet I cannot get my own internet to work. The irony around here, let me tell you, it's everywhere I look.

Love the hat. And the bowtie.

This is what I needed for Jimmy's birthday. I have a lot of old pictures, so as soon as I'm near a scanner...well, I warned you.

The most appropriate way for me to say I Love You is in writing.

College brought me lots of new things: lots of friends, a new place to live, lower grades, a sick dependence on my computer. These I guess were all expected. One thing I did not expect, however, was how different parts of my personality would flourish as others faded into the background. Another thing I did not expect was how often this personality thing would cause me to say, "Dear Lord, I sound like my mom."

My mom has this stocking cap that is too small and she calls it her headache hat and we all tease her because when she gets a really bad headache she wears it around the house. I'm sure it works well but it is just really funny. In fact, I know it works well because a couple of weeks ago I had a really, really bad headache and (am I really admitting this?) although I didn't have a hat, I tied a scarf around my head. Go ahead, laugh it up, but I felt a lot better afterwards.

I give her advice to my friends. I give it the same way she would, pointing my finger for emphasis and ending my sentences with "buddy." Sometimes after I give the advice, I giggle to myself because I know exactly what I looked like when I said it. However, I always give it confidently because the woman, she is always RIGHT. It's uncanny.

She's the reason I feel the need to clean the bathroom this afternoon now that everyone else has moved out and the reason I dusted my room before I moved in. Because dirtiness is not a good thing. Yes, I may live in huge messes from time to time, but don't think I don't appreciate cleanliness. Heck, the thought of buying my own Electrolux someday sounds sort of appealing. (She's reading this right now and doesn't believe me. IT'S TRUE, I SWEAR.)

Mostly she is why I like to read and write. She's why I can bond with Brendan over conversations about novels during a trip to Barnes and Noble, making comments like "It's just so hard to get rid of a book" and other similar I-love-my-books-more-than-some-people-love-their-pets comments. What? You ask. Your major is English, obviously you are doing that on your own, so what are you talking about? Exactly, people. My life's direction would be aimless without her.

Well there are no greater influences for me to follow that up with, so I'll just finish up. Final point: Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Thank you for everything you sent with me to college.

Things I've Learned This Week

It's been a long week. Finals weren't so bad, but "because my finger was broken" I got to turn in an English paper on Friday instead of Monday. I was up until 4:15 Friday morning. I had to be at work by 8. I learned that working after only three hours of sleep is not so fun.

Part of the reason I was up so late was because I locked my keys in my car. It's sort of a long story but I was getting out of the car and instead of double checking with myself like I always do I just shut the door. I always feel stupid for double checking but turns out it is a good idea. I learned that I need to continue to treat myself like a five-year-old and make sure the keys are in my hand before shutting the car door.

I moved into my new house on Monday & Tuesday, thanks to help from Mike who basically did all of the work. Although I have probably only spent something like 12 total awake hours here, I am enjoying it. Plus Christina left me a feather bed thing, so my bed is amazing. Feather beds + jersey sheets= not wanting to get up at 7 for work. Just a warning in case you were considering the combination. I also like the no shoes in the shower thing. And the car. Having the car is fun. I learned that dorms are overrated.

I helped the boys move from 708 into their new apartment today. It's really nice, so I hope they invest in a vaccum cleaner and mop or something. I learned that boys are gross, but are good at moving heavy things and putting them together.

Wondering

which is worse: the fact that the first food I made in my house was Easy Mac, or that I totally messed it up. It's water. Noodles. Cheese powder. WHAT IS SO HARD ABOUT THAT?

I've returned. Typing is getting easier.

Update

Once again, Cassie was right and I did need to go to the doctor. (I thought she deserved my saying that, because I give her all kinds of grief when she tells me to go. In fact, she was going to go with me because she thought I would just go sit at Shriver for an hour and then come back and tell her I was fine.)

My finger is broken! Yes! My middle and ring finger are taped together, which is making it practically impossible to type. I have gotten so frustrated while typing this that I had to take several breaks. I feel like one of those four-fingered cartoon characters. And I get to keep it this way for two. whole. weeks.

I typed almost all of this with my right hand

I have a very bad memory from my childhood where I was playing the "I-can-poke-you-faster-than-you-can-grab-my-hand" game with my older sister's boyfriend. Turned out, he could grab my hand faster and by "grab" I mean slam my left hand into the kitchen counter while bending my pinky finger all the way back. It turned purple. I couldn't bend it and had to have a splint.

I NEVER wanted to hurt any one of my fingers EVER again.

Today I was engaged in a harmless game of football. While catching the ball, I jammed the ring finger on my left hand*. I did play a lot more (we lost, sadly, but did put up a good fight) but my finger was swollen and hurting and unbendable. I watched a movie later this afternoon and when I looked down at my finger afterwards it was starting to turn a pale shade of purple and I was like, I don't really want to deal with this. I am putting ice on it now, and tomorrow I am going to go have it looked at. Even though I don't really want to. I found out when I was sick in the fall that I really don't like going to the doctor. What is up with me this year?

*I am glad it was this finger. I mean, think about the finger you use the least: it's gotta be the ring finger of your non-dominant hand. Besides typing, because we're talking w and s and those are important. Also, it's good for flaunting things like wedding bands or huge diamond engagement rings, which I am also a little short on right now. So really is it that important?