Happy Anniversary, Baby

Well today is the big 3-5 for the rents. Shhh... it's a secret. Anyway, it is also Memorial Day. Guess what I did today? I spent the late morning and early afternoon with my parents, cutting my grandma's hedge. Wow. How fun. It was way too hot to be doing that too. So the parents are watching Deal or No Deal, though they claim it seems like a stupid show. Should I tell them that Kris is in the process of applying to be on it???

We just got back from Pizza Hut and I feel surprisingly good.

Barf--Howie Mandell--you are one pukey looking guy now. Sorry for the slander but, good grief.

Anyhow, apparently Rach saw me outside at around 5:15 P.M.

I re-created JoLynn Tittles, 80-year-old, 7-foot-tall, 130 pound skater skank from Jewett. I also created and then forgot to save Bobby Lee Penar, the 35-year-old, 5-foot-tall, 250 pound skater redneck from Woodbury. Good old Tony Hawk.

I successfully changed Jasper and Sunshine's water and food today. Neither of them pecked or bit me. That was very nice of them. Not much else going on that I can think of right now. Guess I'll need to make a trip to Charleston in the morning to get some copies of the paper and then check in to see if I have to go to work. Well, time to spiral into some deep depression.

I'll Be Your Friend For a Day...

Well what a loverly day. My birdie-poos woke me up circa 7:00 A.M. but that's okay because I stayed up waaaay too late last night trying to work on the column that was due at 4:00 P.M. today. I would have written it sooner but...

1) I sorta forgot until Saturday morning
2) I spent most of Saturday driving around with my family as they decorated graves
3) I went to Jenni's party and got home around 9:00
4) Kris called me a little before 9:00 and talked until 10:00
5) I missed some calls from Brandy while I was talking to Kris, so I called her back and talked approximately 2 hours
6) I was working on the column during that time, but was too tired to proofread it well and send it

Side notes-- Kris is in mucho pain from a canker sore. He's trying to hurry around and get ready for England--I'm getting sad and going to miss him a lot. He leaves a week from today. My main circle seems to all rag at the same time. I think you all know what that means. And Jenni's party was kind of fun, despite the fact that I indeed WAS ragging and in a pissy/depressed mood much of the time. It was good to see Kara too--hadn't seen her in a while.

Anyway, I got up this morning, revised Mr. Column and sent it to Nora at the DEN. It should be printed Tuesday. I am glad that I have tomorrow off. I mean, I never work, but come on, my parents both have the day off too. And don't forget--tomorrow is their 35th wedding anniversary. But remember, you didn't hear it from me.

Hey I saw Megan yesterday. I also sort of saw Dee Brown. I wasn't going to pay any $15 or $20 to get an autograph or a pic though. In fact, I'm no Illini fan. It was sort of cool I guess to see him and the other two at Wal-Mart. Of course Val knows all of them since she went to school there.

But back to Megan...

I hadn't seen her in a while, and it was awesome to see her yesterday. She tells me she saw RV and thought of my because I guess Will got up in front to tell them the same stuff he told us. She wanted to mention about me smarting off to that Will, but she says she didn't...

Thanks for giving me a holla yesterday Meggers!!

I went to church today and my pastor was acting like I was some sort of rebel for missing last week or whatever. It was more than a little embarrassing. And then we have Vickie meeting Windy over here, bringing back memories of Rachel at the party (or should I say "farty") last night.

I went to class today because I had to keep up with the Jonses (that is, Sarah and Rebecca). I only go to class when they do. I can't believe Harold Guenther is getting married. I shocked the class when Marcus asked us when Martin Luther was born (keep in mind, most of these kids didn't know who he even was... they thought he was talking about MLK Jr., you know, the civil rights guy). I got so excited that I messed up the year, but I blurted out, "NOVEMBER 10th, 18... no I mean...NOVEMBER 10th 1383!" the actual year was 1483, as Sarah pointed out to me, but that's okay. I just know because my man Luther is exactly 500 years older than I.

To the day.

I figured Kris, being a Lutheran, would find my immense Martin Luther knowledge fascinating. I guess, maybe he's not impressed because that's really about all I know about Martin Luther. I just get excited that he has the same b-day as me.

Can you say, "psychological evaluation" boys and girls?

After church, we went to Wal-Mart and got some groceries, cards, and a few pet supplies (including stuff for my birds).

My Aunt Flo has been screwing around with my emotions and making my apparent bipolar disorder even more severe than normal. Right now I'm just sleepy though. By the way, I came within about 400-600 points of meeting a goal in Tony Hawk, which would, in turn, unlock the Rio level.

