Good advice

If you lean down to take candy out of a bowl outside someone's door, make sure your head is a good half a foot away from the wall when you stand up straight again, or else you might just introduce the back of your head to the corner of a plastic wall box.

And let me tell you, that is not a pleasant introduction.

Thoughts on a Monday night

My computer has been so hot lately. And running rather slowly, especially when I first bring it back up after I've been away for awhile, or after it's been on standby all night. Right now explorer.exe seems to be taking up some memory or whatever, but I'm not quite sure what that is. Internet explorer? I definitely don't have that up, as I'm a converted Firefox girl for a year and a half now. I'm tempted to close it, whatever it is, but I'm worried it's something that's actually pertinent to what I have open. Hm. All I know is I don't likes my computer being like this.

I'm very very frustrated about something. It's nothing new, either, and I've been frustrated about it for quite some time. And the really annoying thing is I can't logically get mad at anyone about it. Although I have. Doesn't do any good though. Nothing does. And that's why it's frustrating.

Lilacs are finally blooming. I love it. Twice today, perhaps more, I've slightly altered my path so that I can get closer to one of the lilac trees, I think found only on God Quad in a few different spots. As I feel odd going up to one and just sniffing, I try to make it less obvious. But I do love me some lilacs. mmm.

I wore a skirt today, as it was just lovely out, but unfortunately -- and I knew this would happen -- I was cold in most of my lovely air-conditioned classrooms. I had anticipated this, and brought a zip-up hoodie with me, but it didn't match what I was wearing at all, and I was annoyed that I had to wear it at all. There's no point in dressing for the weather when you're going to be cooped up in cold classrooms all day long, but when the cold season has been as long as this year's has been, I'm sick of the cold-weather clothes, and I want to wear some of the summer ones. Hence, once again, I hate air conditioning.

(Oh, and another bad thing about today's outfit -- I wore one of the pairs of sandals I got a week or so before Easter. I've worn them before, and of course gotten blisters, and of course I got more today. Lots more. I don't think I can wear sandals ever anymore without getting blisters. I don't know what it is. Oh well. Such is life. I can deal with it.)

I can't wait to get home, for one specific reason: Chiropractic care. Ahhhhh. My back started bothering me today while I was running, and it now seems to have worked out whatever kinks were going on there, but it just reminded me how nice it feels to have weekly chiropractic visits. I highly highly recommend it.

I officially now am down to $6.15 in flexpoints. Which means that, for the next 11 days, I have only $6 left. Well, before I have to start paying with real money. That's just like two Starbucks drinks, or a few trips to the Huddle for some junk food, or maybe one Subway meal. Not that I go to Subway very often here. It's weird, though. I think this is the first semester since I've been here that I'll run out of flexpoints before the end, at which point I normally just burn through whatever I have left on random candy and chips and soda. Luckily I have a couple friends who still have tons, so I'll probably end up just mooching off of them, and I have about $17 in Domer Dollars that I can theoretically use. I have to make sure I have enough to do one more round of laundry (have to do that soon), and then another so I can wash my sheets before packing them and putting them in storage. Domer Dollars do carry over into next year and whatnot, so I could/should just save them and have some to use next year before I have to put more on (I mostly just ever use it for laundry. And lately, for buying myself a Mountain Dew from a Debartolo vending machine right before my long Monday/Wednesday class, in an attempt to keep my increasingly sleep-deprived self awake in a class that I've had trouble staying fully awake in all semester), but yeah. We'll see.

I don't know.

I'm frustrated with life right now. (Shocking, I know. I'm sure you couldn't tell from recent "woe is me" entries.) I don't see a way out of the frustration, either, other than pushing through and just...getting to the next thing. Know what'd be wonderful? To have something fantabulous happen. I don't know what, but something. I mean, I know, I have a pretty good life in general, and I make it worse than it has to be because of my extreme and utter lack of motivation ALL THE TIME, but...sometimes you just need something to help give you a little push, I think. I mean, I guess I did get my ring last week (and I was only supposed to be getting it tomorrow), and I do love it so very much, and it does still make me happy to look at. So I guess that's something. I don't know.

I need to stop thinking, and start getting to work again. If I just sat down and wrote these stupid things, I'm sure they wouldn't take me that long. Particularly the film one. I just drag the whole process out by my tendency to wander and get bored and distracted. I should probably work on that. Like five years ago. Ah well. We can't all be successes at school.

Timeless

I was looking through some of the youtube clips of Fred and Ginger dances (yeah, yeah, I have two papers due Wednesday, so what), and man all I want to do now is watch their movies. Especially Swing Time and Shall We Dance. And the others. Dude. That's some good stuff. How could you watch them and not be happy? I mean, they're completely ridiculous and improbable plots for the most part, but they're just so fun. Lots of movies today seem to be so dark and negative and quite the opposite of the type of movie that was churned out during the height of the musical genre. I'm sure there were dark, depressing movies then, and I know that there's lighthearted movies today, but whatever, I'm generalizing, ok? Anyway. Fred and Ginger rock together. And that's all there is to it. Oh, and I didn't realize how many very well-known songs come from their movies. Like "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Cheek to Cheek," "Pick Yourself Up," "Night and Day," etc. All those lovely Gershwin songs. Well, Cheek to Cheek was Berlin, and Night and Day was Cole Porter. But still. Good stuff.

Aw

I just got all excited because the thought came to me that I should look up and see if New England plays at the Colts next season at all. Because, you know, Indianapolis is kind of close to here. And indeed, they are. So I went to look up tickets. This one place I looked, I don't know if it's the general ticket prices or what, but the cheapest that you could get were $200 each. That's a bit ridiculous and quite out of my price range. Assuming, you know, that I don't suddenly come into a whole freaking lot of money within the next few months. Which is highly unlikely. And improbable. But wouldn't it be amazing? ... (This is when anyone who's reading this who happens to be sitting on a huuuuge amount of money decides to be nice and buy me some NFL tickets. Or just send me some money. Either way.)

Anyway. So that's not going to happen any time soon I guess. But the good news of the day, which did really quite make my day sort of, was just now, I did a search on youtube for the dance sequence I have to analyze for one of my papers, the one I was going to have to go to the library to watch. And guess what? It's on youtube! I had done a search a few weeks ago for it, but didn't find it, but now there's one, and it's lovely. Because now I don't have to go to the library. Exxxxxxxcelent. (Although, one thing to be said about going to the library -- you can have quite a lovely view of the basilica and dome, especially if you're on like the 12th or so floor, which happens to be the floor I visit most frequently because that's where the church-related books and such are found. And the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy. Which is a pretty cool place. Actually I've only spent time in their library, and it was only last week, but it seemed pretty cool. I enjoyed it. Oh right, and the best view of the basilica and dome? Around sunset. Right now, a little after nine. When the sky's turning dark, but there's still some orange from the setting sun in the background. It's quite lovely to see. One of these days I'll go up there around that time of day and take a picture, because I want to, because it's so pretty.) Anyway. That was my small victory of the day. Not really a victory though, because I didn't do it. Go watch it though, as it's lovely. I really like that movie. I had never seen a Fred Astaire or Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie before this class, and I think I definitely need to check out more. Because I quite liked that one. I'm such a sucker for old musicals. Much better stuff than most of the drivel people make nowadays. Haha. Anyway.

So, I'm looking forward to Wednesday night. It's not like I'll be done at that point, obviously, since I'll still have a paper to write for Friday, but at least it'll be a nice respite. I don't think I'm working Thursday (hopefully not), because I have a review session from 1-3 in the afternoon, which falls in the middle of my 2-4 shift. So I requested a sub. We'll see if I get one or not. Plus, Wednesday night means Lost. Which is awesome. We might go to eat at...what's it called...Famous Dave's on Wednesday. Or Thursday. Not sure. Hm maybe Thursday would be fun -- we could have a late dinner and go to the theater straight from there. I guess it depends how early we want to get to the theater. It's a good thing that my Friday paper only has to be 4 pages (I think it's like 4-6 or something), because 4 pages is much more manageable than 6. Still will be interesting trying to get it all done Friday before 5pm though...hm. Maybe I'll manage to get some done before we go out Thursday night, whenever we go out. Anyway. It'll just be nice to finish with classes and such. Although it's hard to believe that we're already almost done with classes for the semester. I don't know how that happened. And how is it already almost May? That's just redonculous. Seriously.

Ok. More working on paper time. I have not been nearly as productive as hoped today. But that comes as no surprise to me. (Nor should it to anyone who reads this.)

Maybe I'll surprise myself and get a good chunk on either, or both, done tonight. Yeah. That's likely.

Maybe I could get used to this

Yesterday Caitlin and I did the 20 minute run thing. I don't think I've ever run for 20 minutes before. Maybe on a treadmill or something, a couple of times. Maybe. I've done the elliptical for more than 20 minutes continuously, I do know that. But yeah. It was interesting. The last five minutes were rather torturous, mostly because I was having trouble breathing because my throat's been iffy the past couple days. I think I probably was having some nice mucous buildup which was making it hard to breath. (Lovely, eh?) Anyway though, we made it, and didn't die along the way. And I actually didn't feel too bad, either, once I was able to breath normally again. My legs and everything were fine, and I'm not sore today. So that's good. Running that long kind of sucks, and it's rather boring too, but oh well. It's good for me I suppose.

Occasionally

I just saw a really cool commercial. There are a few of those out there, amidst the many many commercials which cause me to be a muter. It was a car commercial, I think for Jetta, and from what I saw (with the sound off, of course), it was a bunch of cars going around in a circle playing musical chairs. Except instead of chairs, it's parking spots. I guess I just like it because it's fairly original and witty. It's not spectacular or anything, but it's nice to have a few commercials here and there that make me laugh or smile. Or at least feel happy things, instead of "Commercials are the lowest point of society." Ok that's an exaggeration. But anyway. Whatever.

