I should be in bed right now. I WILL be soon. Jenny is forcing me to blog right now though. I think you should go smack her up for me...she's so mean....so mean that she even kills imaginary characters for fun since she can't get enough from just making real people's lives crappy. .....Okay, so maybe the last part isn't true, but the first part is...check it out! At least I felt guilty about killing the Sim AND it wasn't my idea either. ::sigh:: That's sadistic Jenny for you ;) hehehehe...It's fun picking on you...actually it's fun picking on anyone--with that in mind, watch out! ....YOU could be next--and you may not even be expecting it! "NO ONE expects the Spanish Inquisition!!!" tee hee hee....OH, and dudes, You REALLY should check out these sites; they've been the cause of HOURS of procrastination for me (okay, maybe not the cause per se...let's just say they've given me a medium for my distraction). One is a kick ass funny animation site called Homestar Runner--check out the Strong Bad Emails in particular. And the second site of note called Nuklear Power is good for anyone familiar with gaming--especially Final Fantasy (FF), D&D, Shadowrun, and old Nintendo games--since it features a comic strip with FF characters from the old Nintendo game system and the basic plot and jokes stemming from role playing games. Even if you're NOT familiar with gaming, it's still a laugh or two. Eventually I'll probably make a permanent link to these two sites, but for now I'm too tired :P I had best get to bed so I can make the drive home tomorrow. And I even have plans with Scotty ;) Ought to be an interesting weekend :) especially with all the shitty homework I have to do....hours.....of homework.....I HAVE to do.....bleah. But it's Thanksgiving! Turkey Time!!! And FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND FUN!!! ...and homework :P .... Eh, such is life ;) ENJOY THE BREAK!!! :)

So...what's new? Good question. Not a whole lot really. I was a big slacker last night and so now I'm quite behind on my work for this week. I'm planning on making up for that this evening and tomorrow, so wish me luck on that. This weekend was a lot of fun, though. Saw Down and Above for the third time on Friday along with a couple other bands that were playing at The Quest that night, including EXO who I only heard part of the last song for, so I didn't get much of a feel for them, and Spiritfall who were rather Incubus/Hoobastank-like which was cool and they had a good singer. But the highlight of the evening was definately Down and Above--the crowd was actually quite big for them, which was pretty kick ass...aside from the crowd getting, well, croweded at one point, acting rather rowdy and some guy displacing Chris from the front by Tricia and I and bumping into her repeatedly making watching the last song or so an effort. I was in a good position though, right in front, with Tricia on my left and some hippie leather chick on my right who aside from being high was pretty nice. DNA sounded great as usual despite the poorer quality sound system and the annoying crowd, so it was a good time :) I do feel kind of dumb though when I'm standing there talking to the band members...well, more like, standing there next to Tricia and Chris while they talk to the band since they know them better...I think the only one of them that really acknowledges that I've been to three shows with Tricia and Chris is the drummer Zach--he's a nice guy. I guess a band can really only keep track of so many fans. But at least they do take the time to talk to you if you ask them a question or make a point of saying hello.

The rest of the weekend was laid back but fun. Tricia, Jenny and I went to see Star Wars Ep. II at the IMAX theater by the Minnesota Zoo on Saturday afternoon, which was pretty kick ass ;) 50 foot Yoda...that's all I have to say ;) And then we went to Old Chicago pizza for dinner--tradition of course. As was the Chinese food we ordered on Sunday during the Packer game. What was also quite cool on Sunday was that I found a dress for my brother Scott's wedding :)! And it was A LOT less than I had thought I would need to spend, so that makes me VERY happy. AND it looks great :)! Happiness Abounds! So that was my weekend in Minnesota.

