Is 32 too old to go "emo"?

Fourteen years ago, I fell in love with a vampire.  Brad Pitt stole my heart in the movie version of "Interview With A Vampire" - and I was hooked.  I could still probably recite the entire film.  

A few years later, I began reading the Anne Rice books and found myself immersed within worlds of witches and vampires - living so well amongst the rest of the world.  I read every book she wrote - and I think owned them all too.  I'm still regretting the fact that a few of those books got sold in a yard sale just prior to my moving to Illinois.  

However, they were in that yard sale for a reason.  I'd outgrown such romantic fantasies as vampires and I was a much more practical adult moving on with her life.  Those that didn't sell got packed up with the rest of my books - those that did, I hope they bring joy to whomever is reading them now.  

I'm too much of a grown up to be pulled into such wonderfully fictitious worlds.  

A few months ago I started seeing all these mentions of "Twilight" scattered around Facebook.  Ah, the next teenage girl thing, I thought.  A movie based on a young adult book - yeah, there's such a dearth of those.  

Then the buzz reached some of the undergraduates I know.  Okay - they're still fairly young, though, right?  I'm above such things.

Then the buzz landed on a friend, older than me, in an administrator position.  She lent me her copy - which landed in a pile of books that "I'll get to when I have the time."  It sat there.

Twilight, the movie, was released on Friday to scores of lines and sold out theatres.  By now, I knew it was a teen vampire flick; the book remained unread, unopened, now in a box that moved with us into our new home.  

I agreed to succumb to the hype to watch the movie 

- vampires can be a pleasant distraction, right?  

Saturday show, 4:00 pm.  Lots of previews and then....

It's now 4:03 on Sunday afternoon.  Exactly 24 hours ago, I was settling in to my seat at the movie theatre, about to watch a fun vampire movie.  In the past 24 hours, I've watched the movie, read the entire first book, dreamed of my own personal vampire, and become obsessed with the book's main character.  I won't run to the movies practically every night for the next three weeks (okay, yes, I MAY have done that with Interview With A Vampire) - but I'm anxiously awaiting the movie's release onto dvd and I may allow Alex to see the movie (so I can watch it again).  I am, however, jonesing for the second book...

So how is it that this movie has thrown me with such vehemence back into my vampire lust of ten years ago?  The book is excellent, I think.  While the story is centered around the angst that is adolescence, I think the writing is more compelling than I remember Rice's series.  

My solution to my obsession?  

Well, I want to read read read - which I don't really have a problem with.  

And then shrug and embrace it.  

Since the only other option is to dye my hair black and attain a level of "emo" that I would never have even reached at the peak of my emotional youth, I'm already practicing my shrug.

A Quick Word to the Wise...

While I'm always a fan of a good movie, I discovered that there is a time and a place for all such movies.  That is, even good movies should be watched only in an appropriate context.

I'm a single mom - and as such, I spend most of my time (when we're not in school, that is) with my darling daughter.  Tonight, however, Alexandra is at a sleepover birthday party.  She went home after school with her friends and will be picked up tomorrow morning around 11am.  I haven't seen her since dropping her off at school this morning.  On days like today, I miss the little kid.  

I decided tonight, though, that I could go see a movie without Miss Alex - a grown up movie.  I'd wanted to see "The Changeling" since discovering that Jeffrey Donovan was in it - and this was my chance.  I roped a friend into seeing it with me and we planned for the 10pm showing.

This is where I should have done a little more planning, or at least reconnaissance, before going to this movie tonight.  

Don't get me wrong - it was a really good movie.  Donovan played a prick, yes, but whenever I see him, I picture him doing situps up an incline and eating blueberry yogurt.  I love that guy.  Jolie was good as well, as was Malkovich, but I have my favorites....

I digress - this was not the movie to see on a night when I don't have my daughter.  A movie based on an unsolved missing child case is never a good idea on nights when she's not safely tucked in bed in the room next to mine.  

Now What?

I spent the past three months anxiously (no, not in a good way) anticipating my phonetics presentation of Dutch.  I finished that yesterday.  I also had to put together a micro teaching demonstration in French - did that this morning.  My thesis has been looming over my head for a year and a half and I am now at the end - I'm defending in about three weeks (probably a little less).  I'm sitting at Panera, having soup for dinner with Alexandra, before a Girl Scout council meeting ... and it just hit me.

