It's All Par for the Course

2003-12-17T16:27:00.000-05:00

I don't know that anyone cares or not, but I have good news. Neal is going to be moving here for next semester. I'm sooooo happy about this. It'll be 5 years we've been together on the 30th, and, except for summers, we've spent the whole time apart. It just feels like, to both of us, that it's time for us to get to be together on a daily basis instead of only on some weekends or special occasions. It's just going to be really nice to sit and watch tv together or to make dinner together or to go out together. He's coming up tonight, and I'm just really excited. By the way, I'm still looking for gift ideas if anyone has any they'd like to share. Below is what I've gotten for people so far.

Mom	Dad	Mamaw	Papaw
Handheld trivia game	Ted Nugent Double Live	Woodburned jewelry box	? (maybe digital golf scorecard)
?	Deep Purple Machinehead records	?	? (maybe handheld flight simulator)
Hayley	Morgan	Boy	Neal
Woodburned jewelry box	Woodburned jewelry box	Large sketchbook and pencil set	Gravity, Back massager
MP3 Player	MP3 Player	MP3 Player	Vellux blanket and ? (need ideas)

So... anyone wanna help me out with ideas?

2003-11-24T16:32:00.000-05:00

Blog Forum

Since the Christmas season begins officially on Friday, I want to start a new forum for anyone to add their best gift ideas. I'd like to see some creativity here, not just go to some stupid store and buy some stupidly popular something or other... I want some genuine unique ideas. And if you have no new ideas, add some of the best gifts you've either gotten or received.

2003-11-24T16:28:00.000-05:00

How can I bitch at other people for lack of posting if I don't do any updating myself? Good question, huh? So I'm posting... Lauren and I are moving as soon as we find someone to sublet our place. So if you know of anyone who needs a place to live in Bloomington, my apartment is dirt cheap for being freaking huge and freaking nice. We want to live in a house though, and we don't wanna have to catch crap for having pets, so we're moving into this awesome house. It has walk-in closets, yes, plural, one of which we're thinking of using as a doggie bedroom b/c it's so big and open. The kitchen is all brand new, there's a enclosed back porch, a front porch, and a fireplace, and it's only $15 more a month than I'm paying now. Woo hoo for us. Oh, and the living room is big enough for a pool table, which Lauren is getting from her dad b/c his place is too small for it. So...party at our new place as soon as everything is settled. Job is getting less and more stressful, if that makes any sense. I'm managing to 'tard my way through it, which is good, but I have a deadline coming up on the 15th of December, and I'm not sure it's going to happen. I'm the course director on that project, and I've done all my work on it; my job now is to harass everyone else to get their stuff done. I am not good at that part of the job; I don't like to talk to people I don't know, much less tell them what to do. I just have to keep in mind that this is awesome experience (the company has been featured on 60 Minutes as one of the few bright spots in e-learning) and that by the end of January, I will have enough money to buy a new car in cash and put my P.O.S. to sleep:) Excellent. Now all I need is for Neal to get his crap together and transfer up here. I'm right there w/ Leah, by the way, on the whole remembering crap from high school. It's actually kind of fun to think of things you didn't even know you remembered Ern, I really can't beleave you don't remember the Dammit Doll; that was fun for at least a whole year... How about the bear? The one that mooed and had this unexplainable stain on him? Oh, and Leah, I still have the bathing suit that Reg tore the strap from; I wear it to mow the lawn and do garden stuff. I'm in a better mood now, actually. Ok, I think I'm done talking now...

2003-11-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

Here are my results in the quiz on Leah's site...
Protector

The ULTIMATE personality test
brought to you by Quizilla I think it's pretty dead on.

2003-11-10T18:32:00.000-05:00

So I Guess It's Update Time

Okay, I'm finally ready to update some stuff. Let's see... My birthday was on the first, of course, and it was a fun little affair, though I still haven't gotten my present from Neal. It was supposed to be a surprise, but we're going to go get it together instead. I went to a costume party that night, as a nurse, and Neal was a doctor. Lauren was Rhiannon, the Greek moon goddess, and Jason was an army guy. We looked pretty good, if I do have to say so myself:) My job is really, really hard, but I'm finally at the point where I am starting to think it might work out okay. I thought I was going to be doing just writing and editing, but I also am responsible for coding everything into HTML documents using tables, which is the most difficult part of HTML, for anyone who has never experienced their hell. This would all be fine, but usually 3-4 people work on any given project, and for the one I'm working on, it's just me! Yeah... how much sense does this make???