What else is new? Hmmmmm....well, I had some interesting conversations about spirituality this weekend with Tricia, Jenny W, and Jenny A's roomie Jennifer....do you notice a trend here?!!! I have waaaay too many friends named Jennifer. But they're all so cool :) Oh well...at least they all have different letters for last names...well, almost....okay, so they all have different last names. That'll have to do I guess. ANYWAYS... about the conversations. Lately the issue of my own spirituality has come up, not so much in being directly asked about it; more that events and people have prompted me to think and write about it once again. I have a fairly clear idea of what my spiritual beliefs are, and have been for a while. But it has been a considerable period of time since I have expressed my ideas in the written word. That's why I think I will write about them in my next blog. Most of you readers already know pretty much my stance on things, but I guess I feel like expressing it anyway. Writing it down is a way for me to really get my ideas thought out in a clear and coherent manner. Sometimes it is really difficult for me to epress my beliefs and feelings by speaking, so writing them helps me A LOT. Now, let me say that when I do write about my beliefs, it is not because I want to encourage others to see things my way or to discount their beliefs in ANY way. I simply want to say how I feel so that others can understand where I'm coming from, especially since I my beliefs do not fit nicely in a religious package. Before I go into all that though, I'm going to end this blog entry...cuz my hands are tired after typing a long assignment, chatting online, and writing this blog :P I may or may not get to this upcoming planned blog entry tonight, but it will come soon for sure.

Well, have a good Monday--take heart! VACATION COMETH SOONETH!!!!!!!!! ;)

I know I've been super bad about blogging. I guess I've been doing just a lot of other stuff. That, and I haven't had a lot of ideas of what to write about. I had my interview for the London student teaching abroad program, which went really well. Now I just have to finish the application and get that in this week. Seems strange that such a trip could actually be a reality. In the more short range scheme of things, I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving break....I know I'll surely need it. Only thing that sucks is knowing how much crap I'll have to do when I get back from break. That's why I should say I'm really looking forward to WINTER BREAK! Cuz that means I'm done with Block and I have a month off before I start next semester! Of course, during break I'll have to be preparing for my brother Scott's wedding. AND, that also means preparing for the trip to Aruba then too ;) I can say I'm excited about that :) However, I have a feeling that at least some of the trip will be stressful, but I'm willing to deal with a little stress for the chance to go on a one week tropical vacation. I know that being home that much will be difficult for me though. I wish that I could truly say I'm over and done with that whole issue, but it's a lot easier to forget about such things when I'm not confronted with them. Time and new experiences will heal things, I know...sometimes I get a little melancholy about it though. It's hard dealing with losing one of my best friends and having a strained friendship with another. I'm not sure how salvagable either friendship is.

On the brighter side though, I AM trying to make more sense of my life. I know that lately I've been kind of....wishy washy. More precisely, I've felt a little on the empty side...a little inadequate. BUT, in the past couple days, and especially today when I was driving and thinking, I really thought about the fact that---I've got this one life to live. And though there are MANY things that I have no control over, I CAN control the way I look at life and I can ACT in ways that will make my life better. I need to ENJOY the things around me! Like even just being happy with the environment I'm in--a pretty city, nice campus, comfortable room, great roommates, close friends, and loving family. There is so much GOOD....I just have to remember to stop and think about it sometimes. There is so much MORE to life than some of the things I and others sometimes get caught up in. Even school--I could concentrate more on some studies, but at the same time, I have to remember that I'm here because I CHOOSE to be. The classes I'm in, the route I have taken are things I have wanted. And I can change my mind at any time, pursue any dreams that I see fit to follow. And there can be ADVENTURE!!! At any given time, I can do something I've never done before. The only thing that stops me is...myself. And there is so much to do! so much to see!!

Yeah, I know I'm sort of babbling here (but that's normal ;) I just needed to give myself a little pep talk--to write down some of the thoughts that have been tumbling through my mind of late. I have some choices to make, things to do in my life. It's about time I take ACTION!!! ;) I have to remember one of my favorite quotes (which was also the subtitle of my old blog, Rising Castle: "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." --Henry David Thoreau

Can't resist sharing this...for some reason I find it funny (probably because I thought of it):

convo with Jenny A over IM:
Jenny: I need a title for my psychoanalysis paper
Me: how about.... Pyscho Anal y Sis: The Story of an Obsessive Anal Rentative Man and his Spanish Step-Sister

And there is my joke of the day. Amused? No? Well why the hell not? Don't make me come over there...