Now what?

Of course, life goes on and I need to keep looking for gainful employment (emphasis on that gainful part) and what not.  I still have a paper and a bunch of smaller assignments that I need to get done over Thanksgiving break, as well as my pre-defense revisions - but all of a sudden I feel as though a rather large weight has been lifted from me.  I fear that it may be that all my stresses have finally numbed me?  

I guess that I'll just take this moment - be it fleeting or lasting - and savour the hugs and snuggles from Alex, the facepainting decorating my right hand, the sourdough goodness encompassed by chicken and wild rice soup.  I'll go to this meeting, then go home and enjoy the peacefulness that is my existence this evening.

I may actually take tonight to read for ... wait for it ... PLEASURE.

"The Holidays" are approaching...

... and no.  I'm not the least bit freaked out.  Okay, maybe a little.  

I just have to keep reminding myself that the lowering gas prices are going to make it all better.  After all, isn't that what this latest attempt at economic stimulus is supposed to do?  It's no longer over $40 to fill my car's tank.  Yesterday I did it for under $20.  Is that enough to really help people, though?

I suppose the extra $20 is a boon and all - and it does relieve a certain amount of anxiety.  I'm still on the hunt for another job, though - not to replace but to supplement my current employment.  

So with all this economic malarkey (and really, what else can it be called, the present US economy), Thanksgiving and Christmas and all that are just around the corner.  Alexandra and I will not be having Thanksgiving dinner with our family this year - the trip back to CT would be too much of a hardship financially, not to mention the annoyance of the long trip, the missed school for Alex, and the stress of moving a veritable zoo of animals 1000 miles for a week.  

We're cool with that, though, and are planning to have friends over to our house for the holiday.  I'm not making the turducken I'd originally proposed - especially not after finding out how expensive those are!  A traditional turkey, with Kylie's special stuffing, will suffice as the main course.  

What we're doing for Christmas, however, is still up in the air.  As Starbucks won't be offering me any hours while they're closed for break, the viability of remaining in Illinois for the break is ... well, slight.  I guess it all hinges on whether I find another job today.  My day's goals do include filling out some applications.  It was pointed out to me, though, that the ever-decreasing gas prices will at least make the trip more affordable than I'd originally planned.  

All will be okay, I know - but I'd prefer to live without such stress.

... at least Alex just wants Uno and Scrabble for Christmas :-)

Do I Expect Too Much?

I was explaining to someone today how Alexandra was so offended that she couldn't vote - how it really wasn't fair that adults who don't know who Obama and McCain were could vote while she couldn't, even though she'd been following the races since before the primaries, because she's seven years old.

"Why doesn't that surprise me, coming from your daughter?"

I advocate social responsibility - and I do so in my daughter.  Voting is a privilege that should be cherished - and something to be viewed, not as a chore, but an opportunity.  

I hope that I'm instilling such values within Alexandra.

I was more than a little shocked to be confronted with so many people today who had not voted and were not going to vote - and who were not even registered to vote.  

I guess I shouldn't take offense at the flippant remark - after all, she is a politically aware and socially responsible child - and a child of whom I am extremely proud.

Are You a US Citizen? VOTE ON TUESDAY!

About a month ago, I commented to Alexandra (who has been very invested in the Obama campaign since Clinton removed herself from the democratic race) that she wasn't able to vote in this election.  There were many tears and she raised some good points - she's paid attention to the newscasts, the debates, the candidates.  She knows who she supports.  Why can't she vote?  

The day before, I'd overheard someone talk about who they were going to vote for: "you know, that guy who elected that woman for president."  How could I then disagree with her words?  She knew more about what was going on in US politics than adults who would be voting.

She'll be with me as I cast my vote in the morning.  She'll also get to vote in a mock election tomorrow at her school.  Her vote, however, won't be counted in the general Presidential election.  

