iowa city!

gotta love the AmericInn. much, much nicer than the exel inn in austin.

time for sleepy.

bus leaves at 5:15.
launching at 7:10.
race at 7:50.

oh yea, and i'm coxing the varsity eight because anna didn't come. woo....nerves.

ah, such a great day

oh, wait. no. not at all. not after 3:30 anyway.

right before i left for physics, they announced a tornado warning for douglas county. i wasn't really interested because they said it was for the most western parts of douglas county - not exactly near us. so i walked over to hixson lied for class. about five minutes later, the rest of the class walked in totally drenched...apparently i had gotten lucky and missed the really bad weather. about 5 minutes after we started on our group work, dr. duda sent us to the basement because they said there was a tornado on 108th. we were down in the basement for about 10-15 minutes. our quiz got cancelled, which was really good because i never do very well on them. but we got our exams back, and that's when it all got bad. and now i understand why kelsey looked so upset when i saw her. i think i probably looked the same way.

so much for not getting a c in physics this semester. one day i'm really going to have to face reality and it's not going to be good.

Home

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home

May be surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
Just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
"I'm fine baby, how are you?"
Well, I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aerorplane
Another sunny place
I'm lucky I know
But I wanna go home
I got to go home

Let me go home
I'm just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I'm living someone elses life
It's like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
This was not your dream
But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
And even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I'm surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel alone
Let me go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I've had my run
Baby, I'm done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It'll all be alright
I'll be home tonight
I'm coming back home

the big picture.

focus.

be happy.

get it all done - you'll have fun on the way.

july 7th is the new date. but before that is april 14th.

everything will be ok.

talking to ben always makes me feel better. i've got a spot there whenever i come back. i still have all those things to worry about, but in the grand scheme of things, they'll get done. eventually. and then we'll have fun. i'll be home for over a month and i'll live that month more than i should be allowed to. i don't want do it, but i don't have a choice. this is the way things are going to be, and i have to make the best of them. there's nothing for it. i can do it - i just have to stay positive.

no more pessimism.

it will get done.

be patient. don't freak out. don't give up.

freaking out.

Am I loud and clear, or am I breaking up?
Am I still your charm, or am I just bad luck?
Are we getting closer, or are we just getting more lost?

I'll show you mine if you show me yours first
Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words

We live on front porches and swing life away,
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end,
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand

I've been here so long, I think that it's time to move
The winter's so cold, summer's over too soon
Let's pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow

I've got some friends, some that I hardly know
But we've had some times, I wouldn't trade for the world
We chase these days down with talks of the places that we will go

We live on front porches and swing life away,
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end,
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand

I'll show you mine if you show me yours first
Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words

We live on front porches and swing life away,
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end,
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand

Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away

the list of things i need to worry about

short term and long term things all thrown together here...
(edited 3/29/06 7:53 pm)

- registering (done)
- getting our physics project and paper done
- tonight's soccer game (minimal worry hopefully) (done - blegh)
- getting my cox box and bag back from whoever took them this morning (done)
- getting a new id because mine is falling apart (done)
- this weekend's race
- the rest of the races
- latin...well, all of my classes
- english final project
- figuring out dreamweaver
- getting the poster (done)
- registering for summer class
- talking to matt about work over easter
- call charlie about finding a car
- call bob about work
- get together with brian and jyl when i'm home
- being content (not even close)

...............................................................................

- figuring out which summer classes i'm going to take, then register
- change plane ticket (?)
- find out what i'm going to do with my stuff before we go to philly
- getting done in four years
- bringing up my gpa
- getting into med school
- deciding on my backup plan if i don't get into med school
- keep breathing
- try to enjoy things regardless
- call ben and tell him i won't be back until the middle of july

too much

it has been an eventful day...

practice was interesting, and by interesting i mean entirely uninteresting for me due to the fact that it wasn't so great.

i tried to study for latin during physics, but that didn't work very well because i was also trying to make sure i understood what duda was talking about...consequently, the latin quiz didn't go so well for me. that's what i get for doing relatively nothing this past weekend.

i skipped bio because i wasn't in the mood for any of the things going to that class entails. instead, i came back here after theology, replied to some emails, took care of a few things, laid down on my bed and watched some return of the king while i ate my lunch. luckily i had set my alarm to wake up for work because i definitely fell asleep for a bit.

work was decent. the extraction i was doing took forever, so i got out of there a little late. i guess that will even things out since i have to go meet dr. lambert during work on wednesday and then i won't be there on friday.

