Grilling & Mourning

Monday afternoon I ran into Julie (literally) in Wal-Mart! She was buying brownie mix and I was renting a movie from redbox. I went to her apartment and we watched P.S. I Love You and made fun of the wanna be love interest for his "encroaching" on the main character's broken heart.

While there, I got a call from Benjamin. He & Patrick were leaving the gym, and he wanted to know if Patrick & Maya could come over & grill for dinner. I said that was fine, of course, but then made a mad dash home to make some sort of sanity out of the disheveled living room. I must have set a record. Between 6:10 and 6:50, I straightened up the living room, dusted, vacuumed, washed some dishes, swept, cleaned counters, emptied Chloe's litter box, took Monte outside, did the bare essentials of bathroom cleaning, put drinks in the little fridge, and hopped in the shower. I also put the cooler that Benjamin had taken to bridge the day before outside for him to empty (I can't tilt it on its side...sad, I know).

Then I joined them at the grill outside, where we chatted & played with Monte (he loves company). The husbands made comments about how sore they've been, while the wifes sat & watched the grilling. I must say, I'm glad hamburgers fit into this high-protein diet they've assimilated. Mmm, yummy! Then we ate by the pool & I had my much-anticipated margarita. Now, I've never gotten drunk, but that's probably the closest I've been. As soon as the guests left, I'm pretty sure I made some startling advances of a not-so-innocent nature...but I'm married so it's ok =P Whee!

BUT! We didn't bring in the ice chest before we went to bed, and the next morning it was still outside when I left. I remember thinking to myself, "We should put our name on that" but then I figured I'd just do it when I got home. Later I got a call from Benjamin asking if it was there when we left. Apparently someone stole the charcoal during the night, and then the ice chest! And we're 99% certain it was that dim-wit neighbor of ours who dinged Benjamin's new car & on whom we called the police for domestic violence. So today when his unlawful bag of trash blew over in front of our door, I left a passive-aggressive note on his door about the rudeness of allowing his trash to encroach on his neighbors' space.

I can't wait to get out of here. I've found 2 places I'm excited about checking out, but anything will be better than this - no more living on campus (though it was definitely a huge help with my overcrowded schedule), and tons more space!

I would like to go beat up that guy. But, Benjamin's not home to protect me if he decided to fight back...so I'll wait. Or more likely, I'll chicken out all together.

Home Sweet Home

(Original post at www.abforever.blogspot.com)

Well, sort of =P

It's been forever since I've written on this thing, so I don't really even know where to start! Benjamin and I had a beautiful wedding, made complete by our family and friends who shared it with us. I can't believe that I wanted an outdoor reception, though. It was hot! Mom & I checked the forecast the day before the wedding, and all was supposed to be sunny and dry. On Saturday, though, we realized that Benjamin didn't have the vest to his tuxedo, so we made an emergency trip out. It was nice though...we were so busy that neither of us had an opportunity to really get nervous!

Ok, well I'm getting ahead of myself lol. Julie & I went to Houston on Tuesday, and Tuesday night Megan, Jill and Veronica threw my bachelorette party. It was lots of fun...they even had a Disney princess tablecloth! (though there were some "inappropriate" paraphernalia drawn on it hehe). I got a little loopy and ended up falling asleep. I was partially awake again when they had a slightly-dressed guy burst through the front door and run through the living room.

Benjamin was supposed to work all day on Thursday and then drive to Houston on Thursday night. However, the little sucker (ok, sweet and sexy babe) left work without telling me and showed up at my parents' house in the very early evening!

On Friday night we had the official rehearsal. However, it didn't really count, because Julie was in Georgia for a convention, Amanda was on her way to Houston, Jason was at training for his new job, the flower girl was en route, and the minister was at church camp in Ohio. Benjamin & I went to get manicures & pedicures, and were a little late. The "wedding coordinator" (aka meany-poopy-head) was a total snot, and started treating me like a little kid. She was telling Benjamin's parents to do the wrong things, and trying to completely take over myyyyyy wedding!

