I had a good Thanksgiving. I went to Aya's house and enjoyed delicious food and good company. Lots of both actually :) Also I had a friend over who couldn't go home for the holiday and Aya had three friends over as well.
I played a game of life, in which I came in second... hmm.. we chatted, watched Dogma and ate. It was a good day.

Went shopping with a friend today. He got a new leather jacket and some pants. He's very excited about his new jacket :)

Now it's time to get to work. I still have 8 pages of write-ups left for Monday's science class. UGH. I can do it in two hours if I just buckle down. *gets a determined look on her face*

Here goes....

Hope everyone's doing well.

Happy Birthday to ME! I'm 25 years old today.

I'm having an awesome birthday.
It started out Sunday afternoon when I had a party at Aya's mom's house. I'd invited her family and the other RA's in my dorm. There was a total of 18 people there and it was a blast! We had lots of food and yummy cupcakes with Scooby rings on them. YUM!
Last night I had some friends up to finish off the cake that came with the cupcakes and we chatted for a bit. Then I went out to see the movie Elf which was pretty good.
Today I had balloons, a card, cookies, and juice waiting for me in class. They also sang Happy Birthday to me.
I got two emails from my mom wishing me Happy Birthday and I talked to my dad for a bit on the phone.
And tonight I'm meeting some friends at Applebee's to eat and chat.
So far this has been one of the best birthday's I've ever had :)

/feels loved

I'm a very lucky person.

I had two Mondays in one week, that hardly seems fair...
We had classes as usual on Monday and then Tuesday the school closed for Veteran's Day, which was a much appreciated break. When Wednesday rolled back around though... ugh, a second Monday reared it's ugly head. Luckily Wednesdays are my short days :)

Today I SOOOO didn't want to come to class, I'm not feeling well. But I hauled myself out of bed and treked on over only to find my class canceled. My next class isn't until 2pm today so I was thinking YEY naptime! Yeah right! My classroom is right accross from the comp lab where I work and I saw a girl in there I knew from class so I walked in to say "Hi." BIG MISTAKE! I was jumped " Ohhhh Aspen Sweetie, Darling I need your help" Says my boss.... Yup.... There was this emergency and no one to work the rest of the day so I told her I would work until 1pm. /sigh... All I wanna do is crawl into bed and sleep the rest of the day, but no..... No.... Nooooo!... NO!.... hehe It's so easy to say when I don't NEED to say it or reallllllly want to say it.

Anywho, here I sit at work. /twiddles thumbs....

I'm loving Get Fuzzy. I've been reading it everyday now and more times than not it gets me to chuckle :)

My birthday is next Tuesday and I'm having a party on Sunday. Aya's family will be there, at her mom's house, and so will some of my RA friends. I want to invite Janelle too, but everytime I've called she hasn't been there :( I should call her cell! I'm hoping it'll be a fun party.

Word of the Day: Forejudgment

Picture of the Day: Sniff, Sniff

Jinkies!
Somebody out there knows me pretty well!

You would drive...
The Scooby gang's Mystery Machine. You want a car with personality, but you also need space for all your friends. That's why you drive this big van, painted with a colorful (some might call it 'tacky') design. It has plenty of room for the whole gang, and even a big dog, right in the front seat. What are you waiting for? Throw your tools and equipment in the back, and hit the road.

/bounce

My new favorite comic!

My favorite strip o' day: HAHAHA!

Word of the day: Pugilist

Practicum Week One is done. I finalized my grading for last week. Now I need to prepare for next week. My group is teaching Proabability.... eeep!

My morning class was canceled today so I'm hanging out in the computer lab until I have to go to my next class, mass communication & society. Actually it's pretty interesting.

I get to register for spring classes next monday - my last time to register for classes.... as an undergraduate. I'm beginning to consider what I want to do after New Zealand and it's looking like graduate school might be a contender. I am looking at staying in NZ for grad school or possibly a job down there... or maybe colorado grad school... so many possibilities!

Lots and lots to do. In addition to my once-a-week practicum I've been doing a week-long science practicum this week. Have a break next week, just the one-day one, then a full week of math practicum.

Have a midterm tomorrow and one Friday, then another next Tuesday.

Feeling the stress. Big time.

I can do it though. Like I told my mom today, I won't let anyone or anything get in my way. I want to graduate with honors and I will. I want to go to New Zealand and I will.

Period.

/is determined.

Hmmm... according to some site if I were a smurf I'd be Papa Smurf...

Two days, two fire drills.
Very odd.
Yesterday it was a blessing because I was running late to class and the fire alarm went off just as I was almost to class. Since everyone had to file out nobody noticed I was a few minutes late :)
Today we were in the middle of class and it went off again.
The security people are baffled. They don't know why it went off either time. The system shows a fire on third floor but there is none. Both alarms were at different times.
Odd.

