Surveys make things easier.

Where did you begin 2008?
I was probably asleep. I've gotten into a pattern of being sick on New Year's.

What was your status by Valentine's Day?
I've been with Brandon since May 2006, so...I was still in a relationship on Valentine's Day.

Did you have to go to the hospital?
Nope.

Did you have any encounters with the police?
I briefly spoke to a police officer when two hoodlums stole a phone and tried to run off with it at the library. Briefly, since I didn't actually see them take it.

Where did you go on vacation?
We went to a conference in Atlanta, and stayed in a condo in Georgia, and then went to Daytona Beach. I think. Is that right? It was pretty nice.

What did you purchase that was over $500?
Nothing. I probably paid a little more than that on my car, though.

Did you know anybody who got married?
Several people. I can think of three or four off the top of my head.

Did you know anybody who passed away?
Um, I don't think so.

What sporting events did you attend?
All of Brandon's basketball games.

What concerts/shows did you go to?
0. Pretty sad.

Where do you live now?
Same house for a million years, it feels like.

What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2008?
I went on a riverboat. I've been on one before, but I don't think I was expecting to again. It wasn't a big deal. That's the only out-of-the-blue thing that I remember, though.

Any new additions to your family?
My aunt got married, if that counts. And her new husband has two daughters.

What was your best month?
Probably sometime during the summer, when I wasn't in school.

Made new friends?
A few, I guess.

Favorite Night[s] out?
I don't spend very many nights out. I'm sorry this is so boring. I used to be more exciting than this, I swear. Back before I was in college, before I had a job and things to pay for. ;_;

Any regrets?
Not really. Well, I might regret not going to school so much. But I really hate school, so my regret isn't particularly painful.

What do you want to change in 2009?
I want to save more money, lose some weight and buy a house. Three pretty reasonable goals, right?

Overall, how would you rate this year?
I'd give it an 8. No one died, but no one won the lottery, either.

Have any life changes in 2008?
No.

Change your hairstyle?
Yes, I got rid of four years of black hair dye and went auburn. It was a nice change.

Get a new job?
Nope.

How old did you turn this year?
20. Whoa!

Do you have a New Year's resolution?
I have a few. Many of them are about developing better habits before I move out.

Did anything embarrassing?
Don't we all?

Get married or divorced?
No.

Be honest - did you watch American Idol?
I have never watched American Idol. Except there were a few days where I watched some of the bad auditions on youtube. They were funny.

Start a new hobby?
Not that I know of. Every hobby I have ever started, I give up on. I lack hobby commitment.

Been snowboarding?
No way.

Are you happy to see 2008 go?
Yes! 2009 is going to be very exciting. I'm finishing my junior year of college and getting ready for my wedding! Plus Brandon will be graduating and that's awesome.

Drank Starbucks in 2008?
Several times, I'm sure.

Been naughty or nice?
I am not naughty. My moral compass is too demanding.

What are you wishing for in 2009?
Wishing? Praying for? I'm praying that God will provide for Brandon and I. We will be looking to buy a house. He needs a job. We'll be planning and paying for our wedding. It's going to take patience and money, two things that I do not often have.

My dogs have ruined Christmas.

I got three stockings this year. One from my family, one from Brandon's family, and one from Brandon. These stockings combined left me with a whole bunch of candy. Like, several pounds. It was insane. This morning I had seven or eight truffles, plus two bags worth of Dove dark chocolate, a few crunch bars from the lunchable's I've eaten this week, Snickers, Milky Way, and a bag's worth of Hershey's bells. Plus kisses. I go out to lunch with my grandparents, come home less than an hour later, and the bowl that the candy was in has been pulled to the edge of my bookshelf and most of the candy is gone. There is a glob of dog slobber on the side of the bowl and two or three candy wrappers on the floor (I assume they ate the rest of the wrappers. I'm talking thirty, forty foil wrappers.)

I hate idiot dogs.

I was going to do a clever and nostalgic post about 2008 and what I hope to accomplish in the new year. However, I am no longer in the mood for such nonsense, and I guess I will have to go watch the dogs that are downstairs right now to make sure they don't drop dead all of a sudden. Diego ate a half a bag of chocolate chips a few years ago and acted really weird for a few hours- he looked a little drunk. This was way more chocolate than that. I don't want any of the dogs to get sick and die. But I am really really mad at them all right now and whoever ate my candy, I hope they have a really bad tummy ache right now. Serves them right.

Happy December 26th.

Christmas is over. ;_; How depressing.

My Christmas this year was really good. I don't know why but it seemed really low key...anyway. Church on Wednesday night was beautiful, work went ok, all the food was delicious (fried oysters, potato salad, cream puffs, Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets, pumpkin roll....*sigh*) and I got really nice presents from everyone. Nothing I'm ashamed of or want to return. ^_^ I got more dishes for my house (the last place settings I needed!) and some fun things to watch and listen to. I'm excited that some people gave us gift cards. I really like to go out to eat and everything. Brandon does not because it's kind of a waste of money. But we can go out on a few dates now, and that's exciting. Especially since it's now time to crack down on frivolous spending so we can afford to get married and stuff in...372 days! I hope that everyone else had a wonderful, stress-free Christmas with their families, too.

Jingle Bells.

Merry Christmas!

Now get off the internet and go spend time with your families. ^_^

I hope there are fuzzy socks in my stocking.

What a relaxing weekend I have had. I don't think I did anything yesterday, except go to church (which was really good). Today I went to Brandon's and watched a movie. It was his first basketball game of the season, and it didn't go to well. They were in the lead for the first part of the first half, but then they lost by fourteen points, I think. I'll chalk it up to being out of shape. I think they'll be better next time. Today I made a gingerbread house with Brandon's little brothers. One is nine-ish, the other is in fifth grade. I think. It' s hard to keep track when Brandon doesn't even know how old they are. *_* Anyway. We made one last year, but this was a different kit. It was pre-assembled, and just needed decorating. That was an adventure. We had to mix the icing ourselves, and then get it into the icing bag. Some ended up getting stuck in the top and that came back out later...it was fun, though. The boys kept stating throughout the decoration that the purpose of decorating in the manner they did was to lower the property value of the other gingerbread houses in the neighborhood...ergo lower taxes. Apparently. And here are pictures:

I also made "Oreo truffles" last night, which are either ok or delicious, depending on your opinion of Oreos. The recipe is simple: mix one eight-ounce block of very soft cream cheese with three cups crushed Oreos. Roll into truffle-sized balls, and refrigerate for about half an hour. Then dip in melted chocolate and refrigerate again overnight. They are quite yummy when very cold and served with a glass of milk. Otherwise they kind of taste like a doughnut dipped in chocolate (per Brandon's mom's description). Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Cue the Hallelujah Chorus

After much confusing telephone conversation today, I received notification from some magical person in HR-land that I will be receiving tuition reimbursement on my first paycheck of the year. What's even more spectacular is that they will be providing me with the full amount of money I'm allowed to receive for the fiscal year. Wow. Basically this means that I can afford to buy my textbooks and possibly pay the remainder of my tuition for the year (meaning I don't have to take out another loan) without sacrificing my safety (i.e. tires) or common sense (insurance).

I am so thankful I could do a jig. If I knew how. Probably.

What a wonderful change of events from the way the first half of the week went!

A reminder.

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." -Romans 5: 1-5 (NIV)

Jessi and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

If it is possible for one to win an award for worst week ever accomplished in two days and without anyone dying or losing their jobs (thankfully), I very well may be the front-runner for said award.