I've worked there for going on 4 weeks
I'm in charge of creating a course on how to work at Option Six, but I've never been told any of those things
I'm doing the work of 3-4 people
I have to work in HTML, which I told them I could not do when I was hired (obviously they did not believe me)
...and I've been given 2/3 of the time projects are usually given ( I have 8 weeks to do a 12-week project).

On the upside, if I stay in this job, I can make enough money in one year to make a down payment on a house and buy a new car! yeah, I'm going to make around $38-40,000 this year. That's so much money that I'm really not sure what I'll do with it all. That makes me happy. It's probably a good thing too, since I'll probably be supporting Neal for the rest of his natural life:) I guess that's all my news really, though I would love to actually hear some comments from you guys. Oh, yeah, has anyone heard about Kelli Rae or seen her? I know it's evil, but I think it's really funny that she's all big and pregnant now. She's always thought she was so much better than everyone else, so above Crawford County, and what happens to her? She gets barefoot and pregnant straight out of high school!!!

2003-10-27T22:28:00.000-05:00

So.... guess who now makes $17/hour. Yep, I do.

2003-10-22T18:10:00.000-05:00

In the Words of Joey Lawrence...

"Whoa!" There's so much stuff going on in my world right now. We have a brand-new puppy for starters. She is a brindle-colored (toffee-reddish and chocolate brown tiger stripes) pit bull named So-Co (as in, she is the color of Southern Comfort roughly). I voted for "Whiskey," but it's not my dog, so I don't count. She's really cute, but she's too timid for my tastes. I want a dog who realizes she belongs and that she'll never be mistreated; I don't take kindly to mistrust by dogs. Next, our phone was shut off... This is incredibly weird b/c when you call my number, it says it has been shut off by MY request. I assure you that I want my damn phone. The ironic thing is that I can't call them to tell them I want my phone reconnected because my phone has been disconnected. We had missed one payment, ONE, not 50, but that was only because they were supposed to credit the account with an overpayment. They didn't, and I had planned to pay the full amount this month, but it wasn't due yet. Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! However, the biggest change in my life is my new job. It's going to kick my ass--hard. Today was my third day. I have already written the manifest for a course on orientation to the company, had it critiqued, and assigned the work. Does this seem a little strange to anyone else that I'm in charge of a project to write an online orientation course when I haven't been oriented?????????????????? True, I don't have to write a lot of it from scratch, but I am responsible for doing all the interviews, compiling those and all the written things people give me, and putting it on the Web. Can we say scared out of my wits? IF, and that's a big if, I survive, this job is going to look freaking amazing on my resume. This is one of the fastest growing e-learning companies in the country, and they're beating the pants off of the big shops around the nation. I'm excited to be part of it, but I'd like to get to the point at which I'm not wanting to chuck every time I think about going to work. Oh, and for the record, I am not a hypochondriac OR a prostitute or some weird combination of the two...

