What's Been Happening...

So I know it's been ages since my last post. Some of you probably think I've died, or perhaps I've broken all my fingers and am unable to type, but the truth of the matter is, I've just been too lazy to wrote a post! I have a bad tendency of procrastinating my blogging until I eventually forget what's even happened that should be blogged about. I think I should be able to scrounge up a few things to entertain you guys though.

First off, last month Sam and I saw the Broadway production of The Lion King while it toured in Spokane, and it was amazing! I have wanted to see this show since I was 9 years old, and finally 10 years later, I was able to live my dream! Our seats were spectacular, considering they were the cheaper seats. We were right in the middle, nearer to the back, but still close enough that we never missed any of the action. The whole evening was perfect, we arrived a few hours early in order to be able to eat and ensure the fact that we would be able to get to our seats before the opening number. We ate at The Olive Garden, and I tried my first ever sample of their soups, and I'm glad I did! They had a Chicken Gnocchi stew that tasted just like a pot pie filling. It was delicious, and I would love to try making it myself one day. Supposedly Sam found a dumpling in her bowl, but mine was devoid of such delicacies. Next came the main course which consisted of Mushroom Ravioli for Sam and a Grilled Chicken Alfredo dish for me. Both were superb, but I barely had room for any of my alfredo (especially after a bowl of soup and 3 helpings of breadsticks between us!) so I ended up bagging most of my meal. Our server was really sweet as well, and I think he was giving us both the eye, which was understandable since we were both pretty dressed up.

After dinner it was time to head for the show. It was pretty cold outside, but the theatre wasn't too far away, and Downtown Spokane really is beautiful at night, especially walking past the carousel, and seeing the clock tower lit up. Reaching the theatre, posters teased us of the show to come. Nala, Rafiki, and people in gazelle costumes greeted us on the glass doors as we waited for the lobby to open. My dinner ended up leaking out of the box a bit, and soaking one corner of our bag, but not even that could ruin the anticipation of what lay ahead. (Don't worry, I still had plenty of leftovers to eat later!) Once the lobby opened we still had about 15 minutes before they would let people take their seats, so we decided to check out the shop in the meantime. There wasn't much there. The ornaments were tacky, the shirts were ugly, and the mugs weren't appealing either, but I did end up purchasing a program to the show which I don't regret for a minute. It was full of pictures from the show, and background information, and came with a separate sheet describing the actors who were to be in the show that night. They did have miniature ornaments of the African masks that Simba and Scar wore, which were pretty dang cool, but I didn't end up getting one, as they were $20 a piece.

Finally after about 10 more minutes they let us get seated. A large curtain hung across the stage, with African symbols marking it, and lit softly in warm yellows and oranges. The orchestra was tuning, and every now and then soft drumming could be heard. Tension was in the air as everyone waited for the show to begin. Finally, after what felt like an hour the lights fell, and the curtain rose. The silhouette of the woman playing Rafiki could be seen entering the stage. All at once a beautiful representation of an African sunrise lit the stage as Rafiki belted out "Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba!"
It was incredible. Sam and I sat stunned in our seats as Rafiki's beautiful voice permeated the air, and soon the animals began to enter down the isles. Actors operated the puppets with incredible ease. Giraffes (men on four stilts), cheetas, leaping gazelles, birds with wings that flapped as the actors raised and lowered their arms, rhinos, and an elephant with four operators (one in each leg) were among the crowd gathering for the Circle of Life.
The only way I can think of to describe how amazing this show was, is to show pictures. Rafiki and Zazu completely stole the show, and were without a doubt my favorite characters (which is odd, considering I didn't really like those characters in the movie).
It was over before I was ready. I'd love to see it again, but I'm afraid it'd have to wait until I travel to New York someday, as the tickets will be cheaper there. My favorite scenes include the moment right after Mufasa's death, as the lionesses are mourning, when Rafiki and young Nala perform a duet. That song was so beautiful. Another favorite would be the scene when Simba sees his father in the clouds. The imagery during that scene was so beautiful! Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of that scene online.