Oh Rio Rio dances on the Rio Grande.

Speaking of which, I think Duran Duran is my birds' favorite band. And their new names are going to be Jasper and Sunshine. I don't think many people will be shocked at the names.

Well, I'm really tired and I'm probably forgetting important information, but as Groucho Marx said in some Marx Brothers movie that I don't recall... "I must be... going."

Sunshine Jones sends her love to all :)

Number 9, Number 9...

Not much to talk about today, folks. I had a bizarre dream last night about talking to Rachel and Kris on my cell phone and then needing to go to class, only to be interrupted by my cousin, Denise, who called to ask me if I had any artifacts from South Africa. In my dream, I did. Anyway, I was really needing to go to Dr. Bredesen's class because Dr. Bredesen was going to give a lecture on South Africa. But just as I was getting ready to go back to class (five minutes late) I got ANOTHER call, this one from some guy named Rob from the Daily Eastern News. I think he had some assignments for me to write on or whatever. Long story short, by the time I was done on the phone and in the newsroom, there were 10 minutes left of the class and I figured why bother by this point. And for some reason, I was really wanting to see that presentation on South Africa.

Then, I woke up and decided I needed to get ready for work. I ended up going in at 10:00 and working until 2:15, with one hour break for lunch. I went with Mom to Grandma's for lunch. Becky and Brandy were there. Brandy won't shut up, so it's a little hard for me to concentrate on what I'm writing. Therefore, if whatever I'm saying doesn't make sense, I apologize.

I had a great time at work today stuffing envelopes. Quite possibly my favorite job. And now I officially have 6 hours on my next paycheck. I really need a new job. Dave (my boss) proposed that I get a job stuffing envelopes from home. I don't know about that...

I tried to read a little of my Fannie Flagg book (side note: I finished Book Two and started Book Three). I also sat outside and just enjoyed the hot weather for a while too. In fact, I think I'll go back out there and maybe read some more. Dang, I almost forgot... I have to start looking for something to write another column on. I'm not used to this business of having to produce a column every week.

Brandy, Rachel, Sarah, and I are supposed to be going to Jenni's graduation and eating out sometime tonight. That's about it for right now.

The Reflex

Well, today has been an AWESOME DAY. I can't really say I accomplished anything worth bragging about, but that's all right. Last night I completed a couple goals on my Tony Hawk game and I am now ONE GOAL AWAY from unlocking Rio. Oh well. I woke up this morning around 7:00 to the sound of my lovely birds chirping. I then played Tony Hawk for a couple hours, still accomplishing nothing. Finally I quit that crap. I got really mad that I only have to beat one more stinking goal to unlock the next level and I just can't do it right now. Grr.

Brandy came over after 11:00, despite the fact that she promised to be over between 10:30 and 11:00. Dependability, folks.

Anyhow, it wasn't a big deal at all because I was cleaning my room at the time. Once again, accomplishing next to nothing. I mean, I got several clothes off my floor and sorta changed my winter and summer clothes, but my room is still a FEMA disaster area.

I bored Brandy by spending most of the rest of the day reading my Fannie Flagg book.

Sorry Brandy.

I am really enjoying the book.

I got the idea that I wanted pizza tonight, so Mom offered to pay for it. All I had to do was call and pick it up. And Brandy even drove the getaway car. However, I made a fool of myself on the phone. I asked the guy (who is one of the managers or something) about the specials. He said they had one with 2 medium one-toppings for $10.99 or something along those lines. So what do I do? I order a veggie pizza first thing. Um, hello? Veggie pizza constitutes more than one topping. What a dipstick. Oh well. I hope they didn't make fun of me the way I always make fun of people...

So then I was busy being immature (luckily I have forgotten the details of exactly WHAT I was doing) when I heard a knock at the door. And saw it was Rachel. Rach wanted to see the parakeets, so she took some pictures of them and showed me some other pictures and then took some pictures of us and then showed Mom some pictures and really didn't stay too long. However, she did manage to leave some library book she just got today at my house. I'll try to return it back to her tomorrow.

Soft and Sweet and Easy to Eat...

So my guy had to get 2 root canals done today because he's addicted to Mountain Dew, Pepsi Freeze, and Kit Kat. And right before his trip to England. Hope he's doing okay. He also had some graduation party or something today. He invited me but I said I better not because I have to get up early in the morning to go to work. I'm sort of dreading going to work, but I doubt I'll work too long and I sort of need some money anyway, so it's all good. I probably should go and maybe read a little more and/or play some Tony Hawk before I go to bed.