weights sucked because halfway through my workout, i walked into the bar on the incline bench that i've almost walked into about a million times before. yea, i finally did it today. and i smoked myself good on that thing. of course, freddy and lisa were standing right there when i did it, so they saw the whole thing. i decided not to finish lifting because it hurt so much, so i left to go get my dinner.

and now i'm sitting here trying to stop myself from thinking about all the things that make me want to smash my head into a wall...or walk into a few more metal bars. it's not working so well. it never does.

at least one thing just got sorted out.

now it's time to get some things done quick like so i can talk to some important people on the phone later on.

sooo long.

that's all i can say. this has been one of the longest weeks i've gone through in a long time.

it is amazing how four tests on three consecutive days can take so much out of you. it's also amazing how fast it becomes saturday afternoon and you don't know where all the time has gone.

a little recap of the week:

monday: classes cancelled at 2pm - thankfully i get done with class at 12:20 (sarcasm)

tuesday: classes start at 10 am - catch a break and don't have to go to physics lab or bio lab, but i later find out that it will come back to haunt me (we are now a week behind all the other physics lab classes but one and thus will have to finish our projects quickly and try to catch up as soon as we can. yay.) our IM soccer game was also cancelled...boo.

wednesday: latin test, biology exam

thursday: physics exam from hell

friday: theology exam. relay for life. i had to leave at 1am since we had practice this morning at 6:30. but our team raised over $3000, so i'm freaking stoked. and for some reason, i was named the team captain of the year, so i got a $20 gift cert. to upstream - pretty sweet - too bad i wasn't there when they announced it, so i looked like a loser captain for sure.

today: go to sleep at 1:30am. get woken up at 3:20am by inconsiderate roommate. wake up at 6am, get dressed, walk to gallagher. cox varsity eight. shower. upload spring break pictures. brunch with colie. work on re-doing 4 year plan with the return of the king on in the background. sit around doing pointless things. and that's about it.

i'm stressing for various reasons that i don't really want to get into, but i'm tired of having them boil up inside me constantly. the unfortunate thing is that i cannot change a single thing about what is going on, so even talking about it with people doesn't really help at all. it only just gets me upset all over again.

i'm going to have to call and talk to an old friend who will, hopefully, give me a little perspective on things. perhaps they are not worth worrying about at all. it just doesn't seem like it right now.

and now i need to draft a little email i've been needing to write for a few days now.

two down, one to go

the second day of my three consecutive days of tests is over. i don't feel like commenting on how the bio or the physics exams went. that isn't necessarily meant to sound ominous...i just don't want to talk about them because i don't know how they went for sure, or how i feel about either of them. i'll check the bio answers tomorrow when i'm at work so i'll know for sure then. eek.

so, the creighton-tulsa duel that was scheduled for this saturday was cancelled as of noon today. apparently tulsa doesn't row in temperatures under 30 degrees. i'm disappointed, but not exactly upset. for one, i don't know for sure which boat i would be coxing. two, if i'm coxing the boat i think i might get, then i'm really not upset at all because there are currently only seven healthy rowers in that boat and i don't think any of the ways to fix that situation are adequate. she needs to get better, that's all there is to it. and third, we haven't been on the water since last saturday because of the cold, so i don't think that it is a great time to try to race tulsa, who has undoubtedly been on the water for at least a month.

relay for life is tomorrow night. my second consecutive. i'm exited for it, but am incredibly disappointed that i will not get to stay the whole time like i did last year (one of the few!) since we still have practice on saturday morning. i just got back from distributing our team shirts to everyone - they look freaking awesome! i'm so excited about them. we'll look good. plus, we have raised so much more money than i had expected. we're past $2000 online and i think people have raised at least another $500 in cash and check donations!

i've probably wasted enough time procrastinating studying for my last test of the week - theology. on top of studying, i also need to do my physics reading quiz, finish mastering physics, and do my latin sentences. considering it is almost 8, it is definitely time to get to work.

physics sucks!

i'm going to bed.

some good, and a few more bad

it has just been that kind of day...

we'll start at the beginning. this morning, i woke up at 3:40 am. that was a killer. luckily, i was able to go back to sleep eventually, only to wake up at 5 for practice. i checked the weather, then put on as many articles of clothing that i could fit under my blues. i walked over to gallagher to find out that we were going to be inside...oh, and i hadn't brought my running shoes. i rode the bike for 45 minutes or so and boy have i been feeling it all day. those seats are killers! but despite the pain in my posterior, i found out that classes were cancelled until 10 am, which meant no physics lab. and that's just great because i am pretty scared about our project. today was supposed to be our last day to work on it in lab, so it should be interesting to see what the profs decide to do. i just wish our rail gun would work, or i'd be happy if i at least knew why it didn't work last week.