2003-10-17T00:07:00.000-05:00

What You've Missed Since the Last Post

From Friday til Tuesday, Neal was with me because it was his fall break. We had the most awesome time, and it's made me so mad that we can't live in the same city. We just plain have a wonderful time together. For example, on Sunday, it was incredibly beautiful outside (warm, sunny, actual azure sky), and we wanted to do something to enjoy it, so we went to the grocery and bought a loaf of italian bread, some butter, cheese, and French pastries and then went to Oliver Winery, where we lounged on a blanket on the hillside overlooking the pond. It was glorious, just lying there with Neal, talking and catnapping. The whole 5 days were great. Also, Jason is now pretty well living here with Lauren and I (i.e., he hasn't slept at his place in over a month), and this is totally cool with me. He is an awesome guy, the kind you love to have around, and they're awesome together. Tonight, they went to look at puppies, and I think we may be getting a little pit puppy. My only stipulation is if they get a puppy, I get a kitty. Foot. Down. Anybody going to see Texas Chainsaw Massacre tomorrow? Well, I am. It's going to be pretty cool. Although, I went and looked up the true story, and it has nothing to do w/ teenagers or a cannibalistic family, which makes me wonder where the true part is... Oh, speaking of horror movies, I saw one that was beyond gory, B-E-Y-O-N-D! It is called Cannibal Holocaust, and I watched it because that sounded like a movie that just HAD to be stupid funny; however, it turned out to just be scary and real. In fact, the story and gore are so believable, the director had to produce some of the actors in court just to prove that their onscreen deaths were not real (see woman impaled from ass to mouth for losing her virginity).

Job Search 2003

Update

I got a JOB! That's right; I got a job, and it is awesome. I'm working for Option Six, the e-learning company whose biggest clients are Lilly and Krispy Kreme, (see previous post for details) starting Monday. My job will divide my time between working as a writer an editor in creating online courses and writing our marketing proposals for soliciting new business. Yeah, that last part is as important as it sounds, and I have no idea why they have that much faith in me. The next cool thing about it is that when we were discussing structure, he asked what I'm making now, and when I told him, he actually chortled (until today, I had never heard a person chortle), and said, "oh, well, we can do better than THAT." this means, all together now, I'm in the money. Yet another cool thing about this job is that one of the animation people working there worked on the Simpsons and he new Star Wars movies before coming to work at Option Six! This place is awesome, and little ole me is gonna work there. Guys, I'd appreciate some feedback...

2003-10-06T22:04:00.000-05:00

So Leah found my blog, but she's goofy and didn't understand how to post, so I'll have to get her to come back and say hi to everyone. I must reiterate how truly AWESOME my Leah is!!!

Here's to Wild Weekends!

Lauren and I threw our first kegger on Saturday (not to be confused with the regular party we throw at least two nights out of the week). We still have beer left, which is insane. It was, if nothing else, an incredibly interesting study in human behavior. There were the people who came, didn't drink, and still died at midnight, the people who drank everything in our house but the beer and wouldn't kick in any moeny as a result, the hardcore drinkers who died, and those of us (lauren, Standish, and me) who are troopers and stayed up all night (between Friday and Saturday nights, I killed a fifth of tequila by myself--woohoo!!!). Let's see...stories from the kegger... Well, there was Jason, who is awesome, and we love him, btw, who usually holds his liquor well but completely lost it. First, his nose started bleeding (hardcore, head-wound bleeding), so he went to the bathroom to clean up, but he ended up getting sick and puking for the rest of the night before passing out. We left him for a while b/c he didn't want anyone to see, but, eventually, people started leaving, and we went to scoop him off the floor--nothing doing. At first, he wouldn't wake up AT ALL, and then, when he started coming to, he crawled behind the toilet--yes, I'll pause to let you reread that-- behind the toilet! It was one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. Then, there was Standish. He was obsessed with my feet (I got foot massages all night, and he kept trying to suck my toes and bite off my toe rings) and tried harder than any boy in history to get in my pants. He was fun to flirt with though and pretty hot (reminds me of Vin Diesel in voice and image). We ended up pretending to be at a h.s dance and were slow dancing to Aerosmith's Crazy at 3 a.m. Good Times...

Job Search 2003

Updates!

I'm going to get my shot at proving I'm good enough for Option-Six. They're going to decide which project to have me start on, and if I impress them, they'll hire me permanently after 2-3 projects of contract work. Awesome. As for Hirons, I went in on Thursday and took what I like to call the Big, Damn Editing Test. It was three hours and had six parts: AP style test, current events, grammar test, editing production, design, and copy for a print ad and a tv ad, and editing an ENTIRE business website. It was sooooo much work. I still don't know if I got the job or not, but I realized that I know very little about tv commercial production notes. Okay, I think I'm done talking now...Post you fools, post!

2003-09-30T10:26:00.000-05:00

Hello to Leah Shaheen! I Love You!

