snowflakes everywhere

1. had a pretty good day today. decorated the house for christmas and listened to christmas music all day! that was my favorite part. the tree is tomorrow...
2. visited my boyfriend's family in asheville and it was nice to see them and catch up. i can't wait to be home for christmas and spending time with my favorite family. 
3. saw a lot of high school friends tonight and it was good to catch up. but it was so cold! i'm glad it's finally getting wintery, but that needs to happen at school now too.

i am so excited for winter!!! it is one of  my favorite seasons (they are all my favorite) and i am ready for a good one this year. it needs to snow ALOT (that would be such a good one...) and it needs to be cold and look wintery and snowy. i hope that we have an even better winter this year than last! and it needs to snow at college and not just here at home.

giving thanks

1. how do i always manage to eat so much food?! it was such a good day. filled with family and food and drink and fun. 
2. decorating the house for christmas tomorrow, and then decorating the tree on saturday. the house is about to be full of christmas-y goodness!
3. i still have this feeling looming over my head that i need to work on my presentation. it's due on monday at 3 pm and i have barely started. it is definitely a cause for concern.

i am full of thanks (especially, but certainly not exclusively) on this day for so much! i am happy to have my health and my full ability to enjoy this holiday season. i am thankful for my favorite family and that they are all in good health as well. my friends, who i have become close with over the past year, have made my life happier and funnier. i am thankful for my boyfriend and that we have persevered. i am so thankful for where i live and how beautiful it is here! and that i go to a great school and am studying what i love and meeting so many people. i am thankful that i live in a fortunate country and enjoy so many rights. i am thankful for so much in my life and want to remember to remember all of this every day. thanksgiving is a day to feel extra grateful for all that is in my life. hope everyone had a great day! oh, and i am thankful that i am not going to black friday tomorrow.

pumpkin pie queen

1. had a great night's sleep and woke up to my favorite family! we got to cook and hang out and have just the four of us at dinner. it was the best. 
2. watched bread and tulips for my italian class and with my family and it was a cute movie. did some other homework but it wasn't a big deal, thankfully. 
3. tomorrow is thanksgiving and i am so excited! can't wait to see my family and to eat yummy food and be extra thankful for everyone and everything in my life right now.

tomorrow is my thanksgiving post! i just realized how few days are left in this year. 2010 seemed to have flown by but it also went really slow. i am glad that it didn't go as quickly as some other years...this has been a great year for me so far. and it's the holiday season! could not be happier or more excited. "it's the most wonderful time of the year..."

must. sleep.

1. had a long day today. finished my draft and posted it on blackboard, showered and got ready for class, gave my presentation on heart of darkness, and said hello to thanksgiving break!
2. had a good dinner with friends before heading to the basketball game with my dad. it was a good game for both sides but we still managed to pull out a pretty solid win. 
3. then...drove home for four hours. well, rode for about 4 and then drove for another half hour. we got back pretty late and i am really tired now. so happy not to have an alarm clock in the a.m.

needless to say, it is not a blogging night. but i thought this was pretty cool, so i'm sharing the link.
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/The2010-National-Geographic-PhotoContest/ss/events/lf/112310natgeophoto

hmph

1. had two classes today but they weren't bad at all. also had an interview for a new lab position and it went well, but i don't know if i'll accept the position.
2. wrote my paper all day and am almost finished. will finish it tomorrow before 2 pm!
3. packing comes next, then my last class, and then the basketball game!

don't feel like blogging tonight. hope everyone had a great monday.

countdown to zero

1. after 6 comes 5 and then 4 and then 3 and then 2 and then 1 and then 0. i can do this! 
2. had a long day of homework prep and laundry and odds and ends to sort through, as well as getting ready for tomorrow: updating/editing my CV, writing/formatting a cover letter, and getting an unofficial transcript together. 
3. took a break for dinner and to watch the grey's episode from last thursday night. also, figured out a good way of stopping procrastination: log out of facebook. that way, when i tried to check facebook, i had to log on and that prevented me from actually logging on and procrastinating. 