I'm tired. So leave me alone.

Hodgepodge, again.

This is a good recap of yesterday's football action, with a couple of interesting articles. I am glad that Brady got to go to a team that he really wanted to go to (I always wonder what it's like, when you're a football player, to be picked by a team that perhaps you grew up hating. I guess maybe they just want to be picked, regardless of where). Anyway. Probably because of all the football talk yesterday, I keep half-expecting to have an NFL game to watch this afternoon. Of course I don't, though, and it's quite sad.

I was reading something about the Pope's new book, which I believe is called Jesus of Nazareth, and I decided that I really want to read it. It's not out in English until May 15 I believe, and as I don't know German, Italian, or...Polish, I think is the other, I'll have to wait until then. Not that I'd have time to read it between now and then anyway. So yeah. Looking forward to that. I hope I have lots of chances to read this summer. I miss reading. I used to read so much more. I remember going to the library, browsing the shelves for hours, and coming out with 10 or 15 books a visit. I don't think I ever read all the books I rented, but I did read a number of them. I don't do that anymore. Normally I just find the books online and reserve them there so that I just have to go in to the holds section of the library once they're in, find them, check them out, and leave. Usually takes less than 5 minutes when I do that. Hm.

Know what's nice? That just-shaved feeling. Much preferable to stubble.

Ok so today I will work on essays. I think I'm going to get the tougher of the two Wednesday ones first, because the way I am that might be easier (assuming I can get it done before Tuesday). Then hopefully I won't be up as late Tuesday night doing the easier one. Of course, that second one does require me to go to the library for probably an hour, so I can watch the dance scene I'm analyzing. But that's ok. I might try to do that tomorrow, probably after the movie screening. Hopefully she doesn't see it necessary to force us to stay longer by making us watch cartoons beforehand like she always does, but I'm sure she will. I just hope it doesn't take too long, whatever she makes us watch. The AV desk is open until 10pm, and if we can get out of the screening at 9, that'd work pretty well. I don't think it'll take me an hour to get what I need for the paper, so yeah. Anyway.

I still really wish I could get the Homeward Bound soundtrack somewhere. (It's on TV right now, and I only noticed because I was looking to see if the Red Sox-Yankees game is on TV. It's not. Sadly.) Oh well.

I tripped going up the stairs today. The last step. I just kind of stubbed my toe on the edge, like I didn't get my foot up high enough. It kinda hurt my toe a lot, and I now have a blood blister thing on it. As if my feet and toes aren't ugly and blistered enough. Poor me.

Ok. Going to start working now, I swear.

Speaking of football

While watching the draft today (and after being separated from the situation for a few hours, I'm less mad at Cleveland -- they did give up a lot to get Brady, even as low in the first round as it was. They still suck a little bit though. And poor Bethany apparently has to root against Brady on principle now, because she just hates Cleveland and that's all there is to it), I realized something. I really really really want to go to a professional football game. The only professional game I've ever been to was a Rockies game. Actually, I've been to two Rockies games. One was their first season, when they played at Mile High Stadium, and I barely remember it. Don't remember most, really, other than the fender-bender we got into on our way there. The other was 5th grade when my choir sang the national anthem at the Rockies game, after they had gotten their own stadium and whatnot. Thing I remember most about that one was the drive home, when I had a headache and heard Hanson for the first time on the radio. And definitely thought they were a bunch of girls before the radio people said who it was. So yeah. I've never been to a professional game that actually mattered to me. So here's two more life goals for me to add to whatever list I might have. I want to go to an NFL game. Preferably one involving the Patriots. I wouldn't mind seeing Denver. But yeah. That. And I want to go to a Red Sox game. At Fenway Park. And it'd be nice if it were against the Yankees, but I'm not picky, especially as that's a hard goal to achieve since I live nowhere near Fenway Park at the moment. Who knows where life will take me, but as of right now I can't imagine it taking me out there. Well, I can imagine it, I just don't know why it would. So anyway. There you go.

Oh. And Red Sox, after beating the Yankees 11-4 in New York yesterday, lost to them today (in New York) 3-1. Which both breaks the 4-game winning streak Red Sox had going against the Yankees, as well as breaking the Yankees 7 (or 8 or something) game losing streak in general, against everyone. Oh well. Red Sox are still doing well. And the Yankees will perpetually suck, no matter their record.

Oh, AND, I really miss football. Really really really really really miss it. Watching it, being at the games, whatever. I love football. I'm kinda obsessed. Sucks to be obsessed with something you can only get a few months of the year. Sigh. At least liking the NFL now helps elongate the football season. Especially when a team I like, or at least can root for, goes far in the playoffs. Yeah. I miss football though. I'm so sad that this is my last year in the stadium, as a student anyway. Who knows when I'll be able to come back after this year. Quite sad. I'll just have to enjoy it as much as possible. And so, obviously, I hope we blow everyone out of the water this season. Even though we're not projected to be wonderful. Not horrible, either, but not top-tier caliber. But who knows what'll happen. No one. Twill be exciting, that's for sure.

So there you go.

So, we have to sign up for finals shifts next week at work, and we also sign up for next semester's shifts at that point. Normally, the way they've done it is those who haven't missed any shifts all semester (not including getting subs) get to go on the first day of sign ups, and those who have go on the second day. And they've also taken place early in the morning (like, 7am early). So as not to interfere with people's schedules I suppose. This semeter, they're doing it at 1pm next Tuesday. For everyone. Which sucks because that means I have to compete with more people to get good shifts. And it also sucks because I happen to work 12-4 on Tuesdays. Hopefully I can go over and sign up during my shift, during a non-busy part or something, but yeah. It's annoying. And I haven't decided how much to work next semester. On the one hand, I need money. I always need money. And my dad's been really good at making me feel guilty about not working every possible minute I can. (I mean, he doesn't say "You should be working more hours," or anything like that, but he's the type of person that would work as much as possible, and I know he doesn't really so much get why I wouldn't want to do that.) And as it is right now, I only work 8 hours a week. It seems like a lot, that I work four shifts, because most who work at the Huddle only have like one or two shifts a week, not four. But 8 hours isn't a lot. But, when working eight hours in addition to 17 or 20 credits, it might get a bit annoying. If I want to have any time to relax or have fun, that is. And I do. So I don't know how much to work next semester. But I have to figure it out soon. I don't know when I want to work, either. I mean, MWF I don't start until 12:50 next semester, so I could do a shift there, but the point was so that I wouldn't be going all day long like I do this semester. Adding two hours in front of my schedule would defeat that purpose slightly. Working weekends sucks, too. As does working nights. So...I don't know. I have to work, that's for sure, because I'm not going to be getting much money this summer (so frustrating, the lack of my ability to get a good job with good hours and good pay this summer, thanks to my need to have to do summer classes, which also sucks). I wish I didn't have to though. Why don't I have some long-lost rich uncle who just wants to give me money? Or pay for my tuition? Or why can't I just win the lottery already? (Well, that one's easy. It's because I don't play. I'm holding out for the perfect time, because I want the first time I play lottery to be the time I win. Haha. That's my master plan.) It's not like I'm not doing anything. I'm going to Notre Dame. Not exactly a slacker school (which makes it questionable as to why I ever got in, but that's another subject).

Oh well.

I'll figure it out.

NFL Draft

Never did I think that I would have had to wait over four hours today to see Brady get picked in the draft. It started at noon. I figured I'd be done watching shortly thereafter -- long enough for the first three or so teams to pick, as it was widely speculated that Brady would get picked by Cleveland who got the third pick. Well, they didn't pick him. The next most likely team to take him was Miami, number 9, and they picked Ted Ginn Jr. Surprised absolutely EVERYONE. Including and especially the commentators. Why Miami, who apparently needs and wants a QB, didn't pick a QB like Brady is pretty much beyond most people's comprehension. Whatever. Fast forward to number 22, which was supposed to be Dallas. I was kind of excited as they were saying that it was a possibility Dallas would take him, since Romo isn't exactly a fixture there yet, and he doesn't even have a long-term contract at the moment, etc. And I like Dallas and tend to root for them anyway, so it'd make me really happy if Brady went there. But then all of a sudden there was a trade, and Cleveland had traded for the 22nd pick. So that they could get Brady. They wanted him all along, they just didn't want to pay that much for him. At least that's how I'm looking at it. They waited until they could pay lots less. It's crap. I mean, I'm glad someone finally took him, and I think he had wanted to go to Cleveland and such, but still. They suck. Stupid Cleveland. I wouldn't be mad at them had they taken him initially. But they didn't. And so they suck.

Normal people who were in my exact situation would have had this essay written last week. I really should have done that. And I knew it, too. But for some reason I'm completely not normal in that way, and so here I am, up this late trying to get it done, already faced with the likely fact that I'm not going to be turning in an assignment tomorrow for the first time all semester. Probably not ever, but close to it. I don't not turn in assignments. But I just can't do it all. And it's too late for me to try to get ahead, even looking to next week. Because there's just too much to do, and it's all so much that it's paralyzing me with stress. I mean, I guess I could be ambitious and not do anything this weekend but write essays. All weekend long. No fun of any kind. Because that's what would happen. The only fun I'd get is watching the two dance clips that I'm comparing for my FTT essay, the only essay I'm halfway looking forward to. The other two? Not at all. If only all essays could require watching fun musicals...


