Girls and Boys.

Last night a friend came over and we discussed some things. One of such things, though tangential, was fairly interesting. Somehow we got on the subject of how men hav eno idea what women deal with in terms of physical pain- they're wusses, basically. They have no consequence to their reproductive systems, they really have NO idea what the ladies go through. And this person admitted that, but then claimed that men DO in fact have to deal with stuff.

After much probing he asserted that men have to "do" everything in a relationship (I'm actually pretty sure that I offered up that one). That was promptly shot down when we (me and Stac) retorted that women have to send all the signals and then WAIT for the guy to get the guts to make the move (which is much appreciated when it does happen).

After that my dear friend said "but women get stuff that men don't"... and we both laughed. "Like what?" We were both extremely curious. He pondered and his face twisted as he considered what he thought women had over men... "they have better clothes to choose from." Alright, ok... that stemmed from an earlier part of the conversation. Then came "they have.. well..." He stopped. "What do they have?" This would be good.

"Well... this could be bad... but, well, they get to have breasts."
As you can imagine this was met with riotous laughter. What an innocent and perfectly male answer. Hilarious.

So yeah. If you have any additions to my friend's argument, let me know.

Oh Boy.

Well I just discovered that not only does Joshua P. Ziesel have a blog, but so do Megan, Laura, Xaris, and several other dearly beloved Navigators! AHH! I'll never get antyhing done! Thank goodness no one I know is as obsessive about updating as me (though how I wish you all were!!).

That is all for now.

Mmmmmm, Giorgio's!

Oh boy, I like pizza!

Quick Poll.

Ok. Here's a quick poll!

A: What is your favorite food? I know this is a tough one to answer, but just try. Give me nationality (mexican, chinese, american, etc) and then give me specifics (burger, sweet and sour chicken, chimichanga, etc).

and

B: What does your family eat at Christmas? Do you have Thanksgiving food all over? Ham? Beef? Pork? Lamb? Common, just tell me!

Pine Time.

On the corner of 9th and University there is a deli. Well not RIGHT on the corner, but NEXT to the corner, because there is an apartment building on the actual corner. Anyway- this deli now has pine trees for sale! That's right! Christmas trees! YES!

This weekend I had my first introduction to Christmas decorating for the year- it's amazing what those lights can do for the mood of a room! I don't think we'll be putting any decor, at least any lights, up in this, but I'm excited that it's that time of year all around!

I love the smell of the trees as you walk by- it's so fresh and clean and reminds me of how much I love being around these parts at the holidays. The snowflakes have gone up in Union Square park, the lights are hanging above 8th street, and the Christmas village is up in full force in the park as well.

Well I've gotta be off to class. I'm sure I'll write again when I'm back- what a healthy form of procrastination, eh?

It's a Great Day to Be Alive!

It really is.

It is sunny and 62 degrees here- amazing! Kind of confusing after coming from chilly Utah, but hey, it's not raining, and I'll take what I can get!

I slept in this morning. I'm such a bum, but my body refused to wake up! Staci said it was pretty hilarious, I was sleeping with my alarm clock, holding it up in the air while I was dead asleep! Hehe! Crazy!

I have had such a great day already! I had my voice lesson, had some time with the Word, and now I'm eating before my afternoon class! And what's great is that I only have 3 more of this long class, which includes the last class 2 weeks from today which is really just presentations! Aw, I'll be SO happy to have this one over with! :)

I hope you're having a great day too!

Frust.

That is just frustrating to the maximum. I had about 20 pictures loaded for y'alls, but I screwed up and it is all messed up now, and so for now you'll get these pictures.

Hmm?

Ol' Crazy Eyes!

Now that is good people!

Aw, precious!

Tender Moments!

What a beautiful threesome! TEAR!

And that's all for now folks! When I have more patience I'll post some more!

You Are.

Just for the record, I must state that you- yeah you- are good people.

Even Though I Know.

It is one of those things, those unavoidable annoyances- almost- that rings true each time I leave and then come home. I end up walking around with a 20 lb. barbell sitting on my chest, tightening and pressuring and weighing down in the absence of home and the things and people there. And even though I say "I'm going home" when I come here, and when I go there, only one of them is really that undefinable and perfect place called home.