Monday, around one p.m., I checked my school email on a whim. Note the time and date: my last final was last Wednesday. All my books were sold back, and I was finished with the semester. Or so I thought. In my inbox was an email from my professor saying that he was missing an essay from me (he had told me last week he thought I had everything in) and I could do it and receive full credit, but it had to be turned in before noon. He sent the email at 11:15. I didn't read the email until an hour too late. And even if I had just happened to be looking at my inbox at 11:15 that morning, I no longer had the book so I couldn't do the essay, anyway. A great start to the week, finding out that one lost a sizable percentage of her final grade without even knowing. This, of course, put me in a sour mood for work that night. I didn't have extremely high hopes for some of my final grades, and was afraid to look at them when they were posted the next morning. So I had Brandon to it. I got excellent grades, except in that class: I got a D. Which is better than an F, I suppose, but still. Keeping my GPA high enough to retain my scholarship money is going to be extremely difficult next semester. On top of that, I am still waiting to hear about the tuition reimbursement I was approved for at work: I don't know if they hand out the money based on overall average, or if I am automatically disqualified because one of my grades was below a C. Hopefully I will be OK.
Anyway. Yesterday morning I perked up a little because Kelli was supposed to come over, and we would venture to Taco Bueno and possibly make another stop or two. Kelli got here, and we indeed have said tacos (note: Taco Bueno is pretty much Taco Bell with fresher, better food and huge portions. It wouldn't be anything spectacular without the cheesecake chimichangas. Oh, goodness. It's like a cinnamon-sugar egg roll wrapper filled with cheesecake. It was amazing. Go get one now. And bring me one, while you're at it). After being taco-fied, we went over to Target and found some spectacular deals on clothing. I got a few shirts. When I went to pay, my debit card was rejected-twice. I wrote a check and came on home, starting to feel a little queasy. I logged on to my bank account and saw a glaring red number staring back at me- my checking account was wiped out, as was my savings account. We looked at it and assumed that since there were pretty good sized charges ($26, a few times, and some $5s as well) that my debit card information had been stolen. So I called the bank, canceled my card and cut it up. After lots of crying last night (because, remember, I still have tires to get, along with a car insurance payment next month, and textbooks) and a restless sleep, I got up early-ish this morning and went to work to print my bank statement so I could look over it before meeting Brandon at the bank this afternoon so he could give me money (most of his savings, I think) to fill in the hole in my account before Sallie Mae receives and cashes my last student loan payment check. Upon closer, calmer examination, I saw that many of the charges on my account were penalty fees for overdrawing.
Basically, spending $12 total that I didn't have (that's another long story and some blame lies with Amazon not charging the right card for our pre-order of LOST season 4) brought me about $80 in overdraw charges.
I was late getting out of work to meet Brandon at the bank, all the way praying that the check to Target hadn't gone through, because that would cost me another $50 instead of the $20 something that the shirts had actually cost. We get inside to find that the check went through sometime between the time I checked it at 10, and the time I got to the bank at 2:15. Meaning my debt went from about $90 to almost $150, with that mysterious loan payment still on its way to Pennsylvania. Brandon, though, had the foresight to bring more money than I initially told him to, and I am covered now. Broke, stressed, and emotionally exhausted, but covered.
So yeah. It's been a bad week so far. I guess it's a good thing that my financial information actually hasn't been stolen. But that puts ALL the blame on me (with the exception of that bit from Amazon), rather than a slight majority of it. And I guess it's also a good thing that I did go to Target last night, because obviously no other retailers were stopping me from using my card, and who knows? If I hadn't picked Target, I may have gone on spending and racking up fees until I was several hundred dollars in debt.

I don't even want to think about that.

So over the next few days, I will be waiting to see what happens with tuition reimbursement. If I get it, I can pretty much use all of the money I think I'm getting to buy tires, pay insurance, and get my books. If not, well, we'll just have to wait and see. You might as well start praying for me now regarding next semester, though, because it's going to take nothing short of divine intervention to get me the grades I need to keep that scholarship money.

Hey, like my boss said, at least I still have my job. Right?

Break, Day One.

Happy Christmas break, everybody. I'm tempted to make one of those "poll" thingies on the side of my blog asking how many people actually think I will get anything accomplished during these three weeks. So far I'm not off to a great start. I set my alarm for 730 this morning, and hit the snooze button until almost 9. That was pretty sad. I may eventually get around to doing something productive before I have to go to work at 230. Whee. Today is Miss Kara's birthday, though, and I work with her tonight and that will be fun.
I'm going to work to set some goals for this week, what I want to get done before I have to go back to school and I'm too busy taking 18 hours of complete garbage to do anything else. My room looks atrocious. It's depressing. Hopefully I'll get a lot done before Kelli comes over tomorrow. We're going to Taco Bueno. Has anyone else eaten there? They have deep-fried cheesecake so I already like them, and I haven't had any of their food yet.
Also we picked up my wedding ring yesterday. Perhaps eventually I'll put up pictures of it.

There is one thing I'd like to accomplish within the next few minutes, though, and there's a pretty good chance I'll get it done: getting warm. I think I'll go hang out under the covers for a little bit longer. It's so cold today!

Collective sigh of relief in 3...2...1...

Finals are O.V.E.R.

Thank goodness. This was an awful semester.
So how did I celebrate the end of this particular era (that will basically restart in three weeks)? I went to the used book store, found a cool book, bought some Christmas stuff on clearance for my house next year (assuming we have the money...) and went to Outback and ate a quesadilla. It's been a pretty good day. After those awful tests, I mean. Sadly, my dear Kelli will not be joining me this evening, as she is studying for her Biology final, but I've been playing Sims, and will watch Ghost Hunters in a little while and then go to bed. Because I have to work tomorrow. From 2 to 9. Hmm.

Maybe now that the semester is over I will not only have time to post more, but I will have more interesting things to say.

Christmas will be here in "twenty sleeps, four hours and twenty minutes"!

Hey, guess what! Christmas is exactly three weeks from today. Oh, my goodness. I'm not worried- I've had my shopping done for a while. But I'm getting antsy. I don't want to mail my Christmas cards until at least next week, but I may put them in the mail tomorrow, because Christmas makes me happy. I have little gift bags of candy ready to go to work, and everything is wrapped and ready to go. Unfortunately, I don't think that it's safe to put presents under the tree just yet (if the tree was even up...) because of the dogs. Use your imagination.

*sigh* Christmas!

This week has been interesting. I have two papers to go. But four books to read along with them. And then studying for finals. Tomorrow is my last day of classes for the semester and I am beyond ecstatic, even though I am sick and have little energy to be too excited about much else.

Kelli got to go meet Mike Huckabee this week at a book signing, and I am beyond jealous. Every time he was somewhere nearby (Nashville, Lexington, and Cincinnati) I was working or had to be in class to turn something in. It was depressing, and I am insanely jealous.

I should probably get back to cleaning my room, or working on homework, or any number of things. I just thought I'd post on here to let everyone know I am still among the living.

I hate reading books for school.

Hello.
I was going to make a nice Thanksgiving post about all the things I am thankful for. However, I am sick, and have been for several days, and I feel nasty and don't really want to do anything. I haven't done a third of the things I had planned to do this weekend. I have more homework to do than I'm going to be able to finish. I'm doomed, really. But at least I'm not dying (I don't think) so I'll try not to complain so much. I'll save a "thankfulness" post for New Years, or Christmas, or something.
I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving, and be sure to wash your hands a lot, because there's something nasty going around. Blech.

Not for the faint of heart.

Look! A Christmas Survey! Yay!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Wrapping paper, I think. It takes more time. And I like taping things.

2. Real tree or Artificial?

For most of my life, I've had an artificial tree. I hear that real ones can spontaneously burst into flames, so I'll probably keep using fake ones when I move out.

3. When do you put up the tree?

That isn't really up to me, but again, once I move out, I'm sure I'll start decorating as soon as all the trick-or-treaters are gone on Halloween. I love Christmas. It's insane.