After the show I got to ride my first cab home! The fare wasn't too bad, although much more expensive than the bus. After getting home, I decided to look on ebay for a copy of the soundtrack, since the ones at the show were $20. I found one for $10 and upon getting it, I got a rather pleasant surprise. There was a ticket inside the jacket from the original owner's show back in 1998, so now I have two ticket souvenirs. I liked the singers at our show better than the ones on the cd, but that's usually how it goes isn't it? Anyway, ever since then I've had songs from the show stuck in my head, which isn't such a bad thing as long as I don't try to repeat any of the African words!

In other words, I've made a new friend! Jesse is the fry/grill cook at SFCC and we'd seen each other multiple times, but one day a similar taste in music brought us into a conversation, and ever since that day our friendship has bloomed. He's a great guy, and it's nice to have made a new friend. We saw Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day a week ago and it was amazing! It was incredibly funny, and even though the brothers both got 10 years older and a little fatter, they're both still hot! I missed seeing Willem Dafoe, as he was one of my favorite characters, but the woman they brought in to replace his role was fantastic. Her one-liners were part of what made the movie so memorable! I honestly can't decide whether I liked the 1st one or the 2nd one better. I'm looking forward to maybe seeing it again, since Sam hasn't yet seen it.

Thanksgiving was fun. Miya and Roy's new tv is awesome and huge! Watching Star Trek and Up was so incredible, everything was so sharp and defined! After playing video games on that large of a screen, no other tv will do! Miya made a delicious meal and seeing Roy's parents is always entertaining to say the least.

I just arrived in Chewelah yesterday, and am looking forward to Christmas, and dinner! I was hoping for a ham, but mom informed me that we would be having turkey. This will be the 3rd time in two months I've had turkey. It's a good thing I like turkey, ha ha! Oh well, I'm sure Sam will bring home leftovers from her ham Christmas dinner. I hope everyone else has a great Christmas, and gets where they're going safely. Merry Christmas everyone!

Fish!

This is so beautiful to watch. http://vimeo.com/channels/hd#5606758
I've never personally been to an aquarium before, but I'd love to go someday.

Memories of summer.

I always complain about my insomnia. I talk about how stressful it is to not be able to drift off. Lying in bed for hours, unable to stop the array of thoughts bombarding my head, but the truth is, I secretly love it. When I'm lying in bed, waiting for sleep to come, my brain is working at its best. These are the moments when I am most inspired, whether it's for a story, or a picture, or some personal aspect which affects me in my day to day life. Sometimes the things I see are frightening, other times they make me feel like crying for hours on end. But sometimes, I am able to recall the most wonderful memories, and these are the moments worth staying awake for a few extra hours. Tonight was one of those nights.

I've hardly spoken to anyone about the events of this last summer. I've kept most of my feelings to myself about what transpired, and so far I've been able to function just fine that way. This will be one of the first times I have ever divulged my experience.

As you all know, (at least, you should know) I've started working again. Since both of my jobs consist mainly in customer service, it's inevitable to find myself in the middle of a conversation with one of the customers. And what's the best conversation starter during this time of year? "How was your summer?" I cannot count the times I've been asked this, and each time I am filled with sadness as I remember the events which transipred. I simply tell them that my summer was alright, but don't give any more information than that. 9 times out of 10 the customer doesn't really care about your summer anyway, they just feel compelled to ask.