Wedding Coordinator: come on!
Benjamin's mom: I think we weren't supposed to walk in during this song.
Wedding Coordinator: It doesn't matter, it's fine.
Me: *nicely* Hey, could we try that again, with the other song?
Wedding Coordinator: You want to do it again?!
Me: *slightly less nice* Well, they weren't supposed to come in to this song.
Wedding Coordinator: *huff*

Later...
Wedding Coordinator: You need to do the unity candle now.
Me: *listening to the minister/Benjamin/etc* *notice she's yapping, so I look at her*
Wedding Coordinator: *really snotty look* Can we take this seriously please?
Me: Sure. *hand on hip, 4th grade girl rebellious look*...(hey, it was my wedding)
Wedding Coordinator: Fine! I'll just let you do it your way.
(keep in mind, we didn't want her there in the first place...she wasn't "coordinating" anything)
Me: *sweet tone* Thank you!
Wedding Coordinator: Uh! *snatches our candles & walks off to get her purse*
Wedding Coordinator: *to my dad* It doesn't look like you'll be needing my services here any more this evening.
Dad: Oh, ok! Bye!

I asked Ethan if he had gotten it all on tape, and he said yes. I can't wait to see it. She was sooo mad hehe.

The day of the wedding went smoothly for the most part. I was a little worried that something major would be forgotten, but it was all great. I remember making Julie go out & take pictures from the balcony so I could make sure enough people were there to start. (I didn't want everyone having to be in the balcony!) When Dad & I came in, I hardly noticed anyone in the audience. I didn't realize beforehand that I wouldn't see the audience at all until we were presented Mr. and Mrs. The main things about the ceremony that were "funny" I suppose, were that I couldn't blow out my candle after lighting the unity candle because my veil blocked it, so Benjamin had to blow it out. Then, when Benjamin was allowed to "kiss the bride," we kissed for what I guess was a long time. People started laughing, and the minister kind of cleared his throat a little. At the reception, Jill, Veronica & Matthew commented that it was quite passionate. Jill said she accidentally pinched Matthew, and Veronica said, "I'm told that if you begin a marriage with a lot of passion, it'll continue that way. So, I think you'll have a passionate marriage!"

When I tossed the bouquet, Julie & Amanda had a little tustle. I have a picture of them both going for it, and another one where Amanda has a "ha!" look on her face, and Julie has her fists clinched and seems to be charging. It's awesome =P

Juliane & Ryan gave their speeches, and both were so heartfelt. I know that Benjamin and I love our siblings dearly, and were so glad to be able to share the first wedding for both families with them.

I rode all the way to Galveston in my wedding dress. This was not the best idea, for 2 reasons. One, it can feel somewhat comfy while you're standing up, but when it's late and you're tired, and the bra is digging into your boobies and bruising your sternum, it's not quite so comfortable. Two, we didn't really think ahead about how we were going to fit my giant dress in our luggage for the cruise. But, I wanted Benny to be able to take it off of me, so I suppose it was worth it. And since he doesn't pack much stuff, there was room in his suitcase :)

We spent Saturday night and Sunday night in Galveston. Sunday we walked around a little bit, went to the grocery store, and got a pizza from Dominos. Or Pizza Hut. One of those places lol. Monday we took a taxi to the port. Benjamin wanted to make sure we were there "on time," so we ended up getting there before anyone else. We were wearing our "Bride" and "Groom" shirts, so everyone we talked to thought we were part of a wedding party. Of course, that meant that they sent us up to the waiting room with the actual wedding party, which was apparently preparing of an on-board wedding. Other than them we were the first ones on the boat! We had opted to carry most of our luggage on, a decision that we remedied getting off the boat. (If you take a cruise, don't carry your stuff. It's a long walk.) Going through security, one of my bags set off the alarm, and when we saw which one, I freaked. (You don't need to know the details.) To make a long story short, we had crashed Benjamin's bachelor party the week before, and his mom had gotten some handcuffs for me to put on him during our raid. I had stuck them in my bag and forgotten about them, and, well...apparently they don't allow handcuffs on cruise ships. Oops!