In case no one figured it out, my friend Leah will soon be joining the readership of this blog. I miss my Leah because she has run away to Chicago, leaving me to cry daily. I don't know how long it will take her to get ehre, but everyone should warmly welcome her because she is great!

M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i

It's HOT in Tunica! It was wonderful because I got to swim again, unlike in unholy Indiana, where it's already one step from snowing! We had all kinds of fun though. I am so not a gambler; I played $5 on the penny slots the whole weekend. However, I ended up with that $5 back plus $14 more. Oh yeah, that's right; I know you're all jealous now. We had good times sitting by the pool, everyone with their drink of choice, which, for mamaw, meant stealing whatever beer papaw had. If you've never seen it, you need to go pick yourself up a 70-year-old woman and watch her slam beers because it's adorable. The cutest part of the trip, however, was watching the slide show my mom and uncles had put together for mamaw and papaw. It started with their wedding pictures and went all through the years, all the vacations, the houseboats and lake, the kids, the grandkids, and the pets. It made me wish so hard I could see myself in 50 years, to know if I will be as happy as they are. I mean, my grandparents still kiss and hug regularly. After it was over, my mamaw was crying, and she went over a hugged my papaw and told him that she didn't ever want it to end and that she was sad that they wouldn't get to have another 50. That to me is true love; when you can look at someone after 50 years of seeing them every day, of listening to their snoring every night, and still being able to say you want 50 more years of the same, that is what life is all about. I love my mamaw and papaw!!! Of course, I would like it if my mamaw would stop talking about my damn boobs all the time. She and my mom are obsessed.

Updates!!!

Job Search 2003

I know it seems like I have a lot fo interviews and never any job, but I've only been rejected from one position. I'm still interviewing for two positions. I have an interview with Option-Six, an e-learning company, tomorrow afternoon. It's cool because I'll be doing the same job as now, with more interesting courses, and I can walk to the office from my apartment; it's like a third of a mile or something. Then, on Thursday, I have a test at Hirons & Co., the advertising firm I've been interviewing with, to see if I get the editor's job there. I've already intereviewed with them, made that cut, wrote my personal editing philosophy, and made that cut, and now the test, and, if I make that cut, I have a final interview with the creative director (awesome). Whew!

Lambert's

Can't believe I forgot to talk about food. On the way home Sunday, we got to eat at Lambert's, where they assault you w/ bread. I've never seen so much food; it's really amazing! I ordered the burger ($8.25), which comes with fries and a bottomless 64oz. MUG of coke, then you get all the rolls you can catch as they pelt you with them, then you also get all the "Ole Norm's Pass Arounds" that you want. On the day we went, the pass arounds, which are literally passed around in big pots by the waiters, were okra, fried potatoes, macaroni and tomatoes, and black-eyed peas. that's a LOT of food for eight bucks!

2003-09-25T12:50:00.000-05:00

So I'm off to Mississippi in a couple of hours, and i'll not be back until Sunday evening. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. For those of you who missed why I'm going, we're taking my grandparents to the grand casino in tunica for their 50th wedding anniversary. It's my mom's parents, so it's going to be great; my two cop uncles and the doctor uncle are coming, which means one thing--DRINKING! boy does this family like the drinking. the only bad thing is that mamaw is gonna make me go to the casino w/ her, and i don't wanna gamble; I don't have money to begin w/! Have a good weekend, all.

2003-09-22T12:28:00.000-05:00

Monday, Monday

Earthlink email just ate my beautiful cover letter for a job, and that pains me. I would like to kick someone...but,alas, I won't b/c you people would probably get all pissy about it or say I needed help or something. Anyway, it was another really cool opportunity, so I had to redo it all. I really dislike writing cover letters because it's not like resume where you change a line or two for each job. With a cover letter, each one has to be tailored so specifically to the company and position. Soooo time-consuming. I watched Cabin Fever this weekend, and I am even more convinced that 28 Days Later is the best movie in the apocalypse genre (not to mention the fact that it's the best in the WORLD. I know everyone is tired of hearing it, but that movie is still affecting me months after seeing it. I still have nightmares about it; of course, that could be because I listen to the soundtrack late at night when I'm working, so I can get pumped.