By the way... am I the only person who reads plat books in the bathroom?

Blitzkrieg Bop

Well I don't have to work until Friday and I am TOTALLY COOL with that!!! I'm so hungry. I got up around 7:00-ish and had a dream that Kris and I broke up and then saw each other at summer school and he was crying. But in my dream we didn't get back together, in fact, nothing really happened because my alarm went off and I woke up. And somehow I haven't been mad at Kris yet today. He also emailed me yesterday and said he was glad I came and sort of apologized for acting weird at the party because he was tired. I know he was. I wrote him back and not so subtly told him I wasn't sure what to think about his GGW video. He hasn't been available for comment yet...

I don't remember if I mentioned that I got some parakeets this week. Anyway, I guess they like new wave music. I find that very amusing. In fact, Duran Duran, The Romantics, and The Clash seem to put them in the mood (if ya'll knows what we're talkin' about). It's pretty funny.

I have gotten terribly addicted to this Tony Hawk game I got from Rach. I guess that's what happens when you don't have school and only work like 3 hours a week. Anyway, I tried to play Splinter Cell and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. They both pissed me off, so I decided to quit.

I made pancakes for the first time today. I overmixed the batter and made them somewhat tough, but that's okay. I also dang near made myself sick on them. I made one gigantic "psycho"-delic pancake with Kissables. The candy coating seriously melted and created a pretty awesome tie-dye effect. It wasn't the best pancake I've ever eaten, but it kept me from starving. I am thinking about eating out again sometime today.

I pulled 3 radishes yesterday to thin them out a little bit. Gosh I hate the taste of radishes... but at least I seem to be able to grow them.

I was in the DEN yesterday at: www.dennews.com. Check it out if you're interested.

Mom should be coming home for lunch soon. I need to change the paper in the keets' cage, but I don't WANNA. In fact, I don't even remember their names...

Val, we should get together sometime. And glad to hear Heather seems to be doing okay.

My birds are chirping. Might be getting some eggs soon ;)

Well, I'm tired, hungry, and totally in the mood to read Fannie Flagg, so I guess I better get off here for now.

To The World You May Be Just Another Girl

Or if you're me, you're nothing to the world. And the world to nobody.

I have had a terrible day. Rachel hates me. Crap like that makes me hate myself.

At least I finally got my stupid column done.

I Like Mine With Lettuce and Tomato...

Howdy ya'll. Well, here's what's up thus far. Yesterday I went with Brandy and Sarah to Effingham to pick up applications. I only got one, but that's okay. I mainly wanted to run around. I went beyond my means and bought an Arizona outfit from J.C. Penney. I better slow down on the credit card purchases. Anyway, I also bought a Diamond Rio CD. C'mon guys, it was only $5.88--don't give me that kind of grief for getting a country CD. I like a couple songs on it. Now Sarah, on the other hand, spent $13 or $14 on a CD for one song...

After that, we went up to Curt and Deb's on 4-wheelers. I drove slow for Sarah. I looked at their parakeets. I might have to buy them. I've been wanting some keets for a while now, and I imagine the price will be right. Heck, I might even have to take some of their abundance of fish too. I've always wanted fish also...

Then we went to church and Rach came too. It was a good time for all. I stayed downstairs with Jenni and we talked about stuff. It was pretty awesome. Well, until I managed to disrupt the actual Bible study that was going on. Oops!

After that, Rachel took us all out to Subway. I tried to get her to buy some So Co or at the very least, Boone's Farm. I knew she wouldn't. I mean, we just got back from church, and I was sorta kidding with her...

Then we went back to Brandy's to eat our Subway sandwiches(I had already eaten at Subway for lunch when we went to Effingham, but I ain't complainin'--I love the place). It was pretty funny because Rachel's credit card didn't work. Sarah ended up having to pay for them. Rachel's credit card worked at the gas station part though, so maybe the girl at the Subway part didn't know what was going on.

Then we drove through the great storms that Rach warned us about to get home. Wouldn't you know, Rach called me on my cell phone just as the weather was getting really bad. Oh well. It worked out all right. It is kind of funny now, looking back.

This morning, as usual, I didn't have to go to work. I called Brandy, who was, at the time, en route to Chicago for a Cubs game. I figure she is there now. I figure she probably got there around 11:00, but I'm not sure. I was having a high old time looking at the atlas and telling her what towns she'd be passing through next and how and when they would probably change interstates.

