Ok, so maybe Summer isn't so bad.

I have to follow up my previous post with one defending Summer, because I just realized two amazing things that go with it.
1. Air Conditioning. That's right. When it's actually installed correctly and working properly and you just spent a half an hour in your hot hot kitchen, it's probably one of the best feelings ever.
And,
2. Fruit. More specifically all of the delicious seasonal fruit that you can make pretty much the most yummy treat ever- fruit salad. Even I can make a good fruit salad, and I am such a horrible cook that I can mess up scrambled eggs. But give me a few apples, peaches, cantaloupe, blueberries, pineapple, lime juice, honey, walnuts, and whatever other fruit looks good and I can make something that tastes like all of the fantastic things Summer is supposed to be.
MMMMM.

Why Spring is the Far Superior Season

Summer sucks. Yeah, I know, if you are a student then this is probably the most fun three months of your year. But for all other reasons, I just do not like it. Sure, barbecues are great, and more daylight is always fine by me. However, along with these favorable aspects come the more negative issues that I would just rather do without.
These are (in no particular order), Dresses and Air Conditioning.
Now you may wonder why I dislike either of these things. They seem like great inventions to get through the hot summer months, right?
Well, to me they are just irksome and expensive and frustrating.

Dresses: Expensive (well, not always, but a decent fitting/looking one is), plus you usually only wear them a few times, so there is no way you ever get your money's worth out of 'em. At least I don't. I feel vulnerable, pale, out of shape, and unattractive when wearing them, regardless of the reality. Also, they usually make me feel like I'm 10. Especially when trying them on. I far prefer the ability to wear pants, capris, or even a skirt, but sometimes the summer in St. Louis calls for a dress, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Air Conditioning: Also expensive. Well, I am guessing it's gonna get that way. My current electric bill record peaked at just under $28 last July. BUT I only had a small window unit on at night, and then another small one on during the few days I was home. I am buying a bigger one today, which is expensive in and of itself. And I have done my comparison shopping, too, just to find the best deal. Also, when forced to turn the air on in the car (which my pokey little 13 year old Accord just despises), I just cringe to think of the gas I am wasting. Also, it makes me sneeze, especially on long road trips, and first thing in the morning at home. Finally, when its on in full force when you are out somewhere like a restaurant or theater, you damn well better be prepared with a cardigan or closed toe shoes, otherwise, you get to freeze. And being freezing while sunburned in the summer is pretty much a miserable thing.

I know this is a negative view of things, but seriously, summer? I think I could live without it. Maybe instead of craving a visit to the cool nights and gently warm days by Lake Michigan in Grand Haven every summer, I wouldn't mind hitting up the Lou for a week or so-just to remember how gross it is and be greatful to be living in another place. Wishful thinking, right?

Fantastic

At the moment, I'm speechless. I need some time to compose my response, but in the meantime, read this and say it with me, "Obama in '08!" ;)

Summer Reading

So now that it is officially summer (though my grades are rolling in slowly, and may spoil my elated mood), I am thrilled to be able to start reading again. Actual books of my choosing, fiction, and non, read at whatever pace and whenever I so choose. This is a huge deal for me, because I am pretty sure that I haven't read an actual book in it's entirity since possibly early fall. That is really sad, and I have missed reading desperately. All my life I have been the kind of person who could sit, nose buried in a book that I may or may not have already read three times, for hours, and have easily finished an especially good one in just a day or two (I know of at least one other person who can relate: Ms. Katie-I-can-read-an-entire-Harry-Potter-in-less-than-two-days-Lapides).
I am looking forward to my first novel, The Kite Runner, which my mom lent me over Christmas, and has been sitting on my bookshelf ever since, just begging to be opened. I think I'll start tonight, if I don't pass out first. I think I still need a few days to catch up on sleep from the past couple of weeks, but regardless, I'm game. Even if I just get a few pages in, I know I'll be back to my old bookworm self in no time.
Also, if anyone else has some must-read suggestions, feel free to chime in. I've got a library card and I am not afraid to use it. ;)

FINISHED!

With classes, finals, projects, and not getting enough sleep for at least a couple weeks now...
It's the best feeling ever, and I'm hoping the dark circles under my eyes go away soon because they are an awful reminder of how long this past month has been. But now the waiting for grades begins...still nervous about a few things, and all I am hoping for are C's so that I never have to take any of those stupid classes again.
Well, off to celebrate with lunch at Duff's! Then I can start getting my life under control- I plan to begin with the sink full of dishes from the entire week and the recycling pile from the last month. :)

***I just happened to see this at cnn.com, and it really made me feel not so bad about finishing my 6th year of undergrad (with hopefully just one more semester to go). This guy is definitely a tool, and needs to realize that going to school for TWELVE YEARS is NOT COOL!

it's official

i am completely out of control and have been procrastinating all day. i can not focus for more than 15 minutes at a time, have been on myspace like 20 times, watched tv (AGAIN!), eaten half the food in my fridge, and haven't even started my project due tuesday. well, i take that back, i started it last week, but it needs a bit of work yet. i also have studied VERY little for my two finals tomorrow. it's not like i chose to go do something fun and ignore all my work, i just have been wandering around my apartment all day doing NOTHING.
all i have to say is god help me tomorrow night taking those tests. i simply DO NOT deserve to do well.

fun with kitty....and what happens when there is too much catnip involved.