(And I realize that I've been even worse this week than usual, complaining about schoolwork, despite what I said on Monday night. I just didn't anticipate how lousy this week would make me feel. Aside from the good things that have happened, anyway. Sorry for being so whiny.)

Oh here's a fun idea. Who wants to take a guess as to how much sleep I'll get next week? Remember, I have three essays due, two of them on a day that I have an 8:30am class, and one on a day after I'm going to the midnight showing of a certain movie. Not to mention the other crap I have to do for classes next week.

Marching onward

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand now I feel like I'm going to throw up. And my headache's no less gone now than it was four hours ago. Despite the two advil and two excedrin I've taken since.





I just want to go to sleep already. Why am I getting worse and worse at writing essays? I can barely formulate coherent sentences anymore, let alone full 6 page essays that are supposed to sound somewhat intelligent.

bah.

Break time

Not that I have time for a break, but I happened to come across this tonight. I'm highly impressed by this guy. I want him to come here. We have some crazy halftime stuff at the basketball games sometimes (ugh, like the old grandma dancer people, or the pedophile circus, or the guys who shot hoops as they did crazy jumps on trampolines. Those guys were pretty cool, actually). They should try to get this guy.

What if I just gave up now?

Update on the feeling less than stellar: Throat is now scratchy and is causing me to cough. Head feels slightly stuffy and headachy. I want to sleep. Mmm sleep. Anyway. Vitamins have been consumed, along with some Advil, and I took an extra C, because I take more C when I feel colds and such coming on. So we'll wait and see where this thing goes. At least it's almost the weekend, which means at least a little less stress and a little more sleep, even though I have to do another essay this weekend. It doesn't end. I don't think I've had an end of the semester that's been anywhere close to this bad. And hopefully I won't again. Because...man.

Update on the schoolwork thing: Still need to finish essay. At least I have some of it done. That's good. I might even be able to get some sleep tonight, even more than a few hours, if only I didn't have to do the reading and questions for trads. That'll take up whatever time I might have slept, probably. That and the studying I might decide to do for my Latin quiz tomorrow. It's our last, which is good, and the worst I've done on a quiz in there all semester was a high 80, so I think I'm pretty set with a grade in some area of the A range (I wish there weren't A-s counted as less than an A on GPAs, because then I'd be guaranteed at least one A this semester. Might have to settle for one A- instead. But I'm not sure, I might still have an A in that class. Haven't really calculated my quiz grades together). Anyway, I can probably get away with doing horribly on this quiz. I asked him a couple weeks ago if he drops the lowest quiz grade, and he said he didn't say definitively anymore, because he used to do that by rule but people would just not take the last quiz. That's not why I asked about it, because I wouldn't ever think of not taking a quiz, I just wanted to see because I did have that one B quiz grade I'd rather not have in there. So I don't know. Hopefully he will drop the lowest. That'd make me quite happy. Or I might not even care, because it won't end up making a difference. Who knows.

I wish desperately that I could just go to sleep right now. Or at least that I just didn't have to do the trads reading/questions. I guess I could technically get away with not doing it. I just don't know what it'd do to my grade. Plus I was considering not doing it next week if he makes us do it next week, because of those three lovely essays. That and the fact that we have to read two things next week, whereas for tomorrow it's just one thing. A 90 page book thing (small book), which is some guy's essay comparing Christ and Adam. It wouldn't be nearly as bad if there were, you know, chapters, or separate headings, or anything like that. But no. It's just one essay, without subheadings or chapters or anything like that. Which makes selectively reading two sections for stuff I can turn into a question and answer a bit tough. The more I think about it, the more I think I might just not do that tonight. I mean, here's the thing. He gave me an extension on this essay. Had he not, and had I turned it in on Wednesday, I'd be doing this reading and the questions tonight, because I wouldn't have an excuse. But not doing them because he gave me an extension seems...just seems not to make a whole lot of sense. I guess I'll wait and see how late it is/how I feel once I finish the essay and look over Latin for a bit. If I don't do it, I'll talk to him about it tomorrow and tell him the situation, and either he'll let me do it later (all these extensions and stuff really don't help me, honestly, because it just pushes things into due dates for other stuff), or I'll just not get a grade for this week's questions. I'm sure one week won't really affect my grade. Sigh. This sucks.

(Perhaps I should do work instead of complaining?)

Know what I just remembered? I'm also technically supposed to do the reading we have in Middle Ages this week. Which means I at least need to look at it. Skim it. Etc. Fun. Next week, our discussion session is moved up from Friday to Wednesday since there aren't classes next Thursday or Friday, which I guess means that techincally I'm supposed to do next week's reading by Wednesday. Which is, you know, lovely, because I only have two essays due next Wednesday. (But one of them I'm pretending is due Monday. But still.) So, sure, I'll have tons of time between now and then to read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I've heard it's an easy reading anyway.

(yes. That was sarcastic. Obviously. Ok to be fair I have no idea about the difficulty or not of Chaucer. Just seems that it's less easy than, say, Harry Potter.)

I wish my battery was back to lasting like three hours long instead of an hour, if I'm lucky, because then I'd be able to sit in bed or somewhere besides my stupid desk. I'm sick of sitting here. I'm sick of all of this.

I don't know when I'm supposed to fit this all in without going completely crazy.

Good food makes a good day.

This is my last Thurday night. And by Thursday night, I mean a night spent doing homework all night long for almost all of my four Friday classes. Because next Thursday night? I'll have another essay to do. BUT...I'll also have a midnight premiere to go to! So yeah. Anyway. I have so much to do tonight. Quite sucks. But that's how it's going to be the next week or so. Write essay (plus other homework), turn in essay, start thinking about next essay, write next essay, repeat. I am so. sick. of writing essays. I mean, seriously, 6 essays in two and a half weeks? 5 essays in a week and a half? Ridiculous. Sigh.

Oh well. I have my class ring. It's all good. Seriously, it's funny. I hate taking this ring off. I just like it to be there, all the time. But I don't sleep with jewelry on, usually, or shower, or work out, etc with jewelry on. So like today when we were running (we managed to do two sets of running for 8 minutes and walking for 5! 8 continuous minutes of running. Twice. Impressive, for us. Except tomorrow, or next time, it's 20 minutes. 8 minutes to 20 minutes? Ick), I missed my ring. Even more so when we went to dinner right afterward. Sorry. I'm a little obsessed. I'm sure I'll get over it, or at least stop talking about it. But yeah. I enjoyed working today because I could show it off. Except, it wasn't really showing off, because lots of people have them obviously, and none of them know mine's new. But that's ok. I enjoyed it. I love being able constantly to display my school colors. And the ND. And all that. Know what's cool? On the inside, where my name and year are inscribed, where the thing is that says the karat value, there's a teeny ND. I love that! Haha. Sorry. Ok I'm done.

I had the best lunch today. It made me so happy, and made the day so good. It was the chicken cordon bleu thing (kind of, but not quite, like this), which I happen to love, and I got some cooked green beans with it, which I don't normally get, and they also had this red skin potato mashed potatoes, which are apparently scrumptious. And I got a little bit of their boring chicken gravy to eat with the mashed potatoes, and that added just a little extra bit of flavor. It was just...great. I like it when meals I eat are just really good. Mmm.

I think I'm getting sick. I'm feeling a little sick-ish. I wouldn't be surprised if I did get sick, what with all the not sleeping and the stressing and the not taking vitamins. (I've been really bad about not taking those vitamins this week. Actually for a few weeks, really. I should get back on schedule with those. Hm.) I wouldn't be surprised, but I'd be quite annoyed, as that would most definitely not make things better these next two weeks.

Maybe I should work on getting things done before 5am. Especially when I have an 8:30am class.



Nah.

Soggy

I guess Ithe bad day I was expecting yesterday came a day late. Oh well. I was just cranky today, as I suppose happens when one runs on (Mom, don't read this) about 6 or 7 hours of sleep spread out over three nights. I cannot believe how long that paper took me to write yesterday. It was like every sentence I added didn't make the paper longer at all. Very irritating. But, finally, I finished. And just in time for me to go to my classes. Lucky me. Ah well. The extra-sucky thing, though, was the amount of rain that was falling when I left for said classes. It had been raining most of the night, based on what I heard out my window throughout the night. And I heard some thunder towards the later morning, before my classes. Anyway though, even with that I didn't expect the amount of rain that was falling and had fallen already. I brought my umbrella (which I hate, as it's just such a pain to carry around an umbrella and I generally prefer not to if I can help it), but even still, by the time I got to Debartolo, my pants were pretty much completely soaked -- from the bottom, they were wet up to the knees almost from the puddles and such, and from the top they were wet just from the rain. There was this HUGE puddle outside Lafortune, at the crosswalk there, and it was seriously probably about 2 feet deep, and I'd say it covered an area of at least 10 feet in diameter. I'm not sure. But it was huge and I had to go completely out of my way to get around it, and still didn't miss it all. It's pretty much one of the worst spots for a huge puddle to be, because anyone coming from North Quad going to a majority of the class buildings on campus has to go past it. By the time I came back that way, four classes and 4.5 hours later, they had gotten it drained or something. Plus the rain had mostly stopped. It was worst on my way to my first class I guess.

Anyway, so I was cold in my first class, and my pants were wet. Oh, and the top of my messenger bag had obviously gotten quite soaked, and then where the top hit my lower back/butt, that part of my pants got wet too which was really annoying. Oh well. They (my pants) had finally dried by the time I got out of my fourth class, so...that's good. But I was just cranky. And the times I used my umbrella just made me so mad at it. It's kind of flimsy, so I have to hold it really tightly and really close to my head, and even then it still sometimes catches the wind just right and turns inside out. Happened at least twice today. I ended up giving up on it and just dealing with the mist/light rain that was falling toward the end of the day. It wasn't pouring like this morning, so I could deal with it. Eh oh well. I didn't take a shower this morning anyway, so it all worked out. haha.

