Snow Day!

Yesterday was a SNOW DAY!!! I've never had one of those :) Last semester it snowed on the day of my Shakespeare final, but that doesn't exactly count. Julie, Jessica & I did play in the snow that day, though :)

Aaaand, today I started Circuit Training! Whee! I'm sore :(

Tonight, Benjamin & I will leave after Ed Psych to go to Houston. If all goes as planned, we should get there between 2 & 3 am. Mom's first hip surgery is tomorrow, so I'm glad I'll get to be with her.

*cue sappy music* ...The Green Volkswagen...

I haven't had a chance to post about this weekend yet, but I figured that if I don't do it now, I might not be mentally capable tomorrow...what with my oral surgery and whatnot, which has the definate potential to make me somewhat loopy.

Saturday I left the hospital & had a series of unfortunate, but now humorous, events:
- couldn't leave the parking lot b/c our parking pass expired at midnight the night before
- was forced onto I-10 when they decided to close I-45...ended up having to follow Dad around the city until he found a way onto I-45
- before church, in Ft Worth, I thought I was being super smart by putting my keys on the ledge outside my trunk instead of inside the trunk itself...but then closed the trunk & the keys didn't stop it like I thought it would in the case of my forgetfulness, and with half my keys inside and half outside, AAA had to be called...then they couldn't get ahold of me due to poor reception, so they came into church looking for me, and when they finally got the door open the alarm started screaching. Now this is all quite funny :)

Then I made my way to Julie's house where I stayed for the weekend. We had tons of fun, and watched Must Love Dogs on Saturday night. She claims that I slept through all of it, but I did not.

On Sunday I went to Orientation to take pictures, and Julie went to a wedding in Oklahoma/College Station (long story). I have been wanting to get my hair cut, but haven't found the time, so I made an appointment at the only place that was open: Cool Cuts for Kids. Zahra came with me as a chaperone, and to document the excursion with pictures.

On Monday, Julie & I skipped Orientation becuase after rush hour & our necessary early departure to get home on time, we would only be there for a couple of hours. So, we went hiking in what is essentially Julie's back yard. We may or may not have been trespassing...'tis hard to say :) We took lots of pictures, including tiny froggies and a scenic tour thru the tiny historic town, which was completely closed. We were unable have non-surgical face lifts, have our pictures taken, or purchase fresh tomatoes. There was also a car wash that has apparently had a case of mistaken identity, as it now also sports the name "Joe's Place Southern Cooking".

Then we went to see a movie, and I suggested sitting in the theater for an hour before the movie started. Somehow I thought this would be "fun". So we got smoothies that were way too sweet, and we watered them down in the bathroom of the theater. And since we were so unbelievably early, the ticket-man made us wait on a bench. I think he thought we had issues, for what normal people wait for a movie for an hour before it starts. We were still wearing our hiking clothes, so we decided that if anyone asked, we would say we just got back from majorly working out. By the time we finally entered the theater, Julie was bored, we were both cold, and we went to Wal-Mart to get fries & candy. Then we made up an elaborate story to use in case we got caught :)

The theater for "The Lakehouse" (which we intended to make fun of, as the premise was silly) was full of old ladies. That was fun...we like old ladies :) After the movie, we proceeded to make up another elaborate plan (we're full of elaborate plans, mind you) about Julie's personal Keanu, and how he's the one making her green Volkswagen unlock at strange intervals & of its own accord. Julie said that she "would like the guy to have the experience of an extra 7 years, without it causing his face to droop and making him fat". Julie's preference is noted, and I shall take this into account when interviewing potential Keanus for Julie :) Then we rearranged the movie and decided to call it "The Green Volkswagen" in order to properly recount the story of Julie & her personal Keanu. Of course, I also have a personal Keanu, Julie pointed out, as my trunk has begun randomly opening.