4. When do you take the tree down?
After New Year's? I'm not sure.

5. Do you like eggnog?

A sip here or there.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Hmm, not sure about that one. My parents always get us really good presents.

7. Hardest person to buy for?

I think my dad. Because he only likes plants, and Hawaii. There's only so much Lilo and Stitch stuff a person can find for holiday gifts. This year I did well, though.

8. Easiest person to buy for?

Brandon, because we have a running list of movies and books that we are on the lookout for at the used bookstore. So, I just get the list and get a bunch of movies for him, and he's happy. As long as there's candy in his stocking.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?

Mom has about four thousand. One of the ones she got here was actually pretty cute.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?

Mail, duh. I never get emails from anyone, and I hardly ever send them. Everything is facebook now. But I like buying Christmas cards.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?

Does surgery the day after Christmas count? Probably not, because that year I got more presents than usual.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?

Elf is awesome, it's really funny. I also like The Santa Clause. But my favorite one is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It's been my favorite since I was little (don't worry, when I saw it then, it was taped off of network television. Minimal language.)

13. When do you start shopping?

As soon as I see something I think someone will like and if Christmas is closer than their next birthday. I've had Kelli's present since...June? Her birthday is in August. Christmas is December. Yeah. I'm pretty pathetic.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

Probably like, in middle school. Take something random and give it to someone I wanted to be my friend. That worked out really well...

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

Erm...I'm not sure. Cream puffs are good. Also we have chicken nuggets at my aunt's house. And potato salad. I'm pretty simple. All Christmas food is yummy, and I'm excited to be eating it soon.

16. Lights on the tree?

Of course!

17. Favorite Christmas song?

"Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" by Bing Crosby and DAVID BOWIE

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?

Stay home. I don't know that I have anywhere to travel.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (yes, it's Donder) & Blitzen, and Rudolph

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?

Star, or bow.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

Both. I went to Brandon's house last Christmas eve (I think), then my house Christmas morning, then Mammaw's for lunch, then Dia's for dinner. Presents are fun.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?

I'm not a fan of giant inflatable yard art, but other than that, I can't think of anything. Like I said, I love Christmas.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?

Dunno. Silver is pretty.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?,

Ham, and oven macaroni and cheese, and...hmm. Sweet potato casserole (no one in my family makes this), and chocolate chip cookies. That's a combination of the best of the holiday, though.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?

Some fun stuff, like books and DVDs, because next year it's pretty much going to be wedding stuff and house stuff. Which is really fun, too, but I'm hoping that getting random frivolous things for Christmas will help control my urges to buy these things for myself throughout the year.

26. Who is most likely to respond to this?

My mom, I suppose.

27. Who is least likely to respond to this?

Oh, everyone else.

28. What was your most memorable magical memory from your adulthood?

Last year's Christmas service at church. Kyle finished it by talking about how Jesus whites out our sin like snow, and Brian started singing a cool song, and when he got to a climactic part, it started snowing. Like, in church. It was amazing. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

29. Have you ever been involved in a Christmas gift prank?

No....and I want to share with you that whenever I take part in "White Elephant", I always get the horrible gift. A used lightbulb, for instance. Or a McDonald's toy. Despite the fact that that's completely against the rules. It's like Jim Halpert said- you might as well call that game "Nasty Christmas".

30. Favorite Christmas Cartoon?

I really love the Muppet Family Christmas. Muppets aren't cartoons, of course, but I think it should still count. And Jim Henson is at the end of it! That makes me both very happy and very sad.

I think I love Taft.

Hi, people.
Before I talk about ugly stuff, I should share one very happy thing with you. My dear friend Jess (who is going to be one of my bridesmaids) got engaged Thursday night! In the parking lot of the library, no less. Congratulations! Yay! I am very excited for her. I took her a gigantic stack of bridal magazines for her to look through on Saturday.

Meanwhile, things are getting kind of scary at work. Our city's mayor recently announced that we are going to have a $20 million dollar budget shortfall. The city library (where I work) is a branch of the city government. We've already been tightening our proverbial belts by limiting printing, keeping office supplies like paper clips and rubber bands out of view (because we may not be able to replace them) and we are on our last supply of plastic bags- after this we aren't getting any more. It's been an inconvenience, but I think the hardest part has been being bad-mouthed by patrons who expect so much more (they can become quite angry when they find out we don't have a fax machine, we don't offer color printing or sell stamps, etc.) We just found out this weekend, though, that there will be "furloughs" for employees of the city government, and this supposedly means us. Meaning that (as far as we know right now), the libraries will likely be closed for a few select days over the next few months, and we won't get paid for the time off. While I've said in the past that basically my paychecks are spoken for before I even get them, I don't have a family to support, like so many of my coworkers. This is a pretty scary time for all of us. I would much rather have a few days without pay than be laid off, of course. But anyway, I'd appreciate it if, should you think about it, you could offer up a prayer on behalf of us: the city, to make wise choices when it comes to coming up with this money; the families who will be affected by smaller paychecks; and myself, that I'll be able to put my trust in God when it comes to my well-being and my wallet.

And now, I must get back to catching up with my homework. Here is what I accomplished today, for my U.S. Presidency class (we had to make a campaign video- not a PowerPoint, and I learned how to use MovieMaker. Yay, me.)

I have to go to work now.

Mom recently posted a survey on her blog, and here I am stealing it from her, since I have nothing to update my blog about anyway (other than I have a mountain of schoolwork ahead of me, and I've only got a fraction of it finished).

8 TV shows I love to watch:

The Office
LOST (I miss it)
The Soup
Ghost Hunters
The Cosby Show
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Frasier
The Golden Girls



8 favorite restaurants:
Red Lobster
Macaroni Grill
McAlister's Deli
the Colorado Fondue Company
No Way Jose's
Earl of Sandwich
Outback Steakhouse
O'Charley's (wow, this list is really sad)

8 things that happened today:
I woke up
I was up until 2:30 working on a paper
I went to work


8 things I look forward to:
Black Friday Shopping
Thanksgiving
Finishing school this semester
Christmas food
Giving other people their Christmas presents
Graduating (or dropping out, I really don't care which at this point. And I'm only joking a little bit)
Getting married
Going to Disney World with Brandon


8 things on my wish list:
A house
Enough money to do some big things that are coming my way in the next fourteen months
Also money to pay off student loans
The ability to travel all over the world some day
A trip to the Indianapolis Zoo
Something yummy for dinner tonight
The tiny, shivering chihuahua puppy at the pet store
A happy, stress-free Christmas for everyone that I have to deal with on a daily basis. Ha.

I'm the Snow Miser.

I think winter has officially arrived. Here is why I think this:

*It has been cold several days in a row.
* I am actually wearing socks around the house, at the risk of slipping and falling down (they're fuzzy and dangerous)
*Both dogs are sleeping on my bed at night, occasionally under the covers
*I'm wearing a blanket (along with regular clothes, of course).

Classes tonight were canceled, so I'm shivering in my room and waiting for dinner to be done. I don't even know what we're having. I hope it's warm.

That's all I really have to say. Wherever you are, anonymous blog readers, I hope you're not cold like I am.

Doom doom doom.

Though I don't really feel like saying it right now, apparently it's a law.

"God is sovereign and will provide. He is still in control. Everything is going to be alright."

Exercising my 19th Amendment rights.

Go rock the vote!


And remind yourself that no matter who wins, we're still in God's hands.

Happy 100th blog post to me...

This is my 100th post. It is tradition, I hear, to post 100 things about oneself when you reach your 100th post. So I will attempt to do just that. Forgive me if I bore you. I'm really doing this for my own amusement rather than to divulge some great universal truth, or a secret recipe for amazing cookies, or any of the other noble and good things one could share on a blog.