I have family on the other side of the world - some of whom have pointed out how, really, unfair it is that the whole world can't vote in the US Presidential elections.  While it's true that our president is OUR president and so should only be elected by the US citizenry, our choice has repercussions that are felt throughout the world.  There truly are people all over the world who would like to be able to vote in this election.

I received an email today from moveon.org.  I'm not a huge fan of moveon.org - I've just been too lazy really to unsubscribe from their emails.  However, I really appreciated today's email:

Dear MoveOn member,

You don't live in Ohio. You don't live in Florida. The chance is pretty small that Illinois will decide the presidential election. So: Why vote?

Here's why. This list is important—so please read it, and then pass it along. And remember: To find out where to vote, what you need to bring, or when the polls close, click here: www.voteforchange.com.

The Top 5 Reasons To Vote In Illinois 
Or: Why It Still Means A Thing Even If It Ain't Got That Swing

1. Big margin = big mandate. The popular vote doesn't put anyone in the White House, but it affects what presidents can do when they get there. Want Obama to be able to actually do the stuff he's been talking about? Pass universal health care? End the war? Then we need a landslide.
   
   
2. The other things on the ballot matter! For example: Congress. Without more support in the House and Senate, Obama will have a hard time getting progressive laws passed. Plus, there are other important local races and ballot questions in some places. 
   
   
3. If you don't vote, everyone can find out. Voting records are public. (Not who you voted for, justwhether you voted.) Pretty soon, finding out whether you voted could be as easy as Googling you.
   
   
4. Help make history. You could cast one of the votes that elect the first African-American president. If we win, we'll tell our grandchildren about this election, and they'll tell their grandchildren. Do you really want to have to explain to your great-great-grandchildren that you were just too busy to vote in the most important election in your lifetime? 
   
   
5. People died so you'd have the right to vote. Self-government—voting to choose our own leaders—is the original American dream. We are heir to a centuries-long struggle for freedom: the American revolution, and the battles to extend the franchise to those without property, to women, to people of color, and to young people. This year, many will still be denied their right to vote. For those of us who have that right, it's precious. If we waste it, we dishonor those who fought for it and those who fight still. 
   
   Live your values. Love your country. Vote.

I can't stress enough how much I want everyone to go vote tomorrow.  While I have my own opinions as to who to vote for, I'm not even asking that everyone go vote for the candidate I support.  I really just want to stress over and over and over that we should all get out to vote.  I've pointed out in previous blogs the struggles women went through in years past to get us the right to vote - now I'm pointing out the privilege we all have in being able to vote tomorrow.  Take advantage - be proud of what we're able to do - VOTE.

Did I Step Into an Alternate Reality?

The economy sucks.  It finally hit me – at the bottom of the economic barrel – recently.  I get it now.  The economy sucks.  Even Alexandra is aware of this – offering to bust open her piggy bank to pay for food.  The economy sucks.

 

I ventured for the first time today to DCI Biologicals.  Those people who are in Carbondale know what I’m talking about.  It’s that big stone building that I’ve always thought looked abandoned.  I’ve never seen a person walk in or out of the front doors – and it’s always looked kind of seedy.  When I told friends that I was going to go there, they made comments about meth addicts and the like.  Oh boy, I thought.

 

Well, okay – this isn’t the cream of the crop of society, to say the least.  I’ll grant them that.  I don’t see anyone around here who look like they’ve been ripping the skin off their faces, though.  There are remarkably quite a few normal looking people here – of course, a number of college students. 

 

I’m getting ahead of myself.

 

I walked through the doors and blinked repeatedly.  At 11 am, there were no free seats in the lobby area.  I’d say the room holds (seat-wise) about 30-40 people.  I couldn’t believe that it was full.  Wow.

 

After waiting a while, I at least got to fill out my first form and talk with someone who works here.  I smiled and said it didn’t look like the crashing economy was hurting them in anyway – that, if anything, it looked to be helping them.  She laughed and said they’re now getting all kinds of phone calls asking what other things they’ll buy.  I shudder to wonder what, beyond plasma, these people want to sell.  

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

We're having an issue lately in our house: an issue with telling the truth.  Alex has never been the kind of child who tells wild and imaginative tales - she's always been the tattler in most situations, really.  Or, if she isn't telling on someone to the authority figure relative to the incident, she's likely to tell me about it later that evening.  

