It's raining, it's pouring...

...And if the old man was snoring, I'd probably want to smack him upside the head. It's miserable outside, which is saying something for someone like me, who loves the rain.

It seems I'm the only one who didn't get the memo from weather.com, as I wore thin pants & a short-sleeve shirt to work today. I did, however, remember to take flip-flops for my chamber music rehearsal.

When I got to UTD, it was pouring so hard that I stuck my keys & my phone in my violin case, changed into flip-flops (a bitter-sweet reality, as they kept me from swimming in socks, but it's absolutely frigid), wrapped my music in a plastic bag, and headed out (coatless) on my quarter mile treck to rehearsal.

The situation wasn't helped by the fact that I somehow hurt my left wrist on Sunday, and the pain hasn't subsided. For a more accurate picture, see the below visual aid:

hurt wrist + 2 1/2 hr rehearsal + cold + wet + irritable + sortof mean instructor
=
unpleasant situation

Then I called Benjamin on my way home, and he alerted me to the power outage in our apartment. Apparently it was still out, because the traffic light he had just passed was blinking. But, it came on about 10 minutes after I got home. I was able to warm up slightly by nuzzling my freezing toes under Benjamin's shirt, and putting my hands on his neck. He did not seem to appreciate my attempt at snuggling, as he complained like a munchkin that I was making him cold. However, when I allowed him to warm my extremities voluntarily, he was much more amiable.

Anyways, I'm skipping class because I honestly feel like if I go out one more time I'll get an ear infection. And, I'm not sure that I can handle people talking just to hear themselves talk for 3 hours right now, wishing that I was snuggled on the couch with my hubby watching House and eating the soup that I think he's making for me. Mmmm...veggies!

That is all!

Good News & Bad News

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

We got the Forum! On the right date! Yay! *is excited*

On the other hand, I made another appointment to try on that dress again at 7:00 at David's Bridal. I fought through traffic for just under an hour (it's right at 10 miles), only to find that the store was closed due to power outages. Thanks for calling me to tell me my appoinment was cancelled! Eh, I guess everything was electronic or something :(

So I went to the Verizon store, and got a headset for my phone. My hope is that my parents will no longer threaten me with bodily harm (maybe it was just hanging up on me...) when I call them.

Today was the longest day everrrrrrrrr! I went in to work 1/2 an hour early, so that I could take an extra 1/2 hour for lunch, to go to Arapaho Classical Magnet & take a cake to my tutoring class. It's their last day of 3rd grade! I left work at noon, got the cake, took it to the class (where only 4 students were since it's apparently the teacher's birthday, and they kicked her out to decorate). I waited until the last minute before I needed to leave, then wrote a note to the class on the board, and said goodbye. Rikki gave me a hurt look, and said, "But Miss Bounds! We need you to hang streamers!"

...So I hung streamers. And was late getting back to work.

Then there was a crap load of rain, which I did not expect. I went to David's Bridal anyway, and, well, now I'm home in my comfy pjs that for some reason have this spot in the leg that has been poking me for several weeks, even though there's nothing sharp in there! I think it's time for some sleep...

...but all is well.

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

I don't have a date, or a location, or a dress, or a honeymoon hotel, or a photographer, or a cake decorator, or a quartet, or...

...but I have a ring, and a minister, and an apartment. I have love, and joy, and closeness, and faith. I have an amazing man who wants to make me his wife.

And finding that - the love of my life, with whom I want to share everything from now until the day I die - that's the essential part. The rest is just details.

<3

Poo #1

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

Well, the church I want isn't available on the day I want, so I'm getting my first glimpse of wedding diappointment.

Someone please tell me that getting everything started is the hardest part!

The Great Rebirth

So it's been almost 6 months since I updated, and the time apart has made me realize how much I miss those frequent scurryings to the computer, coupled with a shrill, "I'm blogging that!" I liked myself better as a blog-adict, and I believe there are some others who would agree. Perhaps my attitude in person is improved by my willingness to write bluntly.

