No. 186: Vacation (A Summary)

I went to London for three weeks at the beginning of the summer. I was back for a week before I moved up to Baltimore to intern for the Urbanite. On most weekends I came home. I found out that traffic can zap years from your life if you sit in it enough, especially on the Beltway. I'm thinking there's a time/space rift there.

My internship ended and I came home for about a week, wherein I helped friends get ready to move and ran errands. Last week, I was offered a trip to California with my dad. That was sort of altered to a trip out to California with my friend Nick, who's moving out there to Santa Barbara City College, and his mom, Jo (who I know b/c she used to date my dad, and she's my uncle's wife's step-cousin (making Nick my second cousin twice removed)). We spent the first three days driving Nick to school, finding him a place to live nearish campus, going to Ikea to get his apartment furniture and then putting it together. Then I took a 5 hours Amtrak along the coast from Santa Barbara down to La Jolla to meet my dad. We spent two days walking around aimlessly, hanging out with his (incredibly cool and surprisingly young) co-workers, and watching movies. We went to the Del Mar race track, which was very neat. Then we took a plane home on Saturday night.

Today, Nick and I and a bunch of his friends went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival (probably my favorite time yet) and shouted the word, "HUZZAH!" about 1,000 times. Jousting has never been so rolicking. And a 3 year old, absolutely lovely little blond girl ran up to me, looked all the way up to my eyes and said, "You're beautiful!", then hid behind her mother's knee. It was the sweetest thing.

Drove back after giving Nick and send off with all his friends in Columbia.

And now I'm home, until Tuesday, wherein I'll be going back up to Baltimore to start work Wed and then school Thurs. And so ended my summer.

Now: a shower and then blissful rest.

Cheers, you grand few.

No. 86: Things.

Skepticism. Hm.

Things.
What sort of things?

- Hung out with Chandler the last couple of days. Insanity.
- Costco is a black hole in the universe. It's a miracle of the Lord I got out of there alive today.
- Gas prices are ridiculous and I am driving way too much.
- Conviction: not fun. Probably necessary.
- Snow Patrol: nostalgia of the worst kind.
- Nick's coming to visit tomorrow. I think we're going Christmas shopping at Tyson's and venturing about Clarendon, and possibly a Fairfax gallivant to see mah boys.
- I love my mother, but sometimes we do NOT get along and it makes me wish I lived on my own. But then there are times where I feel like I'd die if I couldn't see her all the time and she's the most amazing woman that ever lived (despite being a little impaired).
- "Ghost Story" by Sting, despite being a little hokey, is one of my new favorite songs. The same goes for Matt Kearney's, "Where We Gonna Go From Here?".
- Rufus Wainwright on Saturday. SO excited.
- Pray for my cousin, who is kind of silly and let a circular saw try to eat his foot. Eee.
- I'm more tired than usual. This whole being able to go to bed and wake up whenever I want to thing is sort of freaking me out.
- I miss people. Blah.

H.

No. 80: Work all night if you have to

Finished the first essay for History of Africa. The fact that I finished the whole thing today and also got some Psych studying in is bringing me hope. Psych is going to be disastrous though. Ah well.
Trying to decide whether to go back to school on Saturday or Sunday, or to go to Nick's Friday night or Saturday morning, or to stay home til Sunday after church. Blech.

Oh, really quick: a shout out to Baked Ziti and McShane. It's ever so strange that you read this, but the other night was completely off the hook (G-spot, you looked so sharp).

Trying to decide which ink I want next, how much it's going to cost, and when I should get it. Christmas gift to myself? I think so.

Tomorrow is going to either be wonderful or incredibly stressful. Have to:

• Go grocery shopping so I have something to eat. I'm dying for soup, whilst battling this stupid, extremely poorly timed cold.
• Go to Target and get mom's silly fake Christmas tree for her.
• Plan/write the second essay
• Study Psych
• Watch kung fu movies with Givens
• Trifecta.
  
• Not get sicker

Been listening to Mountain goats and cello music all day. Forgot how much I love the Mountain Goats. Just make me think about when I saw them (him) live at Sonar. Which makes me think about Mike. Meh. I know it's stupid, but I miss him. 705s keep saying it'll be okay soon. Being friends with Diamond and WKC still is awesome, but it makes me miss the tall kid more, sometimes. Why do people even allow me to get into relationships? Seriously. I'm such a disaster.

Had breakfast with Tess the other morning @ Saxby's. Deliriously happy to hang out with her. We had a candy buying adventure of epic proportions. I've missed her so much. Can't wait til Kathryn comes home. Things will feel saner and safer then, I think.

I've been sleeping on and off all day, and now I get to go in for a solid eight hours. Am inordinately excited.

As an aside: facebook Texas Hold 'Em may be an emissary of the evil.

H.