On the boat, we lugged all of our luggage (is that why they call it luggage?) to go eat lunch before the rooms were ready. Benjamin called our parents to tell them we had made it, and his mom told him a funny story. It totally made our day. Everyone, including Mrs. Wedding Coordinator, had been asked not to wear perfume to the wedding, because of allergies. She showed up about 10 minutes before the wedding:
Ryan: Do you have the candles for lighting the unity candle?
Wedding Coordinator: I don't know! I thought you didn't need me!
Ryan: *really nice voice* We don't...we just need the candles.
Wedding Coordinator: Well, I may have some in my car. I'll check.
Later...
Aaron (usher): *doesn't know who she is* Are you friend or family?
Wedding Coordinator: Well, I'm not family!
Aaron: *smells perfume on her* Ok, well I'm going to need you to sit up here.
Wedding Coordinator: *epitome of ticked off*

My parents and Benjamin's parents had gone to lunch on Monday, so they got to hear the story before we did. The cruise was awesome! I wasn't scared at all, and I didn't get seasick! More about that later, perhaps. Our room steward learned our names, and would always come in our room while we were gone & make cool towel animals to put on the bed. He even arranged my pink pillow on the bed with the others =P

We stopped in Progresso and Cozumel. In Progresso, I got sick from the cigarette smoke and the heat, so we just bought some tequila and got back on the boat. In Cozumel, we did some shopping. Benjamin wanted to rent a motorcycle thing, but I forgot about the fact that we could go all over the island. Instead, we bought more tequila (he brought back a ton of tequila), and took lots of pictures. It sprinked a bit, and we were ready to go in, so we got back on the boat and drank a margarita. On the last day, we needed 4 more cups to complete our "4 yellow, 4 pink" collection, so we had to get started early. We split our first pina colada around 10 am. And I don't hold liquor very well, so needless to say I was a little wobbly for the rest of the day.

Now we're back (duh, Adriane), and getting into the swing of things. The apartment still isn't organized, but at least we've opened all the presents, and the ones we need to take back are filling up the back seat of my car. I still have a ton of thank you notes to write, but I'm dreading that. I think it's the sheer volume of notes that is stressing, not the act itself. If I do like 20 a day, it shouldn't take too long.

Dinner in a Movie

Julie & I just had a nice evening out :D Here's the play-by-play...

6:30 - discuss the possibility of watching a movie at home
7:15 - discuss the possibility of going to the dollar theater & Wendy's
7:36 - decide to see Because I Said So (at 7:50) & go to Wendy's
7:38 - run out to car in the freezing coldness
7:39 - I remember that I need my coat, so I take Julie's keys & return with coat & blanket
7:40 - Julie makes fun of me for the blanket & talks to Lindsey on the phone about going to Jack in the Box
7:45 - arrive at Wendy's
7:48 - leave Wendy's
7:53 - arrive at movie theater

We made it from home to the movie in 23 minutes...What can I say? I'm a vivacious driver.

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.

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.

Dallas Trip-o

Well, 'tis kindof late, but I believe an update of my WEEKEND OFF (yes!) is in order :)

Megan & I left Sunday morning at about 5 am. We both wore the clothes we slept in, and took church clothes with us as it was Pentecost. We stopped for coffee & then again to walk around a bit. At that point we bought a map of "Dallas and Surrounding Areas"...partially for amusement, but we were certainly glad to have it later.

About 2 miles from the hotel at which services took place, we heard an awful noise coming from my car. As we had to turn into a gas station lot anyway to go the other way, we stopped & opened the hood (well, I popped it & Megan found the latch). Behold: smoke! Dad said to keep going & we called him when we got to church. However, as I turned the car back on, the alarm went off (for no reason) and I had to jump out to unlock the door with the key or something. I believe we made quite a scene. After finding church, we went to find a place to change, and just happened to turn into the same gas station! It's like a magnet lol.

At church we talked a bit, and then went to Saltgrass with Scott for lunch. There was quite a bit of time left before the second service, so Scott taught me how to drive a stick shift!!! It was awesome! Someone asked him if it was he who had been driving around in circles in an empty parking lot lol. I wasn't very good at it, and apparently I was burning the clutch the whole time, but it was super fun. We stuck around for about an hour after the second service, and then went to Kaitlyn's house. Oh yeah, I honked at a car (for like the first time ever)...Megan was proud.