Sorry I've been a slacker lately when it comes to blogging. Too much other crap has been occupying me. I really shouldn't be taking the time now since I'm in desperate need of a nap and then I have to stop by the CIE office to pick up an application for fall and also write up a short paper for CI 318. Notice the nap comes first ;) The application is for a form of study abroad that involves my student teaching semester--the program calls for 8 weeks of regular student teaching here in EC and then 8 weeks of student teaching in LONDON :)!! Aside from it being super awesome to be in England and able to tour a bunch of historical and cool looking stuff, there's also the possibility that Jenny A will be in the same country :)!!!! Can you imagine that?! Jenny and I touring England on the weekends, maybe even spending a weekend sight seeing and living the good life in Paris?!!!!! Of course, I'm getting ahead of myself here--I still need to apply and Jenny still needs to apply for her different study abroad program. And there's the possibility of either of us not getting accepted, but oh I really do hope that it works out for both of us. For a long time I've debated the study abroad issue. At first it was for Spanish and I thought it would be cool, but I wanted to wait a while, especially since I was already dealing with a long distance relationship with Mike and I knew that a whole semester away would put a lot of strain on us. And then once the Mike problem was eleviated, I already had things planned out for my school career and I also wasn't sure I wanted to spend an entire semester out of the country--especially with no one I know. But then, out of no where, I get this email a couple weeks ago talking about 8 weeks in London for next fall, when I would be student teaching :)! So yeah, that's what's going on now. The application is due Friday, so I have to get moving on it. I'll keep ya posted about it...he he he, get it, posted? ::sigh:: I know...I'm going to bed now.

This weekend has gone by fairly quickly actually, with not too much exciting going on. Tricia and I have spent a lot of time together which of course was fun ;)--we went downtown drinking and dancing and darting (well, I wanted to keep with the alliteration ;) the night away on Friday, and today we got together after her family's shindig and played some Baldur's Gate on the PS2. We really kicked ass in the game--we've managed to learn from our mistakes this time around :) Hopefully we'll be able to get some game time in over Thanksgiving, but I can't guarantee it since it DOES belong to my bro Scott so he may want to have it so he can play Grand Theft Auto 4 which he plans to buy. Tomorrow I think I'm going shopping with my mom in the afternoon, which should be nice--I could use some shoes and a few nice shirts/sweaters for teaching. I get the feeling tomorrow will manage to be a long day--days that I drive for 3 hours tend to be that way.

I guess it was a good thing to go home this weekend--lots of stuff I had to pick up and take care of, but otherwise, it's not like it was overly important. I mean, I hung out with Tricia and my family, that's about it. Tricia I can see in MN, my family, well, it's good to see them so I guess there's nothing wrong with that. But Jenni and Chad are busy, Jenny W was busy so she couldn't go out with us Friday, so really, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. And none of the guys could hang out either--Nick's in the process of moving to GB, which might be cool cuz maybe we'll hang out sometime, and Nate was busy with Lisa of course and Ryan's busy sticking his thumb up his ass or something. And I still have not talked to Mike and still have no idea when/if i ever will. I talked to Scotty on the phone today and got some things cleared away, which is nice. Not sure when I'll see him next though--maybe Thanksgiving if he ventures to GB or maybe, MAYBE I'll think about driving to Milwaukee...that's a BIG MAYBE though cuz of the weather and schoolwork--we shall see.

Not much else to say right now. Tomorrow I'll be busy til the sun comes up Monday most likely :P I still have to figure out what to do with those seniors....I'll come up with something I guess. Maybe I'll do some internet searching before bed tonigh for some possible lesson plans. You never know! Peace out g's ;)

::sigh: and add to that...I'm going home this weekend for the first time since...I'm still not talking to him. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's not. Sometimes I get this really sharp pain in the stomach just thinking about how what I once thought was a dream come true has turned into one big messed up nightmare. How is it possible that some people can be so thoughtless, so apathetic to others' feelings? Please, friends, this weekend--let us keep each other too busy to think about all this crap....it'll be a weekend for girls on the town :) There MIGHT be room for a boy if he can manage to behave himself, but I'm not promising anything. aggh, I gotta go.