i have had extreme writer's block today. this crosses over into the blogging realm as well. it's been one of those days. tomorrow better be one of the days when i can write a draft of a ten page paper, piece of cake. it's not due until 2 pm on tuesday, and i have between 11-3 and after 6 tomorrow, and all day before 2 pm tuesday to finish it. so. that is my hope! i have the articles too, and it only has to be a draft, as opposed to a final paper (that's not due until december 7th). yes, this is me rationalizing. oh well...college is characterized by rationalization of procrastination. hope that things fall into place tomorrow, although today was not a wash by any means. just not the day that i intended it to be...but c'est la vie. i need to learn how to say that in italian. c'e vita! i think that is right...the e needs an accent though. okay, no more rambling. only productive writing from here on out!
bucket list item: eat sushi.

time for break.

1. had our football game today and it was such a heartbreaking loss. there was a lot of excitement and we were winning for most of it but it didn't end well. it was a close game, but still. 
2. came back and wanted to be productive but i just couldn't. it is so hard to do work on a saturday afternoon...especially when it involves writing a long paper and i have no idea for where to start. 
3. watching shrek 2 now, so there went my hope for nighttime productivity. oh well. i hope that tonight is fun to make up for last night. 

i'm ready for thanksgiving break. i am ready for christmas break, actually, because i'd like to have a real break with no homework involved. in between semesters is the best time of the year, but in between fall and spring is even better because it's CHRISTMAS and then NEW YEAR'S! what on earth is my new resolution going to be?! like i've said before, something much more lax than this year. i still can't believe that i am (so far) keeping up with the resolution and the blogging. but break is almost here, and then a full week of classes, then three days of classes and then exams and then HOME. can't wait!

rave.

1. had a pretty productive day today. i was so tired for the first part of it until i got to take a three hour recovery nap. definitely necessary. 
2. did lots of homework and such since i have a lot of work to do this weekend...such a bummer, but thanksgiving break starts tuesday!
3. had an okay night out with friends and i'm ready for the last home football game tomorrow. i just hope we win!

don't feel much like blogging tonight. still pretty tired and also in a weird mood. but harry potter lived up to expectations and was absolutely amazing. i can't wait to see it again, and also can't wait until july 15th!

HP7

1. HARRYPOTTER7HARRYPOTTER7HARRYPOTTER7OMGOMGOMG
2. i had three classes today and they were interminable. it took so long to get through this day. 
3. thanksgiving dinner was a grand success! it was so good and everyone loved it. 

i haven't seen it yet because i am blogging before the movie. but i might edit this post after and comment on the awesomeness of it all. CAN'T WAIT CAN'T WAIT CAN'T WAIT.

harry potter, harry harry potter yeah.

1. had italian class today and a meeting at noon but no participants to run, so it was a good day. got to walk back in sunshiney and fall weather. beautiful day!
2. went to the grocery store in prep for thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. so excited! i have lots of cooking to do tomorrow after classes are over. 
3. boxing club tonight was such a hard workout. we didn't even stay for technique because we had wands out wednesday. a.k.a. watching the sixth harry potter movie with all my friends and having refreshments. 

"this memory is everything, without it, we are blind." i think this is an interesting quote from the half blood prince movie. it's applicable to the rest of life. memory is a fascinating subject that people rely on too much. it's tricky and unreliable. but it is important to remember our past and our collective past, and apply those lessons to how we live our life in the day-to-day. just my bit of harry potter reflection, i suppose. can't wait until tomorrow night! and yes, draco is hot.

is it thursday yet?!

1. my morning class was canceled so i got to stay up late last night watching food network with the roommate and then sleep in this morning. it was raining today but it was also really muggy so i wore shorts...on november 16th--whatthehell. 
2. had a good class talking about precious and push but then got to my next english class and found out that my teacher has peaced out. she left the english department unannounced and is not responding to contact from the department and no one knows what to do. a weird, nerve-wracking situation for everyone.
3. did some more reading (heart of darkness) for homework, watched chopped with my roommate, and hung out for a bit. bedtime soon, though...i hope i can sleep well tonight. i am TOO excited for thursday!