But I love it here. And I'm happy here. But it's without you and and them and her and him and it all ends up feeling a little gray until I get back into the routine and can put the weight back on the stand. And then it's fine. I mean, it's fine now, don't get me wrong. But there's that sense of 'how long will this last' and 'so much to do' and 'i just want to sit here and think about everything.' I think it's good that I always have a 5 hour flight to come home to- it allows things to decompress and kind of marinate before i hit the streets running. Had I been conscious for any of the flight last night I probably would have done just that.

So it is gray today, rainy on and off and I'm remembering how just 24 hours ago I was with you. And I'm avoiding homework and dreading class and excited for tomorrow- all things usual- and so my guess is the routine will come back by the end of today, and then before I know it tomorrow I'll be coming home.

I'm Back... with a vengeance!

So yeah.

I made it back, got some sleep (more than I did any night I was home, for the record), and now I'm going to go full throttle at school for the next two weeks, and then baby, I'm done.

I have SO much to do, but it's all doable- do you know what I mean? Like, there's stuff I gotsta get done, and it's stressful, but not melt-downy "i hate my life" kind of stress. It's going to be crazy and potentially overwhelming, but good.

The one thing that is plaguing me is the whole "plan of concentration" thing... I have to write that paper about what the heck I'm doing here. It's hard because it isn't for a class er nuthing... it's for my advisor. So it's hard to budget time for that in the midst of everything else. But it's coo yo's, it's coo. But please do let me know if you know what I should do for my concentration, I'm open to suggestions! :)

So yeah, I'm home. The flight was good all things considered. I had the fastest cab ride home ever (the wonders of no traffic- a 30 minute success verses my hour and forty minute failure I pleasured last week!), and now things are comin' up roses here in the concrete city in terms of school. No italian tomorrow, pressure's off in terms of the voice lesson, my Bev class today was a quickie... it's good things happening here. So I'm glad. And I still have that kind of 'holycraptheressomuchtodoandnowaytodoitall' feeling, I can see the light at the end of the figurative and literal tunnel.

In the end all this is to say HOORAY! Thanks for the good times, all you who I got to see and enjoy this past week, and here's to some more on their way in just two and a half weeks!

I'm Leaving.

In approximately 28 minutes!

I realized, just now, that I've already gone through the motions to get to this point. And boy, has this day gone fast! Luckily I'll be adding two hours to its life, so techinically for me, this day is 26 hours long. You should be so lucky.

In Beverages today we had a mixologist come in. We tasted Vodka, Gin, Rum, Whiskey yet again, and then we set out tasting 3 kinds of bitters- blech. But kind of cool- cause then we added some of the bitters to the various straight spirits and noted how much just that simple addition could change the balance.

Then our guest speaker Adam Katz mixed us up a seabreeze with vodka, and one with gin, so we got to compare those. THen he made us a fresh, original recipe daquiri (recipe from the 1870s actually, involving rum, lime, and sugar, and then shaken with ice- none of this blending business). It was really quite good. Not sweet, just balanced. And then he made us Manhattans- one with rye whiskey, and one with bourbon, which, as I'm sure you already know, is whiskey made with 51% corn as the base, so it's a touch "sweeter." I liked the first three, the whiskey business isn't really my bag, but they were fun to taste.

It was a great class, and I will admit to feeling fuzzy headed at only 12:00 in the afternoon, but it's gone by now, and I know how to make you a great daquiri. Dudes, give me an outlet for this knowledge, cause I'm sure as heck not going to use it! :)

Anyway- see most of you soon. And a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all!

Love, Claire

PS> Looking for fun recipes? Try This, or this, or this, or even this!

Home Today.

Well today is the day I go home!

I'm off to class here in a minute, out into the rainy weather to brave the cold down to beverages where I will taste and test various liquids, then back up here to this area for Italian at the Deli again, and then back to the apt to eat (hopefully), finish packing, and leave!

Here we go!

Sweet Sorrow.

Old Hard Drive, dearest friend,

How well you served me, how well you buzzed and warmed for me,

I'll miss your jokes and smiles, the way you held all of my photos, videos, documents,

Really hard drive, you were a pal.

I'll miss you.

And may you rest in peace.

I Can't Believe I'm Doing This.

But i am. I usually have a no survey policy, but I read this on Kimber's myspace and I thought hey, since I'm not going to blog for a few days over Thanksgiving (because I'll be WITH my peeps, you see) I'll lavish you all with multiple tidbits of me tonight!