anyway, i went to breakfast with the girls and then came back to my room and slept until 10:40. it was a great nap. i took a shower, but other than that, i didn't get anything of consequence done before english. english went fine though, i'm still enjoying talking about tristan and iseult. after class, i went over to dr. keegan's office to make my appointment with her. i had to fight to get the one spot i could possibly fit into my schedule for tomorrow (1:15, right after i'm supposed to start work). after that, i walked to the kfc to make my appointment with dr. lambert (pre-med advisor). he was in there so i was able to meet him really quick, and he informed me that along with the big four (chem, bio, orgo, and physics), he wants me to fit four other classes in with everything else: genetics, biochem, anatomy, and physiology. that scares the crap out of me. i wasn't even sure how i was going to be able to get all my english classes done, but now i have absolutely no idea what i'm going to do.

i was doing my own little freak out thing on the walk back here, but i checked my email and found out that my bio lab is cancelled today. i'm not exactly sure why, but i guess i won't complain even though i would prefer to get it done with today. oh well. i also found out that i'm required to go to a major/career seminar thing tonight with the other sophomore athletes. i can't tell you how much i'm looking forward to that since i really should be studying for my bio exam tonight instead. blegh.

right now i feel like a mix between throwing up and passing out, but what i need to be doing is studying bio, so that's what i'm going to go attempt to do.

"take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green..."

Counting Airplanes

I put ketchup on my scrambled eggs
And everybody thinks it's funny
I don't get mad
I don't laugh cause you don't shave your legs
But everybody thinks it's funny

No need to get mad
I don't spend my time with anyone
Who doesn't think I'm wonderful
Or somewhat cash refundable at times

Now I'm out here counting airplanes
Trying to make sense of the change
And I don't wanna be just anybody
So don't try to figure me out
I won't try to figure you out

I don't wanna be some average anybody
Now I got friends that ride into the storm
And ride out of the storm with nothing
They rode into the storm with

And there seems to be a price for everything
You get what you pay for then you pay for
What you already thought you bought before
When you're up between the new sky line
The city lights and the warm sunshine
It's a long way down
When you can count on one hand what you love
And can count on who you love to help you on your long way down

You end up counting airplanes
Trying to keep up with these changes
I don't wanna be with anybody else
So don't try to figure me out
I won't try to figure you out
I don't wanna be some average anybody

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

oh, and my supposed personality:

53% extroverted - moderately talkative, outgoing, sociable, and interacting
53% stable - relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic
60% orderly - reliable, neat, and hard working
63% accomodating
43% interdependent
50% intellectual
63% mystical
36% artistic
10% religious
76% hedonistic
36% materialistic
56% narcissistic
63% adventurous
43% work ethic oriented
56% self-absorbed
56% conflict-seeking
63% need to dominate
56% romantic
76% avoidant
70% anti-authority
36% wealthy
36% dependent
56% averse to change
50% cautious
76% individual
36% sexual
63% peter pan complex (aka i don't want to grow up)
83% physical security
57% physical fitness
50% histrionic
70% paranoid
36% vain
50% hypersensitive
36% female cliche

my trait snapshot:
clean, organized, dislikes chaos, semi neat freak, perfectionist, traditional, realist, fits in most places, enjoys managing others, risk averse, good at saving money, prudent, respects authority, high self control, hard working, does not like to stand out, follows the rules, finisher, resilient, takes precautions, cautious, honest, practical, dutiful

feel free to point out things that aren't really me (there are quite a few)...

no snow day

but who is surprised? really.

there isn't that much snow. the main roads are plowed. and given the fact that a large number of students live on campus, i wasn't expecting a day off and i don't really blame anyone either.

of course elementary, middle, and high schools are closed...that makes sense with parents having to drive kids in, or with high schoolers categorically not being the best drivers in the world...

it cracks me up to hear everyone complaining about it though. at least it gives everyone something to talk about.

ooh, a good night!

