An Attempt at Alleviating Boredom

Being home right now when I would typically be at school is driving me nuts. I feel like going to bed right now, but I'm not tired. What else is there to do? Talk online? Yeah, talking online with friends is good, but not many people are up right now, and most that are have other things occupying them. Do homework? I could, but I'm really not in the mood for it--home just is not conducive for working on homework. When I'm at home, I think about the people I could see around town, the places I'd like to go, and pretty much anything and everything non-school related. So what am I doing with my free time? Talking online a bit, blogging, and staring at my homework....and doing all of this somewhat half-heartedly. Not that I don't enjoy chatting wiht my friends; I would just rather be seeing friends in person. But it's Sunday night, and there's nothing going on.

The rest of the weekend was full of activities for the most part. Thursday I drove to GB, hung out at home a bit, and then went over to Mike, Nate, and Chuck's apt for a snack and some company. We just watched some tv, ate Taco Bell, and talked. Friday I got up earlier than I would have liked to help my mom with preparations for Beth's baby shower (like planning games and making/decorating cookies) and running various errands. That evening I was invited by Mike to join Nate, Lisa, Chuck, and him out to Caffe Espresso for dinner. That really hit the spot--mmmm, flavored coffee and swanky coffee house. Of course, Chuck in his brightness decided to purchase a bottle of wine for himself, and drink it...himself...during dinner. Needless to say, this lightweight was a joy as we were heading out of Espresso and while hanging out at the mall afterwards :P That guy really needs to know when to stop. He wasn't THAT drunk at the mall, but drunk enough to be VERY expressive, be annoyingly touchy feely, knock over some game packages at a software store, and wander around looking lost when thinking about how to get himself to a bathroom. ::sigh:: And of course he needed to ride in MY car on the way from the mall to their apt. That was a joy. Anyway, I have to get going. My dad wants the computer right now for some reason...how great. I'll continue the story of my oh so exciting weekend at a later time. Until then!

On the Road Again

It appears I just can't get enough of my car. Once again I will be packing the trunk full of my precious cargo, grabbing some snacks and a drink, and driving away from the not-so-interesting city of EC. This time it's not for an adventurous soiree to the "exotic" land of Chicago; it's a three-day weekend respite at home in GB...of course using the term "respite" rather loosely since I'm sure my parents will do their best to make it as unrestful a weekend as possible, but that's nothing unusual. The weather isn't exactly cooperating with my idea for a relaxing drive, but sometimes I enjoy a nice overcast day for driving--it gives me more cause to think, to mull over ideas and situations in my head.

I have a feeling that this weekend will be...interesting. Not that anything super exciting or different is going to happen, but I think it will be a bit weird. Tonight I'll probably chill with my family, tomorrow I'll do some shopping for the baby shower and then I'm supposed to hang out with Mike and such, Saturday is the baby shower for Beth and the bday party for my grandpa and then likely chillin with Jenni, and Sunday I'll drive back to EC. Sometime during the weekend I'm hoping to visit with Joe, since it was his bday last Sunday and I haven't seen him for a bit. By all accounts, it should be a fairly fun weekend, but it also might be a little stressful with all the current events. My dad just got out of the hospital yesterday, so I imagine there'll be some adjustments at home and he probably won't be feeling that great. Which means I'll be doing some housework and likely running some errands. Not to mention the parties on Saturday afternoon which will require planning, set-up, and facilitating--I can't say I'm an experienced thrower of showers, and I know my sis-in-law Jennifer isn't either.