Oh, and good news, we got our papers back in Middle Ages today, and I actually somehow got an A-. So now I'm wishing I had thought to go to the extra credit thing yesterday (instead, I was asleep, which I guess is a good thing too), because then I would have an even better chance of pulling maybe an A- in that class. I think I'm right now hovering between a B or B+ and an A-. But we still have a paper and the final, so who knows which way it'll go. I wish we would get our last trads papers back. We've only gotten two back so far. I want to know how I did on this last one. I won't know how I do on this one, or the last one we have to do. Sigh. Oh well.

At least I have my ring. It's pretty. I'm a fan. I keep staring at it. haha. Oh man.

Why oh why?

Why do I have so. many. papers to write in the next week and a half? Why do I take so long to write just one? Why is this whole thing so frustrating? Why did I only spend three-ish pages on the theological and paschal mystery-tie in parts, total, and like 7 on mentioning every aspect of the feast-specific parts of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours? I have a feeling it might be kind of backwards. I hope not. Do I really care? At this point, I guess I don't. I have the required number of pages, so that should count for something, right? bleh.

5 more papers. Another 25 pages to go, give or take. More like 27, really. At least I only have to write about five per (six for two of them), so I don't have to get (as) sick of writing about the same thing for 15 freaking pages. Even if it is fairly interesting, and something I chose myself. Sometimes you just hit a wall and can't discuss it anymore. Now, if it were something like...oh...contraception, something along moral lines, I think I'd be much more willing and able to go on and on and on about it. Although if it's a research paper, it's a bit harder to include your own opinions on things. But an opinion paper in which I use various texts and documents to back up my argument? Man that'd be nice. I never get to do that stuff. Oh well. That's what this thing's for, I guess, sometimes, when I feel like arguing with no one (much more preferable to arguing directly with someone. Much more passive-aggressive. And we like that).

haha.

I don't know how I'm functioning this week. Well, we'll see how well I can keep it up today. Or perhaps, for a better experiment, we'll see how well I'll be functioning by the end of next week, when I'll have to give myself a breather or risk going completely insane. Except I won't even really have time to do that, because I'll have to work on my last essay of the semester, technically due the last day of finals but which I have to do sooner thanks to my lovely bottom-heavy finals schedule.

Do they try to make us be happy to leave here by forcing all this stuff on us, so that we won't miss it as much during the summer while we're gone? Sure does seem like it.

Oh well.

It'll get done. Unfortunately by me. Not cool. But necessary. Hey that kind of rhymes. Sweet.

geez.

Oh yeah. I found out tonight, at some point between typing and sleeping and typing some more, that Mexico City voted to legalize abortion up to 12 weeks. Because I'm not in the greatest mood, and because I'm sleep deprived, I'm not going to be tactful and I'm just going to say it: Idiots. How stupid for them to do this. Don't they see what we're going through in America as a result of legalized abortions? Or, heck, many other countries in the world? There's still a long way to go, I guess, before we as humans get our priorities straight once again. If we ever do. I mean, we're starting to come closer in this country to getting abortion back to being illegal. Inch by inch at least. Maybe. We've been working on it for the past thirty-five years. But those countries who are just starting out? They now have decades of devaluing human life to go through before they start to turn things around. Unless they realize their mistake sooner, and start working to fix it as best they can as soon as they can. It's sad though. All those babies who will now be killed, and for what? And that's why all I can say is, idiots. (Real Christian of me, I know.)

Let it be known, that I hearby condemn Katherine for getting me hooked on watching The Office clips the night before I have a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE paper due. Not cool, Katherine, not cool.

(But man, what a funny hilarious show. Seriously.)

You win some, you lose some

So, remember how I was telling you about the Red Sox's sweep of the Yankees this past weekend? Well, they've followed that streak with two at home losses to...Toronto, I think. And with scores of like 10-3 or something like that. At least, that was tonight's final score. I think yesterday's was similar-ish. Oh well. They beat the Yankees, and the Yankees lost yesterday and today too to...Tampa Bay I believe. So it's all good. well, it'd be better if the Red Sox would win every time the Yankees lose, and even when the Yankees win, but whatever. Can't win 'em all. Actually, that's a lie. Technically, you can. It's just rare. I wonder what the most wins ever in a season is. I'm sure it's easily acquirable information, but I'm not gonna go looking around for it. I have a paper to finish, after all.

one more thing. Totally baseball-unrelated. My hand looks so complete now that I finally have my ring. Like it's been there forever. It's great. Mmm I like it.

Oh, and does anyone want me to knit them something? I want to have a project to work on during my trip back home in a few weeks, but I can't think of anything to make. I'm not very proficient at knitting right now, as I've never really tried anything more difficult than a blanket or a scarf, but yeah. So I don't know. I can't think what to do.

Reminders

Today was chock-full of reminders to me that life is full of good things, and that God has his little ways of making a day which might have otherwise been quite terrible, actually a pretty darn good day. (Although, it's not over yet, so the rest of the night could go downhill. But I've got something that should keep any unhappiness at bay, for now at least.)

First, this morning, I had an email from my trads professor, a reply to a question I had sent him last night regarding my topic for the paper due tomorrow. I think I mentioned something about not asking him sooner because I had been working on another quite long paper I have due tomorrow. So in his reply, he said something along the lines of "If you need it, I'm more than willing to give you an extension on the paper until Friday." I didn't take it, but it's a nice gesture. No, I'm kidding, I totally jumped on it. I had actually been considering asking him for an extension last week, and thought he'd probably give it to me if I asked because, much as I might complain about that class, he is a pretty nice guy about stuff like that, and seems very understanding. So I'm very grateful to him for that, and am feeling somewhat humbled since that is a class about which I like to complain. I mean, part of me didn't want to think about getting an extension, and I think that's part of the reason I didn't ask him for one, because I wanted to have it done and I didn't want to have a paper due Friday and all that. But this research paper is not going as I planned, so out of necessity for my health and well-being, I'm just going to turn in the other one Friday. So, good for me.

I went to work at noon, knowing I only had to go for two hours. A nice prospect. And work wasn't bad. The time seemed to be going by slowly, but it went by, and then I was done. I had to go to O'Shag to sign up for a time that I can meet with the history department head guy, so he can sign my pre-approval form for the summer class I'm taking back home, and on my way there I quite enjoyed just being outside. The weather was lovely today, the sun was shining, the birds are chirping, the squirrels are all frolicking, playing, chattering, and the air is perfumed by the (finally) blooming flowers, trees, and bushes. Walking back from dinner tonight I noticed that the lilac bushes by the Basilica are thisclose to blooming, too. I'm greatly looking forward to that. I love me some lilacs. Just such a lovely day. It's amazing, too, because even as recently as Friday I had been commenting about how dead everything still looked. Caitlin and I wondered how many of the trees would bloom, or if all the blossoms had died in the frost and cold we got over Easter. Because it just seemed odd and wrong for everything to look like it was still the middle of February when we're just a week away from May. We've been in the spring season for a month now. Finally, within the past few days, it looks like it. Even Saturday things were starting to bloom, just overnight it seemed. And now every day another tree explodes with color. Spring has finally sprung, and it's wonderful.

And now for the news that pretty much made my day. Although, the general loveliness of the day outside is a very close second, as I do enjoy nature quite a bit. (And squirrels. Oh those squirrels. So much fun.)





Seriously now. The good news.
Someone called me while I was at work. I looked to see who it was, but I wasn't going to answer it because while some people who I've worked with this semester don't seem to have a problem with answering their cell phones during work, I just feel weird about it. I looked at the number, and it was a local campus number (a 631-xxxx number). I was nervous, because I had no idea what it could be about, or why some department of the school would be calling my cell phone. I was going to check the message they left, like say I had to go to the bathroom or something, but then I must have gotten some customers or something, distracted somehow, and I forgot until I was on my way to O'Shaughnessy. First, I had a message from my sister, and it's always nice to hear from her. She had called right as I was about to clock in, and I missed the call. But then the second voicemail was the one I was more curious about (sorry, Cathy). Within a few word of the message, I broke out into a huge grin in the middle of the quad, felt kind of like an idiot for it, but couldn't help it. Guess who it was? Someone at the ring department of the bookstore. My ring came in today! Today, when I definitely needed a pick-me-up. I knew that my ring would be coming in the midst of all these papers and stuff, and that it'd be a little extra boost for me, but I wasn't expecting it today. It's wonderful. I love it. I know it's just a ring, but...it's not. It means something to me. It represents what's been a long journey of self-discovery (or some saccharine thing like that), in a way. Whatever it is, it's amazing. Oh, and know what else? The ring box even has the ND monogram on the inside! I think it's cool.





