Stolen from Andrew...

...because I thought it would be fun!

Accent: I'm one of those weird people who can pick up accents very easily (I'm a language person). So right now, I have a little Indiana accent...when I go to Georgia, I'll sound like everybody else in Gwinnett County (I.E. a northerner that says "y'all"...not everybody in the south has a southern accent)
Booze: If I had my choice, I'd say none. I just don't like it. But if I had to, I would say beer over wine (I know, crazy), and a long island for a mixed drink.
Chore I Hate: Scrubbing the tub and yard work
Dog or Cat: I am definitely a DOG person
Essential Electronics: My computer, ipod, and cell phone (even though I rarely answer it)
Favorite Cologne(s): I don't know...the cologne has to react well with the guy. It's funny, I have never liked the cologne on any of the guys I have ever dated, although there was my friend from high school Joey, who always smelled great. If I could ever find the name of the cologne....
Gold or Silver: I think Gold looks best against my skin tone, but I own more silver
Hagiography: Well, I am catholic, and my confirmation saint is Bridget...so we'll go with her
Insomnia: I have trouble falling asleep sometimes, but I can sleep every night
Job Title: Unemployed? oh wait, I still work at wells, so Gaidoz Project Assistant
Kids: Hopefully some day
Living arrangements: For the next week and a half, a small two bedroom apt...by myself
Most admirable trait: work ethic
Number of sexual partners: "What is this, a physical?"...my thoughts exactly Andrew
Overnight hospital stays: None
Phobias: Social Dancing and Bugs...I would say needles, but that's more of a control issue
Quote: I really don't feel like searching for one right now
Religion: Catholic
Siblings: Older brother
Time I wake up: Depends...earliest is 6:30am, latest is 9:30am
Unusual talent or skill: Flag spinning
Vegetable I refuse to eat: Cooked carrots
Worst habit: I open things with my teeth because I am too impatient to tear them apart with my hands or use scissors.
X-rays: I've a had a few
Yummy foods I make: Chilli, Cakes (Chocolate Cake!), Cookies, Chicken Tenders, lots of stuff
Zodiac sign: Aries...rawr

Living the 'Proactiv' life

I'll admit it...I am a 24 year old "woman" still suffering from the socially painful woes of acne. Alright, it's not that bad, and never really has been. I've just inherited my paternal grandmother's extremely large pores, which result in permanent black heads and the occasional inflammatory break-out. They somehow miraculously disappear in photographs though...very thankful indeed.

As an early-bird in the puberty (I still hate that word) portion of my life, I began suffering from this affliction at the ripe age of 9. In high school, my mother decided to do something about it (rather to shut me up) and take me to the dermatologist. I tried the benozoyl peroxide washes...they only resulted in a red neck (haha) and the rude morning wake up call of not being able to open my eyes (puffiness). I also tried other topical medicines, which were terrible when I started doing color guard, as they resulted in sun poisoning at band camps.

So I gave up throughout college...I made sure that I took care of my face. It would all go away during drum corps summers...although if you spend more than 3 weeks of 11 hours per day in the sun, your nose begins peeling off in chunky pieces. I would get home though, and the zits would be back for more (the disease that keeps on giving? oh wait, that's something else).

So here I am, in what is technically my mid-twenties (yikes!) and I'm still suffering. One day on a whim I decided to try Proactiv (because if it works for Jessica Simpson...haha). I get the package and realize that a lot of their products contain the lovely benzoyl peroxide, which isn't so lovely to me. I realized that if I use it once every three days (way under the recommendation) , I'm not affected by the benzoyl peroxide, and it helps clear things up.

Last week though I had a terrible break-out. It was quite possibly because I was finished with school and all of the stress within me combined with a job interview, had finally surfaced in the familiar red mound-like form.

I will continue to live the 'Proactiv' life because I do think it works, especially if your skin isn't sensitive like mine. But I do realize that stress can have far more influence on my looks than a miracle medicine can.

What's up doc?

Reality is setting in...I got my first invoice for student loans...I miss the undergrad days of HOPE scholarship. Georgia is awesome.

I ended up doing very well this semester...completely makes up for all those weekends stuck in my apartment glued to my computer and praying that ella wouldn't go out.

Somehow my key to the office at work slipped off of my key ring...HOW DID THIS HAPPEN, and why now when my days are already numbered?