Here goes nothing....

1. I used to tell people that I was named after Jessica Rabbit (of Who Framed Roger Rabbit). I very seriously doubt this is true.
2. One time I sent a letter to the newspaper under a fake name.
3. It got published.
4. I once had a pet pig named Beethoven. He was not particularly friendly. Also pigs are not soft and cuddly as Charlotte's Web would lead you to believe.
5. I don't know how to swim.
6. I'm not really sure why I like Hello Kitty so much, as I generally despise cats.
7. My dog has a lobster costume and a bee costume.
8. I collect walruses. Not real ones, unfortunately.
9. I think it'd be really cool to have a pet walrus. And put a saddle on it and ride it into town.
10. I don't like donuts.
11. Also, English muffins seriously gross me out.
12. And Danishes. I can't even say the word "Danish" in reference to a pastry without feeling a little nauseous.
13. When Tony Blair was in office, I liked watching the British House of Commons on C-Span.
14. Gordon Brown hasn't been nearly as entertaining, sadly.
15. I think To Catch A Predator is both one of the most entertaining and one of the saddest things on television.
16. My interests in Shakespearean poetry were sparked when I heard Alan Rickman reading Sonnet 23.
17. I am very afraid of tornadoes.
18. Also house fires.
19. And bees.
20. I dropped my German class because I have extreme difficulty thinking in other languages. This includes math.
21. I have only ever lost one spelling bee. The word I was given was mispronounced and the judge was from a competing school.
22. The winner's word was "jaguar".
23. I'm still a little bitter about this.
24. Last semester I had a Jewish professor.
25. This is the first time I have known an openly Jewish person.
26. Al Gore really annoys me.
27. I think hot dogs are gross but they are pretty good with melted cheese and sauteed onions.
28. Though I work at a library and I am a bit of a nerd, I don't really read a lot. It's mainly the same books over and over.
29. My reading habit is something I inherited from my mom.
30. Unlike her, I have never made the decision to read at a stoplight.
31. I love English accents.
32. Also Scottish.
33. Brandon really likes Mr. Bean, and I think this is cute.
34. If I could make a living out of giving people presents, I would.
35. I have boxes of greeting cards, tissue, bows, ribbon, gift bags, and wrapping paper in preparation for these occasions.
36. I really miss Steve Irwin and I'm not quite sure why.
37. I have old pictures of Barry Manilow on my bedroom door.
38. Between that, the Star Wars posters, and the David Bowie albums, if you didn't know any better you might think it was 1977 in my room.
39. This greatly amused one of my favorite teachers, as she too had David Bowie on her walls as a teenager.
40. I don't miss high school. Rather, I miss the way some people used to be, and I miss getting to see my friends every day.
41. I also miss prayer requests in class.
42. And debates in senior Bible class. But that's it.
43. My senior year I got to play Eliza Doolittle in our spring play.
44. This is the most proud I have ever been of myself, one of the best experiences of my life, and I still smile thinking about it
45. One time I told my dad to go away when he came in my room to read me The Hobbit.
46. I felt bad about that for years.
47. I think that the only book I ever really read for classes in high school was Jane Eyre. And frankly I'm surprised I graduated.
48. I like old game shows.
49. Me and my dad used to watch Match Game when we were convalescing after our surgeries. It was cool.
50. When I was little my mom told me that if I chewed up a Vitamin C drop, my teeth would be stuck together forever.
51. I still don't chew cough drops. And my mom is a liar. Ha!
52. Sometimes I wish I were a multimillionaire so I could provide Louisville with better libraries and museums.
53. I am totally not making that up.
54. If we had the money to donate, Brandon would have a Tasmanian devil exhibit added to the Australian section of the zoo, and I would add a walrus exhibit complete with show.
55. Also I might buy a penguin. For me.
56. I love shows about cooking competitions.
57. Top Chef is my favorite.
58. My history professor kind of reminds me of Anthony Bourdain.
59. I have seen the Lord of the Rings movies more times that I can count.
60. I cried more times during the season 4 finale of LOST than I have during anything else that's on television. And Brandon thought this was funny.
61. I probably watch too much TV.
62. But I make up for it by reading, too.
63. Odd Thomas is my new favorite literary character.
64. Excluding anyone in the Harry Potter series.
65. And Aslan.
66. Whenever I go to Brandon's house for dinner I keep my fingers crossed that they will be having mashed potatoes. Because their mashed potatoes are AMAZING.
67. Also when he had leftover sweet potato casserole one week I about died. I am considering having him tell them that's what I want for Christmas.
68. Starchy foods rock my world.
69. When I grow up I want to have like, six kids.
70. Actually I want to adopt most of them. It makes me sad that some countries look down on baby girls just because they're girls. It's something I feel pretty passionately about.
71. Brandon is a bit lacking in the passion department when it comes to this subject.
72. Along with my engagement ring, he gave me a Hello Kitty dvd for my 19th birthday.
73. It was pretty awful. The dvd, I mean. Not the birthday.
74. Actually I was pretty sick that day. But it was still the best birthday I've ever had.
75. Though I am greatly looking forward to making a home with Brandon, I think I will really miss my room. I've been in it a long time.
76. My room is purple. Before that it was gray. It was quite a change.
77. I really appreciated the change that this new paint brought, though, because at the time I was going through a lot of changes myself. The purple paint made me feel like I was living in a different place, and this, I feel, helped me move on during these changes.
78. Sometimes I miss the spontaneity my life used to have.
79. I have probably consumed several hundred dollars worth of free lattes in my lifetime.
80. Once I had to kiss a friend as a part of a mandatory audition for a play.
81. It was weird.
82. I didn't get the part.
83. I hate writing with pencils. I would be happy to never own a pencil again.
84. I don't drink, not just because I'm not 21 and it's stupid, but I don't like doing things that are probably going to make me barf and/or wreck a vehicle.
85. I like making lists.
86. Currently I am the tannest that I have ever been in my life. And that's pretty sad, according to some people.
87. Once my best friend said that she was so pale she has to go to the tanning bed to keep from going clear.
88. I'm determined to live until the American tricentennial.
89. Assuming this country still exists by then.
90. I probably have more than one cavity. In my teeth.
91. I hate math.
92. I've ridden in an ambulance before.
93. I acted out Jurassic Park on senior retreat.
94. I also won the name that tune competition. Partly because I had recently seen a few specials like "100 greatest one hit wonders" on vh1.
95. And in 12th grade I got the Drama award. it would sound better if they called it the "theater" award, or the "acting" award.
96. To be completely fair, there are many times in my life where I've deserved a "drama" award. 97. My topic for a science project one year was "Is there a taste difference between butter and margarine?"
98. It was every bit as exciting as it sounds.
99. There is a tiny koala hanging from my bulletin board.
100. It is not a real koala. I'm 98% sure.

It is cold, all of a sudden.

I'm considering a career as a pirate.

Never mind the fact that I generally despise boats and bodies of water larger than a whirlpool tub (remind me to tell you about senior retreat sometime). Yesterday we went on our "Belated Happy Fiftieth Anniversary Mimi and Pappaw Brunch with Elvis-slash-Johnny Cash- slash- Wayne Newton Ohio River Cruise". It was pretty fun. We sat for a while, and then were allowed to eat, and I discovered that looking out the window on a boat while eating is not the best idea. The food was all right. They had a waffle bar, which was pretty exciting, and also some breakfast potatoes that were probably the best of their kind that I have ever eaten. We went out on the upper deck early on, and again when the multi-talented Elvis impersonator became a bit too much. We spent the last part of the cruise up there watching various unmarked restaurants and hills of road salt pass by....well, technically we were the ones doing the passing, but you understand.