Employment Search 2003

Updates!!!

Okay, now I'm all excited. I just got a call from the Herald Times, and I have one more test I need to do for them. I have an hour from the time I get the email to write some briefs and some movie blurbs, which is right up my alley. Hopefully, there will be no computer mishaps. Woo hoo. There may be an update to this later, after the test. Geez, I thought I was done with school, but in the last week, I have written a 5-page paper, taken 5 tests, and done more studying than in all four years of college!

2003-09-19T11:01:00.000-05:00

I don't have much to say today. I'm pissed off at everyone, at the world. It's amazing how quickly I can become a topic of conversation.

Friday Night

So I'm amending my earlier post to include still more suckiness. How pathetic is a person whose own boyfriend rejects her? That's pretty bad. In response, I am going to go out tonight, drink a LOT, and FLIRT hardcore. Don't worry; I'm sure no one will be interested...

Me, Myself, and My Editing Philosophy

Anyway, in other news, I have finished my personal editing philosophy paper, which took such an incredibly long time because it's hard to write about myself. I had to sit and think about myself forever, and it got really boring; no wonder no one else thinks about me. It was also a hard paper to write because it had 10 different sections, and each one required at least a paragraph or two or 12 of writing in order to answer them fully. A lot of it was being given real situations I would encounter on a daily basis in the office and being asked to explain how I would handle them. That was pretty cool, actually. Some of them I havve already encountered, which made it easier.

Olio

The weather today sucks. I do not like the cold, and I do not like the hint of cold, especially when its paired with piddly-ass rain. I'm also up in the air about my plans for the weekend; I will probably end up driving down the Evansville b/c it's bid weekend, and Neal's sick, but I really don't want to drive all that way when my car is about to fall apart underneath me. Wow, do you ever stop and try to think when the last time you wrote or typed a word was; I started thinking about that the other day when I was taking the editor's spelling test, and it just hit me again when I realized it'd probably been since House's class that I would have need of typing or writing underneath. Whatever. It just struck me as odd, but, hey, I'm a psycho now, right?

2003-09-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

In recognition of Sheila's birthday, I am posting a song because Morissey says it so much better than I: Unhappy Birthday
I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday because you're evil and you lie and if you should die I may feel slightly sad (but I won't cry) Loved and lost and some may say when usuallly its Nothing surely you're happy it should be this way? I say "No, I'm gonna kill my dog" and: "May the lines sag heavy and deep tonight XXX" I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday becasue you're evil and you lie and if you should die I may feel slightly sad (But I won't cry) Loved and lost some people say when usually its Nothing surly you're happy it should be this way? I said "No" and then I shot myself so, drink, drink, drink and be ill tonight

Update! Job Search 2003

I had my second interview this morning, and it went better than I expected. I don't know if I got the job or not, but I did get interviewed by the perfect three people for me: a young guy (which usually don't like me, but since he was a dork, he did), a lady in her 40s (old enough to see me as a daughter, rather than as a threat), and a 50-something-year old man (they LOVE me). Now, tonight, I have to sit down and write my editing philosophy so I can turn it in to Hirons & Co. It's a ridiculous thing to have to do, but if it makes them want me, then I'll do anything it takes.