Who knows. Anyway, here's a quick update:

I went to Houston several times, and spent Thanksgiving in Dallas

For the Feast, I went to Kerrville and got absolutely nothing done. It was more fun that I expected, because I hung out with several young adults I hadn't seen in a while. Benjamin went to Italy, and sent me this:

This picture is everywhere, I know, but I love it bunches :)

I got a chihuahua puppy in November. His birthday is October 11, and he's just over 3 months now. A couple of weeks ago, he was almost up to 2 pounds! Montezuma (Monte) knows his name, and how to use his potty-pad. However, he likes to be defiant and tinkle on his mat, but poo on the floor while I'm looking at him. Other than that, he's quite well behaved.

Wreck on 45 going home over winter break. Ouch. My darling came to take care of me <3

Finally, this semester my classes are:
~ Syntax & Mechanical Structure
~ Western Literary Tradition
~ Film Musicals
~ Prose Narratives
~ Educational Psychology
~ American Public School

PS- Don't forget to post comments. I know it's sad, but I have very little excitement in my life.

I'm never driving again

My Very Broken Down Car :(

I seem to have nothing but bad luck when I combine cars, long trips, and oh yeah...me.

Take, for instance, yesterday's little incident. I left my house at 8am to go to Huntsville for church. Huntsville is well on the way to DFW, and I had made a joke about just keeping on going north...boy am I glad I didn't! I left at about 1pm to go home, and 20 minutes into my trip...

...something on the passenger side started squealing, and at first I thought it was something weird with my music. However, it continued once I turned off the music, eliminating that possibility. It got really loud, but instead of completely freaking out (the default Adriane option) I calmly switched lanes & maneuvered to the shoulder. This took a total of about 7 seconds. By that time, I smelled smoke, and by the time I got the car turned off a couple of seconds later (yes, I was in super-high-speed-fix-it-mode) I could see the smoke billowing from under the hood. This is what we call not a good thing.

So in tears I called Dad, who said he was on his way. So he ended up skipping church. It was about 96* in the shade (where I moved after about 30 minutes), and Dad got there a little over an hour after the initial problem. It turns out my AC belt broke. Dad is changing that and the Something Else belt today, and I should be good as new. We called AAA and a tow truck brought it back to my house.

But! I being the fantastic photo weirdo that I am, just had to get a picture of the ordeal...for future humor's sake. So I climbed over the guard rail (yes, in my skirt & church shoes...I'm Wonder Woman ya know) and waded around in the bug-infested grass. It was just grasshoppers, I told myself, and though I don't like grasshoppers, this must be part of the breaking-down experience. When I came back to Dad & the tow truck man, Dad asked if I had gotten into fire ants. Of course I said no...THAT's when they started biting. My feet were covered in the things. And they bit me. A lot. Not nice.

As crappy as the day became, and the fact that it took me 4 hours to get home when it should have taken just 1, it could have been so much worse. Dad says these are things that just happen every once in a while, and that I couldn't really have done anything to prevent it. Basically, this would have happened at this approximate time regardless of what I was doing.

BUT! I wasn't on my way to Dallas/Ft Worth as I'd originally planned. If I were, I'd have been in Centerville then, and my rescue would have been longer coming. And I'd have had to turn around.

AND! It didn't happen the night before, when Juliane & I were on our way back from Teen Bible Study in the dark. That would have been closer to home, but more dangerous. I don't really need to drag my sister into a stranded situation.

PLUS! There are lots of places along I-45 whose shoulder width is about zero. I happened to break down in a place where the shoulder was the width of an entire lane, and there was grass next to it.

So given the fact that this was going to happen, I think a lot of things "just happened" to work out well. In other words, I was protected even though I wasn't necessarily happy about the situation. It's funny how little things can give you just a little more faith when you least expect it.

Fired, strike 2

I think I'm about to get fired from Barnes & Noble. I've never been fired from a job, and the thought of it makes me very sad because such would imply that I wasn't doing a good job. And of course, I take pride in always doing an extraordinary job at whatever I'm doing.

Strike one (though they haven't called it such, and haven't even brough up me losing my job) was when I couldn't close on a Friday night (aka work til midnight). The only stipulations I put on my schedule was no working Friday sunset to Saturday sunset for the Sabbath. The rest was left open to work mostly nights which I hate, but apparently no one else wants. Of course, this Friday night issue was mysteriously resolved when they had to redo my entire week's schedule (the real strike 1) because they misscheduled my oral surgery. Though it's not technically my "fault," I did have to bring it up, reflecting badly on myself.