More about me
Body: 1. DO YOU SNORE?
I say with fair confidence no, but... what if I do? What then?

2. ARE YOU A LOVER OR A FIGHTER? d
Depends on who the object of my verb is...

3. WHAT'S YOUR WORST FEAR?
That I cannot answer.

4. AS A KID, WERE YOU A LEGO MANIAC?
I vividly remember sitting on the carpet precisely 3 feet from the television watching The Sound Of Music and putting together my brother's pirate ship legos- I didn't have many of my own, but I loved 'em.

5. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF "REALITY" TV?
I'm just not that into it.

6. DO YOU CHEW ON YOUR STRAW?
I've heard that that is a sign of sexual frustration. And having said that, I'll leave you to it.

7. WERE YOU A CUTE BABY?
I always had a certain mischievious look in my eye... always spilling and smearing things... so if that's cute, then yes.

8. IS THE SINGLE LIFE FOR YOU?
I plan on the whole monogamy thing and look forward to it, so nah, not really.

9. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR KEYBOARD?
A beautiful white (go Mac!) with black writing... che bello!

10. DO YOU SING IN THE SHOWER?
I've started to, very quietly... but usually not here. I go to the practice room so I can practive for my voice class, and then I finish up belting Amazing Grace at the top of my lungs to get it out of my system. Cause it's always there. And of course I sing full out when I'm at HOME in the shower, bien sur.

11. HAVE YOU EVER BUNGEE JUMPED?
Well Kimber listed the skycoaster- so in that case yes. But the "real deal"- no.

12. ANY SECRET TALENTS?
Crap, if I told you, then they wouldn't be secret, now would they?

13. WHAT'S YOUR IDEAL VACATION SPOT?
Somewhere that has no laundry machines. Ie: somewhere where my routine changes.

14. IS YOUR NEIGHBOR FUNNY?
I have crazy neighbors!

15. CAN YOU SWIM?
- Yes

16. HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOVIE "DONNIE DARKO?"
Yeah. Not a fan.

17. DO YOU GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE OZONE?
I care for it- it helps me not die of skin cancer immediately. I try not to buy styrofoam in large quantities.

18. HOW MANY LICKS DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE CENTER OF A TOOSTIE POP?
This is such old news, honestly. Remember the owl? I'm pretty sure he answered that one for us!

19. CAN YOU SING THE ALPHABET BACKWARDS?
I think I can, I think I can!

20. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON AN AIRPLANE?
Yes, yes yes and YES. Today was the year of the flight (consult your chinese calendar, you'll see)- they do the trick!

21. ARE YOU AN ONLY CHILD?
Psha! Nu-uh! I have tres other sibs! I think my parents would have retired had it been only me!

22. DO YOU PREFER ELECTRIC OR MANUAL PENCIL SHARPENER?
I like the reward of the manual... you can twist it just so... and make a nice long shaving.

23. WHAT'S YOUR STAND ON HUNTING?
Hunt if you will, don't if you won't. Just don't be stupid, get your tags, and don't hunt people.

24. IS MARRIAGE IN YOUR FUTURE?
If it's up to me, yes.

25. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Bleh.

26. WHAT ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO?
I'm not really sure. Poison Ivy, I bet.

27. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAID, "I LOVE YOU"?
To my friend Kathryn earlier today. And of course I'm assuming you mean any version of the phrase.

29. DO YOU CRY AT WEDDINGS?
Yes. Hehe....uhhh, yeah.

30. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS?
cooked.

31. ARE BLONDES DUMB? l
I've been mascarading as one for so long, I clearly don't think so. I don't associate with dummies.

32. WHERE DOES THE OTHER SOCK END UP?
On the floor in the laundry room behind the washers where it'll soak up moisture, grow mold, and then eventually become the nest of a rat or other bottom feedin' creature.

33. WHAT TIME IS IT?
I'm gonna say it's 7:39, based on my clock's supposition. I'll leave it up to you if you're gonna believe it or not.

34. DO YOU HAVE A NICKNAME?
Yeah. C, Chla, Chiara (pron'd keyara), Clairabelle, Claritin, Clehl, Missy Claire, Mista, Cleeuh, Clairmont, Crostatina (yeah stac), and so on.