We had a "piggy night"...eating pie, popcorn & candy (chocolate...oops :P) while watching Rumor Has It. I, of course, fell asleep, but I got the jist of it. Kaitlyn was so nice to let us stay with her...thanks Kait!

I asked Dad to check my work schedule because even though I had requested off on Monday, I had a feeling my boss would schedule me. And, of course, he did. So I got a call at 6:30 am from my dad saying I'm scheduled at 10 am. At 8 I called my boss & told him the situation. Apparently, though, he allowed my coworkers to think me simply irresponsible, as several asked me about it yesterday. Argh.

Monday morning Megan (ha! consonance!) had to be at her advisor's office at 9 am. We made it! Of course it was in Founders North & navigation was tricky...but I totally saved the day (just kidding). During that time I went to return my apartment keys at the leasing office, where I was also going to talk to them about our room assignments for next year. But, they don't open till 10 am, so I sat there. Then Megan, Kaitlyn & I walked around, met Nicole & Zahra in the Pub, and Nicole brought our Freshman Convocation Planning Committee (FCPC) shirts...whee!

We went to Cici's for lunch...Megan kept going into a "reserved" section to get stuff out of the toy machines. Eventually, the party of kids got there & swooped in on her! Then I wanted a pink ring so I ventured down there myself :P

We got lost several times on the way home...not "lost" I guess, but I was glad that we had the map. I-45 was closed for several miles, and we were in stopped traffic for about 45 minutes. An 18-wheeler had burned to the ground...it looked bad. After getting off, we took a side street where, stopped at a light:
Megan: eww, that man is smiling at us!
Me: what man?
Megan: the one who is looking at us over there
Me: eww *turned head & wished we had one of those screens people put in the front window when parked*
Megan: *reading map* Oh! *puts huge map against her window*
Me: yes!

We got home before dark, and I took my new phone to get it programmed at the Verizon store. But, they didn't do everything they had said they would, so it ended up being pretty much a wasted trip. Oh well...I probably would have goofed it up had I tried to activate it myself. Then I promptly went to bed early, as I was majorly tired. Time to go to work!

Whee Dallas Trip!

Though I originally hoped to leave at 4:30 Friday morning, I didn't really leave until about 8:30. Sleep = important! I filled up with gas and, as per Dad's request, stopped every hour-ish. The trip was peaceful, and by the time I hit Huntsville (about an hour) I had run out of coffee and tired of the whole putting-your-foot-on-the-gas thing (those 2 things are not related). Thanks, Dad, for exposing me to the beauty that is cruise control :)

I had been doing quite well and was confident in my innate ability to navigate from Houston to Dallas. Perhaps I became too sure of myself, because while on the phone with Dad I suddenly realized that I was no longer on I-45. No sir, I was headed to Ft Worth!
Me: blah blah blah wait! Dad I'm on I-20 headed to Ft Worth!
Dad: *patronizingly* I dont think you want to do that
Me: well it's either that or Shreveport!
It's ok. Thanks to said navigating instincts (ha, right) I found my way home.

When I arrived at the apartment, Zahra was here to greet me. Julie was out with a boy, much to my disapproval. Julie, darling, no dating. You're married, remember? Zahra & I considered 2 restaurants for dinner (Cabbi-somthing's and Maggiano's). As you can probably tell from my inability tor recal the first, we chose Maggiano's "Little Italy" (so cute!) Zahra called & made reservations...the only time available was 5:45!!! I insisted that she make the reservation for "Jasmine" (her princess). Then we went to QuikTrip (whee!!) and my slushie gave me a tummy ache. Julie got home & we weren't here. When we did arrive, she was in the bathroom so we did a really crummy job of hiding between her dresser & closet.
Julie: *coming out of bathroom* Zahra? Adriane?
Zahra & Me: *silence + quiet giggling*
Julie: *goes into living room & starts singing*
We decided she didn't care about us! (jk Julie)

I was not a vivacious enough driver, so we were about 15 minutes late for our reservation. We got virgin Miami vices with lots of cherries (we told Guam, our name for all waiters, that we needed them to be very pretty & worthy of our picture-taking). Zahra ordered the marlin (or as Julie says, maaaaahlin) and it was tiny. False advertising on Guam's part. Julie & I both got the chicken & spinach manicotti and it was huge. However, we both noted with a sad sigh the absence of vegatables.