so, it was a fairly productive day today. i went to bed last night around 11 and woke up this morning around 9 or so (so much sleep...it was glorious!). i started doing work once i got up since erin and ashley were still in nebraska city and i had the room to myself (almost as amazing as 9 hours of sleep). at 11, i walked over to meet kara for breakfast. i had a decent breakfast and some interesting conversation, then i stole a bagel and came back here. i worked on biology notes until 1pm when i took an hour break to watch the end of the two towers and like 15 minutes of office space. after that, i finished my biology notes, did a little for bio lab, then worked on mastering physics. this was probably the very first time i've worked on mastering physics more than two days before its due!. i walked down to java jay to get some dinner to go and then came back up here and ate it while watching big - what a great movie. i had forgotten how good it was until i watched an hour of it tonight. and then i had to add it to my favorite movies list. i didn't get much done between that and soccer practice, but i'm not worried about it at all.

practice tonight was a lot of fun. we had 10 people show up at 7, so we played 5v5 on the court we had reserved. it was really good to get everyone playing together, even though it was just a little short-sided game on a small field. nate had to leave early and mo showed up, but couldn't play because she was doing a 5k. so after nate left, we played 4v4 with b-smith as a neutral player. i had a lot of fun, and that was the beginning of the good night.

i got back here right around 8, drank a lot of water because i forgot to take my nalgene to the kfc, and responded to some emails. i took a quick shower, and then the best news came to me right after i finished drying my hair. NO PRACTICE TOMORROW! i'm so glad we don't have to brave the cold and snow tomorrow...i really didn't think dan was going to cancel, so it was a huge shock for everyone. i didn't believe it at first. we have to do an hour of cardio, write it down, and bring it to weights, but that's no big deal. and at least i get to sleep in. that's going to be great.

i already took my sleepy-time medicine, so i'm not sure i'm going to be able to get much done before i pass out here pretty quick. i'm not too worried about that right now, but i may regret it when it comes time to study for all those tests i have this week (biology on wednesday, physics on thursday, theology on friday, and possibly a latin quiz wednesday or friday).

oh, and there is something that has been on my mind for the last few days. i wanted to think about it last night, but fell asleep before i could. this is going to be short and sweet (unless i really get going) since i can already feel my eyes drooping...

i am seriously distressed with the status quo. in the united states. in the world too...but mostly the US. the things i see and read about make me feel horrible inside. there are so many things, but i will only mention a few right now.

1. poverty. it is incredibly widespread and the gap between the haves and the have-nots continues to grow wider and wider. i feel guilty for being more privileged than most people out there. i also feel guilty because i do not do enough to help. i don't think the government is doing nearly enough to help the disadvantaged people of the united states. and i don't think the united states and the rest of the 1st world countries are doing jack shit to help the rest of the world. i'll have to elaborate on that more another time though because there are many more things to say about that.

2. habitat destruction. i read an essay yesterday about the effects of human beings on the planet being akin to a mass extinction event. mass extinction event = at least 60% of present species going extinct withing 100 million years. we're on our way there if things don't start to change quickly, and i don't see that happening. we humans are incredibly apathetic. as a whole, we have no care for our planet and the other living things that we share it with. someone is going to have to step up and make a change. but we're all going to have to change. the whole planet. every single person. someone has to set a good example. who will it be? large corporations? the government? small grassroots organizations are trying, but they are just too small and they are deemed as those CRAZY RADICAL LIBERALS. sure. there's more to say about this one too...

3. war. i hate that humans have historically been warmongers. how many people have to die before we finally fucking figure it out?

i'm tired and my heart hurts, so i'm going to stop now. but i will never stop thinking about it. for the last few days, i've just kept wishing that i wasn't human so that i wouldn't have to come to grips with the fact that i'm part of all the destruction. i've got to find a way to make things different. we all do.

i don't want to think about it

but i can't get it off my mind!

what am i supposed to do? i'm the new one, how can i possibly say anything about it? and how can anyone else since she would get upset about it? i'm backed into a corner i don't want to be in.

i'm the one who stepped up and took over without any complaining or problems. no one even talked to me about it. and still no one has talked to me about it. i'm really not ok with the way this situation is working out right now.

I'M STRESSING OUT

st. patty's day

and i can't celebrate at all because we have practice at 6:30 tomorrow morning! WOO! yea, friday night!

oh well, i was sort of productive...for 45 minutes.

a little adrenaline rush

after a random email to my brother this morning about a big head todd concert, we are now in the middle of planning a trip to boston in july to see a recently announced dave matthews band concert there. i just requested tickets to the concert through the warehouse and i am really anxious to find out if we get them or not. i requested two tickets to both shows to be on the safe side. that would be an awesome trip to take with jay, so i am really hoping it works out. it would also be right after the fourth of july, which is always a little crazy at pinehurst, so it would be a good vacation.