2003-09-16T17:20:00.000-05:00

No Apologies Okay, so let's just forget the fact that I haven't posted in a billion and a half years. I don't care, so don't give me any more lip! Now, if we're done with this conversation, I'll get on with my posting. Life and Other Shit I've been sick for quite a while now, and I'm still not sure exactly what's wrong with me. The reason I don't know is because my boss is a sucubus and won't give me the benefits she promised, so I can't go to the doctor. Without a professional opinion, it's difficult to say, but I think I have an ulcer. It was really bad at first because being stressed out about it made it worse, but now I'm used to my stomach hurting all the time, and it's not as bad. When I get insurance, we'll know for sure. This week, I have a little visitor in my apartment, and he's keeping me from doing my work. No, Neal isn't skipping classes; Lauren's puppy Diesel is visiting. She has custody this week and is spoiling him rotten. Today, he got to go to PetSmart to get a rope, so she can play tug of war w/ him w/out getting her fingers bitten. He's really cute, but it makes me sad b/c when she's not here, all he wants to do is sleep on her bed. Anyway, I'm so happy for this weekend... It's my grandparents' 50th, yes, FIFTIETH wedding anniversary, and we're talking them to Tunica, Mississippi, for the weekend. It's going to be a lot of fun, and I'm excited for them b/c I know mamaw has been really wanting to go. However, the thing she most wanted, notice that only mamaw has requirements for this; papaw is just along for the ride, was an announcement in the Courier-Journal. Does anyone know how much those cost? Well, I knew it wasn't cheap, but I didn't know it $150!!!!! We did it though. Ouch. Oh, and I am so sick of self-righteous, pathetic people. Those people who worry more about everyone else so that they don't have to ask themselves why they are doing what they're doing w/ their lives. I try to let people do what makes them happy b/c I do presume to know what is best for everyone; I would appreciate the same treatment from those people. I mean, I find it really arrogant for someone to assume they have all the answers. Am I wrong here? I don't think so. Gainful Employment I mentioned earlier how I hate my evil boss. Well, I am interviewing for two other positions, and I'm hoping that one of them works out, though I do have a preference. I had the first one today, with Hirons & Co., the advertising/PR firm here in Bloomington. They need a copyeditor, and it might possibly lead to a more creative position with them. This is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for, and I would be in charge of all editing for the entire agency. Cool, huh? Today was only the first round of interviews though; I have to go back in to take a 3-hour editing test, and I also have to write a personal essay on my editing philosophy and experiences. The other position is as copyeditor and part-time reporter for the Herald Times. I have that interview at 10 tomorrow morning. I am not so excited about this one b/c it's going to be a lot more boring. Working for the ad agency would allow me to work on new and different things every day. This position would be less varied, but I would still like it. Conclusion I would appreciate some prayers to help me get through all of the stuff that's going on right now. I'm sure it'll all be fine though.

2003-08-29T12:47:00.000-05:00

The Evils of Pop (the Ambrosia of the Stupid) i hate mtv. period. it's pretty sad when even the stupid pop star who wins the award is embarrassed to accept it b/c he knows he did not deserve it. i watched the vmas for one reason, and that was b/c johnny cash was nominated for TWO, count them TWO, mtv music awards, which is pretty cool in itself. well, he got shut out, but as justin timberlake accepted the top male video award, he admitted that he did not deserve it and that it was a "travesty" that it did not go to johnny cash who "deserves this more than any of us in here tonight." pretty sad, huh? i am amaze by and in awe of johnny cash; i think his talent has no limit, and his heart, i mean, he just bleeds his life's blood all over any work that he does. i imagine if a could see his soul, it would be made of the most battered, patched, and scarred buckskin leather imaginable, and the holes would be filled with the love he's poured into everything he's done. i just think that someone that supremely talented and with as much life experience as he has should be honored. the mtv, instant gratification, pleasure without the pain generations need to study people like him. The Tunnel this is the song that should be the soundtrack of my last few days. please download it. it's an instrumental; see if you can stop your heart from pounding out of your chest when you hear it. i have been in the strangest mood for the past few days. it's like i'm constantly ready, on edge, waiting to pounce. all my muscles are tense and straining to just GO, i keep getting these little bursts of butterflies, like i'm waiting for something exciting, but i'm not... it's weird. i've wanted to do everything, but i haven't done much. i went running one night; i know, i know, take a moment to pick your jaws up off the floor. i want to go to the clubs and go dancing; i want to paint; i want to write music; i want to hear music that will make me cry. instead, i sit here typing... doing my work and listening to the storm rage ouside my window. it's quite i a storm, and i'm hoping it will last all day; we need the rain, but i've also always been strangely comforted by the rumblings. my stereo will not work. this makes me angry. i need to listen to my music. ha! fixed it!