Due to our forced early reservation, we were finished with dinner before it even started to get dark. But this gave us an opportunity to do what we do best when we venture out of our apartment - PICTURES!!!! The outdoor architecture & landscaping was beautiful. Oh, and my dress kept trying ot fly up...once it actually did! And we pretended to be the valets while they were gone. Then Julie sneaked a not-so-subtle picture of them upon their return.

Yesterday, Julie & I went to see She's The Man at the dollar theater. Great movie! Cheesy, but hilarious. We stopped at Sonic to get drinks first, and Julie put them in her purse :) After the movie, we walked out of the theater & I smoothly put my cup in the trash can. Julie, however, continued sipping from her's as we walked through the halls, proudly (but unconsciously) sporting the huge Sonic logo.
Me: *whispering* Julie! Your cup says Sonic really big!
Julie: *jolt! looks around! puts cup down around her knees!*
Me: *uncontrolable laughter that catches the attention of our fellow movie-goers*

So, I would like to publicly proclaim:
Happy Birthday Zahra!!!

Ok, here's that nostalgic post we've all been waiting for!

Stop. Go no further. Start the song Closing Time. Have you started it? Ok good. Now you may proceed.

In about 12 hours (I’ve been working on this throughout the day), I'm going to be moving for the 2nd time in a year. I'm so unbelievably happy to get to go home, see my family, spend oodles of time with my Mom...it's been hard living so far away. By the same token, though, I'm going to be so sad to leave this place - this apartment that has become my home away from home, these friends, this environment of intellectual stimulation. So, in the style of Zahra's post (her's is more picture-inclusive than mine), I shall proceed to give a list of grievances. Ah, how this reminds me of a day about 8 months ago when I was doing this very same thing.

While I'm certainly going to miss many aspects of this life I'm leaving, most of it revolves around the lovely girls of apartment ****. These girls have turned into more than amiable roommates. They've made my freshman year experience one that I will always look back upon with fondness. They have attained the status of best friends. And for that, they hold a special, irreplaceable place in my heart. I will miss them the most.

Things I Love About Julie
* Her French accent which she "can't help"
* Her decision to marry Switchfoot...collectively
* The inertia which causes her arms to flail behind her torso upon walking
* The way I never dread the sound of "Aaa-dri-on" (now "A-shri-on") in the distance
* She is always ready to watch a Lifetime movie with me & Sparky
* Her insistence on consuming every last speck of...whatever (lick that bowl, Julie!)
* The way she confidently declares herself endearing...but that she doesn't fully comprehend the limitlessness of that statement
* Her daily updates on Erwin in my absence
* Finding her slippers tucked neatly under the table for her to come back to
* Her pretty paintings that make our living room sparkle

Things I Love About Zahra
* Her beastly willingness to protect us amid our Lifetime fears…and to fight
* The fact that she LIVES to "lock me out"
* The way she "moves in" every Sunday evening
* That she is "the world's official hugger"...and never fails to deliver on that
* That she designates and entire load of laundry to her panties
* Her offer to come all the way to Houston just to chaperone a date
* That we reached a consensus to take a nap under the warm pink UTD blanket after Hope Floats

Things I Love About Valene
* Her facial expression after muttering “huh?”
* Her disgust with spinach…and our taste for it
* That she gave me part of the vacuum fuzz after cleaning it out
* The unrecognized peer pressure which she exerts on the rest of us with her spiffy sayings

I’ll miss the Waterview network connection hating me, and kicking me off alllll the time. Zahra, thank you for not blocking me on AIM, even though you threatened to do so. Having a reliable internet connection will be saddening.