Yeah, I know I need to see a psychiatrist for my unnatural love of maps and atlases.

I currently have a homemade pizza in the oven (Brandy will not be happy about this because she is not able to eat any of it). Later, I will probably do some yardwork or something. Mom told me that since I'm not getting any money at my job, she will start paying me to do stuff around the house. We are in dire need of some cleanup around here anyway.

And guys... don't let me forget that I have another column due this Sunday.

The Ballad of...

Ah yes, the second half.

Okay, this is for Megan. I heard that she was graduating this spring, though she has to make up a couple classes in the summer, so I was like hey cool, let's see if I can find her. Well, I did. I found her in the booklet, so I made sure I was paying attention until she walked across the stage too. And although I was in the student center, I applauded loudly for her. I'm sorry you couldn't hear me as part of your cheering section, Megs :(

And now for the Kris date/Mother's Day/today stuff...

So I met Kris at 1:00 at Coleman Hall (our old stomping grounds at EIU) and he looked nice. He shaved the stubble around his goatee and I really liked his jacket, though he kept going on about it being ratty and stuff. Oh yeah, and he showed up chewing gum and kept eating breath mints like candy, so I don't know what he had in mind :)

His car was a little messy, but I'll forgive him because my car is always as bad or worse. In fact, it makes me feel a lot better about myself. So we went to the movie, RV. I figured it would be a stupid movie, and it was, but it was actually pretty funny too. I find that I am getting a lot more affectionate. Maybe Mom is right and absence really does make the heart grow fonder. It felt good to be around him again. I really missed him.

However, before the movie started...

Some guy named Will got up in front of the audience and told us to turn off our cell phones, showed us where the exits were, and said he'd make one lap around the theater with a flashlight in case any of us needed to ask any questions. Umm... okay?

When he finished his filibuster speech, the theater was still quiet, but I was stupid enough to assume that people had started talking... yeah... and when Will thanked us, I said loudly, "No, thank YOU, Will" in a really jerky voice. Kris said, "That's what I like about you" and put his arm around me. I was just hoping I wouldn't get kicked out of the movie before the previews even started...

Then of course we were the last ones out of the theater. How embarrassing is it when the lights suddenly come on and you and your boyfriend are still snuggling, and the theater employees are watching you. Nothing major, but stuff like that embarrasses me.

Anyway, we went to the mall and looked for a copy of Jane Austen's Persuasion for Kris. No luck. Then we went to Fazoli's to eat. It was good. We had a good visit there until we both ended up needing to go to the bathroom. After that, we decided to go to Wal-Mart to look for Persuasion. Yeah... no luck. Then we came back to EIU and each had to go our separate ways. It was a very good time though. I hated for the afternoon to end.

And now, for Mother's Day...

So I saw my former 2nd grade teacher/Sunday School teacher who has been living in Russia for years as a missionary. She and her husband were selling some Russian stuff to fund their work I think. Mom got me a doll in a green dress and I love it. Mom got a balloon and Grandma got 4. On Mother's Day, the mothers get balloons to release. The balloons are purchased at $10 apiece that go towards missions or something. It's called Mother's Memorial. Anyway, I didn't get to see Mom and Grandma release their balloons because Dad insisted that I pick out a doll. That's okay though. Then we spent hours at Wal-Mart. That's about it for Mother's Day.

Today...

I worked for an hour and a half this afternoon. Before work, I pulled some weeds out of the garden. Fascinating, I know. After work, I didn't do much except act stupid singing, and read some on my Fannie Flagg book. I'm getting pretty used to this business of being on break and not having to do a whole lot.

I am going to try to go to JY's graduation Friday. Thanks for hooking me up with the info about that, RC. I might have to go to work tomorrow afternoon too. I'm not sure yet. Anyway, I guess I won't be going with SC and BW and TH tomorrow to pick up applications. I guess this post wasn't that great after all. Sorry about that, guys.

CAUTION: Brandy, You're Not Gonna Like This Post...

Okay everybody, first off, today is Kris and my 1 month anniversary! And I'm pretty sure we both forgot it. Eh, that's okay. Anyway, we had that little day-and-a-half hiatus a couple weeks ago. I'd rather not think about that though.

So, I've been a little busy lately and that's why I haven't updated in half a week. I'll try to recap the events of the latter part of last week to the best of my abilities...