So anyway. That was today. A day which I had expected to be pretty much horrible, actually is turning out not to be so bad. I was in danger of continuing to let the whole 9/11 revisiting thing overwhelm me once again, as I can't just forget all about it just like that, and since I've been doing what I tend to do when something's weighing on my mind -- looking up stuff about it on the internet (for example, last night, I was looking at wikipedia stuff about the whole thing, and looking at the pages they have for various victims of 9/11, etc -- part of the reason last night wasn't nearly as productive as I had hoped, but I just couldn't get it out of my head long enough to concentrate very well on my papers). That plus the papers was going to do me in today, but God helped me out of that hole I was digging. So. OH! And when I got back to my room after work and stuff, I had a box sitting on my chair, and it was cookies my mom had made! That was quite a nice surprise. :-)

In order to take advantage of the fact that I might actually get some sleep tonight (currently running on three hours last night on top of three the night before), it's time to get back to work and finish this thing. Even if it is seeming quite disjointed, and even if I doubt I'll get a very good grade, and even if it's one of the worst things I've written this year, at least I'm doing it, and I'll get it done. As of right now I have most of it, at least to an extent, but I have to fill in holes here and there, and possibly cut out some parts (I really don't know what we're supposed to include as far as the textual aspect -- the stuff from the Liturgy of the Hours and the stuff that's in the Mass for that feast, which I had to copy from the Missals for both the current post-Vatican II Mass and the Tridentine pre-Vatican II Mass -- and so I kind of just ended up saying, either by directly quoting or just summarizing, everything that is said during the Mass for the Exaltation of the Cross and during the Liturgy of the Hours for that feast. And thus my textual section is a good 6 pages, I think. And I'm not sure that it's supposed to be that long. But I don't know what to include or not to include. So I guess it's better to have too much than too little, so as long as I get enough for the other parts of the paper, I guess I'll be ok. Although the last two parts I'm having some trouble with as they seem to be quite similar, for my feast anyway. Discussing the theological meaning of my feast day, and then discussing how it ties into the Paschal Mystery. Well, it's about the cross on which Christ was crucified, so the tying into the Paschal Mystery is pretty simple. But it also seems to be the same as what I'd want to talk about in the theological part. So I don't know. And either way, for both of those I can't see having more than like a page each. I don't know how to draw both out to much longer than that). Anyway, moral of the story is, I'm almost at enough pages, kind of, I just don't know how good it is, or if it's what he's looking for, or what. So...here's hoping, I guess.

Thoughts while paper-ing

I've been wondering recently what the Basilica looked like pre-Vatican II. I assume it had rails. Is that the only thing that changed? I'm just curious sometimes about it.

I have decided that I very much like the Tantum Ergo that I've sung twice now in the last two weeks. I think it's what we sang at the Holy Thursday Mass during the procession of the Eucharist at the end, and we definitely sang it yesterday at the end of the Eucharistic Procession (although only one or two verses, as opposed to more at the Holy Thursday one). It's nice though.

You know that whole calling my parents thing tonight? I don't do that a lot. I mean, I call them sometimes, but I don't often call them when I really need to talk to someone. A lot of the time I just...don't. I think about it, but then figure they're probably busy, even though I know that they'd generally gladly put aside whatever they're doing if I need to talk to them. I guess it's also partly because of the fact that I'm just not a phone person. But whatever the reason, I'm glad I pushed them aside and called. Sometimes it's nice to talk when you're upset. Who knew?

I wish I could go to bed right now. Technically I can. But technically if I do that, I think I might end up technically regretting it come tomorrow. At least someone picked up my 2-4 shift. I'm very thankful for that. It's getting so late, I'm getting nowhere, and I just want to SLEEEEEEEP.

Even later now, and the desire for sleep is so overpowering. I might as well give in. I'm not going to get any sleep tomorrow night either. I gave up on the research paper a little while ago and started the other essay. But nothing's coming to me there either. I just don't know how I'm going to get both done tomorrow. I have more than half of the long one done already (how well it's done is a different consideration entirely, and obviously quite secondary in my opinion these days).

Relief.

Know what the best part about a good cry is? Being able to release all those pent-up emotions that just come out with a nice good cry.

Know what the worst part about a good cry is? Feeling tired and spent afterward. Especially when the plan for the evening is to stay up as long as it takes to finish your 15 page research paper, or until 12pm at which point you have to go to work.

At least, miraculously, someone took my second shift tomorrow afternoon, so I only have to work the two hours. Which means 14 fewer dollars in my pocket, but perhaps a bit more sanity on my part. Or maybe just time for a nap or something. Depending on how things go tonight.

But, as I spent the better part of the last hour crying and talking to my parents (I actually called them in the middle of that good cry, because I just wanted to talk to someone familiar and comforting. I don't do that often, but sometimes you just need to hear the voices of people you love, even if you don't have much to say on your end), which was very nice and very therapeutic, even if I still do feel like I could cry more if I think about that movie at all (so I'm avoiding that as much as possible), I very much need to get a move on with regard to this paper. More than half still left to do. So...yeah. Best get working on that.

Heavy.

I just got back from tonight's FTT movie screening. Well, that plus the stupid make up tutorial thing for Middle Ages (which I got to at around 9:25, started at around 9 or 9:10, ended at 10). The movie was World Trade Center. One which I had wanted to see when it came out. If you haven't seen it and are planning on it, I'd suggest seeing it with people you love, and not in a theater full of people you don't really know. Not that anyone really has that second option, but yeah. It was a good movie. Very very very hard to watch though. I'm still not over it. It really brings you back to the events of that day. That terrible day. It's something that I wish had just happened in a movie, in a fictional America. But it didn't. It was real. Every time I remembered that throughout the movie, ...it was just hard. Again, had I not been with a bunch of random people, I would have been bawling I think. Walking to the tutorial thing afterward, I almost started crying. After the tutorial, I came even closer. And now, I'm even closer. But as I'm not alone, I'm not going to let it out. Much as it wants to. It took me a really long time to get over my feelings of depression and disbelief and despondency when 9/11 happened. I remember the day after, being at school, eating lunch, and one of my friends asked me why I was so depressed. I couldn't believe she was serious, but she was, and told me that I didn't know anyone, so why would I be so sad about it? On the one hand, that's true, but on the other, it's one of the most horrific events I've lived through, even only from a 3rd person bystander point of view. How could you be cognizant of the world around you and not feel something when that happens? I just don't know. In any case, this movie brought it all back. Oh, I'll be ok, but it's not something you easily forget once you're brought back to it, and in such stark and realistic depictions of it.

Today in FTT we watched some of the broadcast of when it happened that my teacher had taped. That made it real again too. The feelings of helplessness, of confusion as to what exactly had happened or was happening, the knowledge that it was one of the worst things to happen in our country's history. Just...I don't know. The worst part, for me, is seeing the buildings collapse. Thinking about the people that were inside when it happened, the terror they must have felt (if they managed to survive), perhaps being trapped under tens of feet of rubble, not knowing if anyone will find you. Can you imagine surviving the buildings collapsing on you, knowing that there would probably be people looking for survivors, but not being able to get anyone to hear you and just dying down there, all alone? It's hard not to think about that while watching this movie, because that's pretty much integral to the movie. It's all just so much beyond my comprehension. Sometimes the whole thing seems like it wasn't really real. I mean, how could that actually happen in real life? It doesn't happen. But...it did. And it was beyond tragic. The number of people who died...it's almost too many to be able to picture. What's 27, 2800? I don't know how to make that number coherent in my head. All those people. It's just...I don't even know. I'm sorry to be such a downer right now.

As I was watching it, and afterward, and right now, I couldn't help but think how stupid it is for me to complain about the fact that I have two papers due on Wednesday. That I still have a total of 40 pages, give or take, of papers to turn in between now and the end of the semester. Who cares? How is that important? Almost 3000 families are missing people dear to them, even still, almost six years later. 33 families were torn apart a week ago. I'm lucky. I've lost grandparents, but I've never lost anyone suddenly and without warning, without being able to make my peace with it, to say good bye, to say I love you one last time. I should not be complaining about poor me having so much to do, when I'm lucky enough to go to one of the best universities in the country. I shouldn't constantly bemoan the fact that sometimes I feel utterly alone, when I have a family who loves me, who is wonderful. I shouldn't be thinking about the fact that I might have to be in a crappy job situation again this summer. I have parents who take care of me, help me out when I'm not pulling in the big bucks (which pretty much means all the time).

And yet, I will continue to do so, because it's easier than having to think about all the true sadnesses in the world. It's easier than trying to take on other people's grief, which will only overwhelm me and won't help anyone. Some day, I'll have my own grief to worry about, but for now maybe I'll try to think about those things which make me so lucky when all I want to do is complain, and I'll remember that just as easily as anyone else has lost people they love, tomorrow it could be me.

My perception of time is officially and forever screwed up

Two things:

Um...crap I forgot the first. Darnit.

The second was that I just thought of something I can do to fill any time I might have on my train ride and wait in Chicago. I am going to find a pattern, something I want to knit, and between now and the end of the semester (a time period which is quickly disappearing, much faster than I'd like), I'm going to go to the store and buy some yarn and whatever I need for the pattern. And I can just sit and knit for hours. How glorious does that sound? Mmmmm. I shouldn't have my current knitting project sitting here on the desk next to me. Such a temptation just to pick up and do a couple of rows. But I must be strong. And I am doing a good job of it. Have yet to succumb, so that's good at least. And I'm almost done with my (modified) goal for this paper for the night, so I'll be going to bed soon I hope. I won't have gotten as many pages done as I would have liked, but at least I do have a chunk of it done. And a chunk is better than, say, a chip, is it not?

Seriously, though, what was the first thing I was going to say? I hate it when that happens. Perhaps it was that, as a result of this paper, I want to buy a Roman Missal. It seems like something I should have. They're pretty cool, I must say. I had to check out a Tridentine Rite one (a pre-Vatican II version), in addition to looking at the current one, and it's weird how different the Mass was. It'd be cool to get one of those Missals too. Current and pre V-II. Anyway. I'm excited for my Theology of the Mass class next semester. Both for the subject and the professor. I can't believe I'm taking all theology classes, and a Latin class. Which, for me, ties into my love for theology. It's so much cooler in church when there's Latin said now that I have at least some understanding of it. Of course, I don't go to the Mass where Latin is used more often as much as I'd like, but when I do, it's quite enjoyable. I really hope I can go out to the Denver church this summer a few times, the one that's all Latin, but Novus Ordo. I absolutely loved it last time. Other than the whole it's in Denver thing.