Word of the Day: Phalanx
(found on the NZHerald page)

I'm feeling overwhelmed. And highly annoyed. Some people shouldn't be allowed to teach.
Enough said.

Had a fun weekend. Homecoming Game - we won. Aya's cousin Holly hung out with us for a while. And got to spend time with Aya - always enjoyable.
My floor had a pizza/game night after the football game and finished by watching Equilibrium. Pretty good movie although there was a part I couldn't watch.... <-- animal lover.

A couple of my friends went to Colorado this past weekend to a wedding. My parents were in Taos, New Mexico and now they're up in Colorado. I'm feeling left out :(
/misses Colorado
Of course I get to go to New Zealand *BIG GRIN* *bounce* Weeeeeee!

Still feeling a bit overwhelmed with all my work for classes and I'm being naughty and procrastinating on a few things. I wish I didn't work better under pressure - maybe I wouldn't procrastinate so much. *sigh*

Bought my plane tickets (can't remember if I said that already) to go home for three weeks during Christmas. Been feeling slightly homesick lately. I really miss my parents, home, friend, critters. On the other hand I'm very happy up here and it makes me REALLY sad to think about leaving. Maybe I'll teach down South for a few years... then come back here for my Masters. I still have no clue about where I'm going after New Zealand. Really I'm hoping for an opportunity to knock me over and say "Yoohoo! What about me?" It's happened before...
Until then I'm content to search around for something that interests me and enjoy my life as it is today.

Word of the Day: Pontificate

Picture of the Day: Haha!

Busy, busy, busy.

Feeling slightly overwhelmed with class assignments and I sort of procrastinated this weekend. I did get the stuff done that is due right away though. Yeah me.

Emailed old friends today.

Listening to music while typing... slow song... need something more up-ity.
Charmed 2-hour season premiere was last night. Angel is this Wednesday at 8pm! *bounce* SOOOO excited about that... they have Spike guest staring. I can't wait to see who else guest stars!!!! weeeeeee! Long live the BtVS/Angel legacy.

Okies that's all. Lots to do. Blog ya later.

Every year you return to the dorms they "give" you a gift. Last year it was a rainproof jacket and this year we got to choose between a breifcase or a blanket. When I went in to look at the options last spring the breifcase looked like crap and the blanket looked so-so. Yesterday they came in and when I saw the breifcases I was shocked, they were leather, not cloth, and they had a calculator, notpad & holder, and pen - not at all like the sample one they showed last spring. The blankets are still so-so... kind of ugly *shrug* oh well... they're "free" *chuckle*

I'm growing grass. For my science methods class I dug around collecting dirt for about 30 mins this morning and then in class we planted some grass seeds. I hope they grow! We get graded on whether they grow or die and we have to record everything we do to them. We all split our dirt in half and exchanged with someone else, so I have to grass pots to grow.

I have been checking the NZ Herald website everyday lately and weeee.... some depressing stuff, small countries still have murdering stepfathers and such... very sad. But there is beauty to behold as well. I'm trying to stay focussed on the positive. They have some advertisements of things to do and there's a mini-article on World of Sheep which sounds like fun... I wonder if they'd let me keep the fiber I shore from the sheep.

I'm supposed to be working at the moment, but really I've just got my headphones on - listening to my music - enjoying the calm before the storm. 25 people just went out to film some stuff for making an imovie and when they come back I'll be running around like a maniac again.

I had a nice relaxing weekend - about time for one of those.

I did get some school work done and cleaned out bits of stuff to get rid of.

Watched Underworld on Friday afternoon = good movie. Also saw Cold Creek Manor on Sunday afternoon... uhm... WAY too drawn out.

That's about it. School is flying by.... Went to my 9am class this morning and there was a note saying no class today so I came back and took a little nap... now I have to go to my 11am. Not a bad way to start out my Monday :) It's a long one though, not done until about 8pm tonight.

Have a good day!