After I updated Wednesday, I read some on a book while TW came to do BW's to do genealogy stuff. Then BW and I went to Mullen. I didn't do a Bible study, though. I just hung out in the basement with JY (who is in fact, a recovering basement-dweller). We had a good visit. Then BW took me back to my house and as I recall, she stayed the night and left in the morning. I worked for just under three hours Thursday morning. Thursday afternoon, I went over to BW's house and we got in a fight just to keep things interesting. I typed my column during part of the fight and after I finished the column, I threatened to go home. Well, wouldn't you know, LH called right as I was packing up stuff to go right back home, and talked me into staying.

L's house:

So around 5:00, we left BW's house to meet T and H at their house. We played with their kittens some and then headed to Effingham. T had it in his head that they had to play tennis even though it was so cold it was almost unholy to play tennis in that sort of weather. We went to 3 locations before we actually found one with open courts. I wasn't planning on playing tennis anyway. I just sat in D's car and wrote part of a new memoir. After that, we came back to D and L's house and watched some TV while L made some spaghetti, crescent rolls, roast, and salad fixin's. Then, of course, we ate it. It was very good. Thank you, LH!

Then we played cards.

I told Kris I would call him around 9:00, when my free minutes started, so we could make plans regarding going to karaoke over the weekend. But when nine o'clock rolled around, we were in the middle of a nasty little game of sevens that was getting very competitive. I didn't want to be rude or distracting, but I also didn't want to ditch Kris since I said I was going to call him. I finally called him around 9:20 or so because Lisa said it would be okay. We talked until it was time to leave L's house. And still never made any definite plans about karaoke.

Then I stayed all night with B again.

I called in to work at 11:40 Friday morning, only to be told absolutely nothing. I didn't know if I had to work or not, so I agreed to just stop by around 1:00. I had lunch with my grandma... well, actually I didn't end up eating it because I had a bipolar fit and completely lost my mind and got extremely depressed. I checked in with work at 1:15 and was told to come in Monday afternoon. Dad came home and we picked up B, so R wouldn't have to make a special trip to pick us both up for S's Lake Land graduation. I managed to break my door to my room. Dad fixed it though.

R picked B and me up at about 6:30. It would have been a little sooner, but wouldn't you know, old Sunshine had to go take a crap right as Rachel was pulling in the drive.

We decided to go out of the way and take the interstate to Lake Land.

So we went to E and then up to M. We barely made it to the graduation on time. Somewhere between G and Mo, RC passed some very smelly gas, and I was sitting up front with her. In order to save my life, I desperately grabbed two vent air fresheners and stuck one in each nostril. That was a close one. Somewhere between N and M, R got mad at some car and said, "That dingbat ripped me off!"

We were so late that we had to go to the Student Center and watch the graduation on a TV. It was actually better that way. Dr. Luther was just as annoying as always, but it made for great entertainment. Somebody's phone went off during the national anthem. I have much more to say about that experience, but I took some notes and plan to write a book about it. Or at least a short story.

Then we had this reception thing in the Backstage. I had 2 cups of punch and a cup of coffee with 8 sugar packets. I got really hyper, really fast. Chuck finished off a cookie I started eating and also polished off Brandy's punch. Thank you, Chuck. We also took a lot of pictures. Many stupid pictures of me were included in the lineup.

Finally, B, R, S, and I went to Taco Bell sometime after 11:00 because it was one of only a couple restaurants that were open at that time. But Taco Bell any time after 5:00 is a NO-NO for me. 'Nuff said about that one, folks.

R took me home and I got home around 1:00, getting to bed around 2:00.

I got up at 7:00 or so, and was distraught that Kris hadn't called or emailed me any about karaoke, so sometime around 9:00 I decided to give him a call, only to see I had a missed call from his mom's cell phone. So I called him back and he asked if we could go to a movie instead of karaoke. That was fine with me. We talked for a while. It was great to hear from him. I need to close for now, but I will try to get back on and write the second installment of my weekend: the movie with Kris and this year's Mother's Day.

Feel Free to Comment on Either of Today's Posts...

Yeah, I know there are two identical posts today. And I accidentally put "my" instead of "me" yet again. I apologize.

Eff-You

Yeah I went to Effingham with Brandy today. We looked for some applications. We each got two applications. I wanted one from Little Caesar's and one from Subway, but Little Caesar's was out of applications and anyway, they only needed to fill the position of Poor Sucker Who Walks Back And Forth With A Sign Advertising Hot And Ready Five Dollars. Now, who in their right mind goes around saying "Hot and Ready... $5"??? Sure my mind is in the gutter, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that sounds more than a little like very affordable prostitution...

Subway was not nearly as perverted with us.