I guess I'll just pretend that that was the first thing I wanted to say.

I don't wanna write anymoooooooooore

Aw man, if I had some way to get myself and all the crap I'll be taking home with me to Chicago, I could leave Friday afternoon. There's a train that's Chicago to Denver that leaves at 2 in the afternoon, and gets in sometime Saturday morning in Denver. Of course, this would require me
to have the Trads essay done early, the one that's due sometime that Friday. And it would require me to leave pretty much immediately after taking my FTT final. Which means I'd have to get all my stuff to storage Thursday. Ugh I hate getting my stuff to storage. It requires borrowing someone's car, and it requires making sure I know exactly how much space I have in the things I'm taking home with me, and it requires washing my sheets before putting them in storage, and it requires me not having sheets to sleep on the last night I'm here (because I leave early in the morning on Saturday, and thus have to get everything done by Friday night). Hopefully the taking a car up here thing works out next year, because it'll de-stress a lot of things, even if it's only the drive back here at the beginning of the year and then back home at the end of the year. Those two times are reason enough for me. (Although, it does add one stress: finding someone who'll come with me, as my parents, and myself as well I think, would prefer that I not make the drive alone. But unfortunately it's not an easy thing finding people who might come. Sigh.)

It is so hot in my room right now. Ugh. However, I will not stoop and say that I wish we had air conditioning. Today at church, I was sitting in one of the pews that's shorter than the rest and has a vent on the floor about a foot away from it, and I had cold air being blown on me the entire duration of the Mass. I was quite cold by the end. Not fun. I guess air conditioning's all well and good if it's used properly, but it seems that most places which have it do not use it properly. And as a result I'm cold a lot when I'm in air conditioned buildings. And that's the way it goes. I also hate that my computer's always so darned hot. I really hate that and wish it would stop.

I hope my room doesn't suck next year. I'm quite excited at the prospect of having a single, and I'm very excited about the fact that I'm on the fourth floor and that it seems that there are quite a number of seniors up there next year, and I'm friends with a bunch of them, and that I'm across the hall from one of them, but I'm not excited about the fact that my room is one which has a Lafortune parking lot-facing window. Because it means getting woken up by snow plows, trash trucks, and loud people outside the Cavanaugh doors. But I knew all that when I signed up for that room. I could have had a room that faces North Quad, or Zahm, or something like that. One with maybe a nice tree right outside it. I like having trees right outside my room. I like it quite a bit actually. But I wanted to be close to friends. And so I chose the room I chose. I've had to deal with annoying noises this semester, with a window that's right above the main doors, and with snow plows and such all the time. Hasn't bothered me excessively for the most part. (Except right now I'm a little annoyed, as there are two people I think sitting on one of the benches outside the doors, and one of them keeps saying the F word and sounds kinda angry. I don't like hearing angry people and I don't like hearing that word.) No more than the people in the hallway, standing outside my door talking ridiculously loudly and things like that. So I'll survive whatever I have to deal with. I realized something last night, too. Next year will be the first time in my college, dorm-living career that I won't have to climb a ladder to get into bed. Well, technically last year I didn't climb a ladder, but I had the top bunk (I just stepped on Caitlin's bottom-bunk bed and then swung my other leg up...or something like that. It was complicated. But not really. But it definitely wasn't fun at the height of my weird leprosied-leg thing first semester. Kinda painful then. Remember that? I'm glad that went away). Anyway. I'm really excited about not having a top bunk. I've had a top bunk much of my life, actually. When my sister and I shared a room, I think I always ended up with the top bunk. And then freshman year there wasn't a bottom bunk, but all three of us had our beds lofted so we all had to climb ladders. That was weird. We were like three feet from the ceiling. I couldn't even sit up in my bed, really, without slouching. Hm I had forgotten about that. Fun times.

Anyway. I think I'm going to be bad tomorrow and perhaps skip a class. ahhh. I don't skip classes, generally. I think I've skipped one all semester, and it was because I had a paper due that day and either I needed to sleep or I needed to finish it or something, so I didn't go to my first class that day. Or maybe I just didn't feel well. I forget. I don't ever really skip just because I don't feel like going. I'm too guilt-ridden to do that. What if I miss the one thing that pulls the whole class together? The one thing that ties all the lectures into a nice little package? Something that will be on the final that will give everyone who gets it correct an A+ in the class? Or, worse yet, what if I GET CAUGHT??? Ok, so I don't think you really get in trouble in college for skipping class. Unless you skip excessively, the teacher notices, and you end up failing. I don't think that'll happen here. And I have a good reason. I REALLY need to get these papers done, and if it weren't for having a ridiculously full Monday, I wouldn't feel so pressed for time that I'd even consider skipping. But I do. Tomorrow even more so than usual, thanks to having to make up for Friday's tutorial. Oh well. And I'm not going to that extra credit thing. I figure, I'm probably going to get somewhere in the B range in that class anyway, so 8 extra points probably won't make or break my grade. I mean, it might, or it might make the difference between a B- and a B, or a B and a B+ or something, but I think we've already established that, for this semester at least, I'm not exactly going for the grades. hmm. I might still go Tuesday (there's two times we can go, so that more people have the opportunity, and one is Tuesday afternoon), depending on if I get someone to cover that shift, and/or how much I still have left to do on the PAPERS (ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!). I hate not taking advantage of extra credit, especially when it's so easy, but extra credit shouldn't trump actual assignments. Probably. haha.

Neither should this. And yet, somehow, it always does...Curious. Or not so much.

I got a nice little more sunburn today, during the Eucharistic Procession. Not bad, just added a little to what I had gotten yesterday. Oh, and I got a little more, on my upper chest above my shirt, which of course means that I have a nice little line and white spot where my necklace is. It's kinda funny. Oh yeah, today reminded me that I really wish I knew where my sunglasses are. I'm not sure if I brought them with me here, or if I left them in my car at home. I've looked a bit here, and haven't found them, but I haven't looked terribly extensively, just where I think they would be had I brought them. So I'm thinking they're probably at home somewhere. But I do wish they were here, because man, sometimes it's bright.

Know what? I suck at being productive. I'm going to try working on that now. It's already late, but I want to get more of this stupid paper done. 15 pages is so excessive. How do people write 15 pages on anything? Ok, I could write 15 pages about some things, but they'd have to be more opinion-drive, and less...research. Clearly it's easy for me to write extensively on things about which I have feelings one way or the other. But clear-cut research papers...it's just annoying. Oh well. At least I do like my feast. Which is good, since I picked it. Mostly because it's on my birthday. Actually, exclusively because of that reason. Otherwise I probably wouldn't really know about it at all, since it doesn't seem to get its due. The Exaltation (or Triumph) of the Cross. Good stuff. Good feast. Good day to be born. But I was thinking about something today: I like to go to Mass on my birthday. And that's a good day to go to Mass, for that feast. But this year, my birthday is on a Friday. I rarely go to daily Mass on Fridays, and this year it's the Friday of an away game. In Michigan. Now, I've never done the away game thing (except Air Force, but obviously that was different), so I don't know if we'd leave Friday, or when Friday, or anything like that. Assuming we go. Which I hope we do. I want to be saturated with football games this coming season. My last one as a student (sniffle). (Oh yeah. I figured out what I have to do. All I have to do is marry someone who's going to be in grad school after I graduate. If you're married and show a marriage certificate, then both you and your spouse can get student tickets. So. I'll work on that. Except that would mean living in South Bend a few more years. Which, church-wise would be ok, but otherwise? hm......) So anyway, I don't know if I'll be able to go to Mass. But then I just realized something. In my mind, daily Mass here only happens at 5:15pm. But they have earlier ones too. I just never go to them. So I can just do that if I won't be here for the 5:15 one. Ok. Crisis averted. (hm...my birthday's just under 5 months away, and I'm already trying to plan it out? Weird, Susie. Weird. It's not even a cool birthday, it's just 22. Which seems kinda old. Old in a I still feel like I should be a teenager kind of way. Except I don't really feel like that, but I can't believe I'm already in my 20s.)

I really really really really really really really really really a couple more times want my ring. I've really wanted one since first semester sophomore year, and was looking forward to being able to order it during second semester and then actually getting it first semester junior year. But then I had to go and be all conflicted and stuff, and decide not to come back for a semester (geez, I know it happened, but even saying it seems like such a ridiculous notion, something I would never really do, and which I certainly did not really do, and yet somehow I actually really did. What was I thinking???), which would make getting a class ring stupid in the case that I decided not to come back at all, and then as soon as I did get back here this semester I really really wanted one again, but didn't get to order it until halfway through Feb, and so I've been sitting here all semester, looking at and coveting other people's class rings, and desperately wishing I had mine on my finger already. Soon, Susie, soon. But not soon enough. Mmm I'm excited to get it. So excited. Twill be wonderful. It's just a ring, I know, but it's important to me. So I can't wait.

K. Back to work, Susie.

(Quick update on the heat thing: It's right now 2:30am. According to weather.com, it's 70 degrees outside. 70 degrees. At 2:30 in the morning. It was snowing and freezing two weeks ago. Heck, it was snowing a week and a half ago. Today was somewhat of an anomaly, though. Today and yesterday. Tomorrow's high is 68, but a good chance of rain, and then it gets into low 60s or 50s for the next 10 days. So at least it won't be really hot probably at all before school gets out. So that's pretty good. Although I'm sure classrooms will still be freezing. 50 degrees with stupid air conditioning.)

Oh those Red Sox. Gotta love 'em.