I’ll miss Julie grabbing Luke & Lorelai with her bare hands so that we can clean their filthy water. I’ll miss having 4 people around to feed them constantly. And I’ll miss making beta babies!

I’ll miss the free movies that Valene found as part of our cable package. Sleepless in Seattle, West Side Story, Funny Girl…all better when you have great girls to share them with. Oh what fun, moving the couch up to the TV…we’re tough girls!

I’ll miss naming the boys that come into our lives. More than that, I’ll miss having those boys around to do things for us. I wonder if my brother….

I’ll miss hearing Julie’s door open in the mornings, and jumping out of bed immediately. That was better than any alarm clock. What! Julie’s up before me?! Aaaah!

I’ll miss calling the maintenance men for everything that needs done in our apartment. I treasure all of those maintenance reports that we have laying around. We’re on a first-name basis with several of them now!

I’ll miss looking at Jackie Chan every time I go into Julie’s room. I have to say, he’s beginning to grow on me now. Of course, the same can’t be said of Julie’s attitude toward my fuzzy posters. It’s ok…I’ll also miss her systematically removing them from my walls in the hope that I won’t notice.

I’ll miss shouting “someone’s food is ready” because the impatient microwave keeps beeping once a minute.

I’ll miss Julie trying to make me get new PJs. You’ve tried everything, and I’m still wearing cheeky monkey! Perhaps, though, we can get matching ones in accordance with your bribe.

I’ll miss the interrogation chair, and the reign of WABB over our relationships with boys. I’ll miss the confused look on many guys’ faces as we actually carried out the interrogations we promised. Remember when Cake Boy (ok ok, Tony) brought us that HUGE cake as a peace offering? I’m glad we gave him another chance.

I’ll miss Julie’s singing on the way to the grocery store or the movies. You’ve made me love Moulin Rouge, hun! You’re so unbelievably cute.

I’ll miss Thursday lunches in the PUB. How I’ve looked forward to those each week, and hated missing them on occasion. Even when I would be working the lunch rush, it was cheering just to see you guys come in.

I’ll miss the PUB itself, and the good friends I have made working there. I’m so blessed to be able to have fun at my job.

I’ll miss Roommate Weekends, and broadcasting our mutual love to the masses. “Do you have roommates? You should get some.”

I’ll miss taking trips in our pajamas. Wal-Mart, the Meteor Theater, the mailbox…ah, the memories.

I’ll miss Julie singing “Bad Day” and playing it on her computer when I have one. I’ll miss being able to hear the song on her computer when she goes to Zahra’s xanga, since my computer hates me & won’t play it.

I’ll miss having a home to come back to when I feel weezy.

I’ll miss taking pictures of everything. It feels like everything we’ve done has been properly documented visually. I love our three best pictures.

I’ll miss the menopausal weather. Hot. Cold. Moderately warm. Freezing beyond comprehension. Yeah, it’s always a surprise. Sorry I’ve been slacking on delivering the weather report each morning!

I’ll miss having no room in the refrigerator for legitimate stuff (like milk) because it is so full of to-go boxes.

I’ll miss the yellow walls, and Julie’s paintings.

I’ll miss finding my panties in a bag on my doorknob. I’ll miss having girls around who understand how you can have an entire bag full of panties.

I’ll miss waking up to the shrill sound of smoke detectors…and laughing in the living room while they continue to shriek for half an hour in the middle of the night.

I’ll miss eating french fries from the PUB. But not before we’ve re-cooked them in the oven & showered them with Tony Chachere’s (sp??)

But more than all of that, I’ll miss having girls to call maintenance for me. I’ll miss hearing my name (with a French accent, of course) on a daily basis. I’ll miss the people with whom I take grocery store trips, and the girls that live to lock me out. I’ll miss having those awesome friends who are willing to ask weird questions to make sure that the guys I’m hanging out with are worth it. I’ll miss deep conversations that last until the wee hours of the morning, and buying lots of pillows with my new bedding, confident that we’ll use all of them.