And now I am waiting to go to work. How very exciting. My room is atrocious, I probably have some homework to do, and what am I doing? Blogging. Oh well. One of these days I may get my priorities in line.

I like chocolate milk.

Things I could be doing:

*Wrapping Christmas presents (insane, I know)
*Reading for school
*Cleaning
*Grocery Shopping
*Taking a nap

What I am actually doing:
I'm not really sure. I got distracted by the television. Brandon got me the Office, season 2, on dvd. And so I am quite distracted by blooper reels, deleted scenes, and commentaries.

Also tomorrow we are going on a breakfast cruise at 12pm and apparently Elvis will be there. I don't know what that's all about. Hopefully it will be fun. The best midday brunch cruise with Elvis I will ever go on. Heck yeah.

Why shouldn't dogs wear clothes?

I went shopping at Target today. Target is pretty much my favorite store. Well, one of them. Anyway. I went to look for pants. I ended up trying on coats and getting Polo a Halloween costume that was on clearance with the money I got from selling all my Family Guy DVDs (it's a long story).

I think Polo hates me. Well, he does for now, anyway.

In case you can't tell, he's a bee.

He loves peaches. No, really.

In these difficult economic times, it is important to find the small things throughout the day that will put smiles on our faces and generally lift our spirits. One such way we can accomplish this is to celebrate historical milestones such as the birthdays of important Americans. Friends, today is one of those days. Today is Jeff Goldblum's birthday. I know, right? Very exciting. In honor of this esteemed thespian and all-around weirdly amazing fellow, why not bake some cupcakes? Or at least treat yourself to a sundae at McDonald's. They are only a dollar. Plant a tree, or perhaps go play some cards with an old person. They get lonely sometimes. Just make sure that whatever you do to celebrate, you tell everyone you know that you are doing it in honor of Jeff Goldblum. That will be sure to put a smile on their face. They might also laugh so hard they fall down. But it's all about lifting our spirits, right? Right?

Yeah. Of course it is.

Very sad.

Please keep our friend Brooke in your prayers, she had a miscarriage this morning. She and her husband just got married in August and were very excited to be expecting their first child.

Birthday part deux.

Today is my dad's birthday. He does not believe in blogs, so he won't read this. But it wouldn't be fair to ignore his birthday since I posted for mom's. So happy birthday, dad. Maybe thirty years from now you will decide that blogging is a legitimate pastime and decide to drop by. You will be seventy-five years old. How's that for a happy thought?

This is not my dad but I had a friend who said he looks like Uncle Pennybags of Monopoly fame (he doesn't, but he does have a mustache and he is a banker guy).

Where's the cake?

Today is my mom's birthday. She is pretty awesome. If you haven't already, you should read her blog. Apparently she is going to have a slideshow. Do not let this stop you from visiting anyway. Ha. She is a very special person and an entertaining writer, much more so than I am, apparently. Anyway. Happy birthday, mom!

Yeah, we're pretty adorable.

Zoo Day, two days late

Brandon, Kelli and I went to the zoo in celebration of Fall Break. Here are some pictures.

It's time for the World's Largest Halloween Party at the Louisville Zoo

Wallaroos

Scotty the baby elephant came over to visit me

He's so adorable!

This is really weird.

The snow leopard spies a tasty child.

My best friend Kelli and Willy...I mean, Winnie the Pooh

And there's more, but I won't bore you with them. I just felt like memorializing an ok day on the internet.

Bleargh. I say that a lot.

My dogs are asleep, I am waiting for Brandon to call me, and it's only a few hours before fall break is technically over.
I have accomplished nothing.
I haven't done anything special or fun.
But things are slowly getting better, I guess.

For fun this evening I went back and read a few entries of an online journal I kept in 2005. I was kind of funny at times. Very self-deprecating and spending way too much time and energy focusing on one person, but funny. I said things like "he is a pez dispenser of broken promises" and "at least I have my shattered dreams and broken milk bottles to keep me warm on the side of the road".
Yeah, it was pretty weird.

Anyway. I found a fun little survey on there, and I think I will re-take it (it's been three years, I'm sure my answers have changed). Maybe you would like to take it, too.

::15 Random Favorites::
Pink, purple, window shopping, craft stores, Wednesdays, not being at school, gift cards, movies, walruses, rolling nickels (ok not really), things that make me laugh, Christmas cards, cupcakes, making people smile, eyeliner.
::14 Favorite Foods::
Pralines, McDonald's french fries, diet coke, diet cherry coke, bottled water, bread products, cheesy things, Christmas cookies, chicken salad, scallops, chicken, noodles, chicken flavored noodles, jammy dodgers.
::13 Most Watched Shows::
The Office, The Soup, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the Colbert Report, the Cosby Show, House, Morning Joe (I'm a nerd), Jon and Kate Plus Eight, Ghost Hunters, erm...the Golden Girls, Wife Swap, Best Week Ever, and...I can't think of anything else. I don't even watch these all that much, I don't think .
::12 Good Bands in your Opinion::
Sheesh. We'll just say musicians. David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Rufus Wainwright, Journey, Barry Manilow, David Crowder Band, Casting Crowns, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Queen, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton. I can think of a lot more that I like. Isn't that a weird, eclectic list?
::11 Memories::
Fun times senior year, graduation, waking up from surgery, being mesmerized by the muppets as a child, several horrible proms and homecomings, going to the David Crowder concert at church, my Disney World graduation trip, the amazing feeling of being on stage for "Pygmalion", many fun weeknights spent with friends that I no longer speak to, my first day driving to school on my own, Brandon proposing.
::10 Close Friends::
*snort*. Kelli. Brandon. Jess. Uh...my mom? Does she count? Jesus. My dogs. I might have to count them individually. And....erm....Creed Bratton. Not really.
::09 Things you're looking forward to::
Moving all of my junk into the house that I do not have, getting married, graduation from some school-type institution, quitting my job, eventually going to the Indianapolis Zoo to see the walruses, paying off my car so I can start paying off something else, tomorrow afternoon, Christmas, breakfast (we're having pancakes!)
::08 Things you wear daily::
My engagement ring, some other ring (probably my class ring), mascara, clothing, shoes (usually), lip gloss...gosh, this is hard! Does toothpaste count? Because...you wear it on your teeth. For a few seconds. Ok never mind.
::07 Things That Annoy You::
Liars, broken promises, baby-killing, hearing people say things that I really want to argue with but I cant' say anything, eating potato chips for breakfast because I'm picky and there's nothing else that looks reasonably appetizing, having to do the work of four people at work while getting paid one lonely salary, the new sermon format on our church's website (instead of taping the service, it's the pastor sitting in his office, I guess, pretty much saying whatever he talked about in church. But without the atmosphere and spirit)
::06 Things You Touch Everyday::
My bedroom doorknob, some sort of food, my dogs, my hair (I twirl it), a wintergreen lifesaver, my cell phone
::05 Movies You Could Watch Over and Over::
Moulin Rouge, Willow, the Lord of the Rings, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the Muppet movies
::04 Of Your Favorite Childhood Toys::
Play food, Asian Barbies (because they had black hair and I was jealous), stuffed animals, Jonathan's Batman figures
::03 People You Have Kissed::
Um, I had to kiss a friend for an audition once. For a play. Not a kissing audition. And then there's Brandon. And...my dog. But not in a gross way.
::02 Of Your Favorite Songs::
"Kathy's Song" by Simon and Garfunkel and "Faithfully" by Journey, partly because I just listened to them.
::01 Person You Could Spend the Rest of Your Life With::
Brandon. You know what my answer was three years ago? "Jeff Goldblum. I think I love him."

Is it time to eat yet?