I swear, I have been working on my paper tonight. I can watch baseball (on mute) and write a paper. It's not hard. Anyway. I didn't watch the whole game, actually only the second half, but that's ok. Know what happened in the part I missed? (Actually, in the 3rd inning.) The Sox were down, at home, 3-0. It was their turn to bat, bottom of the 3rd. They proceeded to hit four home runs in a row. In one inning, people. Do you know how amazing that is? So amazing, apparently, that it's only happened like five times ever. Or something like that. I think I heard them say that in the commentary during the part I was watching. Anyway. I'm impressed. Of course, then the Yankees scored twice over the next few innings, but then we got another home run with two guys already on base in like the 7th or something, so it was 7-5 Red Sox, and then the Yankees got another run, but then no more. So we won 7-6. And I guess one of the new pitchers, Matsuzaka, he was really pretty good. He kept striking out lots of people. So that's good. Anyway. Good stuff. Stupid Yankees. I like it when we beat the Yankees. Especially when we beat them three in a row. Ohhhh yeah. Oh, and right now? Yankees have a losing seasons. I mean, they're 8-9, so clearly the season is still quite young, but I'll take whatever I can get at their expense. And the Red Sox are 12-5, doing quite well. So that's pretty nice. hehe.

Showing my colors

Know what I need? (In an I-really-don't-need-it-at-all-but-like-to-pretend-that-I-do sort of way.) I need to get me a Red Sox T-shirt. I can't believe I don't have one. And I even more can't believe that I have not a single bit of Patriots paraphrenalia. At all. So I definitely need to get me a Patriots T-shirt too. And I'd like to get some clover earings. I've seen some, somewhere, maybe just in my head, that are gold backing with like green crystals of some sort that make the leaves of the clovers. I don't know if I've seen them in the bookstore; I think I have, but I'm not entirely sure. But if they do exist, I want them. Or maybe just some interlocking ND ones. Haha. That'd be funny.


(Hey, guess what comes in just over a week! My ring! ahhhh can't wait. It better get here on May 1 like they told me, or I'll be one sad little girl. Well, if it comes early, I'll be ok with that too.)

Sweeeet

The international trailer for the 5th Harry Potter movie (The Order of the Phoenix) is out! Go to MuggleNet to watch it. They have it up there. It's so good. I'm so excited for it. Oh man. Yeah.

Hodgepodge is a cool word

You know, when your paper is supposed to be 15 pages, even having a few pages done doesn't make you feel any closer to being done.

Kinda sucks.

BUT, on the bright side, the Red Sox have beat the Yankees two games in a row. And that's awesome. The Yankees suck. And the Red Sox are awesome. So there.

AND the Blue Gold game was today. That was pretty cool. Me and Bethany decided to go for gold (hahaha), and Katherine and Caitlin went for blue. Gold won, 10-6. I have no idea who was on either team, however, so...yeah. Haha. Oh well. I do know that Junior Jabbie did well, and that the quarterbacks...well I don't know much about how they did. It's really hard to tell. So yeah. It'll be hard to tell, really, until the actual season starts in September. September 1! And today apparently "smashed" the record for the number of people in attendence. From where I sat (in the upper deck, just a few rows from the top, above the section in which I sat as a sophomore or freshman), it looked like the stadium might have been 3/4 full. I think I heard someone say something about 50,000-some or around there. I think the stadium holds 80-90,000. I should probably know the real number, but I don't. Alas. Or at least I can't remember it at the moment. But anyway, it's still a ridiculous amount of people to go to a game that's not even a game. Lasts probably a whole hour and a half. Maybe 2. And it's us playing...us. I mean, I love it, because any excuse for more football I'm there. But I live on campus. I'm there anyway. I can't believe that many people travel to come to this game. I'm sure a lot of them are within reasonable driving distance, but I'm also sure there are those who fly in from wherever. It's weird. But that's ND football for you. I'm ok with it. And, oh, sitting there in the stadium, its familiar smells and sights and sounds all around me, made me miss it so desperately. I mean, obviously I was there today, but it wasn't real, it wasn't a game. I cannot wait for next season. My last season, which is so sad. I should go to grad school there just so I can keep going to the games as a student. I've considered it. (not just for the football thing, but also because I have no idea what I'm going to do when I graduate.) But I've heard that in grad school, you have to write lots of realllly long papers. 15 pagers are old hat there. And...I just really don't think I want to do that. Much as I do love ND football. haha. At least we have seven home games next year. And we're going to do our darndest to go to the Penn State, Purdue, and Michigan away games. (I know, it'll involve spending money that I'm sure I won't have, but how many times are you a senior in college? I want to have fun.) So yeah. Moral of the story: football is awesome. Especially ND football. Mmmm. I really hope we have a good team, young and inexperienced though they may be. Many, at least.

I got a little sunburned today too. (I know! The sun was actually out long enough to burn me! Although, all it takes is about fifteen minutes before I start pinking up. haha. Me and my lovely translucent skin.) Twas quite warm. At least I did put on sunblock, though, so my face isn't very red at all, nor are my shoulders (although, I was wearing a T-shirt, so for most of the time my shoulders were covered anyway). It's worst on my lower forearms and onto like the top of my hands. Guess I skimped down there. But I tried. Kind of. It's ok. I'm definitely not as lobster-y as many people I saw walking around later today, at the dining hall and Lafortune and stuff. Yeah. Kinda funny. It was so nice out today, people probably spent most of their day outside. Sunburn is bound to happen in that situation. Oh well.

Umm.....I thought I had something else I wanted to say. There's always more to say.

So, I'm taking a train home again, I guess. It's kinda sucky though. I have to take it from South Bend since I can't really get a ride to Chicago any other way, with all the crap I'll be taking home and whatnot. The thing is, though, the only train leaving from South Bend on that Saturday leaves at like 8 something in the morning, and gets into Chicago at 9 something. 9:45 I think. And then the train from Chicago to Denver leaves at 2 in the afternoon. Which means I'm going to have to sit in the Chicago train station for about 4 hours. Could be worse, I know, but...ugh. A 4 hour layover when you're going from one plane to another is one thing. You aren't waiting for hours to go sit for another 19. But with the train, I will be. Because it leaves Chicago at 2 in the afternoon on Saturday, and gets into Denver at 7:35 in the morning Sunday. Last time, I slept the entire way, with the exception of a few wakings of no more than 30 minutes. Until we got close to Denver, and then I was awake for maybe 30 minutes to an hour before we got in. But yeah. I don't know if I'll be able to do that again. That was a lot of sleeping. I hadn't slept at all the night before, so I guess I could just make sure I do that again (and I'll be going off probably only a handful of hours of sleep anyway, thanks to my lovely finals schedule) and then it won't be so bad. Because last time I slept in the Chicago station during the layover too. (Seems that Amtrak doesn't really change its schedule much, even in two years. Quite reliable I suppose.) It wouldn't be very bad, either, if they had plugs or something next to the seats. But they probably don't. If they did, I could blog (offline), as I tend to like to write stuff when I travel, or I could watch movies or something. But anyway. Yeah. So. That'll be fun. Ha. Oh well.

I've seen two baby squirrels the past two days. I never see baby squirrels. They're so cute, and very hoppy. I like them a lot. I love the squirrels here. Today walking to dinner we saw one that had stolen a mini can of Pepsi out of an overflowing trash can, and was running across the ground and then up a tree (as it was being chased by two little boys). It was running with this can in its mouth. It climbed all the way up the tree with the can in its mouth. It was hilarious. I love it. How could you not love that? Oh squirrels. They are amazing. Oh, and I've seen more bunnies within the last three weeks than I have practically my entire time here I think. Often, walking back to Lewis from Cavanaugh, I'll see two in the yard in front of St Eds. And then occasionally I'll see one or two somewhere else along the way. They're so cute. I'm a big fan of them. I love wildlife in general. So much fun.


15 page papers suck. I feel like I got nothing done on this paper all day, and I'm tempted to stay up all night just so I can feel like I managed something, maybe even get to halfway done or something (even though it's all pretty much halfway done, if you know what I mean). But I'm tired. So tired. And thus, I believe I'll go to bed soon, as it's late (almost 2 now), get up in the morning, go to Mass, go to the Eucharistic Procession, change, and go to the library. Maybe by tomorrow night I can feel more good about this whole thing. I sure hope so. Because I could theoretically sit in the library and work on it from...let's say 2:30 until 11. That's 8.5 hours. Take out an hour for dinner, so 7.5. I could get quite a bit done in that amount of time, now that I have a start and all on it. It'd be amazing to have a large majority done by Monday. I would be soooo happy. Maybe I'll make my goal to be 10 pages by tomorrow night. Ick. I don't know if I can do that. Yes I can. Ick though. But...even then, I'll still have five more to go. That's crappy. That's like a whole other essay. Sigh. Oh well. It has to get done. And I have to figure out what I'm going to write about for my Trads essay.

This is so overwhelming. I have to go to bed before I start sinking, I think. Even if I do feel like a failure, productivity-wise, tonight. If I get a good night's sleep tonight, I won't be tempted to take a nap tomorrow, which could easily end up being a 3 hour black hole, sucking up all my time. So, bedtime soon, methinks. I'll try to finish the page I'm on. yeah. Oh, and if you want a laugh (at least, I think it's funny, as do my friends) watch this commercial. "What you gonna do when I bend the block?" hahaha. Man. Gooood stuff.

Niiiiiiiiiiiice

The 2007 season's The Shirt was unveiled today. I'm pretty sure it's one of the best shirts in quite some time. Not that that's saying much, necessarily...I am a huge huge fan. I mean, I guess the slogan's kinda weird, but I didn't really look at that part. I just really like the golden leprechaun and the ND on the back. Sweet. And I do like the color. Even if ND green should be more kelly green, I like the forest green. So anyway. I'm happy with it.