The memories…

In the past 8 months and 19 days, we have accomplished so much. Much more than a group of skimpy college girls could be expected. We have:
(click the * for a picture!!)
* Gotten through a pregnancy & learned French insults
* Successfully sauntered Wal-Mart in PJs at midnight without getting raped
* Learned how to do normal body functions in a class that 1/3 of us don’t take
* Cured Julie of her brownie addiction
* Established ourselves as virgins
* Taken pictures with Abuelo
* Been through some hard times, and remained there for each other
* Experienced the awesomeness that is giant QuikTrip cups
* Considered skydiving together…nah!
* Had fun with balls (hehe)
* Shrunk our collective female fat zones
* Traded clothes & warned each other of possible death-by-weather
* Made it through Govt 2302. ‘Nuff said.
* Realized that our best dates are with each other
* Giggled about boy parts during Thursday lunch
* Put glucose tablets to a much more “creative” use
* Gotten married. Some of us more than others…
* Been totally awesome princesses
* Gotten gussied
* Turned on one another, but made it through in the end
* Been scarred by the sight of nakey boys & discussed nakey trees
* Ordered & eaten 3 medium 1-topping pizzas
* Handled the three-musty-Mexican-maintenance-men & called maintenance for EVERYthing! They must loooooove us!
* Discovered the tragedy of the female condom & hemorrhoids
* Prepared for a tornado
* Had a slumber party on the balcony
* Grown quite accustomed to talking on AIM & banging on walls
* Experienced the happiness of Julie & Zahra’s marriage
* Left Olive Garden with 10 to-go boxes
* Gleefully pounced upon each other
* Caught & detained the blog culprit…but she still commits her crimes!
* Become tenacious wildcats in Jujitsu
* Dedicated Zahra the confrontational-phone-call maker…for bills and the cable guy
* Named boys & done interrogations with WAAB
* Spoken out against modern sexuality
* Played some serious flag football
* Toasted our 1-month anniversary
* Disturbed an entire movie theater with our fashionable exit
* Learned where we come from…through the people upstairs
* Lived through fire
* Rewarded ourselves with a couple of our favorite jelly donuts
* Left our comfort zones & made new & lifelong friendships

Tonight we had our reminiscence session. We sat on the couch, in our PJs of course, and ate french fries. We talked about our time together. Zahra recalled “hating” me when I moved in, because I apparently gave her a weird look. How was I to know that she was supposed to be there?! We realized that we attended the same orientation last April. The 3 of us recalled our first eager telephone conversations and unleashed first impressions. Julie thought I was going to be a drunken popular girl…but when she came in & saw me “freaking out” over groceries, she knew she had nothing to fear. I thought she was going to be a really anal smart girl…which she is (without the anal part :-p). Zahra addressed how unfair I have been in taking up all of the communal kitchen & storage space…and Julie agreed. Apparently, I have too much crap…but I can’t live without it. Then Julie started to go into her room. I thought she was coming to my room to read this screen (a super no-no) so I ran to stop her. In the process I hurt my foot. She doesn’t care…she said I deserved it. Poo. :-)

I’m sitting here, now at 2:30 in the morning, after just having had a discussion with Julie. Mostly, we talked about how much I miss orchestra & what a big part of my life that was. I’ve often thought about where I would be in my musical pursuits if I had followed my original plan to go elsewhere.

But tonight, after our reminiscence session, I realized that Julie, Zahra & I ALL wanted to go elsewhere. I wanted to go to Sam Houston & major in music. Zahra wanted to go to Rice & made this known through her attitude at UTD orientation. Julie wanted to go to Baylor & got a new car instead. I remember fighting my parents about this school, telling them it was the last place I wanted to go. I even had all of my friends hating the idea with me.

Even after deciding that I did want to come here, I still catch myself wondering. I wonder what I might have kept if I hadn't abandoned my “first choice.” What’s ironic is that after 8 months, I now realize what I would have lost if I had.

Love Always,
Adriane

"O" for Othello

After we watched Funny Girl & 10 Things I Hate About You, Julie & I watched "O", a modern take on Shakespeare's Othello. From about the 10th minute of the movie, we both knew we would hate it. Then there was a terrrrrible $3x scene in which Julie & I were both quite disturbed. So, we finally started fast-forwarding it. It still continued for a loooong time, and needless to say it was still scarring. It's that kind of movie that you end up having really bad dreams about. It was about a highschool basketball team, but everyone still died! I thought they'd just get alienated from each other & have no friends in college...boy was I wrong.