So, the point of this blog is, I've discovered that I've been focusing so much on how terrible my summer was, that I'd almost completely forgotten all of the wonderful things that happened. As I was laying in bed tonight I recalled the moment when Yancy, Leah, Jason, Shawna and I were all driving together, and we each took a turn picking a different song to sing along to. Despite our current situation, we were enjoying each other's company, and even though I didn't know some of the songs that were picked, it was still one the the best moments I can remember. I also recalled driving with dad, while he told me old stories about mom, and how she changed him into the man he is today. I didn't know about half of the things he'd said, and learning all of these new things about a woman I loved was something I'll never forget. I could recall sitting with Jason after everyone else was asleep while he told me about his childhood. I remember him teaching me new recipes which I still carry on making by the way. I remember playing War with Leah, and loving the fact that I had this chance to get to know her better. I remember mom demanding potato salad. I remember Miya introducing me to a new video game which consequently has started a whole new fandom for me. I remember sending those balloon messages off into the sky, and all of us standing there, waiting as a family until they disappeared from view. I remember watching Harry Potter with not only Miya and Roy, but also mom as well, and thoroughly enjoying it both times. So many wonderful things happened during that short period of time, and I've not even begun to list them all. If I tried, then this blog would be ridiculously long.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, this may have been one of the worst summers I've ever had; but in a way, it was also the best, because it brought us together as a family. I will never forget any of those moments, and I'm thankful for the chance I got to experience them. To my family, I love each and every one of you so much, and I'm forever grateful that I was lucky enough to be added to this particular family. I wouldn't trade you guys for anything.

New Job

Well, my first day was pretty boring. mainly consisted of filling out paperwork, and going through an online orientation. I'm guessing Saturday will be a bit funner since we'll actually be out on the floor. I was training with two other new boys, and they were pretty nice. The great thing about this job though is that we can wear normal clothes. We also get benefits too, although I'm not completely certain as to what that entails. We also get to check out 2 books each week to take home and read if we want, as long as there's multiple copies in the store. All in all, I think it's going to be an awesome place to work, and I'm glad I landed it.

First Day, and a Birthday!

Leaving for my first day of training in a half hour. Pretty nervous, but not too worried, after all it is just the first day. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday Shawna! Have a wonderful day!

Welcome to Borders!

Just got the call today, and I got the job! My training begins on Tuesday. Thank you everyone for the support and the prayers!

Things are turning around

Life seems to have taken a turn for the better. Our apartment complex is under new management again, and the new maintenance man came this morning to check up on all the things that need fixed in our apartment. It's too bad he had to see it in such disorder, but he was friendly enough regardless, and is coming back on Monday to fix some things.

On top of that, I've decided to work two jobs over Fall quarter, since I don't have enough money to attend classes. I've filled out a couple applications, and this morning I got a call from Borders Bookstore, and have an interview scheduled for Monday. Wish me luck guys!

Meet Tyler Durden

I've been having a bad week, and on top of everything else that's happened this summer, well let's just say I haven't been in the best of moods as of late. Anyway, as a present to myself I bought a new betta yesterday, since I still had leftover food from my last one. He's a nice addition to the home, cuz he's angsty too, so we all fit together! Sam and I decided to name him Tyler Durden, from Fight Club because he's so vicious! Actually he's only vicious when he eats, otherwise he's pretty nice, and likes to swim around a lot which is a nice improvement from my last betta who spent most of the time in one spot. He's been blowing bubbles all along the top of the water though, not quite sure what that means.

This is the clearest photo of him I could get.


This one is fuzzy, but it gives you a better view of how pretty his coloration is.

Creepy, you can see the reflection from my hands and camera in both these pics!

I want to kick financial aid in the face

SFCC is really stretching my last nerve. Not only do they continuously lose my financial aid paperwork, but when I give them more, they miraculously find something else I'm "missing". Of course they're kind enough to tell me about the "missing paperwork" AFTER the deadline, which means I once again won't be getting financial aid this quarter. At least my boss is still offering me a job, whether I have work study or not.

Klutz

So, I procrastinated all day on cleaning, and now I cut myself on the grater while doing the dishes. Karma much? Yes, I'd say so...

Wierd Videos for Bored People

The title says it all... Basically the first one is a guy impersonating a bunch of people which is pretty funny. The second one is "The Mean Kitty Song" which always gets stuck in my head. The last one is of a crazy bird which copies the sounds of practically everything it hears, including chainsaws and camera shutters! Enjoy!