Ok, so tomorrow I have my wisdom teeth violently chopped out. I'm nervous about the IV...I don't (willingly) do needles. Part of me, though, is looking forward to this these 3 days off during which I can justifiably lay around reading & watching movies, and eating nothing but Luby's mashed potatoes, popsicles, and V8 in my pajamas. On the other hand, I'm not particularly thrilled about being cut open, poked with a needle, and drugged up to the point that I can't drive myself 2 miles to my house and will possibly not remember the trip home, though I'll be conscious.

Rain!

It's raining.

Today we had about 5 customers in 6 hours. The most "entertaining" one was a man who ordered a chocolate malt, and then spilled the malt in his very nice car. Apparently, he picked up the cup at the flimsy part, and according to him, we have "horrible cups."

I'm spending the night at the hospital. I feel awesome now cause I did kickboxing for the first time in about 2 weeks! Funny, how working out (thus making yourself tired) can actually GIVE you energy.

June 11

So, happy birthday to me and all that.

As much as I wanted to forget my birthday this year, I was very happy that my Mom was the first person to tell me happy birthday today. Though it was before the official 8:58am, we talked when Dad called to wake me up :)

I spent the whole day with Mom at the hospital, and it was the best use of the day that I can think of. She has so much of her wit, her personality, and her strength, that I am feeling incredibly blessed to have my real Mom back in my life. I was really scared there for a while. We spent the 2 hours that she had to sit in her wheelchair (very uncomfortable for her) playing Sunday Afternoon Bingo. Aunt Gina & I both won and picked out very soft stuffed puppies for Mom. Their names are Bingo and Ruffy :)

Mom & I spent much of our time making jokes and planning on calling the nurse Jim Commando. She hates the thickened drinks we keep giving her, but she's being a super sport about it. The nurse gave us a thickener to add to any drink, and she said the water tastes like sand. Aunt Gina & I decided to give those "thickened juice" boxes to Mom's visitors as though they're regular juice and watch their reactions :)

Oh! And I went jogging in Hermann Park today! It's such a nice park...lots of animals and trees. Since it's less than a mile from the hospital I hope to jog there more often.

Sleeping at ze Hospital

I was off work yesterday, so I spent the day & last night at the hospital. I absolutely love TIRR. Mom has a private room, her nurses are consistent (same each day, 8-hour shifts), her nurses seem to actually care about people (as opposed to some being rather vindictive-ish), and the atmosphere is much more conducive to a peaceful recovery (rather than sounding like the beginning of Saving Private Ryan, which, by the way, I've never seen).

As previously discussed, I'm a complete non-fan of needles. Not only do they hurt like nothing else, but the sight of them (esp going into someone) makes me very dizzy. However, as I decided at Scott & White, if Mom can handle being in the hospital & getting poked & prodded constantly, I can handle holding her hand while they're taking blood from her finger. I mean, seriously...I need to suck it up & quit being a baby. So last night, I held her hand and watched as the nurse put in her IV. I've never done that before. Then her friend Christine came, and though Mom was asleep most of the time, Christine & I had a really nice visit.

There's a love seat sofa in the room that pulls out into a twin bed. I slept there all night, but they were taking her vitals every 2 hours so I got up a lot. Also, there were a few times she got aggitated, but in general she seemed to sleep peacefully.

This morning on the way home I finally got the wrist weights that I need for kickboxing. I've come to understand that kickboxing for an hour is much harder when you add 2 pounds. Laugh not...that's what they told me to use.

Well Zahra was supposed to Xanga this part so I could then be lazy & steal it from her, but now it seems as though I'm going to have to take on a temporary facade of self-sufficience.
Me: *in car after clocking in at work...calling Zahra* I just wanted to let you know that I'm totally talking on the phone at work
Zahra: *audibly shocked* What?! You're such a rebel!
Me: *explains that I'm actually in the car b/c I was asked to go pick up cake supplies*
Zahra: I'm so xanga-ing that!