i'm also excited because my mom booked my flight home from philadelphia after the dad vails. they're going to fly out that thursday, may 10th, and then races are on friday and saturday. we're going to hang around in philly and possibly other places for a couple days after the race and then we'll fly back to denver wednesday the 17th. i'm still not sure how everything is going to work out with moving my stuff into davis and bringing everything else home. i might have to make a trip back to omaha the next weekend after we get back to get everything, or maybe they'll send someone out the weekend before dad vails to get my stuff. i guess we'll just have to see.

things are also a bit crazy with deciding my schedule for next year. well, i have my classes picked out already, but it is getting chaotic trying to figure out all the advisors i need to talk to before i can actually register. in chronological order: dr. keegan (english advisor) lisa chipps (athletic advisor) dr. lambert (he will hopefully be my pre-health sciences advisor). it's kinda stressing me out. and it didn't help that my mom was badgering me about it on the phone the other night when i was totally exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. oh well. we'll get it figured out.

a good quote from fajardo today about st. patrick's day: "all that green stuff...and all that drinking." i really enjoy his class and i hope he teaches more upper level english classes before i graduate.

oh, and i got my soccer socks in the mail from my dad today, as well as a pair of socks with shamrocks on them for tomorrow. woo! now i can be like freddy!

george bush, come on down....

Bush ratings continue to drop to new lows
NBC/WSJ poll: Majority now prefer a Democrat-controlled Congress

By Mark Murray
Political reporter
NBC News
Updated: 7:36 p.m. ET March 15, 2006

WASHINGTON - The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll might sound like a broken record, but the tune grows louder as congressional midterm elections get closer and closer: President Bush is once again facing the lowest job approval rating of his presidency, the lowest percentage of Americans who believe the country is headed in the right direction, and an electorate that greatly prefers a Democratic-controlled Congress over a Republican-controlled one.

Yet the poll also shows something else that goes beyond the November midterm elections: A strong majority believes Bush is experiencing a long-term setback from which he's unlikely to recover. "He's losing his grip on governance," says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican Bill McInturff. "It's now a sense that we've seen the best that he's going to produce as president of the United States."

Despite this grim outlook for the Republican Party, it still holds advantages over Democrats - albeit by narrower margins - when it comes to Iraq and homeland security. And that could benefit Republicans in November, especially if national security issues dominate the landscape, as they did in 2002 and 2004.

According to the poll, only 37 percent approve of Bush's job performance - his lowest mark ever in the survey. That's a two-point drop since the last NBC/Journal poll, and a one-point decline from his previous low of 38 percent last November. In addition, just 26 percent believe the nation is headed in the right direction, a tie from the previous Bush administration low, which also occurred in November.

What's more, 58 percent believe Bush is facing a long-term setback from which he's unlikely to improve. Twenty-six percent think he's experiencing only a short-term setback, and 11 percent say he's dealing with no setback at all.

The last NBC/Journal poll, which was released on the eve of Bush's State of the Union address in late January, had shown a slight uptick in the president's handling of the economy, foreign affairs and Iraq. But since then, a new round of embarrassments, miscalculations and violence in Iraq all have rocked the administration.

In February, Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a hunting companion in the face at a South Texas ranch, which created a weeklong distraction for the White House. Soon after, voters and Congress became furious at the news that the administration approved a ports sale to a United Arab Emirates state-run firm; the deal was later scuttled. And then a wave of sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites erupted in Iraq.

Indeed, it's the situation in Iraq that appears to be at the heart of Bush's problems. According to the poll - which was taken of 1,005 adults from March 10-13, and which has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points - 61 percent disapprove of Bush's handling of the situation. Moreover, 57 percent are less confident that the war in Iraq will come to a successful conclusion, which is a seven-point increase since December. And 61 percent say the United States should reduce the number of troops there, while just 31 percent want to maintain the current troop level.

"Everything comes back around to the war," Hart says. "That seems to set up the president's basic problem and his basic challenge."

Republican pollster McInturff puts it this way: "It is hard to pivot...when every day the core decision in your presidency is Iraq" - and the situation there appears grim.

Looking ahead to the midterm elections in November, the poll shows that 50 percent prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress versus 37 percent who want it controlled by Republicans. McInturff says it's a "problematic environment" for the Republicans. "You are working harder as a Republican [candidate] because you are pushing uphill."

But Republicans still have some advantages - beyond their campaign cash and the small number of competitive races this fall - that could benefit them in November. In the poll, they hold the advantage over Democrats on Iraq and homeland security. (However, Democrats have the edge on health care, the economy, taxes and ethics in government.)