Please send a prayer Sam's way

Sammy's had a really rough time. She's been feeling pretty nauseous lately, and last night it got really bad. She ended up going into the emergency room this morning, and they think she might have problems with her intestines, possibly even a disease. It'd mean a whole lot to both of us if you could all spare a moment in your prayers for her. We're both hoping that this will just turn out to be nothing, but we won't know until she has a few more tests done. Thanks everybody!

The troubles with having large breasts...

So this morning was going brilliantly. The sun was shining, the birds were singing (at least, the angry little fluffball inside my room was squeaking pretty loud!). I took a nice shower, and decided to wear one of my favorite shirts from Threadless. After I'd put it on however, I came to a rather unhappy realization.

The seams along the sides have holes in them because apparently my boobs have become to massive for my poor shirt to hold them in. I didn't even know a shirt could get holes in it because of that, I just figured you wouldn't be able to pull it down all the way! My poor shirt!

Anyway, I'm rather upset now. Even if I do sew the holes back up, I'd be afraid to wear this shirt anymore because it'd probably just happen again. Why must the girls in our family be cursed with big boobs!?

People are strange, and by "strange", I mean downright rude.

The title says it all. Every now and then, as I'm walking through town, or waiting for a bus, I overhear people's conversations. It's not that I'm being nosy (well, that may be part of it! ^_^), it's just that most of the people in Spokane are such loud talkers anyway, that I figure, why shouldn't I listen?

Anyway, the conversation I heard today really bothered me. I was waiting at a bus stop outside the mall, and a couple came in to sit inside the shelter with me. The girl promptly began telling her boyfriend (I'm assuming they were together, since they were holding hands, but what do I know?) about how she always invites people (mainly boys) over to her house without warning, and how much it pisses her mom off (I guess she still lives with her mom, even though this girl looked to be about 25.). She began listing off names of people she's brought over to the house, and how most of them ended up staying for several nights, despite her mom's displeasure. Worst of all, they all slept with this girl in her bedroom at night, on a tiny twin bed (she didn't go into detail of what events took place, thank goodness!).

It just appalled me how this girl seemed to go out of her way to make her mother upset, and found humor in doing so. Sure I had my fair share of arguments with parents growing up, but I never deliberately tried to piss them off. It makes me grateful that I've been blessed with such a wonderful family! I love you guys!

Happy Birthday Sammy!

Sam just turned 19 yesterday! Her mom came up to celebrate with us, and we had a pretty fun day. Poor Sammy had to work on her b-day, but only until 12, so we still had plenty of time for festivities!

Since we rarely get to spend any time outside (other than waiting for the bus) Sammy decided that she wanted to go on an outdoor adventure on the big day. We went down to the Spokane River, out in the middle of the woods and walked all along the pathways. It was so nice! There's a bridge that feels like it's moving as you walk across it, yikes! (Although Sam's mom made it sound much scarier than it really was!) Of course I fell on my butt on one of the trails. I'm already uncoordinated on a level surface, so when you combine it with loose rocks, raised tree roots, and a steep incline, bad things happen!

The weather was wonderful though! Sunny, but with a cool breeze. It began to rain a little later, but by then we were already on our way back. We ate at Sonics (delicious!) and stopped by the store to get a cheesecake (again, delicious!) and soon me and Sam were settled down with our cake, and watched "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist". Sammy's mom had to leave, but we still had a nice time relaxing.

Anyone up for a swim?

That's quite a bridge!!

Sammy looking cute, while I just look strange...

They're so adorable! (That's the place where I fell down by the way!)

Aww!

Apparently I don't do well in nature!

That was such a cool looking tree!

Sammy and da momma!

Sammy flashing people on the mountain!

That tree got a lot of love!

Sammy, the conqueror of rocks!

MUSCLE WOMAN!!

The intricate placing of the candles

Fire!