That's the thing, Jennifer really isn't into those kinds of traditions--bridal showers, baby showers, bachelorette parties, wedding traditions, family reunions, big holiday celebrations, etc. Especially anything that involves close girl friends or siblings. She's an only child, and was also a tomboy, so she doesn't have a lot of experience in it all, so she rejects most of it. My mom wants to include her in it all, cuz Beth is REALLY into all those traditions and would feel hurt if Jennifer wasn't a part of it all, since they are supposed to be "sisters" as well. I feel bad thinking this way, but really, sometimes Beth is just too damn sensitive. Last weekend when I was home, she was complaining (in tears) about how my dad dismisses her sometimes, wanting to spend time alone with Christopher. Granted, she's pregnant, so she's bound to be extra-sensitive and hormonal and all that, but she's like that without a 2lb fetus kicking her bladder too. I know my parents are FAR from perfect, but it's not like her parents have been so wonderful. I mean, they're having a shower for her down there, but she and Chris settled in GB and not the big city of Milwaukee for a reason--her parents are not nearly as supportive as Chris's. And I know QUITE well that my dad can be a real pain in the ass, but once you realize that, there's no sense crying about it. Sometimes he's just an insenstive bastard, but it's not because he doesn't care (if that makes sense). And Beth's argument that because Chris and her are married, she's going to be around all the time, just sounds soooo lame. I don't think I could stand being around my husband all the dang time. I don't care if he's Prince Charming; I'm going to want my own life outside of his and his family's. Sure, I'd want to be a part of my husband's family, but I don't expect them to treat me EXACTLY like a daughter--they're always going to love their son just a little bit more, and that's the way it SHOULD be. And besides, my brother Chris and my dad are men, and Chris grew up in our house...so how unusual is it that my dad would want to spend some quality QT with Chris without the wife? Beth could be the greatest person in the world (and don't doubt that I think highly of her and that her and Chris are a great couple and all that), but my dad is STILL going to pick Chris over her hands down--Chris is his son, always has been and always will be--his first son at that. How unreasonable is it for my dad to treat Beth as a daughter-IN-LAW and not a daughter...I mean, geez, he's got me, you know? And he DOES pretty much treat her like a daughter. He says "I love you" and wants to talk with her and tries to include both of them in all the bigger family events and all that.

Anyway, I just had to vent that. I love both of my brothers' wives, but sometimes their personalities so differ from mine, and even those of my brothers, that I have to wonder how those couples get along. But they do, and they love each other and that's what's important, even if they have some annoying personality traits. No one's perfect--as evidenced by someone like me. And I'm certain that whatever guy gets the lucky "privalege" of snagging me as a wife will undergo the same scrutiny by my brothers--I'm not sure that either of them have liked any guys I've dated yet, and maybe they never REALLY will until they HAVE to. But they're big brothers; that's what their for ;)

Breaking the Silence

Now that I'm back from spring break, I figure it's about dang time I blog. I was sick of looking at that one line entry with bad formatting. Time for something new! In my next post I'll talk about the trip, but right now I'd rather deal with more recent things. This weekend in GB was a lot of fun, except for yesterday.

Yesterday my dad went into the hospital with some chest pains, and turned out he had a minor heart attack. He also is turning up anemic in blood count tests, so they're checking to see if he's internally bleeding somewhere--not cool. What is also not cool is that the veins that have the blockage are REALLY small, spider web type veins outside the heart, so the doctors can't just go in and clear out the blockage like they could with bigger arteries. What that means is that this condition can't be cured, but he will have to take drugs and take on a healthier lifestyle to try to prevent further damage. To make it worse, my brother Scott had some chest pains as well, and so he was worried that he too had some heart condition. He went to the hospital where my dad is staying to have himself checked out, but turns out his heart is fine and healthy--which is very good news. He has an inflamed chest cavity I guess, caused by stress, that can be taken care of with some ibuprofen. Like my family needed any MORE problems...My dad is doing okay though, and my mom said he was in even better sorts and walking around and stuff today, so that's good. I'll be going home again this weekend, and I'm actually kind of glad. It'll be good to see my dad OUTSIDE of the hospital. And things should be more relaxing at home this weekend than last.

Last weekend was a lot of fun though; it was great being able to introduce Jenny to my family, Mike and Nate, and to the wonderful city that is GB. Jenny and I went out to Caffe Espresso--the best coffee house there is ;) (but maybe I'm biased...) on Friday night, and visited my mom a bit at the Holiday Inn where she was working. Saturday we got up "early" and got set to do some walking for my dad's campaign--a tradition I've been dealiing with since I was old enough to understand what it meant to walk door to door. We did that until the evening, then had some home cooking. Saturday night we went over to Mike and Nate's apartment and had them take us out to the bars downtown. It turned out to be a fun (and cheap) night (perhaps not so cheap for Mike and Nate, but oh well ;)

