Blue Roses

I luuuuuuuurve my Poli Sci prof. He told me that yes, he gives make up exams, but they're harder essay formats, and an hour instead of 30 minutes. So, I prepped for a harder test, knowing that it was worth it.

I get there? "I decided to give you the same multiple choice test your classmates got." Bless his HEART! I was done in 15 minutes, and I absolutely adore him entirely.

Now I get to do all the fun unpacking things I didn't have time for yesterday, because I was so busy studying. LOL Also, must find time to play Sims - I must needs get my pretty boys drunk and see them lose inhibitions!

Posted by Rina at 01:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

And here I am, back in my apartment. I miss my family. : (

But fun times abounded! I got my own digital camera. I took pictures of my adorable little squirrel at home (he's SO cute) and plan to make a new design for here using them. Daddy's birthday is Tuesday, so we celebrated last night, and that was fun. I made him a bunch of things from Cafepress, like things with our family portrait on them. He loved them.

I got a pretty new plant, white gardenias. I need to name it and talk to it and play music for it so it doesn't die like my lucky bamboo did. I should probably water it, too.

I was playing at all my nsync sites I've missed the last two weeks, and found a video clip of Lance signing! My heart so filled with love, just watching him sign, "My name is L-A-N-C-E." <.giggle> Laugh all you want, but it really isn't all that common to find people who can sign even a little bit. Add that to JC's idol being Stephen Hawking (among other things, he's an AAC user like my brother is!) and I will never stop loving the pretty boys. Ever. <.g>

Daddy and I went to Outback Steakhouse for his birthday weekend today, and I have SO many leftovers! I think I shall heat up some of them and get ready to study for my make up exam tomorrow. : )

Missed you all!! {{HUGS}}

Posted by Rina at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Okay, I have about five minutes....

Josh's surgery went well. He was amazing. Then the epidural was too much and he was practically comatose and then they took away all pain meds and he was in excruciating, screaming pain. Lovely first night. But perhaps we needed the terror to fully appreciate how perfectly he's doing now. It's amazing.

Spent the weekend at Kate's - much fun! *NSYNC marathon, ahoy! It was fantastic fun, and it made me miss having her down here. We also saw Chicago, which I adored.

The war is a scary, scary thing right now, and even though I don't quite agree that this was the time for it, I'm praying for all our troops and their families.

I miss you guys! I miss all my internet things. I've done almost nothing with the net at home, and gahhhhh it drives me nuts. <.g>

I'm down here now grabbing stuff for my exam next week, and then daddy and I are driving back up. Wheee! I'm glad I came home early. : )

And now I leave again, for a week.

Posted by Rina at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I love the digital camera, I gotta say. Don't I look adorable? <.snicker> Okay, honestly, just trying to show off my shoes. I love these shoes - I got them for work, and I just wear them all the time. LOL

Posted by Rina at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

My parents like to do this. Change huge amounts of plans in less than 24 hours.

I'm headed home tonight. Daddy'll pick me up at the train station, and I'll go to the hospital bright and early with them tomorrow. Now don't get me wrong - I am glad I'll be there. I've wanted to be there. But. Fact remains, I have an exam Tuesday. And a session Monday. And crap, a driving lesson to cancel for Wednesday. It was a slow week, but stuff was still happening.

So. I e-mailed my prof, hopefully I can take the exam after break. I bought my ticket for Amtrak. I'm about to start packing. For two weeks at home.

Oh, my God, I'm going to go insane. LOL

So I won't be here to babble pointless posts tomorrow. But I would still appreciate your keeping my boy in your thoughts. Gonna be a long day.

Posted by Rina at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I didn't feel like cleaning my apartment, so I decided to clean my computer. You know, delete extraneous files? So I'm going through a folder of Krissy-made graphics, and what do I find but a chat I saved from, like, September 1999. LOL! Dude, sweetie, we were both highly excitable, apparently, because there were more than our share of exclamation marks. <.giggle>

Shoot, the copy of Traveling Solider I downloaded is Bruce Robinson and not Dixie Chicks. Back to Kazaa go I. : )

Posted by Rina at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1. Do you like talking on the phone? Why or why not?