Strike two took place today, as I called in sick because I'm still in pain & can't go anywhere much less drive in the rain when I'm on pain pills that put me to sleep. Mom told me that I sounded like I wouldn't do well working tonight, and basically told me not to go. So I called in 7 hrs before my shift, and I still think the manager is upset, despite the situation. She "really needs" me to be there tomorrow (which I totally intend to be, but Mom said not to if I'm still feeling crummy). Mom said if I get fired, it doesn't mean I was doing a bad job or anything. I don't know why I'm still ranting...I guess I'm just trying to make myself feel ok about not being there tonight. Even though I know it doesn't need justification. Argh, why am I such a people pleaser?!

Today I had to start "irrigating" my "lower sockets"...sounds pretty, I know. Believe me, it's even more fun than it sounds :P

Relapse

Though I was still feeling crummy this morning, I got ready for church, and was looking forward to going. I took my antibiotic, and packed my pain pills just in case. (Of course, I wasn't driving.) But before we got out of the neighborhood, I was so nauseous that there was no way I'd make it through church without passing out or something. I have that nausea prescription, but I don't want to take it...I've never taken anything for nausea...it's one of those things I can live with. Anyway, here's to feeling better tomorrow so I can go to work!

Mom's coming home for the day tomorrow!!!

The Grass is Always Greener...

I have noticed that once swelling has gone down, feeling returns to the previously blimpish part of your face. That basically equates to taking pain medication again after 4 hours, rather than 8 hours like yesterday.

Today was a day of sleeping. And mashed potatoes. And more of Everwood Season 1.

Dad is painting the office tonight. Oh! And Mom is coming home on a day-pass on Sunday, and then moving back home on Thursday, July 6. That's actually the date they originally set for her move-home date, though it was merely a hopeful guess at that point, which they much expected to change as it drew near. Yay!

Dietary Upgrade!

This morning when I still couldn't talk, I wrote a note for Juliane so she could ask Dad to get my strawberry-cheesecake frozen yogurt. But as Dad just pointed out, I have a drug-induced spelling problem: yogurt --> yongurt.

The past 24 hours have seen my consumption of 2 cans of V8 (30 calories each) and strawberry-cheesecake icecream (130 calories).

Tomorrow, mashed potatoes.

Look out, no one can stop me!

Getting poked & chopped up

Wednesday, 1:00pm

Well I had my surgery this morning, and I'm feeling rather crappy at the moment.

I'd like to take this opportunity to say "I told you so" to the intangible force that kept saying "with the laughing gas, you won't care about the IV needle." Ha! I remember telling the doctor right before he put in the IV, "No needle yet...I still caaare!" I think it wasn't until he said, "it's in, you can cry if you want to" that I calmed down verbally & started to cry. Not bawling crying, just a couple of tears.

I think I really pissed off one of the dental assistants too. She kept saying, in her holier-than-thou tone, "AAAdriane. Calm DDDown. It's just a nEEEdle." This girl was about 5 minutes older than I am. In all liklihood, she got one of those "Earn your degree online in 30 days! No knowledge required!" things. And now that I think about it, she probably thought to herself, "hehe, she would look funny with the entire bottom half of her face swollen like a blimp" and then giggled and scurried off to find the blimpifying medicine.

Actually, probably not. I'm sure she's a really nice girl who thought I was just being a brat. Really, though, I was working incredibly hard to be a "big girl" as they say.

They said that I might not remember anything until getting home & waking up in my bed. I remember waking up in the chair, but not being able to see anything. Then I kept falling back asleep momentarily, and then trying to climb out of the chair each time I woke up, and a voice telling me to stay in the chair. Then I remember them bringing in a wheel chair, and me standing up from it telling them I was fine & could walk. Funny though, cause I don't remember actually seeing any of my surroundings. It's probably best that they didn't let me just walk out on my own.