Well, I'm back. It's been an...interesting few days, for lack of a better word. I'd appreciate it if you can keep both Brandon and myself in your prayers, as we are dealing with a lot right now. I'm not going to go into any kind of detail, but your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

I am going through an interesting season in my life right now (again, I use "interesting" because I don't have a better word_. Work is...messy. And mildly insane. School is both extremely boring and incredibly time consuming. Remember how I said that I didn't want to be at Bellarmine anymore? I've almost decided that I'm so apathetic about school, I'd rather switch majors and stay there than move somewhere else, deal with all that change, and stay in school longer to get a lesser degree. never mind that I'm going to be $10,000+ more in debt. I'll be in debt anyway. Who cares anymore? Not I, said the duck. And I don't even know what that means so don't bother asking.

So yeah. It's really difficult to maintain a positive outlook on life when not only is my little world falling down around me in that I seem to be too inadequate to manage my work, academic, and/or personal lives without trauma, but apparently the rest of the world is losing its collective mind, too.

I take solace in the fact that I don't have classes Monday or Tuesday. I still have to work, but it's a start. I have a boatload of homework to do (most of it advance work so I won't have to deal with it later), and Brandon and I are going to try to go to the zoo, maybe. And then next Saturday I am off work, so I'm going to possibly do my field study at the art museum with Kelli. They are having an exhibit of classic American art from Yale. Maybe we will have the opportunity to do some shopping, too. If only we had some money to throw around...hmm. That would be nice.


On a very happy note, though, Mrs Amy had her baby, and there is a picture on her blog. So go look at it because she's pretty much adorable.

Hey.

My heart hurts. A lot.

Please pray for me.

Thanks.

I have some depressing news.

I think my fish may be dying.

Oh, the times Fernald and I have had together. First he was on top of my bookcase. Then he moved to the top of my desk. He has had many bowls, and many colors of gravel. Because that is easier than cleaning a bowl. Just getting a new one at the Dollar Tree. Or at least new gravel.
I bought Fernald on a whim after I graduated in 2006. I thought to myself, hey, I haven't had a fish in a while. So I got a little purple tank, and some gravel, and a tiny walrus statue. I picked Fernald because he was a nice mixture of both blue and red, which is close to purple, which is my favorite color.
Fernald's name was originally Bertrand. And then a few hours later it was Harold Ramis. And then about a week later he was rechristened Fernald. He seems happy with it.

Fernald has been acting weird for about a week now. I changed his water and stuff a few days ago and that normally perks him up, but he has been lingering in the corner of the top of his bowl for a day or two. His fishy chin (or is it his chest?) is gray. And most of the time he isn't even fluttering his little fins. He just...lays there. Drifting...drifting...it's really depressing to have a possibly dying fish in your room.

Should Fernald pass on to the big pet store in the sky soon, I hope he goes peacefully. And also when I'm not home. And maybe mom will find him first and flush him so I don't have to suffer that emotional trauma.

Those were the days...when Fernald was happy and shiny and bright.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I am guilty of treating God like a wishing well.
As in...
"Hey, God, how's it going? Can you please make my stomach stop hurting at work?"
"Hi, God. Sorry it's been a while. Please let me have an easy week. Things have been tough lately. Thanks. "
"While I'm not 100% sure about your feelings on lottery tickets, God, it would be really cool if you would give me a sign that I'm supposed to buy one, and also that you would allow me to win exactly enough money to buy a house. I found a really nice one online. It's blue. Ok, talk to you later."

This is a really bad habit of mine.
I think perhaps the first step in breaking a bad habit is realizing that you have one. Maybe?

The weekend has been relatively non-eventful. Sometimes that is a blessing. I mean, there weren't any major tragedies. That's a good thing. It's getting colder, I find myself very shivery in the night and plan on washing my large pink blanket soon. This blanket is amazing. They still sell it at Target, it's called the "cozy blanket", and I swear it feels like it's made out of clouds, or something. It is amazingly soft. Not to mention pink. Unfortunately I don't think I washed it before storing it this spring so it kind of smells like Diego. OK it really smells like Diego. That's why it's hidden away in a box in my closet.

I don't really have anything spectacular to say. I never feel very...profound during the school year. Sorry to disappoint. Hopefully something exciting will happen in someone else's life this week and I can post about that.

I'd like to thank the Academy... have I used that before?

My mom was kind enough to give me a blog award.


Of course she loves my blog. She's my mom. She has to. So apparently I also have to fill out a survey thingie with one word answers. Here we go.


where is your cell phone? there
where is your significant other? driving
your hair color? artificial
your mother? sick
your father? working
your favorite thing? humor
your dream/goal? Heaven
The room you're in? mine
your hobby? worrying
your fear? bees
where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
where were you last night? work
what you're not? Eskimo
one of your wish list items? house
the last thing you did? microwaved
what are you wearing? "slacks"
your tv? (my tv what?) on
your pet? Fernald
your computer? works
your mood? tolerable
missing someone? Possibly
your car? Sporty
something you're not wearing but love to wear? earrings
favorite store? ...pass.
your summer? short
love someone? chyeah
your favorite color? purple.
when is the last time you laughed? earlier
last time you cried? yesterday


And now I am supposed to forward this to seven people whose blog I love. Hmm. Do I know seven people? Well, I love Kelli's blog even though she has never written anything on it, but I love her anyway. I love reading Rachel's blog because I am still amazed that she is a mommy now, and Averi is so cute! I also read Amy's blog, Mrs. Scott's blog (who will hopefully be adopting a little boy from Ethiopia very soon!), Briana's blog, Crosswalk, and...um...that might be it! Well, I do read other blogs but they aren't written by real people. They are pictures and things. So yeah.

Hope you're having a happy Tuesday. I'd give mine a B+. It's been all right, but nothing to really tell people about.

I hit my thumb with a book and it still hurts.

Hi, people.
It has been a stressful week, and I'm sorry I am not posting anything but recounts of my stress on here lately. Thankfully my dear Kelli provided me with all the episodes of the Office so I have something entertaining to lift my spirits, and my dear Brandon has been here for me and is helping me out with my tuition woes (I don't know what I'd do without him!). Friday might have been the worse. I went to take my withdraw slips to a professor (I'm dropping my two toughest classes, so I'm still full-time, but there's no need in taking them and giving myself a stress-related stroke trying to make a good grade in the class) and instead of simply signing them or asking me to email him or whatever, he made me go to the front of the class and very loudly, rudely, and unprofessionally picked at me and my reasons for dropping the class. I was kind enough not to tell him that part of the reason was because he was so rude and let his students say really nasty, intolerant things in class. He basically said that I was crazy for making a "rash decision", and badgered me until I told him where I was *thinking* about going, and he hadn't heard of it so obviously, it's not a real school. His comments weren't made with a tone of concern for my future, but with disdain. It really hurt my feelings and was especially painful because I had been dreading going to him in the first place (I hate confrontation. Or the possibility of confrontation.)
Thankfully things went pretty well at work today. I probably would have just broken down crying if they hadn't, because, well, it's been that kind of week. Blech. I am keeping my hopes up for next week, though.

On a mostly unrelated note, it's almost October! Yay! I like October because autumn is my favorite season. It starts getting cold, there's Halloween candy, and when October is over it's November, which means Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping and Christmas is very soon. Yay! I am kind of sad that I won't be able to get people as much for Christmas this year (life suddenly got more expensive this summer. I'm not sure why). I LOVE getting presents for people. And wrapping them. I am the wrapping queen. I am really weird, I know. I am excited, though. Hopefully October will be a very fun month.

Brief briefing.

While I was up last night being all befuddled and depressed and stuff, I turned on the telly and who did I see visiting the set of the Daily Show? None other than my favorite former PM, Tony Blair.
And he was wearing a magenta tie.
All was right in the world for the few moments he was on the screen. I like him. He makes me smile.