Last year, at just about this time, they had a speaker at her school, the local DARE officer, who talked to the younger grades about alcohol awareness.  Alex was honest at that assembly to the point of over-sharing.  I was the parent in charge of the event, the only parent at the assembly, and wishing I could drown my embarrassment in a really big strawberry margarita.  

So who is this kid who has taken residence in my home, who looks just like my little girl, who cannot tell the truth if her life depended upon it?  

Alexandra, did you feed the guinea pigs?  Yes.  Then why don't they have any food?  Oh.

Alexandra, did you take a shower?  Yes.  Then why is your hair still dry?  Oh.

Alexandra, did you do your homework?  Yes.  Can I see it? *tears* I forgot what I was saying!

When I got to her choir rehearsal tonight, I noticed a little stuffed animal on her desk.  I beckoned her over (they were still in their break) to let her know I'd gotten there and to give her a hug.  

Did you get a new stuffed animal?  No.  What's the animal on your desk?  I don't have one!

She walked back to her desk and took the animal from the desk and, reaching under the desk to her friend sitting in front of her, passed it away from her in what was an obvious attempt to hide the thing from me.

I've had a few people now tell me it's a phase and that she'll grow out of it.  It's so unlike the Alexandra I've known ... well, since her birth ... though, that it's driving me absolutely batty.

To Wax Political for a Moment...

There is an anti-abortion organization that has taken up protesting outside of where my classes are held.  For the past two days, images of aborted fetuses have been erected in comparison with images of the holocaust.  They're in the free speech area of the university - and they're being sponsored by an RSO.  They can be there and they can display these images.  

Yesterday, at the same time as local elementary schools were letting out 5, 6, 7 year olds (okay, all elementary school aged children), this organization thought it appropriate to drive a truck bearing these images throughout the town.  They went beyond the university - the presumed target of the protest - and happened to pick the same time that elementary schools let their children out nationwide.  "We weren't specifically targeting 5 year olds" was the response I received upon challenging the ethics of doing so.

Protests like these - specifically those that attempt to engage the entire community, regardless of whether that engagement is appropriate - get my dander up.  It's not so much the issue - in fact it's an issue that I remain constantly torn about - as their methods.  My daughter goes to a conservative Catholic elementary school.  Oftentimes I even shudder at how conservative it is.  She takes the bus to and from school every day from our church parking lot.  The bus is owned by the school and is driven by one of the parents with a CDL.  At school she is not allowed to watch anything rated higher than PG.  In order for her to watch even PG, I had to sign a blanket permission slip at the start of the year.  She exists ( at least when it comes to school ) in a bubble.  Yesterday, as she got off her bus, she was met with these images driving past the parking lot.  

Again, the issue itself is something with which I continue to struggle.  My own beliefs dictate that life is sacred and that I would NEVER have an abortion.  So, in my own life, I am pro-life.  I would never advocate that another individual have an abortion.  However, I would also NEVER want my beliefs forced upon another individual in the same way that I would never want someone else's beliefs forced upon me.  I would (and do) support any woman's informed choice in the matter.  

I've been attacked a couple of times recently for calling my daughter a choice.  Perhaps I misspoke.  She is my daughter, the most important person in my life.  HAVING HER was the best choice I ever made.  

My lunch is now over and I have to go back to work.  

xxx ooo

My Adventures into the Land of Cooking...

Alexandra discovered one of the greatest delights in Australian cuisine this summer - sausage rolls.  They're a pastry covered sausage - no casing on the meat.  I'd had them before and never really liked them, but this time even I appreciated them heartily.  

When we discovered that we would have to bring something to an international potluck this weekend, Alex and I immediately figured we'd make little sausage rolls.  After all, the Australian part is our heritage and they're yummy!

Last night, while we bought our supplies, I hit snag one.  The only uncased sausage we could buy was bratwurst.  While we both love bratwurst, that wasn't quite the flavor we were looking for.

I was reminded by a friend, though, that in order to make these accessible to all the attendants of the potluck,  I should avoid making anything with pork.  Okay - we'll be making the final batch with ground beef, I guess.