Subway just told me that I needed to fill out the application in person "Right Here, Right Now" (Jesus Jones) and I was like "Well, I don't have much time now, but I might come back sometime" having absolutely no intentions of coming back, but just needing an excuse to get the heck out of dodge as my mozzerella sticks from Arby's were getting cold.

Thank you to Rachel for introducing my to Arby's Side-Kickers.

On a side note, we went to Wal-Mart (totally just to buy cheap pop) but we ended up walking around a lot in the store and I happened to see Shannon. She talked to me and Brandy for a while. No hard feelings anymore. I'm past that stage.

We also had to go to the hospital to order some tickets for some Cubs game or whatever. I was like why would you go to a hospital for Cubs tickets? That's about as bad as advertising that you are hot and ready in front of Little Caesar's.

What is this world coming to?

I think I'll write my column on how "x-number" of kids between the ages of 18 and 21 or whatever don't know where Mississippi is. It's not a very good survey, because they only asked a little over 500 people the question, and something tells me they were probably not U.S. citizens.

Brandy is watching some Arctic Cat DVD as we speak.

Hey Rach, nice blog, by the way. The toilet is temporarily fixed. I talked to Kris on the phone for like 2.5 hours last night. I guess he tried to call me from his mom's cell phone 2 nights ago, but I wasn't around when he called and so they showed up as missed calls and I didn't recognize the number. So I was a little nervous when my caller ID showed up with the same number calling me last night. But yeah, it was Kris, so that was cool.

This is also to Rachel Jean Carr, who likes wearing contacts when not wearing her glasses: I met Windy in the J.C. Penney fitting room at the Village Square Mall today.

Rach! Come to church with me and Brandy tonight.

Sarah: I need to know if and when you are having a graduation party with Brandy. If you are NOT having it this Saturday, then I will probably go to karaoke with Kris this weekend. If you are, then I'll probably go with him another weekend.

Apparently I'm Not Allowed to Talk About Kris Anymore...

Brandy claims that everybody is sick of hearing about Kris all the time. I don't understand why I can't talk about what I want to talk about. It's my blog, after all. She can just get her own if she has a problem with mine. And I don't know why she leaves nasty comments as anonymous all the time--it's pretty obvious who's leaving them.

I'm supposed to go to work this afternoon. Mom just got home and I wanted to visit with her, but she said she doesn't have a long lunch. Makes me sad.

I won't post my grades on here, but I'll say I got them this morning and I was happy. In fact, I was having a good day until Brandy started saying stuff about Kris. I thought friends were supposed to build you up, not break you down. Sorry for the angry post today, people. Just not in the greatest mood right now.

Meet in the Middle

What a day. I waited from 9:30 to 10:45 to see if I had to go to work, only to find out that I didn't have to work until tomorrow afternoon. I went over to Brandy's house for a while and ended up going to Charleston and Mattoon with her to look for job applications. I need to get more hours this summer than I am right now. Dilemmas: I want to do things with Kris and I am planning a trip to Mississippi. Therefore, I can't afford to ask off for either of these things if I start a new job. So when do I turn in the applications? It is insane.

I'm getting ready to have pizza for the second time today. I love pizza. I could eat it all the time if it weren't so unhealthy. I need to start my first summer DEN column soon. It is due this Sunday. This Sunday is also Mother's Day. I can't forget that either. One last thought before I get to this pizza: Why is it that I happen to run into people from my church on the rare occasions that I go to Wal-Mart for a bottle of Boone's Farm?

Liquor in the Front... Poker in the Back

I am tired, once again. I fell asleep talking to Brandy on the phone last night and then I decided to rest for a "few minutes" before going to bed... and I woke up at 5:00 this morning, fully dressed and with my light on. Oops. I got up, turned off the light, turned on the nightlight, changed into my night clothes and went to the bathroom and was still able to fall right back to sleep. I got up sometime after 8:00.

I went to church this morning. My pastor's wife had to be taken to the hospital in Chicago, and I don't know how she's doing--kinda worries me. A young guy and his wife and baby came to preach. I liked them. I know the girl's dad--he married a lady from our church after he and his first wife had been divorced for a while.