Food is weird.

I am highly suspicious of this peanut butter and cherry preserves sandwich I have just stopped eating. It smells kind of like the bread is about to go bad. I am hypersensitive to things like this. I will not drink milk the day before its sell-by date. Not "use by", "sell by". I won't eat bread that smells at all fruity because that means it's about to go bad. And yes, I am aware that this particular sandwich contains fruit. There is a difference.
And it's kind of a bummer because that's pretty much all I brought for dinner. All we have hear is candy. Candy does not a dinner make. And also it makes my teeth hurt.

So now I have nothing to do during my dinner break other than ponder and worry and other such things. I mentioned before that I am looking into switching schools. This is because I don't like going to school in such a secular environment, I do not want to be a historian, and Bellarmine is insanely expensive. I miss going to a small, Christ-centered (hmm) school. That's what Whitefield was supposed to be, anyway. So I have actually been looking at other options since April or May but didn't fully disclose to family how fed up I am until recently. Now I am looking into switching to Boyce, which is run by the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am no longer really considered "Southern Baptist" but I agree with the doctrine and that's what I was raised in, even though I now belong to a nondenominational church. Anyway. I could theoretically switch to Boyce and get an associate's degree in a year, with a few summer classes thrown in, and then after that work towards my Bachelor's in "Christian Worldview and Apologetics". Which sounds interesting and useful, and if I did change my mind and decide to teach (again- this time instructing high schoolers how to fortify themselves with their faith so that they may resist so many of the nasty things world outside of high school has to offer), I could use that. If I went full time, I could get THAT degree two years after I get my associates (not counting summer terms, should I take them). I just don't know. I am very confused right now.

Here's what I know:
*I want a degree
*I like Jesus
*I don't see Him at Bellarmine
*I don't have any desire to be a historian, researcher, author, professor, etc.
*I don't have a lot of money
*I think that this particular degree at Boyce would be very useful, and it's something I'm interested in.
*I want to do something my family and Brandon approve of
*Jesus, too. I want Him to approve, I mean.
*I'm not super thrilled with the idea of going ot school for a few extra years, part-time or full-time, and for some reason I get the feeling people would be mad at me if I had to keep going past my once-anticipated graduation date.

Here's what I don't know:
*Anything else.


The more I think about it, that sandwich bread has totally gone bad. Ew. I can still taste it. Blech.

I have twenty minutes left before I have to work again. I have nasty bread taste in my mouth. And I am very confused as to the direction I am headed.
Also it's warm in here. There, I think that covers everything I could possibly complain about right now. I'm going to go see if I have a caramel apple sucker in my purse and try to stop thinking about that sandwich.

Oh what love

I have felt called to pray for someone I know a lot over the past few days. I care about this person a lot even though we don't see each other very often anymore. So many people I knew from high school have worked very hard to ignore God and what He wants for their lives. In some of them I still see some hope, I pray that their hearts will ache to know Christ- again. We so often took for granted being constantly exposed to "Jesus stuff" in high school (and often at home as well) and many of my classmates aren't getting along so well without it now. I think I sound like a sixty year old preacher when I say this, but they are being destroyed by the evil that permeates parts of the secular world. Particularly college. It's a generational thing, really. Not just Whitefield students. I am really praying that God will use me to show this person what they've been missing, what a hope their is in having a relationship with Jesus. That no matter what they are going through with their family or what pressures they are facing He is always there, and people like me will be too. All this person has to do is ask for help. So I posted some lyrics on facebook in hopes that they will be seen by the right people. Person, rather. He needs to know that God is listening.

Please lift up this anonymous soul in your prayers. I'm having a difficult time expressing how heavily God has laid this on my heart. Each day I see something else that makes me more worried for this individual.

Fun times in the Ville.

Well, that was interesting.
We came back from lunch on Sunday to find that the power was out in our house. So off I went to Brandon's, and I was quite happy to find that they had power there, although I had to take a detour and have him pick me up at the mall due to a downed power line. About an hour into our thoroughly exciting movie, though, their power went out, too. I got home around five, and...I don't really remember what we did the rest of the night, but listen to the radio.
Hurricane Ike came through Louisville, minus the rain (which is what we really needed). A few people died, including a ten year old boy who was out mowing the grass when a tree limb hit him. At the height of the chaos, about an eighth of all residents in Kentucky were without power. There have been more than 5,000 reported downed power lines in our city, and a few hundred cracked telephone poles. Our neighborhood sustained some pretty bad damage from fallen trees, but nothing really happened on our street, thankfully. Many grocery stores and gas stations remained closed, so things could get a lot worse. I know most of the ladies I work with are still without power (ours came on around 1030 last night!). Nine out of the sixteen libraries were completely without power yesterday, yet everyone still had to come in at work. I got to go home after about an hour and have a hot meal out at Mammaw's, but I had to take vacation time. Poo.
Anyway. Please keep our state in your prayers. They have said that it could be up to two weeks for everyone to have power, and the schools will probably be out the rest of the week. I don't know if Bellarmine was damaged but we were out yesterday and today (that I didn't mind so much. Actually I hope we're out the rest of the week, because I'm supposed to have a map quiz on Friday). Speaking of school, I am thinking about transferring to a local Christian college. But that is another story for another time. Right now I have a lot of stuff to do that I haven't been able to because of the power outage.

Remember.

Today is September 11th.
Seven years ago some bad and scary stuff happened in my country.
Planes flew into buildings
People couldn't find their family members.
People chose their own manner of death by jumping out of windows rather than waiting for the inevitable.
A lot of people died.
We came to recognize that we are surrounded by heroes, from police officers to firefighters to people giving money and shelter to doggies wearing special shoes so they could walk on rubble to look for survivors.

Seven years ago I was in the eighth grade. I was 13 years old. I remember arriving in Mrs. Burns' history class, and she told us that a plane had flown into some building in New York that no one had ever heard of. She mentioned the name "Osama bin Laden", and said that she didn't know who he was either. We prayed for the people in New York without really knowing what was going on. Our class moved to the tiny library and stood in the back of the room, as Mr. Balty's high school class was sitting up front, crowded around the one little TV. When we got there we heard Mr. Balty whispering to Mrs Burns that another tower had been hit. I remember talking with my friend Alexa at lunch, and we wondered whether our nation would be going to war. We decided that if it came down to it, we would plant victory gardens.
I remember watching a lot of TV during the next few days. They showed the footage of smoke pouring from these buildings over and over. Sometimes they'd show a jumper. The reporters on the ground encountered people covered in thick gray dust. The reporters often asked if they were looking for any family, and I remember one man describing his wife or his girlfriend, what she had been wearing, and that she had long braids in her hair. I got pretty excited because a few hours earlier another network had spoken with a dazed woman who matched his description. Except she was so covered in dust from the buildings falling that you couldn't even tell the color of her skin.
I remember seeing the civilian footage after the first hit on the World Trade Center, the camera operator wondering aloud if the hit had been accidental, and hearing people scream as the second plane flew into the other tower. I remember seeing people running from the encroaching clouds of dirt, smoke, and debris.

I remember seeing a lot of American flags, and I think the newspaper even printed one that we cut out and taped in our living room window until we could get a real one. That paper flag stayed up for a long time. It eventually got pretty faded and we took it down.

I remember adding a "terror alert" system to our country's lexicon. And I remember when we actually took that seriously. We've been orange or yellow for years now. No one pays attention to that anymore.

Come to think of it, I don't remember ever seeing the little constantly scrolling news ticker at the bottom of the screen before 9/11, either.