I discovered today, while making my first attempt at these tasty treats, that filo dough is NOT as hard to work with as I'd heard.  Even with one hand immobilized in a cast, I was able to maneuver the sheets of pastry, brush melted butter, cut them, and roll the sausage up in it.  I will admit that turning the rolls in the oven, later on, did prove to be a bit challenging...

I've tested the first batch on a few of my coworkers - all of whom appreciated the bratwurst snack.  However, the overall consensus is - after all my work with that filo dough - I should use crescent roll dough.  While that may make them quicker to make, it also means that I'll have to cook the meat ahead of the rolls.  Filo may stay in the oven for long periods of time to cook the insides, but crescent roll dough doesn't do well past about 7 minutes.

Perhaps I'll look around online for a recipe for sausage rolls...

Really, I'm Okay...

Though, granted, I can't type too well at the moment.

I will, however, catch up on blogging at some point fairly soon.

I gave blood yesterday afternoon because... well, because that's what I do. If there's a blood drive, I'm a groupie. Hey - it's for a good cause. 
In retrospect, I should have eaten first... but I hadn't scheduled that into my "day off."

I passed out as they were finishing me up. Yeah, I was the crazy lady laying upside down in a gurney with a wet paper towel on my forehead in the middle of the student center...

I felt better - I had to! - and I went to get all the stuff for the Brownie meeting that afternoon at Alex's school. There were groceries and oodles of papers because we were preparing dinner for the girls' parents and then having a quick meeting for them to let them know what's going on with our troop for the fall. 

Coordinating ten 7,8, and 9 year old girls to make a dinner and all feel included was not as simple as I'd thought it would be. It went off well, though. I was a little dizzy still from the fainting, but not too bad. I even got to eat about half a cup of baked ziti once everyone else was served (busy busy busy). We had a quick ceremony for the parents, then the meeting with the paperwork.

Cleanup was pretty simple and everyone was out pretty early. I had to carry out all the filled out forms back to my car, as well as various other papers. It was while I was lugging all that outside ...

Did I mention that I was wearing my usual non-Starbucks footwear that consist of approximately 3" heeled sandals?

I stepped weirdly, twisted an ankle, fell over, and put my right hand out to catch myself.

I now have a fractured wrist, a big bruise on my knee, and another humongous bruise across my hip.

I feel foolish, but I'm okay. The timing just stinks because we're trying to move next weekend which means I need to pack!

... and then I remember how little she is.

Alex hasn't been well since Thursday.  Friday morning found her vomiting (though she was hiding it in the bathroom at school so she could go on her field trip...).  She was sent home from school after throwing up on the ride back from the orchard.  

All weekend, she's been not-Alex.  Whinier than usual, lethargic (she slept for almost 48 hours straight), disoriented, and complaining of dizziness.  My girl's been ill.  This morning she appeared to be over it - she was perky and acting more like the kid I know her to be.  We went out (I didn't know until we were outside that it was during the remnants of the hurricane) and had lunch, then went to Petco and Barnes & Noble.  It was at Barnes & Noble that she suddenly broke down, crying, complaining of weakness and feeling dizzy.  By the time we got to the car (and I carried her from the store to the car), she was a wreck.  She alternated between sobbing and sleeping all the way back to the apartment.  

Okay - prompt care at our doctor's office was booked for the rest of the day and didn't have access to MRIs etc today anyway.  They recommended I just take her directly to the emergency room.  My first inclination was to agree, but I took a moment and instead called a friend who is a nurse and who works with pediatrics.  

Pedialyte (the clear kind that is most like water), vanilla Carnation breakfast mix in her milk, and calorie rich food was pretty much forced into my still discombobulated baby.  Needless to say, she was less than thrilled, but if it was between that and spending the night at the hospital, I chose the forcing fluids and foods down her.

The result?  Well, she seems better tonight, as she's finally settling down for the evening.  I'm hoping (praying is actually a better word for it!) that she's well enough for school tomorrow.  

But how weak and exhausted she was after only two days of being sick makes me realize that despite how grown up she's becoming, this little girl is still little ... and she's still my baby.  And on that note, I think I'm going to go give her a cuddle before she falls asleep.

She's Growing Up So Fast...