ROAR!!!!! WTF???! WHAT IS HIS ISSUE?!!!! Okay, this outburst is coming from me, but it is not concerning me, not directly that is. I read Tricia's blog since she told me her mood would be explained by it...and now I can understand why it says FUCK!!!! very big across the top of the entry. That guy deserves a big swift kick in the ass...and the face. How could he do that to her? That selfish piece of shit....I am mad...VERY MAD. ERRRG! ::sigh:: At least the blow can be softened a little if she thinks about the fact that there IS one very nice guy out there that likes her and appreciates her. Unfortunately, feelings are a messed up issue. BUT, if this shitty guy I was yelling about has managed to make Tricia think that she is less desireable, then I'm VEEEEEEERRRRY MAD, cuz Tricia is deserves sooooo much more. She's a kick ass friend and GRRRR! It's a good thing I don't know this fellow, otherwise there would be issues @E%Q@$!!@!$%!

On a totally different note, I managed to sleep through to 12pm today, totally screwing myself over in 2 ways--one: I missed English 341 for the 5th time. two: I missed TAing at the high school which looks VERY bad, so I just emailed the teacher and apologize profusely. What a start to a wonderful day? Tricia--You, Me, the bars, getting free drinks, tonight.

Hm, well...not really too much to talk about. School is sucking my life away. Well, school and The Sims, but I really haven't played THAT much. This weekend will be nice--a break from the monotony. I do like working in the high school--they're a good bunch of kids. The thing is, I'm not sure what to do with them. Tomorrow I want to do something that breaks up some of the in class reading time, but I'm not sure what's a good idea. I've just been having issues with coming up with ideas. I suppose I should be spending more time on it, and maybe that would help, but it seems like I'm just thinking over the same exact things--no inspiration going on. Oh well, tomorrow doesn't have to be perfect, but I should make sure I have something together for Monday.

Yeah, pretty much working at the high school and going to classes and doing homework--that's my life. Not really thrilling. I guess there's more I could talk about, but I guess I'm not really in the mood at the moment. In fact, this is a pretty boring blog entry. But, I figure I haven't written for a while, so I should at least get something posted. I'll try and make it up to you all...next blog entry will be MUCH more interesting, I promise, okay? ;)

Fun weekend :) Want highlights? Sure, I knew you did :)

Friday:
*Started out as a really crappy morning with getting up early to do homework, and only getting 3 hours of sleep and missing class.
*Ended up being cool after taking a nap, throwing my stuff together, driving to MN and enjoying a swingin party at Jen and Tricia's place (well, and Rachel's too of course). At the party I was dressed in traditional Japanese woman looking clothes, with my hair up in sticks and with the make up and all. The cancassa dip that I made for the party went over really well :) so that was pretty nice getting compliments and all.
*Only "down" parts were getting glitterified by a hyperactive Tinkerbell (I'll get you next time my pretty...)...getting glitter blown at my face wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't have sticky makeup all over my face already so that the glitter plastered itself to my forehead....
AND...an incident with a certain cowboy Mike (this being Mike 2) in which I was facing off with him, holding on to Chris's pimp cane in between us, walking up to him as he was backing away, trying "intimdate" him a little, only to have him back into the couch which isn't sturdy so that he fell backwards over it, flipping the couch with him. LUCKILY, neither of us got hurt, but I was so embarrassed and surprised and amused that I stayed there on the floor in a fit of laughter. It was pretty funny ;)

Saturday:
*SLEPT IN!!!!! :)!!!!!
*Lazy afternoon playing some Game Cube and having Chinese take out
*Chillin at Chris and Mike 2's place for a while, helping them make tacos while waiting to go with Chris to the DNA concert.
*Going to the Down and Above (DNA) concert with Chris--meeting up with Tricia there and seeing Zach, Dave, and Ian in all their glory ;) The concert rocked with Chris, Tricia and I right in front of the stage about 5 feet away from the band and us dancing and singing along! AND I picked up one of Dave's pick's that he dropped and Tricia and I also found a couple of Ian's to keep too. So now perhaps when I buy my own guitar I have a pick to use ;) or maybe I could buy my own I suppose...naaaah ;)

Sunday:
*SLEPT IN AGAIN! :)!!!!
*Lazy afternoon playing more Game cube
*boring drive back to EC
*doing homework and am going on a study break to Perkins with Devon ;) I'll let you know how it goes--but for now I should do that homework. LATER! :)