35. IS MCDONALD'S DISGUSTING?
What? Are you kidding? Over one BILLION burgers sold!

36. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE IN A CAR?
Umm... last... Sunday? Yeah, last Sunday on the way back from PA!

37. DO YOU PREFER BATHS OR SHOWERS?
Showers. But there is something so nice about a bath, especially, I think, when I know I can't atke one (take a gander at my tub and it's weary self and you'll see what I mean).

38. IS SANTA CLAUS REAL?
nah.

39. DO YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR NECK KISSED?
I'm female.

40. ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?
actually yes, when I really can't see. Or if I'm in my basement. So I guess I should say I'm ascared of not seeing, and my basement.

41. WHAT ARE YOU ADDICTED TO?
The internet, I think. Which is so sad. I think I need to fast from it.

42. CRUNCHY OR CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER?
I like crunchy, but creamy is great in the right circumstances.

43. CAN YOU CRACK YOUR NECK?
bleh.

44. HAVE YOU EVER RIDDEN IN AN AMBULANCE?
nah.

45. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BRUSHED YOUR TEETH TODAY?
Once this morn! And man, it was a good time!

46. IS DRUG FREE THE WAY TO BE?
- Just say no, that means yes

47. ARE YOU A HEAVY SLEEPER?
Ehh.. depends! If I know I'm getting up I'm pretty light, but if I'm REALLY sleeping I can REALLY sleep.

48. WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR EYES?
Inversion blue, duh.

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR LIFE?
Yes very much.

51. WHO'S BETTER?
I don't understand the question.

52. ARE YOU PSYCHIC?
Yeah, NO.

53. HAVE YOU READ "CATCHER IN THE RYE"?
No. Blasphemy, gasps, I know, I know, I like books, but no.

54. DO YOU PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS?
Piano, guitar, neither of which I'm a, shall we say, virtuoso. But I enjoy them.

55. HAVE U EVER STOLEN MONEY?
No.

56. CAN YOU SNOWBOARD?
BORING. I have, but I'm so over it. Heh...

57. DO YOU LIKE CAMPING?
Yes, in fact I do! I'd like to do more of it!

58. DO YOU SNORT WHEN YOU LAUGH?
Not usually.

59. DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?
Nope.

60. ARE DOGS A MAN'S BEST FRIEND?
Other than other man/woman, yes.

61. YOU BELIEVE IN DIVORCE?
It exists, so its dumb to ask if I believe in it. I wholeheartedly disagree with it, I don't condone it, and I will not engage in it at any point in my life if I have any way of preventing it.

62. CAN YOU DO THE MOONWALK?
I can, but it ain't what anyone else would call the moonwalk.

63. DO YOU MAKE A LOT OF MISTAKES?
That is, you might say, what I do.

64. IS IT COLD OUTSIDE TODAY?
Not too bad, in the forties, and rainy.

65. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Chicken.

66. DO YOU WEAR NAIL POLISH?
Yes. I like it quite a lot, actually.

67. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN KISSED?
Yes I have.

68. WHAT'S THE MOST ANNOYING TV COMMERCIAL?
Any and all, I'm inclined to say.

69. DO YOU SHOP AT AMERICAN EAGLE?
Yeah. I like it a lot, but it really goes in shifts for me. But I could spend some money there, if that's what you're getting at.

70. FAVORITE SONG AT THE MOMENT?
Umm... hard one. The two songs usually in my head are "If I told you so" by BL, and "They can't take that away from me."

And there you have it, everything you ever wanted to know, and even more than that.

Lunchtime.

I know it is time to go home.

How?

Because THIS is what I ate for lunch today after an hour of walking around looking at the places I always eat and feeling like all I wanted was... something they didn't have.

Pictoral, what.

Here are some more Penn State Pics! YESSSSS!!!!

In No particular order....


This one is from the photo scavenger hunt- we had to find the most penn state paraphanalia- woohoo! I think I look SO weird in this picture! heh!
This is in the Bowman's basement (the staff workers at PSU), this is during worship time.