She's grabbed the phone and wandered into the other room, having a very in depth conversation with a friend.  I'm not privvy to such things anymore.  

Her recent fascination with bras has resulted in her owning a few little sports bra type garments.  They aren't going to hurt and they're appeasing her constant desire to wear a bra.  I suppose they're the modern day equivalent to the Wonder Woman underoos  I had as a child.  Those, however, weren't touted as a bra and panties set.  *sigh*

Last night, before she fell asleep, she was laying in bed, reading a chapter book, without pictures.  I almost burst into tears.  

Where did my baby go?

Toothless Wonder!

Alexandra lost her second tooth this evening, as she lay sick in bed, watching Monk on the computer. She was excited and perked up for about three minutes, before falling back into her pitiful sick little kid routine.

What's funny is that the tooth above the missing one looks missing too. Actually it's just being pushed out to the side by her grownup tooth coming in...


Of course, the tooth was promptly washed off and placed in a tooth fairy approved receptacle. Alex is looking forward to collecting her money in the morning... There was no thought whatsoever to the promise she made to Auntie Tracey, my cousin, that in exchange for money while in Australia, she would send her next lost tooth to her.

I love the picture I snapped of her just after the tooth came out - really, does that little girl look like she's been home, sick in bed, all day??

I guess braids make me look young...

This morning, between classes, I felt the compulsion to pull my hair into two neat braids.  I usually wear it up in a makeshift bun, or just down and loose.  I was feeling a bit Gwyneth Paltrowesque from Sliding Doors, though, so the braids were done.  

After braiding my hair, I had multiple people I knew (well!) walk past me completely not recognizing me.  As I walked through the student center to clock in to work, I had a young girl, probably a freshman or sophomore, stop me and ask me if I'd registered to vote yet.  It actually took me a moment to comprehend the question.  I blinked at her before saying "uhm, yeah, when you were like four."

I guess the braids make me look different - and apparently younger.  One of my co-baristas suggested that if the 'do makes me look 18, I should stick with it.  I think I might.

Really, why do any of us think we're so smart?

A friend of mine in college used to point out that we thought we were smart because our parents told us we were.  We would laugh at that - after all, don't all parents think that their children are geniuses - or at least of above average intelligence...?

Tonight I cleaned out the guinea pig cage and gave both piggies a bath.  I'm probably the most compulsive guinea pig bather in the world - but their lack of hygiene in their habitat makes me need to bathe them.  So, the baby shampoo comes out, and they get a good washing...  

I think they looked lovely by the time they'd finished drying, snuggled deep within a terry cloth towel burrow.  They snuggled with me; they even snuggled with Alexandra (who cried because one of them moved and her hind claw touched her leg...).  They were so sweet.

These are the girls after their bath and their cage cleaning... Gigi is the brown and white one on the left; Hermione is the black and white one on the right.  You can't see her cool auburn eyepatch over her left eye in these pictures...

Anyway, so they were clean and I went into the bathroom after all of that and... the bathtub wasn't letting out its water.  I grabbed a plunger and fought with the drain... to no avail.

I don't actually own a plumber's snake (not being a plumber and all...) but I tore apart a wire coat hanger and attempted to use it as a snake.  For two hours I fought with that drain.  I finally walked away, assuming it was just slow and it'd empty tonight and I'd call someone to fix it in the morning.  I didn't think the university would appreciate, however, the plumbing emergency caused by guinea pig fur...  After all, that could be the only cause of this, right?

I checked the tub later on, assuming the water would be gone by then - and to my dismay the level hadn't decreased at all.  Egads!  What was I going to do about my own shower in the morning??  I wasn't about to stand in dirty guinea pig water, after all!  I grabbed the plunger and my makeshift snake and prepared to do battle again.  I plunged and I plunged...  and my hand banged into the toggle switch that closes the drain.  

At least it didn't hit it too badly, though.  After all, if the switch had been down, it would have been painful.

That was when I realized that at some point I had closed the drain.  I flipped the switch down and the water all whirled away.  

Over two hours trying to unblock a closed drain.  One flick of the switch to let all the water out of the unblocked tub.

At least the guinea pigs are happy and clean!