So I notice today that A has extraordinarily long nails...and I can't help but feel bad for him cause he can't ever go outside and scratch trees and stuff to keep them in shape. He DOES enjoy scratching the "dorm couch", but I really hate to encourage the habit since someday I might actually buy a real couch. Anyway, I was at Target, and they had a nail trimmer kit, but I was afraid of that. Instead, I bought him the "super scratcher", complete with organic catnip for an extra good time.
Normally, A is a pretty chill dude:

But here is what happened when he was presented with this fantastic new object:

Now he's covered in the catnip:

oh man...(i think his one eye is even rolled back cause he's so in love with this)

tasty! (at least i don't have to clean it up!)

But as far as him actually scratching the thing, it has yet to happen. Now he's just laying in the sun at the back door. And those nails? Still needing to be trimmed!

what i did today instead of my final project...

1. ate breakfast at courtesy (mmm bacon and pancakes!)
2. played with my new camera
3. figured out how to upload pictures that didn't take up 1 gig of memory (but not how to upload to the blog)
4. drank some good coffee
5. officially dropped my pre-ireland summer course in income taxes. too many things are going against me having the ability or desire to pass that class right now. i'd rather torture myself this fall.
6. went grocery shopping (finally!), but at the most crowded time on the busiest day at the ol' "singles schnucks". luckily, they have these nifty carts that yes, look weird, but are ridiculously easier to get through a store like that without driving yourself mad. brilliant really.
7. drove over 60 miles in three trips making a big circle around the central, southeastern and northwestern points of the metro-east. yep, an hour and half that took me on 5 different interstates or highways. And all just to see Andrew leave :( (i need to chill, it's just two days).
8. cooked some fettucine alfredo (which was delish), and then,
9. turned my tv on for the first time in weeks and watched law and order. then proceeded to forget about the leftover pasta sitting out in the kitchen for well over an hour. now it's in the trash.
10. allowed myself to waste an entire day because i was too tired to do anything school related, but i wouldn't take a nap because i thought i should be trying to work. now it's just after 10:30, and i am going to bed cause i'm exhausted...sounds like i made some excellent choices today.
i guess i need to get up early tomorrow and make up for this stupidity of mine. i have two super hard finals monday night (back to back, of course) and a final project due tuesday. what is my problem?

This can't be right....

So last night the power was out at UMSL for probably the third time this school year, if not this semester. I was supposed to be at my last investments class of the semester, but the campus was closed from 4pm on. Sounds great, right? Well, my professor decided that we would have class via email, and we had to call her at home and report our "attendance", as well as follow a "lecture" that she presented as a word document that she kept ammending and sending every 10 mins or so for the class period. ANYWAY....I luckily checked my email, and was in on all this craziness, I even turned in my last homework through email and did the extra credit the same way. BUT we were supposed to get our Simulation Study back tonight. You all might remember that as the 30+ page report that I worked on pretty much nonstop about 2 weeks ago, that I turned in at the very last second, that the people moving out nearly gave me a fit about cause I couldn't concentrate on it? WELL....I was very anxious for my grade. If I failed, I probably wasn't gonna bother with the final exam because I didn't think I would have a chance at a C- to pass. So I email Dr. H at the end of the "class" and ask if she could send out our scores. That was at about 6:45. I more or less forgot about all that, and was hanging out with Andrew with I heard my email notification at like 12:15. I checked it, and she had replied with my score. Oh no, right? Well, I GOT A 95%!!!!!! That simply CAN NOT be right, but this lady does not make mistakes. The highest grade was a 98%, but the class average was only a 73%. WTF? I am pretty sure I didn't deserve such a high grade. I have no clue how this happened. This class is kicking my butt, but at least I have hope now for the final. I still don't believe it though...:)

Yep, it's really 5:45am!

So.........I am really ready for this semester to be over. I have been up since 4 am literally having nightmares about the software I have to use to do an operations management simulation about queuing theory. It's interesting, but it's giving me an ulcer because I can't figure out the G-D software, we didn't cover it for more than 10 mins. in class like 3 weeks ago, and there are no references available to figure it out.
Anyway, since I am up, I am just gonna go to the lab at school and try it again. The final (extended) deadline is tomorrow at 9:30am, although I pretty much have to turn it in by like 3:30 or so today, since I have work tonight and tomorrow.
I just hope I can figure it out, get the damn thing done, go to class and come home and grab a nap before work. I apologize to anyone who has to come near me in the next 48 or so hours. For real. And I can't have any coffee/caffeine to get me by because it's starting to catch up and give me heartburn.
:(