After church, I came home and started doing some work. Dad went to work. Mom and I cleaned around here some. I pulled some weeds out of the garden and Mom trimmed some trees. I also cleaned my room some and she tackled the kitchen and bath areas. I took a break, applied some Banana Boat tanning oil to my legs and sunbathed a while, while I was reading Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! by Fannie Flagg. I actually got a start on my leg tanning. Maybe my legs will catch up with my arms this summer ;)

I called Brandy tonight and got mad at her, mainly because I'm tired, but also because I miss Kris and she's not very tolerant of my relationship with him. I feel bad for losing my temper, but I just feel like I never get to do what I want to do. I'm on a short fuse lately anyway because of multiple stresses--worrying about Dad because he has been having heart problems, worrying about grad school crap (GRE, applications, financial aid, etc.) not understanding why I can't have a boyfriend and friends too.

But anyway, I guess I shouldn't waste time worrying about it.

My room is looking slightly better. I think I'll call work tomorrow and see if I need to go in in the morning. If not, then I'll see about a haircut. I need to be planning my week. It's so good to be on break. Peace out, friends...

I'm Sick of the Song "Bad Day"

"You had a bad day"--yeah, but only because I heard that song about 113,432,635,865.25 times!! No, it's not that bad of a song. And I didn't have a bad day either. I'm just being a jerk for some reason. I'm not in a bad mood, but I'm just really tired. I had a great time at Tuscola. My cousin's graduation party wasn't that great, but it wasn't bad either. I got some new shoes that I just love. They are Doc Martens, but they were on sale for like $30. I was psyched about that. Anyway, I'm pretty tired still, so I don't much feel like telling the entire day's story. Perhaps Illini Fan will post the day's events on her blog.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Buenos dias, amigos! I have no idea what Cinco de Mayo celebrates, but you all know me--I'm up for a party whenever I have the excuse! I have to go to work this afternoon, which is sort of a bummer--I'd rather go in the morning and have my afternoon and evening off. But at least this way I got to sleep in this morning. I've been very tired lately. Yesterday, I rode 4-wheelers with Brandy and took off down part of the National Road and along the edges of some fields and then in some open yard space at my grandma's farmhouse--it was pretty cool. I also had to pick up some laundry at the laundromat so I went in to town to see Grandma. She gave me some tomato plants and a couple of peppers. I planted them when I got home. I also talked to Kris a couple times on the computer. Then I went to Brandy's grandma's house to play some pool--yeah, I lost both times--but she fixed us some pizza, chips, pop, and raspberry pie. I love raspberry--probably my favorite fruit. I don't know how long I'll have to work this afternoon. I kind of hope not long though, because I'm really enjoying being on break and I want to make the most of it. Although, I guess to totally make the most of it, I'll need to make some money. And if I do take that trip to Mississippi, I'll need money and I'll also need to take several days off work. So I guess I better get some work in early.

I just got out of the shower. For some reason it seems like we run out of hot water when I'm in the shower. I don't know why. It sucks though. I need to start in on columns soon--my first summer DEN column is due on Mother's Day... which reminds me, I need to get my mommer a Mother's Day gift.

I'm probably going to be busy. Kris' sister and brother-in-law are having a housewarming in Danville on the 21st and I need to go to that, plus he thinks he's going to drag me up to karaoke there sometime. We'll see. Tomorrow I'm supposed to be going to Tuscola with Sarah, Brandy, maybe Rachel, perhaps Betty, and pretty much anybody else who cares to go. After that, I have to go to my cousin Daniel's EIU graduation party. Today I just need to focus on getting through work though.

School's Out, For Summer

Ah, Alice Cooper--you said it so well!

Well yesterday was a pretty cool day. My last day on campus this semester. I got to school early to study for my Shakespeare final (the one I'd been dreading since the semester began) and to turn in my last two books. I saw Dr. Martone outside and he gave me this broken keyring that was a miniature John Deere tractor on it. I guess that is because I wrote all those rural poems for his class. Then he said that in the fall, he wanted Travis and me to meet him and maybe put together a small poetry magazine. I was pretty psyched. I went to the library, sat down, and saw ALAN. Alan decided to sit by me and talk about German mythology for a while. Finally I told him I needed to return my books and he said he needed to get some lunch. No lines at Station 3 at TRS, so that was a good thing. No fines either. No fines + no lines = one great way to end the semester.

Then I met Mr. Jones at 1:30 in Coleman and we went bowling in the union (discounted bowling this week). But first, we had to pick up his check, cash it, and then pick up his coursepack for study abroad this semester. That was all right though. Bowling was interesting. He won the first and 3rd games, but I creamed him on the 2nd. Well, it was as close to creaming as it gets with me and bowling. I got 90-something--really not that good. Kris kept throwing the ball so hard it knocked him down. Honestly I think he was being theatrical and showing off for the most part. There were these jock types laughing at him, and it really was pretty funny. I thought he was going to foul a couple of times acting up like that. We bet Mountain Dews on the second game--I claim that was my incentive and how I managed to win it. The third game he said if I won I had to tell him what to get me from England and if he won it was a surprise. Well, I wanted a surprise anyway.