These are our navigator boys raking the Bowman's lawn to thank them for letting them stay there (all of the boys stayed in one house- terrifying!)
This is (L-R) Kelsey, Me, and Amanda- huggin' trees for the Scavenger.
This is Dan and his bear hat!
This is my photoscav team with coach joepaw or PSU!
This is also for the photoscav, us cheering for Penn State! "We Are!" -- "Penn State!"
Another one of the upperclassladies.
Again, photoscav- we had to find a baby and act like a baby infront of the diner called baby's.
Team pyramid in front of the stadium! YES!And this one- Me, Kathryn, and Megan! Tear!

And there you had those ones, hooray!

It's Not Unusual To Be Loved By Anyone.

No, no my friends, it is not.

And what's more: it's Monday! And that means that I get to see Utah tomorrow with my very own eyes! HOORAY!

Today is going fast already, and there's much to be done. I'm happy about that, cause then time will fly and I"ll be home in no time! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Alright then. Off to collect the laundry from the basement, get some things done etc. Hopefully I'll have some brilliance for you later today!

Sweetmate.

My Suitemate Kristine is so adorable.

I just heard a flutter of squeals come from the other room and witnessed her groping her way towards the door with coat rustling in hand, only to stop in the doorway, then wander back in to my room shrieking "really? Really!!!?"

Apparently Lucy Liu is standing in line for Harry Potter in front of our other room mate, Juvaria, just across the street at the UA US theatre. She is currently planning her attack... she WILL have a picture with that cool star by the end of tonight!

Signs.

This is the sign of my stress:


But seriously. I don't have particularly beautiful hands, they're just here. But since I had fake nails for the weddings of the summer my nails have been all screwed up. And then to top that off, when I get stressed the cuticles go to hell... so pretty much what I'm saying is if you want to know if I'm stressed, take a good little gander at my pointer and you'll have me pegged.

Count Down.

Only 2 days!

Holy crap!

I'm psyched!

I'll hopefully get to write about my day more fully, but for now:

I had a GREAT time at the Journey, then Stac and I had an... outting... and now I've been getting a bit of homework done, and all that. Pretty good times.

PS>

I retire.

WAS a Real Good Night, and Day.

Last night I got to see the WAS in concert- fantastic. They get better and better. And folks, my brother has got some major moves.

Here's Elizabeth on the Subway- sorry I didn't get any band pics, didn't have my camera in hand during the show! :(
And another!


And here's a few of the two of us- everyone was staring it us on the subway, but whatever- they were all wishing they had cameras to take self portraits. The last one is us imitating a certain pop star's cool "fan face"--



Good times!

And now on to today!
I had Bible study today and then Staci and I went to FOAF. After that we were wandering back along 18th street, and what did we spy?
What's that, you ask?
Take a closer look...
...
...
Yeah. Those are soiled boxers and a pair of pants. They yours?

--
Anyway... so we shopped all day, had some good good times, and then this evening we went to the Old Town Bar for a burger and beer (well I had beer, Staci had coke) before we saw Pride and Prejudice. And I liked it, and you can't stop me.

All in all, despite my looming sense of drama, all is well. I'm holding it together for now.

Break is coming. Break is coming. Break is coming.

Saturday, What a Day!

Yes, friends. It is Saturday.

And has been for about seventeen hours now, but you know, some times you just gotsta reconnize.

I'll be posting re: saturday adventures soon. And I'll getchas some pictures of Elizabeth and me from last night after the WAS.

Hope ever-oneses Saturdees have been great. And to you- sorry you had to work. And to you, sorry you had to work too! But tonight you should both relax, kick back a few, and count the hours until I see yas!

Love,
Clizzle Cazzle

PS> exhaustion has set in due to late night, early morning, and a day on my feet- this you can blame for the above message. :)

37.

The number of meetings I had today (2)
+
The number of hours I worked (2)
+
The number of times I had soup this week (4)
+
The number of hours of sleep I had last night (9)
+
The number of layers I wore today (3)
+
The number of Chronicles I read today (2)
+
The number of romantic comedies I've watched this week (2)
+
The number of times I talked to my mom this week (5)
+
The number of girlfriends I talked to this week (6)
+
The number of homework assignments I've done today (2)
====
The number of degrees it is outside (37).

The Last.

This is the last post reguarding the photo:

Yes, we have a back up- if all else fails we will have my mother take a photo with a digital camera. We'll work it out. The professional touch would be nice, but I dont't hink that we want the entire night to consist of photos- rather that it be a kick-off to our evening!