Now I'm extremely swollen. I woke up thinking "why is there a giant piece of gauze under my tongue?" Upon mirror-analysis, however, I discovered that it's really my bottom lip, which is completely numb. I had an itch on the ouside of my chin, and when I went to rub it, it didn't go away...THAT's how numb I am. Argh.

And I've resorted to using text messages, because I can't talk. Dad's out getting my prescription & popsicles & such right now. I'm hoping he'll find seasons of Everwood at the video store.

I would like to formally stand corrected: This is a much bigger deal than I thought it would be. I can hardly move, and I certainly don't want to eat anything. I just want to sleep, which for some reason is not coming easily, so we shall see how this plays out. Either way, I'm trying to view this as a "growth opportunity." I just didn't think the growth would come in the form of supersizing my chipmunk cheeks and their surrounding facial terrain.

Wednesday, 5:00pm

I'm on 3 prescriptions now...an antibiotic, a codine painkiller, and a take-as-needed nausea pill. I remember when I broke my toe & the doctor had me on 4 Advil 3 times a day. Ha! This, for the person who never takes more than one lol. Anyway, flashback over.

Dad also got the First Season of Everwood, so that should be fun. I love Everwood...I can't believe they cancelled it after 4 seasons, without so much as a poll from me! As my second favorite show, I've tried not to miss any/many episodes...but life happens, and your favorite shows tend to go unseen on occasion.

I'm still more swollen than ever. Julie would have fun with this one!

I just discovered the ample stitches in my mouth. That's gross. This will go down in history as The Day Adriane Was Brave. That's super awesome :)

Yup

As I lay trying to fall asleep, something giant flew across my room. I don't understand why bugs are after me :( And of course, it had cleverly hidden itself by the time Dad came to kill it, so I ended up sleeping in Juliane's room. I hope that it will be out of my room by the time I get home on Monday.

Whee! Schedule!
Today: hospital, spend the night there
Saturday: leave from hospital, church in Ft Worth if I can find it...otherwise I'll have missed church in Dallas because Ft Worth starts later, thus the basis of its scheduling convenience
Sunday: freshman orientation, kidnap Julie
Monday: freshman orientation, come home
Tuesday: work...I think
Wednesday: get poked by a needle, etc etc, lose some teeth
Thursday: stay home
Friday: stay home

Retraction

Ok, now I feel bad for saying that I hate my job. I don't hate it. Yes, it made me almost cry yesterday (or in the wee hours of this morning), but I don't hate it. Sometimes I hate it. But I trust that this, too, shall pass.

End of Retraction

Training Day

I had training at Ben & Jerry's from 4-7:30pm. There were 3 other new-hires, and they all seem really nice! I'm quite excited...hope it'll be a fun job.

It turns out that the "diagnosis" is Influenza B. I don't actually "know" that, but I have the same thing as my siblings, who went to the doctor this morning. He said it's not contageous unless you have a fever (which I don't anymore) so I was ok going to training. However, I'm really congested & miserable due to that...much better than being totally achey though :)

Cameron & I were leaving the McDonald's RedBox:
Cameron: I test-drove one car which, if you closed the door before turning it on, it wouldn't let you open the door again untill the key was removed from the ignition.
Me: What's the purpose of that?
Cameron: I dunno...maybe so you don't accidentally fall out of the car while you're driving.

Mother's Day

This has been a craptastic day. First of all, I'm sick. I have a sore throat & I'm achey like you can't imagine. I would go to the hospital anyway (it is Mother's Day, after all, and I haven't missed a day yet of seeing Mom) but I got these symptoms from my siblings. Ergo, contagious.

And I have training for my new job tomorrow at 4pm. I've decided to be better by then. On a happier note, I have spent the whole afternoon watching the Gilmore Girls marathon and eating mac & cheese. It was horrible mac & chesse...too the mac to cheese ratio was horribly low, and I ended up sitting in front of the tv with my giant bowl, watching Gilmore Girls, and scraping Velveta off of the noodles with my fingers.

Here's a funny commercial that I've seen about seven times today:
*cue serenading violin music*
Narrator: It's the classic tale...of a boy...and his dog...
*cue drums & rock music*
Narrator: ...who knows...karate...
*jam jam jam*
Narrator: Karate Dog...only on ABC Family

I sink I'm going to go get in bed & sleep. It's raining (priiiime sleeping conditions) and I'm ill (also, priiiime sleeping conditions) so I'll be going.