In addition, Hart says the poll shows that Americans don't dislike Bush as much as they dislike his policies. And so a change in policy - especially regarding Iraq - could benefit Bush and the GOP.

"The upside for the president is, Can he find a way to get the troops out of Iraq and begin to make the public feel a lot more comfortable about that?"

Mark Murray covers politics for NBC News. NBC's Huma Zaidi contributed to this article.

Copyright 2006 MSNBC Interactive

i'm gonna dream about the time when i'm with you

so, it is wednesday. i'm glad that this week is already starting to come to a close. i have a lot of things i am anxious to start working on this weekend...studying, contemplating, relaxing a bit.

my theology class was cancelled for this morning and i am not going to go to bio because he can't take attendance since there are no numbers on the new chairs in rigge 120...besides, my seat in the back used to help me to concentrate, but now there are 4 or 5 people from the crew team who have decided to sit around me, so i am entirely unable to focus. so, i am going to use these next two hours before work to perhaps take a quick nap and hopefully get some biology reading done.

the fighting dwarves of fury had their debut last night. it did not go as planned, but it showed me that we have a really strong team and we will be a force to be reckoned with once we get settled down. i am incredibly frustrated with myself for missing two prime opportunities to score. one sailed right over the stupid non-regulation size goal and the other rang off the right post. they both would have been beautiful goals. argh, i'm getting mad again.

and now, i'm going to go hop into bed for a bit and try to get back some of my body warmth that entirely disappeared during practice this morning (the wind chill was definitely under 20 degrees, so i don't think we should have been out there, but luckily it was a fairly productive practice, so i won't complain too much unless i get sick).

schedule for the rest of the day:
1-4pm - work
4:30-5:30ish - weights
dinner at brandeis (gourmet night!)
homework
9:30-10ish - bedtime

back to the same old days

today was pretty uneventful. classes went by fairly quickly and were mostly painless for being the first day back from break. it was cold all day and i missed texas more and more as the day went by. especially when we were out at the lake this afternoon rigging in the harsh winds.

the water at carter is incredibly low. i can barely remember how high it used to be the first day i saw the lake. but now it is just appalling to see all the things that used to be underwater (ie the huge pieces of driftwood sticking out of the water that i can't believe someone never hit while docking because that's almost exactly where they are). it's a sad sight to see. i hope i'm not around the day we decide we have to find a new place to row.

i'm praying that the wind chill is below 20 degrees tomorrow morning so that we don't have to row, for two reasons. 1. i can't even imagine how cold it is going to be and i'm not sure i have enough layers to keep myself warm. 2. i have physics lab at 7:30 and can't be late because we're starting our projects tomorrow. it isn't that i don't want to practice at all though. if we were in texas, i'd still be all about practicing...no question.

and now its about time for me to brush my teeth, put on my sweats, and hop into bed.

goodnight moon.

a 36 degree difference

between omaha and austin. that'll be tough to get used to again.

today will be devoted to unpacking, doing laundry, and doing all the homework i didn't take with me to texas. should be great!

and maybe we'll get a little soccer in...we'll see.

the end

i can't believe that it is already friday afternoon...especially since i haven't posted since sunday night. eek.

anyway, the week is about over. we had our last go on the lake this morning for the varsity scrimmage vs. texas (and the novice had one last practice since they raced the texas novice yesterday afternoon). we raced 3 three and a half minute pieces (nearly equivalent to thousand meter pieces, but much easier to do since the course has been really windy the last few days) down by the texas crew boathouse. regrettably, we lost all three, but we got better and better each time we raced. the first one wasn't very good because we were stuck between the two texas eights so we were stuck in their wake the entire time. our starts were much better on the second two so we were able to keep up with them better than in the first one. the 2nd varsity eight, as well as the novice eight and novice four also lost their races. despite not winning any of the races, i think it was really good practice and we learned a lot from it. and we'll be back to race them again next year.

i've been hearing good things from a few people, but i'm trying not to get my hopes up too much. i'll really have to keep that in mind.

after the race this morning, we had a little bit of fun on the paddle back to our (austin rowing club's) dock. i really enjoyed coxing the varsity eight and four. once we got back to the boathouse, we started de-rigging the boats - three eights, three fours, and four pairs - and waiting around for the novice to finish practicing. after we had all the boats loaded up on the trailer, the novice still weren't back, so me, mo, joey, and heidi started tossing a frisbee around. some of the funniest memories came from those 15 minutes: mo slipping and falling on her ass out of nowhere, and then me sliding on my ass down the hill when i tried to stop because i wasn't going to get to the frisbee. i got a really nice raspberry on my thigh from that and my butt is still a bit sore. great times though.