My friend Adrian recently got an internship at a radio station in Sandy Springs. She gets some on-air time on Fridays at around 6pm. I'm totally excited for her.

Mother's Day is Sunday...don't forget to tell your mom or other women in your life that you love them!!

Faster than a speeding bullet...

I'm pretty sure I mentioned in earlier posts that my parents are selling their house...the only house I have ever known.

This might be a whirlwind record. One week on the market, they sell their house...three days later, they find a new one. We are out as of June 15th.

We will still be living in Brookwood district (like 7 minutes from the old house), not that it matters because us kids are in our mid to late twenties. The lot is way smaller than the old one, but that's what they wanted. I will also miss the pool, which I totally haven't taken advantage of in a long time. But life goes on and the neighborhood was truly becoming get-tro. It's still sad to give up your first bedroom, the place where you learned how to swim, had your second kiss (and third, etc.), made your first cake, etc. It's all happening so fast, but it's better than it dragging out throughout the summer. I'm going to miss that place.

Anyways, I'm working a lot...going in on Saturdays too! Making money is good, but finishing the Gaidoz project will be even better. I would like to do something like it again in the future. Mmmm moldy books. I love it.

As for tonight, I get to hang out with my girls at Lennies! wOOt

CHANGE!!!

Well folks, the torture known as graduate school has FINALLY come to an end for me!

I wanted to show you guys the projects I have been working on for a while now.

I mentioned in an earlier (I'm to lazy to hyperlink) post how I have been working with the Wyoming State Library System on one of the 7 or 8 re-designs of the small public library web sites. The libraries were supposed to fill out surveys, but mine never got around to it. So I had to make up information in many areas. I was going for something very simple and with clear navigation.

Here is the FORMER site (I did not do this).

Here is my revision.

This project was super fun and I hope that they'll actually end up using it.

I also mentioned in the previous post about my social tagging project. It's not completely finished, but you can find it here.

I'm not the best web designer, but I like doing it and it's leaps and bounds beyond where I was when I entered this program. I love technology!

I still think social tagging is a mess, but it makes for an interesting study!

Susan gave me the idea of revamping my previous pathfinders from my reference and information in the humanities classes. I'm so excited to make these look better. Ella is my best friend (only SLIS people will understand this). I also need to request to continue to use some space after graduation, or else my potential employers will not see the work I have done. Also expect a new layout for this blog soon with added bonus features...something I've been wanting to do for a long time.

I'm so happy to be finished with school. I will be up here working until the end of May and concentrating on the job search, which is finally receiving some results, even while searching within a very specific geographic area. I have to FOCUS.

I'm super excited about being able to read for pleasure again, to be free from my past demons (boys/former bad stuff from Georgia), to be able to go out with friends, to be outside (it still needs to get a little bit warmer), and to have a giant weight of school lifted off of my shoulders.

More non-self-centered posts to come!

Blast from the past

Since everybody is talking about vanity googling or self-googlization, I must relate a recent discovery.

For some reason or another I was in Google Images, when I decided to search "Carolina Crown" (the corps in which I marched for a couple of years during the summer).

On the second page I see a picture of a guard member from 2003, so I had to investigate...turns out, it was me!


I didn't recognize myself because I looked quite different back then, in MANY respects (mainly, I don't wear metallic unitards on a daily basis...the show was about bells, so it was appropriate). I remember the show too...the astro turf was all soggy, so the flag was difficult to spin...and why do photographers always catch you in awkward moments...my hands were going towards the catch, and they look terrible. I am on the front 50 though, which is a good thing in the marching arts world.

The biggest reason that I don't do color guard anymore...being a perfectionist.

Seeing the light

I had to turn on the air conditioning this weekend...there were moments where I felt like I was sitting in my apartment on a summer afternoon. We're back to spring weather though, so at least I can save on my electric bill this month.

I officially have four class periods left of graduate school. I have finished my web site for L-571...conducting the usability testing yielded a few changes and I'm sure I'll obsess over it this week still before it's "turned in" on the 24th. I still have to finish the report and make changes to another assignment, so there's plenty to do. I have also been working on a web site for my Library Automation class concerning Social Tagging...an interesting topic, since it is so new to the field. Part of me thinks it's really cool, and another part of me thinks it's going to be a big mess...but most people don't know what I'm talking about anyways.

It's nice to know that the end is near.

Oh, and Happy Easter!

Potpourri

Just a few things:

Oscar Wilde's LAST words were :

"Either that wallpaper goes or I do"

I guess the wallpaper stayed.