Objections? chime in. If your'e in agreement, then go rsvp!

Off to work I go- picked up a freebie 2 hour shift- which almost doubles the upcoming paycheck! YES!

Evite.

Has been sent.

Send me people's e-mails so I can send them one too, if they are not already on the list.

It's going to rock-ck-ck-ck.

One Thing To Know About Me.

I hate the phone.

Not when I'm talking to friends, but when I have to call a phone company, or Delta, or any given company that is going to make me talk to a machine, prevent me from talking to a real person, only allow me to talk to a person with a thick Indian accent when I DO get to talk to someone, put me on hold for EVER when I'm on the phone with that someone I can't fully understand, and then have all that effort result in... NOTHING.

If I were rich that is something I would hire people to do- make all my dirty 1-800 calls for me. ARggh.

But its over now. And the problem isn't solved, but whatever. Deep breath. Ahh...

It's a gorgeous sunny day, and I might get to see WAS play tonight ! Woohoo!

Just So You Know.

We Built This City On Rock and Roll!

If You're Bored.

If you're bored and looking for something to occupy a few minutes, go to THIS website. It can be vulgar, but it is really amusing. And I love that it is updated every day!


Happy reading!

Verdict.

Ok.

For the Family Photo:

Everyone should wear Jeans with Black or Red (any hue) tops! DONE!

Now... Do we know a time and place? I just realized I have no idea. We're planning to all hang out afterward right, like dinner etc... so we could do it late afternoon? Say 4pm, then it would still be light outside. We could meet somewhere- if we want to do it in a yard we can meet at my house. What do we think?

Reality Check.

Re: Photo op.

Now... there is some discussion going on- great! So here seems to be the latest: photography 'xpert suggests no white- so let's go ahead and rule that one out. So that still leaves us with a choice of colors. Since many people won't have the right this or that- like, say a black long sleaved shirt, why don't we choose two or so colors that would work, and then pair that with Jeans since we know everyone has jeans. Yeah?
So the question is, which colors? Well Black and SOMETHING, I think, whether that be cream, red, green, blue, etc. It seems like the darker colors will be better in terms of the actual picture, but we can do what we want! So we can choose a few, or we could do a color palate- like anything from white-black, which would include silver, greys, etc. Or we could do browns and creams and all inbetweens, or whatever.

Let me heeeah yah.

Decision Time.

Alright folks.

With a little over a week until the big day, let's get down to business: What are we wearing for the fam photo?

Here are the choices, based on previous comments. Cast your vote, then I'll send out an evite and we'll get the word out!

Choice A: White and Denim.

Choice B: Something from Old Navy.

Choice C: Warmer wintery colors: Like maybe red/cream, red/black, black/cream, green/white, black.silver, or whatever. If you choose this, choose a color combo.

Here are some links to give you some visual inspiration: Ooh. Ohh. Ahh.

Cast your vote in the comments- I want to send the evite tonight before midnight EST! And keep in mind that if we choose Old Navy we all have to actually go BUY stuff for ourselves, whereas if we do colors then anyone can show up and just wear the right colors!

Can't wait to see what ya'll think! I will also cast my vote a bit later today!

ALSO: Go Here if you want to see some really good photos, unrelated to this project.

Scheduling addition.

And let me not forget one of the best parts of my Wednesday- Phone date with Kimkim, approximately 9:45PM EST.

UPDATE on teh day so far: mY long class was shortened by a fire drill, I am now drinking a decaf late and going to read my bible before the interview. FANTASTIC.

Happy Dance.

Well I have to say that once I did my happy dance (that is: you dance without music until you can stop taking yourself so seriously- until you can laugh at yourself and realize you're an idiot, but a God-created one, and it's not all about you) things really turned around. God reminded me to chill the freak out and just go with it.

Registration was a success. I have 16 credits and I'm trying to figure out how to pick up two more so I get my money's worth. The schedule won't be too bad. I still won't have class on Fridays, and I only have on night class, so that is EXCELLENT. And I did get the writing class I really wanted, so that is fantastic as well.

Voice lesson went well too. I had an accompanist play with me for the first time- it's always weird to hear the accompanyment, but I think it was good. It was frustrating in a lot of ways, but voice lessons always help to get me going, remind me how much I love singing and how BAD at it I am, but how much I love trying to get better. So hooray for that.