i'm watching 16 & pregnant right now and it is shocking. i have seen this show a few times before and every time it just makes in crazy. 16 is so young to have a kid. if these kids can't even make the decision to wear a condom then how are they going to make the right decisions to raise a kid?! it's incredible. it breaks my heart, too, mostly for these girls. their men are shitty. they are 16 and having a kid. that blows my mind. the day i turned 16 i went to the fair at my church, worked at the restaurant, and came home to my car parked in the driveway. i was most excited about being able to drive. i can't imagine being that age and having a kid. i don't know how young mothers do it. do they have any idea what they have gotten into?  no. i don't even know really, but i know it's really hard and (that is an understatement) and impossible to know about until it happens. there is just no way that people these days are mature enough to have a kid that young. no. way. it's a depressing show and that is why i rarely watch it.

the road so far

1. my italian quiz today was kind of hard, but not too bad. i'll probably find out my grade before thanksgiving, so i hope it's good.
2. worked in the lab for a little bit, did some more homework (i like being ahead on work) and went to genocide class. i have an A for 60% of my grade--that is encouraging!
3. class got out early so i got back to the apartment early, then did some more homework (reading heart of darkness) and went to boxing. it was short tonight but still pretty hard. 

i am excited for this year to end. i am ready to go back and read all my blog posts and have a final blog post that closes out this whole year. it's been quite a year so far. and there are still several weeks to go! so much has happened, haha. but it's been a great roller coaster. it's been hard but it's also been worth it. i needed a challenge this year. i pray that things turn out well for the rest of the year and that i have a lot to talk about by the end of it all. can't wait to sign off. but i also want to keep a journal...just not online, haha. so we'll see what these last few weeks bring and how i end up feeling about all of this 2010 madness. i can remember the first few days of the year. how far i have come since then!

marathons are the best

1. woke up at a semi-decent hour, did some homework outside, cleaned and washed my sheets, and watched harry potter 5! i looked forward to it all day. 
2. have an italian quiz in the morning and then have time to do research for my history presentation in three weeks. might as well start early. 
3. most importantly: i bought my harry potter 7 ticket for thursday night (friday morning). I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!

the representation of the harry potter books in movies can be frustrating. while it is hard to watch a movie after knowing the book like the back of your hand and loving it more than is probably healthy, i have always thought that a movie should be appreciated for what it is--an interpretation. the movie is not intended to be a verbatim portrayal of the book, rather, the book is a source of inspiration for movie makers to bring the book world alive. books are clearly my favorite medium, but the movies have a place too. even if the depiction is not exact (it never is) and it can be upsetting when one visualizes the book world much differently than how it is shown in the movie, i still think the movies need to be appreciated. both books and movies are works of art that open our eyes to new worlds, just in different ways. now, with all that said, i do get frustrated when movie versions of books are really bad. but i think the harry potter movies and the lord of the rings movies (as examples) are excellent versions of the books. so that is my take on it. like i said, can't wait for part 1 of the 7th movie! it's going to be insane. and awesome. bucket list item: own all seven books (done) and all seven movies (own through six now) and have a week where i read them all and watch them all. YES.

too weird.

1. woke up this morning and did some homework (finished push and started my response for precious/push). then got ready for the football game and a good afternoon!
2. we were winning for a little while but then just gave it away. of course. so it was an upsetting game and it was also cold and i was tired. not a fun combination. 
3. watched harry potter with my roommate, had friends over to hang out, and had a long conversation with several friends about so many things. 

i guess i fall into the category of people being more similar than they are alike. this is probably a product of my interest in psychology and my knowledge of that field. but i have such a hard time seeing how people can be such vigorous proponents of the individual when so much of our behavior is effected by social interactions and influences. i first and foremost see humans as social animals, and then as individuals. maybe it should be the other way around...but everyone has different frames of reference for making opinions about this life. after all, c'est la vie.

hilarious post

1. funniest night of my life. 
2. i love college. 
3. he stole a street sign.

i saved four lives. i ran a marathon. i ate ice cream. i love money. 555. the instant tantalizer. i whip my hur back and forth. ptuck ptcuk is braiding. she is petting. cuz we're my best friends. i tell time. evens or odds. plaid. we stole a sign. no one judge me! this is meant to be funny.