Two things I love about America (there are more, but these are just a sample) :
Heinz Ketchup
Barefoot Contessa

Fantasia won WGI this year...see, they are great when they do a pretty show (I've only seen a clip).


That's all for now...16 days until I don't have to worry about school.

There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them. -Sylvia Plath

I've been taking a metaphorical page out of good ol' Sylvia's book lately, and it's true. I am a girl...therefore a big fan of the bath. Although, I don't think I'll be sticking my head in an oven any time soon (do you know your literary greats life stories???).

I decided to take all of my color guard "gear" (clothes, t-shirts, show shirts, the costumes I was able to keep, etc) and pack it in a rubbermaid storage tin/box thing. I figure that maybe one day, just maybe, I'll have children (and a loving husband too) who might be interested in my past life. If I keep wearing the t-shirts, they're bound to get lost or fall apart more than they already are. I never realized how much crap I accumulated from my 3 years of high school, 4 years of college, and 4 seasons of independent involvement...and half of my stuff was lost or resides at my parents house. I also have basically lost my hoodie, t-shirt, and long sleeve t-shirt collection. Humorous discoveries abound...

My exit from AIM has left me with little readers...I didn't realize how many people read this thing from the link on my profile.

I hope everybody is doing well, especially as we embark on the hectic month of April (one month and 7 days until graduation!).

Out Like a Lamb...

I'm pretty sure Bloomington is on the cusp of seeing Spring. We had a grand snow storm Tuesday, which made me less hopeful of ever being in warm weather again. It was quite a shock to return from Georgia to a winter wonderland. The forecasts for the next week are promising, though so I can start smiling again.

I am on hiatus from AIM with hopes of becoming more productive in my studies. So far it has worked fairly well...basically I have less distractions and am left with nothing better to do than school work and cover letters. It works, so I'll stick with it...I was sick of relying on AIM for social interaction anyways.

Last night I saw Andrew and Samantha perform the lovely music of Bach, Mozart, Barber, and Stravinsky with the Bloomington Chamber Singers. Although I have never been musically trained, I highly appreciate productions like these and had a great time.

Nothing else to say really...just looking forward to April and finishing school!

New teeth and other uneventful stuff

So I have always been a bit self-conscious about my teeth. I never needed braces, which is a miracle. My bottom teeth are flawless, minus a bit of crowding between the two front ones from before the wisdom teeth were taken out. My top teeth are straight, but I have always had a gap between my two front ones. It was much bigger when I was little, but it was enough to make me not want to smile for a long time. Most people don't notice the gap...even my brother didn't notice (I'm actually not surprised at this).

I am probably one of the few people who actually like going to the dentist (the doctor is a different story). I'm no beauty otherwise, but they always seem to marvel at my teeth...they are white, have perfect accretion (guessing on this spelling), and are straight. It's nice to have people remark on something that nature/genetics did well for you (although, I have had my fair share of cavities). I have been wanting to fix my gap for ages, and on my last visit, the dentist suggested that I get them bonded. So i finally took the plunge and went through the painless process on Monday. I now have two front teeth without a gap (I might post a picture later). The dentist took before/after pictures, and everybody in the office wanted a look. So while the transition may go unnoticed for the rest of the world, I have no reason to hide my smile any longer. :)

I've been home for a week now. I'm very relaxed and have seen a couple of friends, so it's been nice. I went to Athens yesterday and had a lot of fun with Lauren. I am constantly reminded how much I don't like it there every time I visit though. Not that Gwinnett is wonderful, it's just that very few people remain there who I actually respect/like. Most of the good people have left. I do realize though that things get better with time, and one day I will be able to look at Athens with kind eyes and good memories (because it was fun while I was there) and overlook the crap that is going on now (because it really doesn't matter). Same thing goes for drum corps, winterguard, etc. For now though, it's career concentration time.

A lot of job postings have come through this week...I really need to get started with the application process again, because applying to four places isn't enough. Some of these jobs are a bit far fetched for me, but I am going to apply anyways, because opportunities arise from the least likely places.

My mom and I have done a considerable amount of mother-daughter bonding in the last week. Growing out of that teenage phase has been so nice. We still fight every once in a while, but it's been nice to be able to comfortably talk about things that have been happening in my life, my worries, wishes, etc.

Oh, and I really didn't expect this to be my personality. The muppet DOES live in the back seat of my car though...