Next up is my class at the wine bar which should be pleasant despite the fact that I have only done about 6 pages out of 70 of the reading- which I don't intend to do: and here you have a glimpse of the only time I'm a bad student. And after that is the dreaded interview which is actually not that dreaded unless I show up in jeans and everyone else is wearing their Sterntastic suits, but that won't happen. And then I get to go to Navigators- hopefully I'll get to hear Peter talk, and then I'll find out a bit about Honduras. It's really looking up.

So yeah. Sorry that the last few posts were dramatic. I do feel that way, but I've got a grain of salt to smooth things out a bit. Thank you Jesus.

Today.

7:30am- Rise.
8:00-10:30- Shine.
11:00-12:00- Voice.
12:30- Registration.
2:00-4:45- Class.
5:00-8:30- Interview.
8:40-9:15- Navigators.
9:15-10:00- Meeting on Honduras.
10:30- Home.
10:45- Homework.

Talk to me around midnight, and I'll be smiling!

I Know the Bridge Is There.

I'm on the verge.

I'm like Indiana Jones- I know that the bridge is there, and I'm stepping out, but I'm in the interminable moment before my foot hits rock and my faith is confirmed.

It Has Been A While.

I'm actually a fairly consistent cryer. That's not to say that I cry once a day at 4:30pm like Katie Holmes or anything, but I'm really not afriad to cry. If I get really really upset or I'm totally stressed sometimes a good round can get that stuff outta my system and then I move on. I think some people look at that as weakness or psychogirl behaviour, but to me it's pretty damn cathartic.

It's not like I'm walking down the streets of New York City with tears bursting from my eyes- no. It's something that happens at home, obviously. And it doesn't even happen every week.

I realized last night, as I was talking to you and you asked if I was going to and I said I was and it was ok, that I hadn't in quite some time. And thanks for letting me do that. I know you don't mind, you know how it goes. And I'm glad we could talk about all that stuff- thank you for asking the right question. You know? I think I really needed that, and I'm so glad we got to talk. I'm sorry I totally unloaded on you, but I think it really helped. No progress, really, but just feeling a little stronger, or something. And I reserve a hug from you on Saturday.

And with that... the day begins.

Let's Make a Deal.

Ok. I'm serious about this now.

I'm going to post something that I wrote for a class. I'd like to get some feedback on it. But here's the deal. You MAY NOT read this if you're not going to comment. I'm posting this link in good faith- that you'll read the writing and give me more than just "I really liked it"- but solid suggestions on what you liked, didn't like, want more of, think is totally crappy, etc. I'm trying to improve as a write and figure I'd put this out there, but I am so freaking serious, DO NOT even THINK about reading it if you're not going to comment. I can't handle that- it's a scary thing letting people read what I've written "academically"- I'm pretty sure I'm really paranoid. SO just do me right and comment if you're going to read. And if you don't want to, then don't click HERE.

Ok. Enough threats. Also note that there are several changes I am already planning to make- this is a first draft, but I look forward to hearing what you all here! Thanks all.

Happy Anniversary!

This is my 200th post!

Holy crap! Congratulations to all my faithful readers, even if you've missed some! I've been here the whole time, and can't believe you're reading this at all!

Thanks!

I Poured.

Well it is humid here today, looks like it wants to rain. And my hair has dressed itself accordingly- I'm sporting that crazy scientist curly hair today- and folks let me just say that it has been a while since it has been this curly (and to be honest, this much like a fro). But I think it makes me feel more like an academic type- one of those crazies who is so vested in their pursuit of whatever it is they are after that they don't have time to brush their hair- and that's me today.

Also, my hands smell like Tequila. This morning in Beverages we tasted vodka, cachaca (like rum, but from Brazil- I had this while I was in Brazil, oh the memories), gin, and tequila. I poured the tequila for the class, and so after dribbling drops of the stuff over my fingers 16 seperate times I have now caused my fingers indentured tequila-hood. I've washed them several times, and you'd think I was soaking my hands in a nice blue agave extract or something, but no. It's just me and my inability to pour from a tequila bottle.

I had Italian class in the upstairs of a deli- my class of 14 (only 4 people didn't come, pretty impressive for an off-campus class) was crammed around two two person tables and a brick pillar- this strike has a crazy affect on life these days. But I'll take it. I've got to go down to soho to find some sleezy apartment where my next class is held... should be an adventure!