derive

1. really tired, have a headache, and stressed out about today and tomorrow. and buying harry potter tickets! they are all sold out at our local theater so we all have to find another one nearby.
2. had a pretty average day. had a good dinner with old friends, though, and decided to stay in tonight and just hang out with myself. 
3. my participant sessions for tomorrow were canceled so all i have is italian at 10 and then i can come back and do whatever i want for the rest of the day. such a great feeling.

at this point, i just want to sleep. for a long, long time. i feel bad for having boring and short posts lately, but it's kind of hard to be inspired when you are really busy and stressed. but that is not a good thing. if it is nice tomorrow, i will walk around outside and enjoy the fresh air and the day. that sounds like a refreshing idea. can't wait for someone (you, yes...you!) to share days like that with. but in the meantime, i will be alone. which is fine with me, and even preferred sometimes. oh, and i painted my toenails red today and i don't think i like it. most likely will remove the polish tomorrow and embrace the no-polish winter months.

21!

1. skipped my italian class today because it was just a review day and i knew that it would be really short/pointless. so i work up at the normal time and did homework for a class tomorrow, then went about my regular day. 
2. my friend's 21st birthday was today! we had a lot of fun out at dinner with friends and then celebrating in the most appropriate manner! birthdays on wednesdays are fun. 
3. dropped off my reimbursement form for the conference trip i went on and hopefully that check will be coming soon. 

had a pretty good day today. i even made my bed! and now i'm about to go sleep in it and i can't wait. tonight may be a stay-in-and-chill night.

cosi cosi

1. had such a long day today, which is strange since my last class was canceled. my teacher is always ill for that class, which is fine with me, though i feel bad for her. i think she is just playing hooky all the time.
2. caught up on all my homework and started some homework for thursday...don't have any for wednesday but that is good since i'll be reading all day to prep for thursday. 
3. still doing stuff on my computer and trying to get it all straightened out. i'm glad that i'm figuring all this stuff out on my own. hope it keeps going well...

don't really feel like blogging tonight. there is a lot on my mind and i need to work through it before i can say anything on here. but hopefully stuff will all turn out okay. tomorrow is set to be a really good day (friend's 21st) and this weekend should be fun too. so at this point, that is what i am looking most forward to. not as good of a day as yesterday, but overall it was a decent day.

organized life.

1. only had italian class this morning--no genocide class! and i finally went and picked up my university-issued refund checks for a nice surprise (that is set aside for spring semester costs). 
2. did homework all day (just reading) and installed my new hard drive all by myself (thanks for directions, mister). it came with an operating system pre-loaded so that was easy, too. i put in a software request for microsoft office through the university so i hope to get that soon.
3. made a yummy quiche for dinner, went to boxing club, and worked hard! came back and did some more computer nonsense, showered, and got ready for bed. good day!

i finally organized and unpacked all my winter clothes. there have only been boxes in my room since fall break...but i just hadn't felt in the mood to deal with it yet, and i've also been pretty busy. it felt good to get organized and to get everything in order. i like knowing that stuff is where it's supposed to be. heck, i might even make my bed in the morning and go all the way with organization. i even vacuumed my room today, and the downstairs. good day. sometimes i like to clean...weird, i know, but beneficial to whoever lives with me. i'm excited for this week and this weekend, so i hope this week goes by quickly! hope everyone else had a happy monday!

AFSP

1. so tired today--i'm not sure why. i guess i didn't sleep enough last night but i got about 8 hours with the fall back time change. oh well, that just means i get to go to bed early tonight. 
2. genocide class is canceled for tomorrow! that means i have italian and then the rest of the day to do homework. yippee? it's basically all just reading for my classes on tuesday, so it shouldn't be too bad. 
3. 8 weeks. not too bad...

walked to prevent suicide today. it was a three mile walk and it went well. there were a lot of people and we all raised a lot of money. the main goal of the walk is to raise awareness for suicide prevention, but the money that is raised goes to funding grants for research on suicide and prevention. i think i may be getting sick, or it could just be the season changes. but i've had a scratchy throat and been dehydrated lately despite all the water i drink. so i think my body is working hard to fight something. perhaps that's why i'm tired...good thing i'm about to drink so oj, take my vitamins, and go to bed.
bucket list item: follow all the bucket list items on my bucket list.