Someone call the fire department!

Time to feast!

Licking the candles

Do You Realize That You Have Porn On Your Floor?

That statement really was told to me, if you can believe it!

Before I explain, lately people have been complaining that I never update my blog (*cough* "Shawna" *cough*). Well, I'm sure it will be a tremendous shock to you all that nothing really very exciting ever happens to me. How can this be? Well, I wake up, perhaps play a bit of a video game, go to school, go to work, come home, do homework, greet my tired and cranky roommate when she gets home from work, and then I go to bed. My life rarely changes, and when it does, it's rarely significant enough to tell everyone about. Sure, I could come up with things to tell you all about, but they'd probably be boring as hell, so I just thought I'd spare you all from the torture!

Anyway, on to the amusing part of this post. A few weeks ago I was at work when a lady came in for a coffee. As I was making it, she calmly informed me that there was porn on my floor. At first I thought maybe I hadn't heard her correctly, but she went on to say "Ya, there's boobs on the floor!" Sure enough, when she bent down and picked up the object to prove her point I saw that it was a tiny, double-sided, piece of cardstock with porn on it! It must have fallen out of someone's pocket, or their wallet when they came up to the counter to get coffee. I'm sure someone is missing it dearly, since the creases on it clearly showed that it had been loved.

The one question I can come up with in this whole situation is, why do the women in porn always look so gross? I guess it's not their looks that count, but I just don't understand why at least a few of them couldn't look normal...

Anyway, that's about it for excitement. Belle's still doing fine, although she's constantly convinced that she doesn't get enough love!


She's obese, ha ha!

She's made a new friend, and they match, cuz they're both fat!

She looks so pleased with herself! That's me she's laying on by the way! (I just realized that there's two "Belle's" in this photo, cuz Sammy has a Beauty and the Beast pillowcase!

I Could Never Live On My Own

I've recently realized just how much I appreciate having a roommate. Of course I miss Sam whenever we're separated, but it's usually me who's gone while she stays home. Now, I'm in her place while she's visiting her mom during our Spring Break. Man, I really miss her! It's different when she's just gone to work, because I know she'll be back later in the evening. It feels so weird to sleep in an empty apartment.

It's strange because I do all of the same things that I do when she's here, but it all seems just a little more pointless without someone else to share it with. Am I just being a sissy? Regardless, I can't wait till she gets home. It's a good thing I have Belle here with me, she keeps me company! Although, she's suddenly decided that 4 in the morning is a great time to tear around the house meowing like crazy! Sometimes she can be a stinker, but she makes up for it in cuteness!

Yarn Giveaway!

Fellow blogger "whiletheyplay" is giving away her yarn stash which she regrettably found out that she's allergic to. Follow the url http://whiletheyplay.blogspot.com/2009/03/destash-giveaway.html in order to be entered into her drawing. If you write a blog about it, you name will be entered an extra two times!

A New Blog!

Just so you guys know, I started a new blog. This one is a dream diary, where I'll be posting all the strange, random things I dream about. The dreams that are written there right now are from a year ago, but I'll keep updating it, and eventually it'll be current! So, if anyone's interested, here's the url: http://usualgirl.blogspot.com/

My Dreams Have Been Crushed

As I'm sure all of you know, it has been a lifelong ambition of mine to one day become a famous rapper. Today, I thought I could make that dream a reality, but as it turns out I was met with disappointment.

I bought Singstar Pop for Sammy as an early birthday present, and when it arrived we promptly wasted the entire day playing it! For those of you who don't know, this is a sort of karaoke game where you're judged on your singing. One of the songs on this game is "Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz. Both me and Sam love this band, and the song, so we decided to give it a try. I soon found out that I was rubbish at rapping, as my scores continued to drop the further I went along. The only way I was able to save myslef was by excelling at the actual singing parts (which I kicked butt on by the way!) The great thing about this game is that it tells you how you're doing with each line that you sing. The things it tells you varies from "Good", "Okay", to "Awful". Apparently the game felt the need to dub my intese rapping skills as "Awful". My overall score ended up being "Hopeful".