So then we went to the union and I claimed my free Mountain Dew (and a bag of chips because he offered and I was hungry). So we're just being crazy and there's hardly anybody around. Yep--I was singing "Truckin'" (Grateful Dead) and he was singing all these New Wave 80s songs. I'm surprised no jocks were pointing and laughing at us that time...

Then we hung out in the commemorative courtyard until time for my final. Without all those people around, it was a lot easier for me to belt out my rendition of "Mercedes Benz"--not my favorite by Janis, but a lot easier to sing than "Me and Bobby McGee."

I was nervous about that final and it took me from 6:00 until 7:50--almost the entire time. I don't know how I did--probably an A or a B though. I'm sort of anxious to get my grades and see how I did this semester. Anyway, after I handed in my final, I walked out in the hall and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but Kris Jones and a small bouquet of roses. He's like well, I knew you were pretty stressed out about that final, so I thought I'd get you some flowers and a card. It was really sweet. Then he kept saying he hoped it wasn't too much. Hey, I like gifts. Then we saw Shauna--another grad student--and went outside to hang out for about an hour and a half. It was kind of sad because I don't know how often we'll see each other in the summer, but it was a good way to end the semester.

Now I'm going to have to start writing summer DEN columns.

And take the GRE.

And apply to grad school.

But I'd also like to take a mini-road trip to Mississippi and check out Ole Miss sometime this summer. I also plan to get my hair cut and donate it to Locks of Love. Hopefully it will be a fun summer. Today is my first day of break and one good thing is I don't have to go to work today (though I'm supposed to work tomorrow). And, it is a beautiful day, so I think I'm going to go outside and enjoy it!

If the Devil Danced in Empty Pockets...

He'd have a ball in mine!!!

Yeah, so I've had that song in my head at least since Saturday. Thing is, I put gas in my car yesterday and... let me put it this way, after taxes, I made enough $$$ today to pay for it. I don't know what I'm going to do because I usually don't work even as much as I did today. Too bad I don't have a retirement account--I think I'd have to cash it in for gas money and tuition--gee whiz.

Yeah so I only worked 4.5 hours.

After work, I came home and planted:
3 rows of carrots
1 row of green onions
5 rows of corn

...not to mention all the weeds I pulled out of the ground with my hands. I think I work too hard on a garden that probably won't produce anything for me. I also need to study for my wretched Shakespeare final tonight and tomorrow morning. Then I need to go to Wal-Mart and THEN I need to go to school and turn in my last 2 books and meet Kris at 1:30 in Coleman Hall and then I have that final to take from 6:00-8:00. I'm somewhat concerned about the final, but I don't really want to study for it. I guess I should quit my b****ing and just get to it. But I don't wanna...

Okay, So Maybe I Was a Little Rash...

All right. First of all, a HUGE thank you to all my friends who offered me their support this weekend. I am so happy that you guys were there for me.

Now for the good news (I think) :

Last night I got an email from Kris saying to please call him at home if I got a chance. So I did, and he pretty much said his weekend sucked and wouldn't say why. Eventually he came around to saying he missed me and he said the wrong things Friday night and he'd like to get back together because two weeks isn't really enough time to know anything anyway. He told me to let him know when I was uncomfortable and he'd try better about taking things slow. He said he kept seeing and hearing things that reminded him of me and got him pretty choked up. We both agreed that we are NOT in love right now, but just kind of special friends. That way, he said who knows what will happen in the future but we should just enjoy what we have right now and not worry about either having to get married or break up for real.

I think that is a healthier way to look at things.

So we talked about some pretty serious stuff like that and agreed that neither of us are comfortable expressing ourselves and basically I think we're in the same boat. We want to "date" to have a friend to do things with, but also hold hands and stuff like that. Just not too much.

Anyway, today I have to go to school and turn in some final papers and stuff, then I think I'm going to Steak 'n Shake (WOO HOO!) for breakfast, and then to Brandy's house, then to my grandma's for lunch, and maybe come home after that (although I ought to go to work). I also need to study for my Shakespeare final though.

By the way, I'm a little emotionally unstable right now. All you girls know what I mean...lol. So maybe that's why I overreacted yesterday. Mr. Jones and me, we're just gonna pretend like this weekend didn't happen.

Thanks again for the support, ladies!!!