Yeah, I know I haven't written about it for a long time about guys, relationships, and stuff like that. I really wanted to get away from talking about the same old stuff over and over again. And don't worry, I really don't plan on getting into that much now and not much in the future. But I will clear a couple things up in case anyone's wondering how the heck the name "Mike" came up as someone I hung out at the bars with. Since he IMed me in January, breaking the long silence I had instituted, we've been talking. Very slowly and uncomfortably at first. It didn't take long for us to renew our friendship though. And then we got together to talk and have been really good friends since then, after getting some issues cleared away. So now we talk online, sometimes chat on the phone, and hang out a little if I'm in town. It's kind of weird cuz we're so friendly, kidding around and flirting. But it's like there's just this overall feeling that it's okay. We're just really comfortable around each other. I'm not sure if it means anything at all, but it's like that all the same, and I really wouldn't trade it. He may have his faults, and we may have had a really messed up past and probably a semi-messed up present, but he's still a good guy and a good friend. I'd like to think that our being able to be such close friends means something, but I don't know. We shall see. For now I'm just enjoying spending time talking and hanging out with him as a good friend. I'm sure some of my friends think I'm nuts for even talking to him, and maybe I am, but the point is, he makes me happy and I'd rather have him as a friend and part of my current life than as a bittersweet memory of my past. The future? that's another story...I hope it's a good one ;)

Spring Break Commences


IN CHICAGO!!!!!! :)

At the end of the day you're another day older...

The weekend wasn't too thrilling, but it was somewhat productive, and I got to hang out with my friend Heidi on Saturday and a little on Sunday evening which was nice. I even got some homework done, even if it was only maybe a half hour total work between Friday and Saturday, but that's a half hour more than I usually do on a weekend. The rest of my time was mostly spent behind my computer, whether it be playing BG2, talking online, or desperately hoping for certain websites to update so there's something else to do on my computer. How exciting, eh? I thought so...okay, no I didn't, but it wasn't that bad.

This week is flying by pretty fast. I can't believe Friday is the start of spring break--what an adventure! My only concern is monetary funds, which I think I'll have to ask my parents about. Well, that and whether Jenny will be able to stand hanging out with me every day for an entire week without causing me physical or mental harm. I'm hoping that our excursion to Lakeville and our many nights behind the computer and infront of the stove are experience enough to show that it CAN indeed be done. We shall see.

So...

I'm not sure what to write. Really nothing much is going on. Jenny is enjoying a fun skiing vacation and I'm here in EC. ::sniff, sniff, tear:: I miss her :( Eh, but it's not so bad. I haven't been here in EC for a regular relaxing weekend for a while; I've always had some sort of plans going on--a party here or other events going on in other various cities. It's actually kind of nice relaxing and getting some organizing, reading, errands, and slacking done. Yes, plenty of slacking involved in my weekend so far. I did manage to leave the apartment today--I even walked at a very brisk pace down the hill to do some errands, walked back up here and continued on to the Ramada to pick up my car and drive it back to campus. That's a good 40 min of walking--not so bad. Of course, I wasn't exactly ultra productive once I settled here in my room. Oh, I took out the trash, cleaned up my room a bit, orgainzed some photos, even read The Metamorphosis which was alright. But I spent more time chatting or playing games on the computer than doing anything that resembled work. Perhaps tomorrow I'll be more exciting. We shall see. I had intended on writing something profound, but nothing's coming to mind. ::sigh: Oh well, I can't be the font of knowledge every day ;)

Late night questions:

*Why is it that some of the best conversations happen at the most inopportune times?
*How can a person change so much in a few months' time?
*How is it that I can think I know a person for years and realize in a week that I really don't know the person at all?
*How can I love and let go at the same time?
*Is there a way to live in the past, present, and future without spontaneously combusting?
*What is true love? Can it exist in the real world?
*Can betrayed trust ever be regained?
*Will I always be a procrastinator?
*How many times can my heart withstand breaking before it stops healing itself?
*Why am I blogging instead of working on my unfinished take home test?

I just had to let some of that out. Nothing has really happened, I'm just contemplative about a lot of different things this evening, er, morning...I guess. Well, I better get to bed so I can work on my test in the morning since my head is so not into world literature tonight. These questions may not be answerable, but thinking about them is important anyway. One thing is for sure though, honesty really is a virtue. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It may not always be the easiest choice, but it's an important choice. Heck, it's one of the few virtues I've got going for me. It's the only part of being "pure" that really fits me (fyi, "Katie" comes from the Greek word for "pure"). ::sigh:: The rest of the virtues? Well, I'll work on them. ;)