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts. You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary. But you sure can beat a good drum. "Kill! Kill!"

The Muppet Personality Test

Monumental Event

Tonight I did homework...a week and 2 days before the assignment is due...willingly...on spring break even.

First time since...maybe the first week as an undergrad.

I thought I should record it because I'm usually a 2-3 days before it's due kind of girl at my best.

It's quite possible that I don't have a life also.

I can't think of a title

I am happy to report that I arrived safely in Georgia...it's the start of my spring break, but I have two assignments due Friday, so technically, the "fun" starts then. My drive was fairly uneventful, save the three times I was cut off by semi trucks. Semis make me feel like I need to take an anger management course. Or maybe they just give me an inferiority complex.

I arrived here in the middle of the afternoon. It was sunny and in the mid-60s. I immediately went to my flag to spin (this used to be an automatic reaction). I somehow remembered my 2003 opener from Crown. It was enough to safisfy my color guard needs for a while though, which tells me that moving on from the activity was a smart choice. I am enjoying the taste of spring...it's like instant happiness.

Kirby Puckett died this week. Sad day in baseball history. I don't follow the sport as much as I used to, but the name is stuck in my memory.

I finally saw the new Pride and Prejudice movie. I not too sure what kind of reviews it received, but I loved it. The cinematography was beautiful (as if I didn't love England enough already)...and I think it is one of the greatest love stories ever. I'm no sap, but Jane Austen was on the mark when she wrote this. What an incredible way to fall in love.

I have quite a bit on my agenda for the week...I'm just hoping to see everybody, and that everything goes well (this includes my adventures into PHP...the bane of my existence).

Some of the jobs that I applied for close this week as well. Waiting is no fun.

In like a lion...

I don't think I have ever been more eager for a month to be over than I have this February. My mother says that bad things seem to always happen to her in October. Well, February has gained quite the negative reputation in my mind. I've never been particularly fond of it...the weather sucks, my grandmother died during that month 13 years ago...and as I got older, Valentines Days usually sucked, because they always seem to coincide with the breaking of my romantic relationships, or when a guy decides to not speak to me. The past three years in paticular have been terrible. I wake up and something new would go wrong with each passing day.

This year's February was surprisingly pleasant until around the 10th or so, when things went awry. I'm not really willing to go into the details, but let's just say I've lost respect for a couple of people whom I had a lot of respect for in the past (this has been happening to me a lot lately...and I thought I was cautious to begin with). My computer is on the verge of a breakdown. I finally got a flash drive to back things up, so I can basically reload the computer, but I'm kind of scared that it is a hardware issue...which in that case, I am literally screwed...because I can't get a new computer (I'm saving up for a Mac) until I start a full-time job. I LIVE on my computer, especially since my classes are based around technology...no print resources this semester. Other sucky things have been happening as well, but they're not of any grand importance.

Normally, I let these things get to me, because quite frankly, they're frustrating. But honestly, are my problems really PROBLEMS? I mean, things suck...like school and the job search and crappy luck. But these are the things that in the whole scheme of life, don't really matter. I realize that I am in grad school limbo and that my life ACTUALLY starts in May...school is NOT real life (it's not, my parents still support me). I have to get through the limbo though and push myself, because I have to get to my goal of graduation, and moving on with my life. Bad things keep on happening while I'm here, but I'm not even close to giving up, especially this late in the game. I wish other people would realize how good their lives are too. They just have to sort through the crap on the surface.

More about the good things that occured in February later (all two of them). Welcome March. May you bring a new perspective.

Windy City

It has been a while, but my weekend was super eventful, so I figure an update is in order.

On Friday, I drove through a torrential rain storm in western Indiana, on my way to Springfield, Illinois (yes, the capital of Illinois...which got me wondering, do you remember your state capitals???). Well, actually I drove to a village called Chatham, about 10 minutes from Springfield, to my aunt's house. I arrived at 8:30pm and promptly went to bed...4:30 (yes, am) wake-up time.

The rude awakening was well worth it because my aunt and I were able to take a train and arrive in Chicago by 10:15. We met my other aunt and cousin and promptly decided to take a cab (it was freezing and snowing, and my aunt was sick) to Michigan Ave. I won't bore you with all of the gory details, but the shopping was amazing (very few disappointments). This is the fourth year of the family tradition (my second), originally made to celebrate my cousin's birthday. We stay at the same hotel, eat at the same restaurants (oh and yes), and eat the same chocolate every visit. It is definitely one of my favorite times of the year (and that's saying something, because I LOATHE winter). Next year, my mom is getting in the action, and I can't wait to add another girl to the mix. I'm not a girly-girl (really), but I love this bonding weekend.