Ok... so last week could have gone better.
One of my classes required us to do a camping trip on Thursday night. We were to meet out at a park owned by the school at 6:00pm. I was there a few mins late and by that time everybody had left. So I got my stuff together and set off down one of the three paths to find them. I got a good ways down the one path and was yelling for people but nobody answered. So I headed back to take another path. I was almost back to where I parked when I ran into two other girls and so we took off down another path and went way off, yelling and searching. We got really far out and decided it couldn't have been that far off. So we went back to the parking area again and another girl showed up. We stood around for a few mins wondering what to do. Then a car of four more girls came and they were SOOOOO drunk. Add their behavior to my already unhappy disposition and I was ticked. By this time I'm SOAKING wet, I've been wondering around for 45 mins in the cold rain, yelling and honking my horn and now this. We set off down the center trail again and JUST past where I stopped, around a corner, was the group standing around. They had been in a nice dry cabin and hadn't heard me yelling. So I'm walking up with these drunk girls, carrying cups of more beer by the way, and I'm almost an hour late. The professor has decided we need to head back to a park in town with a pavillion so we can have shelter. We hike back to our cars and I stopped by my dorm to change clothes since I was compltely drenched, I wrung the water out of my hair, and set off again. (On a happy note I saw a full rainbow and part of a another one. Don't see many double rainbows. And it was a beautiful sunset.) I met the group and was about 10 mins late but at that point I didn't care and then there were some other people even later than I was. We sat on the freezing concrete, next to the windy lake, trying to have a philosophical discussion over the traffic noise (we were right next to the street), and with a homeless man smoking and possibly drunk walking around us talking to himself. Yeah... it was not fun. The professor was upset to say the least, not only was this the first time in 12 years the event had been rained out but 4 girls showed up drunk and were being obnoxious (why he didn't tell them to leave I don't know - he's too nice I guess - but he apparently had a talk with them Friday morning). UGH! Anywho, he let us go at 9:00pm because we were cold and wet and miserable. All I wanted to do was come home, take a hot shower, and go to bed. I was drinking a nice hot cup of Sleepytime tea when one of my residents came in to talk. She's really nice and it turns out we have a lot in common, but she didn't leave until 11:30pm and I passed out as soon as she left.
The class met again at 9am on Friday and when the group set off for an outdoor part at 10:30am I split off since I have an 11:00 class. I'm going to write three papers as a result of being late yesterday, him letting us go early last night, and for having to leave early today.

Friday night and all day Sat until six I was TA'ing for a class. So my week wasn't over until Sat 6pm and then Sunday flew by and it's already Tuesday. Yeeeps!

Sunday dinner was fun. I went to Pizza Hut with a few RA's their girlfriends, and two parents of the guy from India. We had a good discussion and it was fun.

Monday night we had our second RA meeting and we met out at our RHD's house which is beautiful and we played some games, had ice cream, and discussed businessy stuff.

I feel like I'm so far behind, but I'm really trying to not be. It's just that I've overdone it again this semester, even though I really planned on not overdoing it... if that makes sense.
Anywho I need to get to work.

Oh, and note to self and Aya: Angel starts again Oct. 1st.... I'll most likely be recording it. Hopefully it takes a good turn.....

Blog ya later.

Where to begin....
Obviously the past week and a half has been crazy.
I got back from Texas two Thursdays ago and started RA training the next day. Aya and I were also preparing for her brother's wedding which took place that Saturday. We missed some training on boy Friday and Saturday while we decorated and participated in the wedding. I had fun doing the music and then afterwards at the reception and dance. It's always good to see Aya's cousins. Her family has basically adopted me and so they're like an extention to my own family.
Training was insane. They had us from 7:30 am to well after nine almost every night, there were a couple we were done at 6:30pm but that was time to get our floors ready for residents. We even spent last Thursday night at a group of cabins - I slept in my car. It was so cold and the beds were so uncomforatble that at about 2:00 I finally gave up and went to my car. I would turn the car on and let it get warm for a bit then turn it off and go to sleep for an hour or so when I'd wake up with my teeth chattering and have to repeat the process. I got up at about 6:00 or earlier and waited for the rest to wake up. We spent the next day scraping paint of a couple large cabins and priming them. Let me just say this, in addition to little sleep and an already long week they had us doing manual labor... we were so exhausted. That was one of the nights we were done at 6ish and I went to bed at 8:30-9pm.
It was absolutely exhausting, but it was also fun. It was a time for us to bond as dorm RA's and I learned some interesting and valuable things, but UGH! I'm very glad I will never have to go through that again.
Training ended last Friday night and then we helped new students move in on Saturday, did check-ins on Sunday and Monday and classes started on Tuesday afternoon.
Where did the summer go? I didn't get a summer.... summer classes and work, trip to Texas to visit family and friends and help at the folks shop, RA training, and the first week of Fall semester done..... wow.

Oh, on a funny note: the night we were camping a lot of us hung out at the campfire and talked and I think I gave about 17 or 18 back massages, one of which was for an Albanian. The next morning he told me, in front of a bunch of people, thanks and that he slept very well last night. Of course for those not at the campfire... well... they had to wonder eh? ;)

Bear-hugging Albanians, change of plans, and other bits...