once the novice got back, we de-rigged the fours they had taken out and then took our team pictures in front of the boathouse. we all piled back on to the bus and dropped pretty much everyone off at the hotel, but five of us wanted to go to the texas bookstore, so jerry drove us over there. we all found and bought our texas rowing shirts and then spent ten minutes taking goofy pictures of ourselves with the statues around the football stadium. they should be pretty funny once mo gets them developed.

and now we're back here hanging out at the hotel for a little bit...

the schedule for the next 36 hours of my life:

movie with the team at 3:30 (we'll probably be seeing failure to launch, so i'm pretty excited about that...plus, we'll all be together so that should be fun)
team dinner at joe's crab shack at 6:30 (gonna be a blast to have the whole team at the same restaurant for once)
the rest of the evening: shower, pack up, get ready for tomorrow, sleep
leave for dallas tomorrow morning at 5 am
rig boats in dallas
race SMU at 9 am
de-rig boats, jump in the bus, and head back to omaha

it has been a really fun week despite some of the small setbacks we've come upon while we've been here. i'm definitely glad to be on the team, though i do miss some of my friends on the club team a lot.

p.s.

f the oscars.

i'm pretty upset that brokeback mountain didn't win best picture. i could just be making assumptions, but i'm guessing it is because it was about two american homosexual cowboys.

i'll be discussing that more later i'm sure...

on another note, i am glad george clooney won best supporting actor for syriana...i am, however, still sad that goodnight, and good luck didn't get any real nominations.

that's all for now.

day 1

in the books.

and i'm exhausted.

we headed to the lake this morning at 9:30. we moved all the boats down by the lake and then started rigging. we got onto the water around 11ish and practiced for about two hours. it was so great to be back out on the water. it isn't a huge lake (because it is actually a river that they dammed on both sides and called it a lake) and there are a lot of bridges, but all the passes through are pretty wide (minus one that has two sort of islands on one side). it really was so much more fun than sitting around watching the girls erg.

after practice, we went to go get lunch (something called whataburger...a texas thing, i think...i wasn't a huge fan). once we got back to the hotel, we had the whole afternoon to relax. i watched bits and pieces of the italian job while i was drifting in and out of being sort of asleep.

i'm totally preoccupied right now because we're watching law and order.

me, colie, lisa, and kate went to dinner at chili's and then we did some speed shopping at albertsons for lunch food for the week.

and i'm starting to get tired, so as soon as this episode is over, i'm going to go and take my sleeping pills and go to bed.

best moment of the night: kristi freaked out because she thought her computer was getting much hotter than usual...then she realized she had a heating pad between her and the computer. it was great. had to be here...

hello texas!

well, we just got here about an hour ago and so far it hasn't been too incredibly exciting. i'm a bit frustrated that the wireless does not work very well in my room on the second floor, but it does work quite well up here in the frosh's rooms on the third floor. i guess i'll be hanging out up here every night for a bit.

random sidenote: a commercial for the goblet of fire dvd just came on and reminded me that i'm quite excited to buy it on tuesday. i probably don't really NEED it, but i will buy it regardless (yes, i sound like my brothers).

the roommate situation is a bit interesting, but we'll see how it goes.

tomorrow we are going to the lake at 9:30 (i think) to rig and row. then lunch at 12:30 and then i think we have the afternoon off until dinner and a trip to the grocery store at 6:30. i am abstaining from going to mass at 7:30 tomorrow morning.

the bus ride was quite long. i really couldn't believe slow time seemed to be going. we stopped at kathleen's house this morning for breakfast somewhere in kansas. we watched two movies (hitch and breakfast at tiffany's) between there and oklahoma city where we ate a late lunch at brittany's family's restaurant. really good pizza! we drove from there to dallas where we stopped at a bad gas station that reinforced some of my generalizations about texas. then we came straight through to austin.

i'm excited to get to see the city during the daylight tomorrow and the rest of the week.

and that's about all for now...