The weekend, you say?

It's Friday. I'm done with classes. Go me. Except now I have no excuse not to work on the far too numerous papers I have coming up. One in particular. The reason I'm going to end up spending hours in the library on Saturday and possibly Sunday, I anticipate, instead of doing fun things with my friends. Funny story. My Trads teacher decided to give us an extension on the next paper, as he's been doing with pretty much all the papers thus far. So instead of being due Monday, it's now due Wednesday. Which, as you might remember, is the day my 15 page research paper is due in my other theo class. Lovely. See, now, you could just say, "Well, just pretend there's no extension and do it like it's due Monday." But I'm the type of person who, if you give me an extension, I'm gonna take it. Even if I don't want it, for whatever reason I still end up leaving it until the very last possible minute. Which is not a good thing, obviously. But now this brings up an interesting dilemma: Do I work on the Trads paper this weekend, get it done for Monday, and hold off on the research paper, or do I try to get as much done as possible on the research paper this weekend, and hopefully get it done with enough time to do the trads paper on Tuesday night? I like that second option, because the prospect of only having Monday and Tuesday to work on the research paper, when I'm in classes all day Monday (and even more so this coming Monday), and I work a good chunk of the day on Tuesday, really really makes me nervous. And for some reason, thinking that I could get it mostly done this weekend even if it's the same amount of time tomorrow and Sunday as Monday and Tuesday, just seems a lot better. But that's the thing. I don't know how much I can get done this weekend. I don't know how long this is going to take me to write. Because not only do I have to formulate an argument (well, I don't exactly have to do that part for the research paper), and flip through readings to find random quotes that seem like they might fit what I'm saying, but I have to do the research part first, so that I know what I'm going to say in the first place, and then also find the quotes to apply to what I'm saying. AND it's 15 pages. I definitely don't like that. I just don't know how I'm going to get through this week, through these two papers. I don't know.

Even though I have three due the week after next, they're all of a sudden not causing me as much grief as this week's papers. Next week's, I mean. Whatever. Yeah. I mean, first of all, the total number of pages I have to write for those three together is about the same as how many I have to write for the research paper. So that's kind of nice to know. And at least one of them is semi-interesting. For the FTT paper, we had a list of three possible topics on which to write our paper. The first is comparing and contrasting one of the dance sequences (a particular one) in the movie Top Hat with the Singin in the Rain sequence from that movie. Obviously I chose that one, as I'm quite a fan of musicals, and as Singin in the Rain is one of my all-time favorites. So I can watch those two scenes and not want to gouge my eyes out in the end (like that lovely scene we had to look at over and over and over ... and over for our first paper. Stupid Miami Vice). So anyway, I'm kinda glad about that paper. And my TA made us turn in a thesis and outline today, which, much as I hate doing (and NEVER do unless I'm told explicitly to do so by a teacher, which rarely happens), will make things easier when it comes time to sit down and write the thing. Plus, I'll know if my thesis is good or not, and if it sucks I can change it before writing the whole paper under that thesis resulting in a less than stellar grade. So anyway. There's at least one positive...ish thing about one of these papers. The other two I have due that week...I don't know about yet. One I don't even know what I'm going to write on, since we haven't yet read two of the things that we have the option of writing about, and the other seems like...eh I don't know. It's our Feasts and Seasons take home final, the same as our other two take homes we've had, both of which I've done well enough on (I think both were A-, which I'll take). I think he grades fairly easily. Not that I'm complaining. So yeah. I don't know. I guess it shouldn't be too bad. Just gotta do it, and that's the sucky part.

Speaking of grades, though, we got our tests back today in my Middle Ages tutorial. Last week my TA freaked us out by saying that the average of the ones he had graded so far was about 75% or so. 10 points less than the last test. Not good. You may recall, I felt like I had done horribly once I got out of that test. Horribly. So I wasn't looking forward to getting it back. However (and I'm sure you can see this coming, and are now rolling your eyes at me), I got it back, and it was an 87%! Soooo much better than I thought I'd get. I have no idea how I got that. He must have graded those essays very generously. So yeah. I'm most certainly ok with that. And speaking of that class, today he only made us stay for about 10 minutes. Just long enough to hand those out, and tell us that he didn't feel like he was adequately prepared or awake to lead a discussion on Dante's Divine Comedy, our assigned reading for this week. (Portions of it, anyway. Still far too much reading in my opinion. I didn't do it. Don't tell anyone though.) Apparently he got like no sleep last night. So, instead, he's making us come to a makeup session next Monday night, which I'm slightly pissed about. I didn't want to go to tutorial today, but I did. I'm running on very little sleep, but I still made it. I have twenty or so pages of writing to do between now and Wednesday, I can't afford to spend yet another block of 50 minutes on a class I should have had today. Were that my last class of the day, perhaps I wouldn't be so annoyed. But I still had one after that, so it's not like I got to "get started on my weekend" any sooner or anything. Now I have to go to my FTT movie screening on Monday until 9, and then go to this make up tutorial. I'm annoyed. Plus, Monday after the normal Middle Ages class (my last class of the day), I'm going to be going to an extra credit thing at the Snite. Perhaps that's a misuse of my time, since it is just extra credit, but I like extra credit, especially since I'm not doing fantabulously in that class. Not horribly, either, but it'd be nice to get maybe an A-. I'm not holding my breath, but you know. Whatever. So yeah. Monday's going to suck. Class 8:30-4, essentially, then more "class" from 7-10ish. And then I get to work more on some lovely papers. Can't you tell how thrilled I am about this?

Ok, I'm sorry. I've been complaining about schoolwork a lot here lately. It's just kind of saturated my mind so that I can't think about anything else. I hate the fact that I'm looking forward to the end of the semester, just so I can be done with all these ridiculous papers. I don't want the semester to end, I just want the papers to end. I'm not terribly anxious to get home, so it's not like that's doing anything for me. I resent these papers more and more each and every day that goes by.

It sucks, let me tell you. Can't I just have fun, like college is supposed to be?


(Completely unrelated, but at least as ridiculous: I just read someone's response to why they're against the partial birth abortion ban. This person said he/she is because: It's safer for the mother, and some women want an "intact fetus" for funeral and grieving purposes. What? Why would you grieve over something you voluntarily did? Do people actually have funerals for babies they abort? And since when is EVERY SINGLE ABORTION PERFORMED done so for the health of the mother? Geez. I've read women's stories of why they had abortions. A majority are not for health reasons, unless "Oh, I just don't want the inconvenience" is a health reason.)

Some good news

As you may or may not have heard, yesterday the Supreme Court upheld the ban on partial-birth abortion. Now, if you know what partial birth abortion actually is, what it does, I don't see how a single person would be able to think that banning it is a bad thing. It's not like abortion is being banned outright. It's banning late-term abortions, procedures which kill babies who have reached the gestational age where they would be able to live, or at least have a chance, outside of the womb. Meaning, the only reason you would have one is because you simply want to kill this child, even though you could just as easily give birth to it and never have to deal with any part of it again because you're not being forced to continue with a pregnancy, you're not being forced to raise your child, none of that. You've already been pregnant long enough for the baby to live outside of your womb, so it's no longer the "parasite" some pro-choicers like to view it as. Partial birth abortion involves basically giving birth, to all but the head of the child, into which scissors are unceremoniously placed, effectively killing the baby as it's partially born. It's horrible and repulsive. And I am so glad that it is banned. (Not that that'll stop some, I'm sure, but you can never stop everyone from breaking the law.)

However, of course those rabid "Abortions for everyone!" people are now whining about how unconstitutional this is, and how horrible it is for women, and how Catholics are trying to take over the country. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards have all come out with statements saying how disappointed or whatever they are that this ban is being upheld. And then there's Senator Barbara Boxer, who included this ruling along with what happened at Virginia Tech when calling this a "hard and emotional week." So, the death of some people's children at the hands of a madman is tragic (which is true), but the killing of innocent lives minutes before they're born at the hands of an abortionist isn't tragic? Ok. And then we have Rosie O'Donnell, who managed to point out that all five of the judges who voted for the ban are Catholic, and that clearly, therefore, they are not practicing the Sacred Art of Separation of Church and State. (I know, it's Rosie O'Donnell. I shouldn't even be giving her a mention on my blog, ever. I sometimes can't believe I used to watch and enjoy her talk show. I mean, she was a lot more normal -- at least publically, who knows how she acted off-camera -- during that time, but still.) Clearly, the only way that a person would vote against partial birth abortion is if that person were Catholic and being forced to because, I don't know, the Pope says so or something. Obviously people can't objectively believe that killing innocent children in that way is wrong; they must have more sinister goals in mind.

I really hate the idea that millions of babies have been killed under the pretense that it's for my own good as a woman, that it's a way to keep my gender from being oppressed and turned into slaves. I hate that argument. My rights in no way should trump those of each and every single child who is killed ostensibly so that I can live however I choose. The millions who have been killed are just as human as I am, so why don't they get a choice? They are not simply clumps of cells, not parasites, nothing less than truly and fully human. Sure, people like to refer to babies before they're born as fetuses, and might even refuse to refer to it as a baby. But a baby it is. A human life. Every bit as important as yours, or mine, or Rosie's, or Obama's, or even the victims of Monday's shooting. Let's call a spade a spade, and call a baby a baby.

Here's hoping (and praying) that this good news will end up doing exactly what those democrats seem to fear more than anything, and that one day soon, all children will once again have the right to be born.