Went to my favorite Italian restraunt tonight for my last meal (in Texas). Mom, Dad, Jeremy and I had a good visit and filled our bellies. Luigi, owner, said hi, gave me a hug and wished me well. I appologized for not having been able to talk with him before and he said it was alright and he loves me anyways *smile* As we were leaving one of the other brothers gave me a hug that nearly stopped my breath, strong lil fella ;)

I received a call from my new boss last night. He asked if I would be interested in changing floors. Instead of moving to another dorm I just have to move to the third floor of the same wing I'm on now. It was a tough choice, dorm A= non-smoking, smallest dorm, lake view, movable furniture. dorm B= students older than average (23 plus), smoking, medium sized dorm, non-movable furniture, lake view. The big cincher was that Steve (boss) feels I'm better suited for dorm B because they have more of a sense of community and will be more active and I want an active floor. So, dorm B it is. Added bonus=dorm B has elevator for moving purposes :) I feel special cuz he gave me a choice of which floor I would prefer to be on. He's a good guy and I'm excited to have him as my boss.

It's always hard when I say goodbye.... I know I'll see everyone again at Christmas - or at least I hope I'll be able to, with new job I'm not sure. It's still rough. There are so many wonderful people here I love and who love me. I know when the time comes to leave Minnesota it's going to be just as bad, probably worse. I will have lived there for three years and I have made many friends. The difference between leaving TX and leaving MN is I knew I'd come back to TX. When I leave MN I'll only come back, maybe once a year, to visit. Plus I'm leaving my bestest friend in the whole-wide-world behind. Ugh. But I refuse to think about that now. Who knows where I'll wind up eventually, I sure don't.

Thanks to Aya sending me to a school link I now know that my dorm has movable furniture (only one on campus), it's the smallest dorm on campus and my floor is a non-smoking floor. Weee! I'm allergic to cigarette smoke so this is a major added bonus!

Saw a poster for the new Scooby Movie... found link and added it to this page. CUTE poster ;)

Wahoooooooooooo!
I received a call today from my RHD (Residence Hall Director) asking me if I would like a RA position this next year. The call I've been waiting for. It's one of the smallest dorms, I have a lake view, free room and board and best of all my boss is a nice guy. I'm very excited. Now I have to start making the signs for my floor as I only have a week before I go back and the day after I go back I start training.... uhm... when will I have time to move... does that dorm have an elevator? *panic* no no... too early for panicing.... hehe :)

In other news I've been going around the City visiting friends at my old job and passing the word that I will need a job next summer. They're great people and they seem as happy to see me as I am to see them. One of them was upset because he thought I hadn't come to see them this summer and he wouldn't get to see me until Christmas. =0)

Having lunch with my Aunt and Mom tomorrow to celebrate my Aunt's birthday.

Gonna go picture hunting now to find something for putting my residents names on their doors.

Picture of the Day: Sad Scooby - How cute is that?!?

Forgot the Word of the Day: Badinage

Had fun visiting my grandparents and got to see my new baby cousin. After a good visit there we headed over to Shreveport and I pretty much broke even, always good.
On the way back we stopped at the dog kennels of the lady who breeds Belgium Groenendaels and we had a good visit with the puppies. Ever since our baby Bear died two and a half years ago my parents have been considering getting a new puppy from the same people.

Been working at the shop when I'm not visiting the doctors :P
Had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on Monday about my wrist pain and he set me up for an MRI on Tuesday morning. I always thought those were no-big-deal and I suppose if I had been laying normally it wouldn't have been. Since it was my right wrist they were examining though, it became somewhat of an ordeal. I had to lay on my stomach, which causes me back pain, and reach my right arm all the way up above my head, which killed my shoulder and made the rest of my are go numb, except for my wrist which throbbed. Then I bent my left arm and tucked it under my head which I turned to the left. My left arm went completely numb and it took almost fifteen mins for me to regain all the feeling. (should have seen me trying to put on my left earring. By the time I was done everything above my waist was either throbbing or completely numb. BAH!
I picked up the results yesterday and took them over to the orthopedic guy and now I'm waiting on his diagnosis. Though I did sneak a peek at the report from the hospital - "ganglian cyst just inferior to the pisiform bone" which is apparently 7.0 mm in diameter. Sounds awefully big to me.... but have to wait for the Dr to tell me what he wants to do.

Waiting for Jeremy to call me so we can make plans to go see a movie and maybe catch some dinner.
Better get to cleaning my house like I was supposed to be doing all day... slept in, went on a hunt for my grandfather who took off walking and scared everyone in the family - he has a tendancy to disappear and he's 87 and it's above 90 degrees outside, lots of traffic and construction, etc... He turned up back at his house safe and sound *sigh* doesn't bother him a bit, but gives everyone else close-to-heart-attack states.

Yeah...k.... cleaning house now.