Getting things accomplished...

I have a bad habit of wanting to curl into a little ball.  This goes back to my college days when I first was diagnosed with dysthymia - and has reoccurred throughout my life since.  When things become too overwhelming, I shut down.  

This happened to me this morning.  I got the girls off to the school bus (I had Emily because her mom had to be at work early this morning) and then, rather than my usual head straight to school routine, I went home and went back to bed ... supposedly for 20 minutes, really for about two and a half hours.  

I was meant to be in class this morning; I had to work on the thesis today; I have homework due for Linguistics tomorrow; I need to rectify my residency status with the university; I have to get paperwork to Pearson in the next few days; etc etc etc.  With all this looming, I shut down and slept.  I guess it's my coping mechanism.

At two this afternoon, I motivated myself to get showered and dressed and to start getting stuff done.  By the time I picked Alex and Emily up from school, I'd taken care of my car issues and gotten my proof of voter registration.  From there we made a couple of stops on the way home which resulted in all the paperwork being submitted for my residency status to be cleared up.  Mail was sent; packages were picked up.  

I'm about to sit down and hammer out the linguistics homework now - while the girls (I still have Emily - her mom ran into a situation at the hospital and is staying late) are laying in bed, reading books.  In about 20 minutes, they will be told to sleep and I will finish up that homework (there's still an issue with one of the problems, but I won't be able to deal with that until tomorrow before class, really).  

I know I won't have all the revisions on my thesis done for tomorrow.  However, I want to have some of the major ones addressed and be able to talk competently with my advisor by tomorrow morning at 8am.  Good luck to me on that one, yes.  I need to get the thing over and done with, though.  No more curling into a little ball - the thesis is hanging over my head and I'm frankly sick of it.  

I have a plan.  It may involve not sleeping until tomorrow night, but it's a plan nonetheless.  

Alexandra and Emily may be bearing the brunt of my going off the deep end today - but I did get them ice cream cones tonight after dinner...  that's something, right?

If I Didn't Have Bad Luck...

I'd seriously have no luck at all!

So tonight, just as I was about to fall asleep, I decided to quickly check the numbers in my student account to make sure everything has been taken care of...

There's $3000 more owed to the university than what I'd been accounting for.  WHAT???  I went through bunches of pages in my account before finding the one that explained all this...

I'm being charged tuition as a non-resident of Illinois.

Where exactly SIUC thinks I've been living for the past three years is beyond me.  

I now have to prove to the university that I've lived in Illinois for the past six months.  This is the same university that holds my stinking lease.  The same university that I've attended in residency for the past three years.  

I defy any and all people to explain to me where the school thinks I've been living all this time.  My permanent address on all my ... well, everything ... is in Carbondale.  It's not even outside of the park district, for heaven's sake!  I've been a Brownie leader in Jackson County for the past year.  

Do they really think I've been commuting?

Well, at least now I know how I'm filling tomorrow morning before classes...

I have finally been to the Fair!

Okay, this may be our fourth year in Carbondale, but it's the first time I've managed to get to the DuQuoin State Fair.  We went yesterday with friends and had a lovely time.  The girls got wristbands that allowed them unlimited access to the rides.  We wandered the fair and visited the tents and were given all sorts of goodies.  I ate a piece of taffy that was so sticky it pulled out my crown.  We're talking a good fair experience.

We fell asleep within about ten minutes of arriving home - completely worn out - and slept for almost 14 hours straight.  Did I mention it was a good time at the fair?

When I woke up, though, I felt hungover.  And here I am, hours later, so feeling that way.  Sadly, I had no alcohol last night to account for this condition... 

You don't think the carnies slipped something into the freshly squezzed (sic) lemonade???

She's a Spoiled Rotten Ass Brat!

I love the things that come out of children's mouths...

Regarding another, rather bad influence type, child in the children's choir, this was the term one of Alex's friends blurted out to a circle of three mothers.  

If you love Japan so much, why don't you just live there??

Alex spat this out to a friend of mine who teaches English as a Second Language... a friend who lived there for a while.  

Uhm, I did.

Oh, said Alex.

I still giggle over the whole "spoiled rotten ASS brat" thing.