71 days and counting

well, its nearly 11:30 and i'm still trying to sort out the various odds and ends i have left to cram into my bag before we leave tomorrow at 5 am. i only recently realized how much stuff i have to take with me and how little room i have to take it there. it is looking like i will have my luggage bag, my little adidas duffel bag, and my backpack joining me on this week's adventure...and even then, i may still be leaving things behind (i.e. my huge norton anthology of english literature...i really should take it so i can read sir gawain, but it is such a big and expensive book that i don't want to risk it getting damaged when i try to fit it somewhere it doesn't belong). luckily, all i have left to do tomorrow is get dressed, throw my toothbrush and toothpaste into my bag, and head over to the old gym. but before that can happen, i have to say goodnight to my computer (and continue hoping that there is some sort of internet at the cheap hotel we'll be staying at (ah...i should probably take my ethernet cord just in case there isn't wireless anywhere...come on, austin!) and get everything packed up into my backpack (camera, ipod, various chargers, coloring books and crayons, purse, sunglasses, visor, two books, etc., etc.). then i'm going to relax and watch part of a movie or something until i fall asleep.

sidenote: setting my alarm for anytime before 5am is quite scary. i think i will be going right back to sleep once we get on the bus.

and enough rambling...

we're off to texas in 5 and a half hours. i hope it is a worthwhile trip. hopefully i will find a little coffee shop somewhere that has wireless if the hotel fails me. until then...

complete.

my paper is done and sent in. i wonder if it looks bad to email a paper that's due at midnight in at 11:42...

oh well. at least its done. that's it for this semester's midterms and that is a really good feeling.

and what's even better is that i don't have latin class tomorrow. i wish i didn't have physics so i could go back to bed after we get back from loading boats.

this is the latest i've been up on a weeknight in a really long time, so now i need to brush my teeth and go to sleep.

ah, today

let's see...

the english lit midterm was difficult, as expected, but no time to worry about that now. we'll see what happens after spring break and i'll keep hoping for the best. at least its over though. physics was interesting. not sure i did so hot on that quiz, but i'm apathetic towards physics right now, for today at least. at least dan and i got everything for lab done. and now i have the next five hours to spend writing my essay for english. due at midnight, and hopefully it won't take me that long. hopefully i'll be able to keep myself from procrastinating too much (looks like i failed at that already!) because i don't want to be up til midnight.

we have to meet at the boathouse tomorrow morning at 6:30 to load the boats onto the trailer and then dan is heading down to austin. the rest of us leave at 5am on saturday. woo!

and that's all for now. i've really gotta go figure out what the hell i'm going to write five pages about because i have absolutely no idea at this point.

until next time...

oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW! i'll have to give him a call here real quick before i call upon the muses (ah, mr. hilbert)...

my head might explode soon.

one (or perhaps both) of my stupid roommates somehow broke our shower head. it's great though. they're trying to act as if it broke iself and all of a sudden went from working fine to dribbling out water. yea, you know, shower heads just do that sometimes...

i'm a bit frustrated about this. especially since neither of them, though they knew about it yesterday afternoon, could get off their asses and fill out a maintenance request form at the front desk. the same thing happened back at the beginning of first semester when one of these geniuses decided to try to dump ramen noodles down the sink! the sink was clogged up for days and i had just assumed that whoever had done it had filled out the request form. no one came to fix it for about a week, so i finally asked them if they had filed a request. of course they hadn't. i shouldn't have been surprised. the most they'll do is sit around and complain about it and hope it magically gets fixed. (another example was the day before yesterday when the light in the shower went out. i didn't even know about it until after 6pm that night, but still, i was the only one to go downstairs.)

it just isn't difficult, and that's what pisses me off the most.

hello warm weather (again)

today was a good day. and nothing really big happened either.

in chronological order:
1. we did some cross training this morning and then spent the rest of practice lifting, which means we got the afternoon off! (i would still be in the weight room right now).
2. i made it to breakfast with enough time to sit down and eat with kara, et. al.
3. i got my physics test back and it was a better grade than i had been expecting. i'm not sure how well (or poorly, as it were) i thought i had done, but i didn't expect what i got.
4. dr. duda makes amazing peanut butter cookies! they were soft and i was able to ignore the chocolate chips in them.
5. i turned in my latin midterm (a small weight off my back)
6. i ate my two [stolen] oranges during biology - they were really good.
7. the weather was great upon leaving rigge. my mood lifted significantly.
8. seeing so many people hanging out on the mall...playing frisbee, sleeping in the sun, throwing a baseball, attempting to do homework, etc. it was really good to see life on campus again. these are the days i enjoy being at creighton, even if i don't have time to engage in any of those things.
9. kara and i are going to dinner in 20 minutes.

and on a side note, i did not enjoy my theology test. i realized i read a question in the opposite way it was intended, so that's at least one question i got wrong. oh well.

things to do tonight:
mastering physics
study english lit (A LOT!)
look at the essay assignment (please!)

and hopefully i will remember to go over to the old gym tomorrow to buy a visor from lisa...