I remember telethons and celebrity concerts honoring people in the armed forces and others, like those firefighters and police officers. I remember people being proud of our soldiers, and being willing to tell them so out loud in public.

People have been saying "We will never forget" all day on TV today. Like it's the official slogan. I didn't hear anyone mention it at school today. I didn't see any extra American flags, or yellow ribbons, or open displays of patriotism. I might not have realized that today was The Day if I hadn't had to check the calendar for something at work today. Apparently we have forgotten. And that's really sad. I don't care if you are a Republican or Democrat. I don't care if you like the President or the war(s) going on right now. I don't care what your political opinions are, what you think of Fox News or NBC. Seven years ago people died. Someone- some people- hated us enough to take our planes and fly them into buildings, killing thousands of people for no good reason (not that there's ever a "good" reason to kill a bunch of people, mind) and that's sad. Horrible. Heart-breaking. Terrifying. So, people booing John McCain right now on television, shut up. Get over yourselves. This is an insult to the memory of some 3,000 people who died seven years ago today, who were just going to work, or dropping their kids off at daycare, or delivering a package, or flying to see loved ones. Show some respect. Count your blessings, be thankful that it wasn't you or someone you know. Honor their memory by acting like an American tonight. Not a Democrat. Not a Republican. Election coverage and public humiliation can resume tomorrow- we've got time, the election is more than a month away. Give it a break. Just for tonight.

Weekday update

It is going to be an extremely long day.

Today was the first day of working out at the gym with Kelli. It was fun and tiring and at some times awkward (certain machines stand facing the wall for a reason). I got there a little before 630 this morning. I got home around 8, took a shower, dried my hair a little, and headed off to school. There were two parking spots. I was quite happy to see the little security man in his golf cart writing freshmen and residents tickets for parking in our lot. There are too few spaces as it is, we don't need more people in the way. So then I had class this morning, and I just got done with my geography quiz. I spent so much time memorizing political boundaries (which has always been my weakness in the past) that I didn't concentrate enough on capital cities and other important places, and that will be my downfall. Hopefully my field study will be amazing and that will make up for it. There are some teachers and professors that you just hate disappointing, because they are willing to take time out of their day to help you, or provide opportunities for you to make up a poor grade. I am afraid I just disappointed my professor. And myself. Very sad.
Anyway. I got out of class early so I snagged a computer. I have two more classes to go (both socially uncomfortable and painfully boring) and then I get to leave, driving straight to work for five hours. In short, for more than thirteen hours today, the only time I have/will have had at home is to take a shower. *_* I don't know how well this is going to work out. Oh, and I get to work tomorrow morning. And will probably end up spending my break before my 6 pm class at school, so I can try to get some work done. We shall see.

there are some who call me...tim?

Good evening, friends.

I am blogging because I haven't done so in a while. Because I am in a not-so-happy mood and think writing will help alleviate that. Because I am thinking a lot of things right now and perhaps in some weird way I think that sharing them with the few random people who will read this will make me feel better.

This is not a pity party. Just...stress relief.

I pretty much work and go to school these days. On Mondays, I get up and go to school. I leave straight from school and go to work. It's a half hour drive. It's not very exciting. I listen to books on tape. When I get off work it's after nine, and I'm tired and don't feel like doing much of anything, especially not homework. This attitude will not go over very well this semester, as I have...nine papers, a video presentation, and a research proposal this semester. Not to mention fourteen textbooks, three Presidential biographies of my choice, numerous tests, quizzes, article summations, etc. Blech. It makes my head spin just thinking about it.
Tuesdays and Thursdays I get up and go to work in the morning and drive straight to school. Wheeeeee.

I get to see Brandon two times a week now. On Friday evenings and on Sundays. Saturdays are reserved for homework. This is a huge change from seeing him three or four nights a week, plus having at least an hour lunch with him every day at school. I eat lunch by myself, usually working on the crossword, in the cafe area of my school. Twenty minutes later I am bored so I walk a few buildings over and play games on my phone while I wait for class to start.

I think the last few years of wearing ballet flats and skate shoes have permanently damaged my feet. Or at least one of them. It hurts really bad, and is sometimes very difficult to walk on, and it gets on my nerves. Can I buy new feet? Assuming I stumble across some large sum of money and have enough money to afford important things such as tires, an education, and new appendages.

I am very excited about Sarah Palin. She is really nifty, and is female, and stands for a lot of the things that I believe in. Also she has five kids and her family seems really happy. I like that. And I am beginning to like John McCain a little, too.

My wisdom teeth are bothering me. When I was a junior in high school I discovered that my wisdom teeth were beginning to grow in. In math class, I requested prayer for this. I hate going to the dentist. I hate people's hands in my mouth. I hate surgery. So I asked for prayer that God would allow these new teeth to fit in my mouth so I didn't have to have them cut out. God answered that prayer in a rather slow and interesting way. These wisdom teeth have grown in one at a time over the past four years. Very slowly. And it's bearable and for that I am extremely grateful. At times, however, they feel weird, these extra teeth in the back of my mouth. I have never felt such sympathy- or is it empathy?- for teething babies. I know their pain. And I actually remember it!

Speaking of prayer requests, I miss that part of my high school. Bellarmine is not spiritually committed to anything. I have a feeling most colleges aren't. I haven't really minded it so much until recently, and I don't really know why. I miss being in a small setting where I know that everyone else has pretty much the same background as me. I didn't have to worry about English professors misrepresenting Bible studies, or other students passing judgement on the Puritans of 17th century America. We all recognized that abortion is wrong, and had nothing to fear by openly discussing this and many other topics in class. I miss telling my teachers what's going on in my life, and asking for their prayer. Sometimes I miss it so much it makes my heart hurt. The other day I found myself doodling in my psychology notebook and mentioned something about looking into tuition at a local Christian college. It's too late to switch now. It would probably be cheaper, and I would probably be happier, but it's not going to happen. Not with four semesters left. I probably wouldn't be able to transfer all my credits, and I don't want to stay in school any longer. I think about dropping out sometimes because I hate it so much. It's like, there is no point in being there other than to stress me out. If I even drop one of my classes it's going to affect the rest of my semesters at Bellarmine, and while I would have some slight relief now, I wouldn't be happy then when I had to take 18 hours of classes while preparing for my wedding.

My room is a mess. I am getting rid of three boxes of my stuff and it's still cluttered. I can't think of anything else to get rid of, actually. Someone should come box up my stuff and buy me a house and put all my stuff in it. Just leave my computer, some paper and my mattress. Better yet, buy me a new mattress, because the one I have is shot.

My doggies are asleep on my bed. Picky Polo is actually not under the covers. He is sprawled out in the middle of the bed, with his gigantic bat ears sticking up, making him look even more ridiculous than he already does.

I would like to take a trip back to Whole Foods with my Kelli, to get some random expensive groceries. That will have to wait until tires are purchased and insurance payments are made, however. Maybe we can get some fancy cheese, or something. Or scallops. Or chocolate croissants.
We decided that when it gets closer to Halloween, just for silliness we will get some stuff to make Harry Potter food! She wants butterbeer (which appears to be club soda, butterscotch syrup, and butter. I don't know about that last part). I just want something toffee. Yummy. Yay, food! It is so much fun.

Mom dyed my hair tonight and it is two different colors. I am having trouble figuring out why.

I am excited about Christmas. I have most of Brandon's presents, all of Kelli's, half of Jonathan's, and I have mom's picked out. I don't know what I'm getting dad so I hope that the Disney store adds some more stitch stuff to their website in the next month or two.

Ok, even though I don't have to go to school tomorrow until noon, meaning I can sleep in and watch the Golden Girls, I think I will try to go to bed now. I am out of things to say. At least, things that I am willing to type and/or admit.

Hope all is well with you, too.