When I got back, I noticed that the new icecream shipment had not been organized yet in the walk-in freezer. So, I started doing it. The owner told me I could turn off the fan, so I did (and I wore some jacket thing & my SHORTS). The highest temperature reached was 16-17*. It was freeeezing, especially when we consider that I'm cold-natured anyway. I timed it...58 minutes inside that thing, minus the 30 seconds or so that it took for me to get a sharpie from The Outside (aka normal people living environment with generally life-sustaining temperatures). After that hour, I washed my hands (boxes can be sticky) with COLD water & it felt hot. Yeah...it was cold in there.

I was afraid of getting locked in (by a malfunctioning electrical freezer issue or a maliciously funny co-worker) but was reassured that it can only be locked from the inside. Still, just to be safe, I keep my phone in my pocket just in case something "goes wrong" and I have to call 911.

Driving home, I looked down & saw that my "check engine" light had come on. I was so shocked that I ran a red light :( This is the first time I've ever run a red light.

Then I got home & did kickboxing & jogging. Now I'm really tired of doing stuff.

Has anyone noticed the quality of my posts slowly dying beneath our very eyes? I don't mean the content of the topics, but rather my less-than-clever presentation of them. I mean, think back to previous posts...those that weren't simply a listing of my day's activities. For the sake of being Hollywood-ish, let's reminisce, shall we?
Cinderella Man & the Guy who Wished to be Gay (Cinderella Man movie)
She'll be Coming Around the Mountain (ha! clever title, I do believe...Tetons)
Our Contribution (practical jokes over sushi)
Veronica's Viewpoints (on having a "transition guy" aka rebound)
Beeeeeeep! (short & sweet...smoke alarm)
And now I'm boring myself again...so just 1 more
Ding! (a post I'm VERY proud of, regarding The LSAT Timer)

Roaches = Yuck .

Just in case anyone was wondering, The Family Stone is of minor quality. It wa less than entertaining, and while I kept hoping for something interesting and non-cliche to occur, it didn't. And at the same time, I also just wanted it to go ahead and die. Ok, I'll say it - it stinks.

There is my review for the day.

Last week, Cameron had 4 AP tests. On the day of his APUSH exam, he was studying in the car on the way to school, and we had quite a chortle. Apparently, some of the people in his class (which collectively put together an AP test review) are either lacking in confidence about the rest of the class' intelligence, or severely simple-minded themselves. Behold:
- Patriot - someone who doesn't like Brittain
- Ammunition - bullets
The list continued, I'm sure.

I went jogging in the park with Megan & her doggies on Tuesday. It was great...especially the part where I learned that Megan is transferring to UTD!!! Whee! Hopefully we'll take Biological Basis OH&D together. (I know that was a sentence adverb, and that technically we won't take the class in a hopeful manner...but ya know.)

On a slightly more rodential (I made up that word!) note, since the Infamous Roach Sighting of 2006, roaches have been lining up to terrorize me. The first subsequent event took place last night, as I was watching Fun With Dick & Jane with Dad & Cameron. The pest scurried across the floor right in front of meee over to the wall unit, pursued by my cat. It remained hidden for about 15 minutes (during which I insisted upon leaving the light on & trading places with my dad) but then it came out of hiding to be killed.

The second copy-cat event happened this morning. I was stepping out the door, and on the door mat lay a [dead] roach. I put "dead" in brackets, because I had no idea. All I knew was that I already had inertia propelling me toward said pest, and had I not had roaches on my mind already, my bare foot would have made unpleasant contact with it.

So I'm sending out an alert. I've decided to hate Texas, and especially Houston, as both are natural roach habitats. Argh.

Today's Random Fact: I hate roaches. No, I'm just kidding. I mean, I do hate roaches, but that's not my random fact. Ok, for real now. When I read profiles (AIM, Facebook, Yacog...) I actually read them. Then when I talk to the people (if I ever talk to them) I reference things on their profile. I don't know if this means I'm observant, or if I just have too boring a life, but there ya go.