2003-08-29T01:24:00.000-05:00

so i was just sitting here thinking, and we all know the dangers of thinking... i was thinking how for the first time in a long time, i don't have a guy to flirt with and how i really don't enjoy that. then i started thinking about how i passed up the PERFECT opportunity during the last week of school. a few of you know about this, but it was super cool. a guy that i had the biggest crush on in high school showed up at my door during finals week, and we ended up talking til 5:30, and i felt like that silly 16-year-old again. imagine how i felt the next night when he called to see if he could come over and MAKE OUT with me!!!!!!! how freakin crazy is that? for those of you who don't know what i'm talking about, post , and i'll tell you who i'm talking about. what sucks is that i didn't do it... i was in the middle of an allergy attack and had been packing all day and didn't feel too much like smoochin on anybody. damn! now i'm wishing he'd call me up right NOW... i sooooooo would.

2003-08-26T17:16:00.000-05:00

sometimes things are just really unfair... some drunk person tore through my parking lot last night and ramped up onto some concrete steps (and as going fast enough that they didn't stop him/her), took out the iron railings and a metal sign, and then kept going through the parking lot, finally stopping in the last parking spot. now for the unfair part... my car was parked RIGHT next to the concrete steps that got trashed, and they DIDN'T hit me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! since they popped their tire on impact, i could see how close they got to my car b/c the rim made a mark on the pavement, and it was a matter of inches, not feet, but inches. it makes me soooooooo mad b/c i could have gotten a new car out of the deal. but nooooooooo, that would be way too cool. the really weird thing is that they're still parked there, and no one has called the police, which seems really strange to me. i really wish they had hit my car. you know what i was thinking about? i was thinking that it's really strange when people use their 1st amendment rights (which everyone should, to the fullest extent possible) to lobby for a societal and political system that would take away those rights... that just doesn't make much sense to me. of course, maybe i'm the weird one b/c i had a journalism ethics class in which we talked about how we saw our roles in society. 35% of the class said that nothing should be printed unless it furthers some goal for society, and 61% said that it is more important to make a socially acceptable statement than to tell the whole story. in fact, i was the only one in the room who advocated true freedom of speech! that's really scary to me... really freaking scary. i really wish those people wouldn't major in journalism.

2003-08-22T11:34:00.000-05:00

so, in addition to last night's discovery about sheila, i have learned several other very weird connections on a campus of 40,000 people... lauren and i got on the subject of bad roommates, so i told her that whatever story she mave have, mine was the story to top all stories. as i start telling it, she looks confused, and i assume b/c it's one of those things no one truly believes b/c people just aren't that crazy, right? anyway, i get to the part about sheila changing her name, and she goes, "oh my god, she was my R.A.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she had lived in wright her freshman year and started telling me what a crazy, raving loony sheila was then too... she always had weird religious ceremonies in her room and painted the walls every few weeks w/ all this dark stuff, and would randomly fly off the handle about something right in the middle of a conversation. i was like, yep, that'd be her. she was a little scared b/c she told me she had let sheila near her w/ scissors to cut her hair... and she remembered the thing about sheila accusing her third or fourth guy of rape. oh, so while we're talking, our friend jason walks in and wants in on the conversation, and it turns out that he met here too!!! he was leaving wright drunk one night, and she tried to stop him, but he just went on. to me, this is really weird that this many people have run into the crazy girl. so that was all i had... nothing much else going on in the world, except that neal is getting ready to move back to e-ville, and i'm going to miss having him around whenever i want. we've had so much fun just being able to be w/ each other w/out a 2.5 hr drive always looming over our heads. i know no one wants to hear this mushy stuff, but he is truly my best friend, and i really love him a lot and love being able to hang out w/ him. we don't have to do anything, just sit on the couch and talk. i'm going to miss being able to just call him up and having him be at my place in under 5 minutes (we only live a mile apart right now, so he can even ride his bike over). i guess i'll stop the pro-neal propaganda, but before i do, i just have to say what an absolute sweetheart that boy is. he tries so hard to be the person he wants to be, and that makes me proud.