And how is YOUR day going?

One Penny Can Help.

I can hear him from my room. Our windows are open, it's 8:43 in the morning, rainy and cold. And he's out there with the UHO preaching the help of "just one penny!"

It's going to be an absolutely insane day. But I'm looking forward to gettin' 'er done, and having a few laughs at myself, inevitably, along the way.

I'm wearing the Airborne shirt today.

I'm off in to it- hope you all have great days too!

PS

PS.

Auburn beat Georgia.


Just for the record.

"Bye Bye"

I know a guy who always ALWAYS ALWAYS says "Bye Bye" to end his phone conversations. He even says it at the end of his IM's. It's pretty funny.

How do you end your conversations on the phone? I mean, I get that it's normal to say goodbye, but without fail, I tell you honestly, this guy says it with the same emphasis, the same tone, no matter what we've been saying, talking about, feeling. It's just... it's pretty hilarious.

And I just had to share it.

So now I want to know- how do you say goodbye on the phone?

Penn State-tastic!

Well! The five hour ride there was, in a word, fantstic. We got going late which was a bummer, but we got to listen to an original recording of C. S. Lewis reading his original manuscript of his book The Four Loves and that was incredible- I loved hearing his voice! We discussed after each of the first three sections- didn't make it through the last section. That makes it sound like the CD was 5 hours long, but it wasn't. ANYWAY.....




This is Josh at our second rest stop- who knows what he's doing, but he is expressing his love for the contents of our car I think, or something. Good times.







On the road.
Gettin' later!We got to the town (the most immediate two pictures above) called State College. Chilli's was our first stop- dinner! Below are Josh and I doing model pictures- we're so cool! Our friend Renate used to be a model and she always turns her head to the side and has a very serious look on, so that's what you see us doing.

And below is the food that we enjoyed- Mushroom Jack Fajitas- YUM!



So here are a few pictures of the happenings in the car- one of our cars was MIA, so we crammed about 10 people in a six person mini-van. So here you go, though you really get no idea how stuffed we were cause half of the people are stuffed onthe ground.







And so now we get to BOWLING- YES!
These are me in all of my set-up form brilliance!



It was Intense!

This is Joanna- she's got the moves!

Bowling feet! You know mine are the striped ones!


The next day we got to talk about what it means to be a woman- a WHOAman! After that we walked to the town to have lunch with the boys, and on the way we took this pictures- these are all the "upper classmen" in Navs!


These next few shots are from the scavenger we did around the Penn state campus. This was so fun- and that first picture in the last Blog is of my group in our leaf pile! And yes, you are seeing a person buried on the bottom right- that is Cameron! He is awesome! And this next picture down is of him.

There is Cameron again on top of a rock... and that's Dan on the left!One of the items on the picture scavenger hunt was to find the tallest Penn Stater and get a picture of him hitting his head on something. Well this guy was pretty average, but to be funny we put Dan Brown, my friend who is 6'6" next to him... Dan's on the left, and Penn State guy is the one hitting his head...
This is Cameron, Kelsey, and Me making NYU on the lawn!

This is Susan after our midnight leaf fight!


We had a GREAt time! I had so much fun getting to know people- there were 44 people! It was so great to get out of the city, focus on God, talk to friends, and just hang out and be silly!
Here are several of those people linked across the top of the hill, ready to roll down and say goodbye to Penn State Nav-style!
And they're rolling ( I did too but obviously I was taking the picture here!)
Here are Nicole, Josh, and Cameron walking towards the Ghetto Van. And let me just tell you- this thing's trunk has to be roped close, the driver's side and back seat passenger doors do not open from the outside, and it is missing several key components, including power steering, etc. So they are ghetto walking to their ghetto van, and we sang ghetto songs all the way home!


This is Josh climbing in to the van... hehe!


And now.... the ride home!

The ladies Nicole, Laura, and Brittney jammin' ghetto van style!

Uh, Josh.. you have something in your teeth...
And here are Ronald and I at out most important rest stop on the way home. He's actually quite terrifying when you get up close. I think the old one was much friendlier looking.So there you have it! As other people post their pictures from the trip I'll add more! But there you have it!