So, I'm sorry to say that, you probably won't see me owning the back alleys with my sweet skills, since it seems that I don't have them. Somehow I'll have to find some way to get over this major dissapointment. I guess I'll just have to find a new career path!

This was actually really fun, although I wasted like, a half an hour doing it! You can make one here: http://www.cpbintegrated.com/theherofactory/

What Lucie Needs...

Go to your favorite search engine, type in your first name and the word "needs"...write down 10 of the "statements" that come up.

1. Lucie needs some splainin (Sounds like a highly overused joke I've heard...)

2. Lucie needs to stop (Stop what? I haven't done anything, I swear!)

3. Lucie needs a nap after morning outdoors (Goodness knows, that's the truth!)

4. Lucie needs to buy just 10 lots to widen Becker (What's "Becker"?)

5. Lucie needs better priorities (Yes, I know...)

6. Lucie needs programs to develop job skills (Apparently I'm not good enough yet!)

7. Lucie needs to be found. (I didn't realize I was lost!)

8. Lucie needs to develop a sexual relationship with Daniel (I'd rather not, if I can avoid it...)

9. Lucie needs to release a studio version of this! (I'll get right on that)

10. Lucie needs your help asap!! ( so help me dang it!)

New Member of the Family

This is the newest member of our family! Her name is Belle, me and Sam just adopted her from the Humane Society on Valentines Day. She's such a little lovebug! I've never met a cat who purred so easily!

It was really difficult for us to only pick one kitty to take home that day, there were too many cute ones! It was nice though, because the Humane Society was doing a holiday deal where all the kitties who were over a year old had their adoption fees waived (Belle's 4 years old), so we only had to pay $20 for her license. She's really adapted to her new home! The minute we let her loose in the house, she walked around like she owned the place. I was really surprised, since I figured that any cat we would adopt would have a hard time trusting us, or feeling safe in a new environment, but she immediately bonded with me and Sam. She acts like she's been living with is for years!

She's really fat! Her tummy basically drags on the ground when she walks, which doesn't really make sense since she doesn't eat all that much. I guess it's just cuz she's really lazy (she fits right in!), her day mainly consists of watching birds eat on the patio, laying under the couch (her favorite hiding spot!), and making good use of a lap when it's available! I'm really glad we picked her, she fits in with us so perfectly!

In other news, me and Sam saw Coraline last weekend with a couple of our friends. It was really good, and worth seeing, but I enjoyed the book better (it's written by Niel Gaiman, one of my favorite authors!). They changed the story a bit to make it less frightening, and added a new character, but I'll still be getting it when it comes out on dvd.

I was really sick yesterday, and the night before. I'm on the recovery end now, but I definitely do not want to experience anything like that ever again! I think it was the worst I've ever been sick in my entire life! (I hope that last sentence made sense!)

Anyway, It's 9:50 now, and I told myself that I'm going to school tomorrow, no matter what (I skipped today and yesterday since I wasn't feeling well) so I'm off to bed. Hope everyone is doing well, and sorry for not posting anything in such a long time!

Pay It Forward

Okay, This is in response to Shawna's posting.

Here's the deal. The first three people to post a comment get a prize, from me, to be sent without warning anytime between now and the end of the year...and it could be absolutely anything (hence the fun!). The catch is this: first you have to post the same "deal" on your blog and THEN you get to leave a comment telling me you're in.

Sounds interesting, I guess I'll give it a try!

Just Try To Tell Me They Aren't Gay For Each Other!

This video always makes me giggle!

Sorry for there being two videos! The second one is higher quality.

How Much Can One Little Bird Eat?

Goodness gracious, the birds just started coming yesterday, and the birdfeeder's already 3/4 of the way empty! Luckily they haven't been pooing on the patio though, I guess they have some manners!