I have a bit of homework/projects to do for next week. I have a weekend visitor :) and some stuff planned with other people, so I am going to do my best to stay dilligent througout the week. I know inevitably I will be writing a paper this weekend though...slacker!

I'm still looking for jobs...it is difficult for sure.

Some stuff I just have to show...

I can't believe I am writing again so quickly, but I did have a few things to say...

First off, one of my favorite books of this year, Looking for Alaska has just won the Printz award. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's the award for outstanding young adult literature, presented at the American Library Association's Mid-winter meeting every year. Very cool. Read the book.

I also have acquired a few pictures recently that I would like to share...

The plant in the silver pot has been with me since I have moved up north. I have killed it almost three times. I recently acquired the plant in the green pot. They are my babies, since I don't have pets. Their friends Snouty, Alice, and Mr. McCheese all requested to be in the photo as well. I know what you must be thinking...but I live alone (and love it).


Here are a couple of pictures from New Years...they are self-explanatory. The girl is one of my best friends, Lauren, and the boy is John. Kelly (a boy, Lauren's boyfriend), was also present for the evening.


If you read my blog, you know I love my dog. This picture has been on my desktop and I think he looks sad. My dad tried to cheer me up by sending the picture below...


He kind of looks like he is smiling.

Finally, if you know me at all, and went to UGA with me, you'd know why I love this picture....yesssss.


That is all.

Patience has its limits. Take it too far, and it's cowardice.

-George Jackson

Very true...either give up or be agressive

This past week was excellent. Besides the fact that the week only lasted three days, things were just wonderful overall. I finally found a client for my Web design class. Dr. Rosenbaum sent out an e-mail about this SLIS grad who has 8 libraries in Wyoming in need of new Web sites. Since Wyoming is my favorite state, I had to take up that opportunity. I'm totally excited about it. It's kind of sparked my interest in travel again. I hope I get to travel a bit this summer. I'm making a list of all of these national parks (like this and this) that I have to see...and there are blueberries and lobster to eat in Maine. Anyways...

My grandmother turns 80 this week. My grandparents visited my parents last weekend. My brother, who is quite the wise guy, decided to put a grand total of 80 candles on her cake, as observed in the following picture:


This leads me into my next topic...I have only one free weekend in February. Normally I am not the biggest fan of February. The past two years have been horrible in the frigid month (well last year was just horrible in general), and I've just gained a sort of pessimistic attitude for February. Well this year, I'm going to Chicago for shopping with my aunts and cousin (possibly one of the best traditions ever) on the 4th. John is probably coming up on the 10th (and he has proven that he actually comes to see me when he says he will)...with a possible three hour road trip to Waffle House-the rea one (the things we do for Waffle House). The trip will depend on whether or not Erik visits Susan though. I go to Quincy, the town where I completed my internship this summer on the 24th. My grandmother won some merit award for the town, so a good portion of the family (including my parents!) is travelling for the ceremony. So I have a lot to look forward to and keep me occupied during an otherwise nasty and yucky month.

One sad piece of news did reach me this week. Apparantly, the business is getting rid of Vanilla Coke. I only allow myself one coke (coke meaning soda in general for the mid-western readers out there) per week, but I love that stuff. Oh well, can't win them all.

I am sending off the first resume of the job-hunting season this week, so wish me luck.

Board games

Being from Georgia, it amazes me when schools don't declare MLK day as a holiday. Luckily, IU is not one of them, so I had the day off. It has been nice, except for the ella server breakdown, which means I am unable to work on an html tables assignment...or rather see the results of my coding...very annoying.

This semester will definitely be different from the past three. I am at school more, because I work at the library more. I'm also not driving to Brazil three times a week. It's different, but nice, and much more economical.

I had a great weekend. John drove from Athens, Georgia to visit me, which was very sweet. Saturday evening, Susan and I hosted a cocktail/board game party at my place. Being the insane ocd planner that I am, I had a layout of different game tables organized. Of course the 11 people (everybody we invited!...and all that can fit in my miniscule apartment) opted to play one game at a time in the living room...everything from Apples to Apples to Cranium. Overall, it was a very successful and fun night. In the future, I am looking forward to having a larger place in which to entertain...because I hate messes mingling with parties. Sunday I got to go to my favorite restaurant here (Snow Lion), and today John left and I finally got to my homework, which minus the ella incident, has successfully been completed.