2003-08-22T01:11:00.000-05:00

i guess i'll continue posting, even though i don't think anyone has even looked at this page in forever. neal had a wonderful birthday, thanks to me, and no one else, i might add. we had a lazy morning, then had some chinese, then went hiking at lake griffey. it's a really weird lake b/c the water is this very clear, very beautiful blue-green, but it is FULL of the nastiest plants and things growing in the bottom. for anyone who knows me well, i cannot stand seeing things in the water, or even thinking about what i can't see in the water. GROSS!!!!!!!!!! anyway, there are also these little inlets that are covered w/ algae, w/ the plants underneath. as you can probably guess, this causes quite a happy little amalgamation of chemical reactions, and, as you hike past these places, the water actually bubbles and makes this lovely fart noise. think david bowie's labyrinth and the swamp of everlasting stench... in other news, everyone should pray for me b/c i'm hoping to get a new job soon. i would still be copyediting, but i would be working for hirons & co., which is this super cool advertising agency here in bloomington. i would be editing all of their ads and promotional stuff, which would be cool to get to look at way different stuff every day and would look awesome on my resume. i haven't heard anything on this yet, but i am sooooo perfect for it that it's not even funny!!! in still other news, God has an incredibly warped sense of humor... since i moved in here, i've been wondering what pushed me toward this place, rather than toward any of the 500 other places i'd looked at and didn't like. well, i found out... so sheila lives .3 miles from me! i saw her turning into her apartment tonight, and it's the one next to mine!!!! weird...

2003-08-17T15:47:00.000-05:00

happy birthday to neal... happy birthday to neal... happy birthday, dear neaooll, happy birthday to you. he's a big boy now:)

2003-08-16T13:06:00.000-05:00

my apartment is wet. no, it did not rain, and, no, there is no leak. just a bunch of drunk people and one little comment from yours truly. the party was winding down, and people were starting to crash, so i'm in the kitchen having a glass of water, and steve (miller, as in the band... funny, huh? but not the real one, a different one) says something smart-ass, and i tell him i could pour my glass of water on him. he taunts me for a second, and then lauren comes in a distracts him, and i pour it down his back. and so was the beginning of the end. all of a sudden, there are 5 of us w/ 32 oz. cups of water hiding around corners, running through the apartment, splatters on the walls, pools in my kitchen, poor, passed out people getting hit. it was chaos. the kitchen still has pools this morning. i think it's funny. at one point, i ducked and avoided getting hit, but the girl sitting on the couch behind me got it full in the face. this is at 4:30 in the morning, btw, and i'm sure my neighbors would like me to drop dead now. i, however, am just happy to have one of those truly unexplainable stories; you know the kind--you know how it started and what the aftermath looks like, but you're not sure how it got that way... yeah, that's my world right now, and i can honestly say, it ain't half bad.

2003-08-15T19:13:00.000-05:00

hey, anyone who reads this, my neal's 21st birthday is sunday, and i am still looking for things to do for him or give to him. i would really appreciate any help anyone could give me b/c i want to make this birthday special. he deserves something good, and i don't think i'm doing him justice, dammit.

2003-08-15T10:12:00.000-05:00

i just got some spam, and when i saw the subject line, i thought, "hey, that's cool!" i was all excited b/c i thought it said, "i'm single and want to wiggle." i thought, "hey, i don't know what being single has to do with it, but sometimes, i wanna wiggle too. maybe there are others like me in the world; my life is no longer meaningless, and i'm not alone." ...then i read it again. it said, "i'm single and want to MINGLE." damn! fine, ruin everything. yeah, i'm tired...

2003-08-14T14:53:00.000-05:00

know what's weird? indian girls named Dimple from zimbabwe! that's right. she is of indian (from india) descent, her real name is dimple, and she flew in from zimbabwe today. she's lauren's friend and has had all of her stuff stored in our apartment til she came back from home. i mean, she's like a bad joke. but very sweet; don't get me wrong. in totally unrelated news, i can't stand journalists who don't care about the first amendment. i mean, with people like that to protect the constitution, what do we need w/ the marx' and stalins and castros of the world. also, i was in borders the other night and found a book written about ayn rand saying that her ideas were meant to start a cult and that she wanted to control everyone's minds. i just wondered if that guy ever picked up one of her books... i mean, ayn rand, proponent of pure freedom, and she's supposedly trying to control us and make us her slaves? i say, "huh," to that.