New Job and a Birdie Parade!

I finally found a job, yay! Well, technically it's only a part-time job, since it's through the work-study program at school and they only allow you to work a majority of 19 hrs a week. So, I'll have to find another part-time job to work on the side, but at least I have something now! I'm working on the kitchen (hmmm this sounds a lot like highschool and the cafeteria job...) so I'll mainly be prepping food, but my boss said that the current barista will be leaving next quarter, so once he's gone, I'll probaby be able to get his job! I was supposed to start working on Friday, but the Head of Emplyment lady wasn't in her office, so she couldn't sign my work-study papers, but hopefully she'll be there on Monday.

In other news, I got a birdfeeder about a week ago (a late christmas present from mom, along with a new cell phone! Thanks mom!) and hung it out on the patio but was dissapointed when, day after day, no birds arrived to claim a free meal. I soon realized that their "hang out" spot was in the back of our apartment building, since there's a few bushes back there, and not as many people walk by. I was beginning to consider leaving a trail of food leading from their bushes to my patio, but decided against it. Finally today they came, and boy was there a lot of them! One bird must've discovered it, and then told all his little friends cuz there were tons of them out there fighting for a spot! The ones who couldn't fit on the feeder itself simply waitied down below for the other birds to fling out some seeds for them. They were so adorable! I'm afraid I may have embarrassed Sam because I made such a big deal about finally seeing birds on our patio. I can't help it, I get excited when I see animals, it always makes me happy! Heck, I freak out when a squirrel runs by while we're walking on campus! Maybe something's wrong with me!

What An Adventurous Day

Well, I thought things would be a bit easier today since we'd had one day already to catch up; but boy was I wrong! We had even more homework tonight than last night. I'm so glad me and Sam decided not to take our Health and Fitness class. We've got so much work to do from the 3 classes that we have now, that I don't think we could handle a fourth!

I've never come across so many problems with the bus system in one day! Me and Sam missed the 7:00 Division bus this morning, but there was another one that goes right in front of our apartment which was meant to arrive around 7:15. Well, we waited until 7:30, and when it didn't arrive, we decided to go down the street and wait for the next Division bus which was meant to arrive at 7:36. We got about 2/3 of the way down the street when lo and behold, the 7:15 bus we'd been waiting for all this time decided to finally show up! We turned around and ran back to the bus stop in time to catch it, and were finally on our way to school! Things went fine for a while, but as we were trying to turn onto a cross street, we got stuck; and I mean STUCK! The driver tried multiple times to get us out, (it felt like we were on the ocean with the way the bus was rocking back and forth) but to no avail. He even asked everyone to move to the back to see if that would help, but finally he had to resort to calling a tow truck. I must say, it was kindof exciting, I've never been towed before! Anyway we missed our entire first class. I feel really bad since we were late to his class yesterday too! Thankfully he's a super nice teacher, and very forgiving!

That's not all either, there's much more! On the way home from school the bus was so full that the bus driver had to deny some of the passengers from boarding! Me and Sam were stuck having to stand, and hung on to the handrails for dear life all the way to the plaza! We made a couple friends though as we struggled to keep from falling on our neighbors!

Walking Sam to work today I was amazed at how rude some of the drivers were on the road. I think it's safe to say that Spokane drivers couldn't care less about pedestrians! The entire city is a huge lake, and me and Sam got sprayed by passing cars on more than one occasion! The funny thing was, it almost seemed like a few of the drivers sped up when they passed by us. Do they see this as some kind of sport or something? 50 points if you can completely soak the pedestrian on the side of the street? Anyway, even without speeding cars me and Sam got our fair share of waterlogged shoes just from walking through all the puddles (or should I say "ponds", since puddles are usually small) since nobody shovels the sidewalks. Lets just say, I'll be happy when winter is finally over. All I want to do right now is curl up under a blanket and hibernate!

I'm So Tired!