So to get rid of potential bad dreams, after checking all the doors, we re-watched the Heath-singing-to-Julia scene in 10 Things I Hate About You.

And we recalled the scene in the library, where the girl tells the boy, in French, "...maybe it's up your @$$." We decided to learn how to say this phrase, in French, but after several times of rewinding it, we still couldn't get the whole thing. Julie suggested, "hey, maybe we can just learn the 'up your @$$ part!" So we did. Lest I forget while I'm sleeping, it is, "fro tu cou" or something of similar pronounciation.

We also watched the scene between the daughter & father, where she's trying to get permission to go to prom. Julie kept rewinding that part, telling me "I want to learn the exact wording so when you want to go out with some boy I can say it." So, here's that part:
Father: Kissing...that's what you think happens? I've got news for you, kissing isn't what keeps me up to my elbows in placenta all day long.
Bianca: Can we forget for a second that you're severely unhinged & discuss my need for a night of teenage normalcy?
Father: What's normal, eh, those Dawson's River kids sleeping in each other's beds? I've got news for you. I'm down, I've got the 411, and you are not going out & getting jiggy with some boy, I don't care how dope his ride is. My momma didn't raise no fool.

[NB! There is probably another post JUST LIKE this one immediately below. DO NOT attempt to comment upon that post. You will probably be electricuted through your keyboard or mouse. I tried to delete it, but it refuses to leave. I tell you this for your own good. DO, however, comment on this post :D]

10 Things I Hate...well, not really

Julie & I both had mediocre days, and as we lay on my bed at 11:30pm, we regretted having lost our dear friend, the 10 Things I Hate About You tape. I had bootleg-copied it off tv a few years ago, as I did with The Emperor's New Groove which we tried to watch on Sunday, and both tapes had gone completely bad. Julie made me throw them away.

So anyway, we decided that since we had had a moderately cruddy day (and since Julia Stiles is my favorite) we would go to Wal-Mart and purchase the DVD...and some ice cream. We made Zahra come too. We decided to go in our pajamas, but Zahra had already changed into people-clothes. We had to fix that problem. Not to worry, Zahra changed back into her pajamas for our outing. Oh, and we took pictures :)

JAZ wearing PJs & jackets...ready to embark upon a dangerous journey!

On the way there, Julie was singing along with the music like she always does (we really do enjoy it Julie) and she suddenly stopped singing & asked quite loudly, "Wait! Should we go to Target so we don't get raped?" Unfortunately, Target had most likely long since closed. It was ok though, because as we were leaving Wal-Mart & getting in the car, Julie told us to wait until she looked under the car before approaching. (There was a van on the passenger side, which is a no-no for getting into cars, as someone could be hiding in the van & grab you.)

We got fat free strawberry Dreyer's ice cream. It's yummy. Somehow the fat-free-ness of it all makes it that much more yummy. Mmmm...fat free :) We also remembered our commitment to get wife-beaters, and detoured to the little boy's department where we proceeded to purchase a 3-pack (one, two, three) of little boy's wife-beater shirts in the size of 10-12. As we walked away, we got a strange look from a couple of real boys. It's ok...they just can't handle the idea of their turf being trampled upon by a clan of cutely-clad college girls.

Then we watched the movie on my bed, but I think I fell asleep. I don't know what happened really. I haven't talked to either of them this morning...comments girls? o:) (I just noticed that my camera was not in my purse, but on the chest at the end of my bed. Then I noticed they took a picture of me while I was sleeping. Nice, girls. Reeeeal nice :-p...it's ok...Julie says she locks her door, but she'll slip up eventually, muahahahaa!)

I got to talk to Mom this morning on the phone. I'm very eager to get to spend time with her. I just want to take my finals tomorrow & leave...there's no point in me sticking around here doing nothing waiting for people to study. C'mon people! You're prepared, let's go. Oh well...I shall be through on Wednesday.