Tomorrow (or this morning rather) it's back to the grind...work work work, school school, job searching, finalizing references...

Nothing much to say...I think I am going to wait until there is actually something interesting to say before I post again.

"mmm that it's all for the best...of course it is"

So my last semester of grad school has officially began. I can't believe I have been up here so long. It seems almost impossible that I have gotten this far, given the fact that I was completely miserable last year (and not just because I was in Indiana). Anyways, today was interesting. I had my Information Architecture for the Web (Web Design) class. The professor really knows his stuff. While some of the information he was giving completely went over my head, I still remained interested...which is a good sign. I'm glad I am only taking two classes this semester, since this one will definitely take up most of my time. Tomorrow I have my library automation class...hmmm.

I started my new job today...well I still work in the same place, I just have an added 10 hours of working on this specific project. Apparantly IU bought this collection from this man named Gaitoz in the 1970s. It's basically boxes and boxes of folklore books, journal articles, photographs, and everything else under the sun, from this one guy's collection. Most of the items are in french, which is good for me. The collection is going to get digitized since it is in such disrepair, and we are trying to index it before it gets sent to the appropriate place. That's where I get to help out. I am coming in kind of late, since a couple of other people were working on it last semester, but it's better pay and good experience. I also have my normal job working for Charla, with the potential for more hours, if Molly goes to the poli sci librarian. Basically I am at work WAY more than class this semester.

Break was wonderful. I had a wonderful time with my family, friends, and dog. I don't think I can remember a time in the recent past that I have been this happy. I'm still happy even up here in Bloomington. I got rid of the crappy things that used to weigh down my life. I thought I would be empty without them, but there have been plenty of things and people to fill the void spaces. I just like being optimistic not only about my future, but also my present.

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

Those Chuck Norris things honestly crack me up. Sometimes I wish I could roundhouse kick people too...put them in shape...but then I start thinking about the old Nickelodeon show called Roundhouse, and my mind is on yet another tangeant...anyways.

It's been a while, and things have been great. As I look back on 2005, I realize some amazing things happened. I got to walk around Stonehenge (no stanchions holding me back), with my shoes off (only for a second, it was cold) to feel the lines of power. I got to go shopping in Chicago. I finally got to see Crater Lake. I started working in libraries. I finally became comfortable in Indiana. It's too bad a lot of crap happened...this year had a lot of good qualities, and ended wonderfully.

Christmas was great. I am truly blessed for having my family. I did a lot of shopping, which normally doesn't happen. Retail truly is therapy...I just can't get used to it. A few days ago, my boss from collection development called me. She said that the project that I was originally hired for is finally going to start in January. They want to work me 10 hours a week, on a higher pay. In addition, she wants me to work 10 hours of the same job I had the previous semester, on my current wage. So I get 20 hours a week of work, making more money than I did last semester...and I don't have to drive an hour and 15 minutes one way, so it will all go to me (minus taxes, etc) and not my credit card bill for gas. I'm also glad I don't have to pick up a library job that pays like 5 bucks per hour. I am okay paying my dues, but it will be nice to actually be making money while I am here.

New Years was probably the best I have had in my life. I cooked dinner for my parents, nephew, and Krista. I then went to Paige and Jason's for an hour, which sucked because I couldn't stay long. I then make my final trek to Athens, where I spent the rest of the night with John, and Lauren and Kelly. We were in East West Bistro (my favorite bar in Athens) when the clock struck midnight. I got tipsy off of one long island (the strongest and grossest one ever) and was good to go for the rest of the night. The only thing that sucked about the night was the lack of godiva martinis due to the absence of ice cream...my favorite drink ever. It was nice to get to hang out with Lauren again though and talk about cool kids books and play Harry Potter Scene It (which I never won...I don't pay attention to the movies well enough).

This week is pretty busy. I'm going to try to see Danny and Adam, Krista and Ashley, Krista and Lauren (two separate occasions), John, my family, and Adrian and Paige before I leave. Luckily, I will be back in March for spring break (does anybody want to go to Florida with me?), so no 4 month absences this time. This is my first visit back here that I've truly been happy. It's nice.