Love, Marriage, and Fat

A special thanks to Zahra, who reminded me that I neglected to mention our endeavor last night. The four of us (roomies!) decided to Shrink [Our] Female Fat Zones!! We used a Denise Austin book by the same title, which one of Zahra's dad's friends gave her as a birthday present...I think. Correct me, Zahra, if I'm wrong.

I closed at work again. I also asked for a light week following Spring Break, and either Monday's or Wednesday's off after 5 pm so I can do Jujitsu one day a week. Under extenuating circumstances (if I'm super busy) I can always just use the time to do homework.

I also got to organize Starbucks stuff. I got to marry the mochas & combine the caramels. And if you think it's hard to pump the thick syrups, try being their preacher. I'll leave everyone to contemplate the awesomeness of my alliteration and punage.

Workout Blues

As I have not been to the gym nearly as much as I would have liked, I spent some time last night (when I wasn't at work! Home for good at 3:45, baby!) looking for workouts that I can do in my apartment in the mornings. I came across the Denise Austin workouts, found that she has a aerobics Daily Workout show at 6:30 every morning, and decided to give it a try.

It was unproductive. I was saddened by the lack of productivity that I experienced as a result of this workout. There are commercials. Poo. I guess that's normal, but when you spend 12 minutes of a 30 minute workout sitting on your bum waiting for the show to come back, you don't feel terribly accomplished.

So the search continues...

On a happy note, I only worked during lunch yesterday for about 3 hours, and then Government only lasted 10 minutes due to the technological constraints that the professor continuously complains about. I made a 92 on my test! So I was home by 3:45 (I think I said that already...oh well) at which I took a shower & put on my pajamas. I was a happy camper.

Cha-Ching!

I worked from 5 to close last night, and got off around 11:15. Luckily, I was able to tell myself the entire time that "this is my only night to close, and my longest day, so just get through it." Actually, though, I had a lot of fun. I really like my job, except for the whole not getting homework done aspect, and some occasional fatigue. Other than that, my co-workers are great, and the atmosphere is fun.

BUT! When my manager came up to me after we closed, holding my cash drawer, I was sure he had something bad to say. However, he looked at me & sighed, and said, "Adriane, your drawer was perfect. And you had a whole lot of sales. Good job." Yes! Apparently it is rare to come in perfect after a long drawer shift.

I made an A on my Genetics exam! Even after the curve, the class average was a high C. Me = very happy with my grade.

Today is my short day! I have 1 1/2 hours off after my last class, then I only work for a little over 2 hours! Then it's off to abs class, which I have not attended all semester...I'm finally off before 8!

Yesterday, I was sitting in the Cafe with Julie, Zahra & Kaitlyn, talking about Gender Studies, and I accidentally said a "bad" word. I can't believe I just said it! I never say it! Anyway, I didn't realize I said it until I got to the "envy" part of the compound word. Then I gasped, and Julie, Zahra & Kaitlyn gasped as well. Then we laughed a whoooole lot. We're so mature.

And, folks, I shall be adding a new component to Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and apparently it's all small stuff. Behold, Today's Random Fact.
Today's Random Fact: I don't like decaf. When someone askes, "Is this decaf?" I respond, "What's decaf?" Decaf does not exist.

Jujitsu Julie

Julie wanted me to make sure to mention that she is speaking in her trademark French accent, wearing an orange shirt, an orange sweatshirt, orange socks, and orange-striped shoes.

I asked her about Jujitsu, as I didn't go last night. I told her that I will be living jujitsuly vicariously through her. She said that Jeff tried to make her do the jumpy, land on the ground & do a roll thing, because after all, "Adriane did it". Julie, however, has proclaimed her sad inability to do a cartwheel, and thus her unwillingness to leave the ground entirely. I support this proclamation.

Julie: It wasn't very painful though. (speaking of jujitsu)
Me: Oh? Why?
Julie: Because whenever we weren't practicing our stuff, we were helping the higher belts with their knife stuff. And the painful part of that is supposed to be when they stab you...
Me: Right...
Julie: ...and they can't stab you, 'cause that would be illegal...