I also have a neck ache.

And an ear ache.

And a head ache.

And I'm dizzy.

And I'm nauseous.

Not to MENTION the horrible sore throat, which introduced all of these ailments to my body.

Oh! I made Dean's List! Whee!

Ok, now back to being grumpy.

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.

Gone Roach-Watchin'

(like, gone fishin'...get it? :) )

Last night on the way home from the hospital, I stopped at a Red Box to get a movie. The first time, it messed up so I tried again. Then it messed up again! I was thinking, "there is no WAY my credit card was declined...it's a debit!" So, I sat in the car with Dad while the people behind me tried...it rejected them too. So yeah, the machine = messed up.

I went to bed & turned on Everwood. Once the light is off, you can see things outside the window better (b/c it's dark outside). Anyway, through the blinds I saw a GIANT bug...I called my dad upstairs & he looked at it. Then he told my brother to come look at it. Rather than actually DO anything about it, they both just marveled at the sheer size of the roach. They promised that it was outside the window & that it couldn't get in. Still, I fell asleep with the light on so I could check throughout the night. Every time I woke up (which was pretty often) my first thought was "where's the roach" and all night I slept facing away from the window so as to keep such awful pictures out of my dreams. At some point, someone came in and turned off my light.

Anyway, I'm bigger than that roach, so he should really be afraid of me. I'm waiting for Zahra to challenge him..."you wanna FIGHTTTT me?!?"

Haaaaail No!

(Get the pun?!)

Thursday afternoon, I went to pick my sister up from school. As I was leaving, I thought to myself, "wow, how I dread getting out in this miserable yet harmless rain." Boy was I wrong - Miserable, maybe. Harmless, hardly.

Said rain proceeded to become a terrifying thunder storm. You know how the amount of time after a lightning strike that the thunder is heard correlates to the distance? Well, what about when you actually hear the thunder at the same time that you are jolted by its terrifying appearance right in front of you on Spring Cypress. Yes, this makes for a less-than-pleasant trip.

Not to mention the humongous hail that continues to pelt you for about 45 minutes while you wait in the car-pool line. And the 6 inches of rain. And the spouting man holes. And the fact that when you call your dad & your roommate to tell them that you're in the process of dying, you can't even hear them. And the Winter Wonderland that takes over the parking lot due to the seemingly total hail-coverage. And realizing that the reason you haven't moved an inch in 10 minutes is that the 3 cars in front of you have PARKED, blocking your movement. And getting OUT of the car and running through the 6 inches of water to go inside to find your sister, but losing a flip-flop on the way & having to turn around to get it. And once you finally get her & get out of the line, going through 8 inches of water that come up very very far, making you really glad that you have 16" tires, and screaming for the people in front of you to keep going so that you don't stall or whatever that word is. And having to turn around before you get to Champion Forest because apparently that street is too flooded for those soccer moms in SUV's to wade through. And realizing that you have hail damage. And confirming that you are, indeed, the unluckiest person ever, and that everyone is out to get you, and that misery seeks you out. Ok, so maybe that's not true, but sometimes you feel like it...

My "check engine" light came on yesterday. I took it to a place that has a computer that you hook up to it and it gives you some kind of code. I asked the guy at the counter, and he gave me a weird look & said, "I don't do it myself." I assume that he sensed my incompetence, because even after I said, "Just tell me what to do & I'll do it" he did it anyway. Cylinder misfire. Or something. Who knows...

On a more serious note, the lady in the bed next to Mom passed away yesterday. We had become friendly with her mom. The lady was about Mom's age, and had been fighting cancer for a long time. It was really saddening because, even though I didn't know her & people often die in hospitals, I've never been there when someone has died. Dad & I were there but had to leave the ICU because there was a "code blue" (very bad). We were there while the family was making decisions and everything. And even though I wasn't in the room, I was still...there.

Anyway, I think that's all I wanted to say. Goodnight, everyone. Sleep well.

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

I was cheated out of a cookie

About this I am not happy. "Great Value" & their Wal-mart headquartars will be hearing from me.