Two updates in as many days! This must be a miracle right? Well, I survived the first day of winter quarter. Me and Sam got barely any sleep last night because we were both too anxious about the day ahead. That, on top of getting up at 6:30, on top of loads of homework, equals major fatigue! Our first class doesn't start until 8:30, but in order for us to get to class on time we had to take the 7:00 bus, which still made us a few minutes late for class! I must say though, the college is much less intimidating now that I've already spent some time there.

Me and Sam are enrolled in a Learning Community class, which basically means that two of our classes are combined into one (for those of you who didn't know). The classes are English 111 (Intro to Lit) and Sociology 175. This class is so much work! Especially considering the fact that school was delayed for a day because of the weather, so our teachers for those classes decided to catch up on our homework all at once! Tomorrow shouldn't be so bad though, since we'll be on schedule again. Our classroom has HUMONGOUS windows! I had to make sure that I sat with my back to them, because otherwise I'd never pay attention, especially since we're on the 3rd floor so we get a great view of the college campus.

Turns out that I did get financial aid this quarter, so that means I can stay in school! Hurray! The lines all around school were soooooo long! Me and Sam tried to get into the bookstore so we could get the books we needed for our homework tonight (since the teachers gave us homework right away, we don't have time to wait for our textbooks to arrive in the mail) and we probably spent about 45 min in total just getting 2 books and a couple rulers. Not to mention, on the way home the Division bus was really delayed. We waited for half an hour before it finally showed up. It really sucks not having a car, but with the conditions of the roads right now I suppose we're safer riding the bus.

Anyways, I gotta go pick up all my laundry that's hanging around the house. The dryers in the laundryroom never dry our clothes colmptely so me and Sam end up having to drape them all over the house! Plus, poor Sammy is cleaning the entire kitchen by herself, so I should save her from her torment. Our kitchen is filthy!

Long Update

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't really been keeping in touch lately. There's been quite a bit going on, getting ready for school to start and such. Tomorrow will be the first day of winter quarter, and none of our textbooks have arrived yet. They should get here soon, but hopefully they won't be delayed too long.

We were finally able to open out mailbox today! For those of you who don't know, for about 2 weeks me and Sam have been unable to check our mail. We lost the key, and when we finally acquired a new one, we had to wait for the landlord's assistant (the real landlord is hardly ever there) to tell the maintenance men to change the lock. Once the lock was changed, the key wouldn't turn in it (surprise surprise) so we spent the better part of a week trying to find out if the lock was frozen, or if they key simply didn't match the lock. Finally, we got sick of the girl in the office telling she would do all she could to help, and then not not acting on her words, so we called the maintenance men ourselves. They were extremely helpful, and looked at the lock right away, and then were kind enough to call us back and tell us what the problem was. It turns out, the lock wasn't frozen, there was just too much mail in there, and it was preventing the key from turning! They told us that they would inform the postman when he arrived, and would keep our mail in the office for us to pick up. Well, they didn't put the mail in the office, but when we went to check the box today, it opened and a bunch of Christmas cards and college letters came spilling out! I think from now on me and Sam won't even bother the landlord with our problems, we'll just go straight to the maintenance boys, they seem much more reliable!

It was nice to finally get our mail, but I recieved some bad news in it. Apparently my financial aid has been put on probation or something like that, so tomorrow when I get to school I need to talk to the F.A. office and see if they're still going to pay for my classes this quarter. If not, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to drop my classes, because there's no way I'll be able to pay for them on my own.

Well, that's about all for now. I need to keep cleaning, the house is still a complete mess from the aftermath of our New Years Party (which actually turned into more of a sleepover rather than a party since only 3 people showed up) so I need to finish that up before I go to bed. Wish me luck for tomorrow. Good night everyone!

P.S. I absolutely hate winter. The skin on my face has been getting really dry. It's red and itchy in a couple places too. I'm using a ton of lotion everyday, but it barely helps. I'm actually surprised that my hands aren't in worse condition. They usually get pretty bad around this time of year.