Not at all. I hate calling people especially. And if I don't have caller ID, I freak and don't want to answer. I know, I'm weird. LOL I like knowing what to expect, and it's hard to not see people's reactions. Which doesn't mean I *can't talk on the phone - Erin and I have talked for hours straight. I think Jennie and I have had some long calls, too. It's just not my favorite thing.

Oh, and when calling to order, like, dinner or something? I seriously have to write down everything they could possibly ask. Yes, that includes my name. I've blanked before. <.g> This goes for calling to ask questions, order things, talk to people at work, everything. If I can script out my part, I'm a happy camper.

2. Who is the last person you talked to on the phone?

Mom. LOL She called in the middle of my nap, and I don't think I was very coherant. She did most of the talking. My part was, "Hello? Hi. Yeah. Love ya." <.g>

3. About how many telephones do you have at home?

Two here in my apt - my cell phone and the land line. The land line doesn't always work, though, and I can only get one call out every few hours. I can usually receive calls fine, though. (When Kate lived here, there were 5 phones for the two of us. LOL Two cells, one each in our rooms, and one in the kitchen.)

At home, there's 4, I think. A cordless with a base in the living room, a cordless with a base in my parents room, ditto one in mine, and a 2 line regular phone in the kitchen. (So that's one per level, except two on the top floor.)

4. Have you encountered anyone who has really bad phone manners? What happened?

Nope, can't think of anyone.

5. Would you rather pick up the phone and call someone or write them an e-mail or a letter? Why or why not?

I guess it depends on who it is, and why I'm trying to get in contact with them. 9/10, I'd prefer to e-mail, but I know that's not always the best course of action. <.g> Sometimes I actively want to call people to chat - usually my mother, Jennie, or Erin, although I'd love to be able to chat with Krissy, Karey and a few others.

Meanwhile, canNOT believe it's 6 already. Guess that's what I get for taking an almost 4 hour nap. LOL

Posted by Rina at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Driving lesson went great! I didn't make any big mistakes, and it wasn't too scary, and the guy was really nice, and he thinks I can get my license next week, easy. My next lesson is Friday, and he'll take me on a practice run of everything that will be on the test. Then, if I'm feeling comfortable, the third lesson he'll take me for a warm up and then we'll go straight to the DMV. Eeek? Eeee! I'm nervously excited. Excitedly nervous? I guess we'll see how Friday goes. : ) I haven't parked in, like, forever and a day, let alone unhill or downhill. <.g>

Posted by Rina at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wheee! Last midterm is DONE! It was kinda scary, but not too bad. I know I smacked those essays out of the park, and that was about half the exam, so that's good. The m/c I did fine on, the fill in the blank was okay, so it was only the definitions that tripped me up. I knew two, had an idea on one, and fudged two. LOL So we'll see how it went.

Now? I worry about driving. EEEEEEEEEP! 45 minutes. Ack ack ack. ::looks at permit:: This is scary. <.g> But the guy sounds nice, so that's something. But. Eeeeek. I haven't been behind a wheel in, like, 2 years? Three?

Pray for me and those out on the streets. <.g>

Posted by Rina at 09:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

AOL just informed me that Mac AOL Broadband users aren't yet able to particpate in a poll I clicked on.

Well, thanks. Because I'm a PC cable line user who never signed on for AOL Broadband.

Had my dance show today. The class is quite amusing - lots of catcalls and such during. <.g> I noticed several nsyncy moves, like the line wiggle thing from...IWYB? Anyway, much cuteness. Ours went okay, all groups had to perform twice, and I felt great after the first and significantly less great after the second. Ugh. I think I may need some Ben and Jerry's, here. LOL

Off to study. And perhaps cook.

Posted by Rina at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mom talked with the doctor today, and Josh's surgery has been scheduled for Monday. This Monday. A week from today. The 17th. So fast, man. But it was now or a month from now, and why put it off?

So, I don't get to be there. I have a meeting and a session on the 17th and an exam on the 18th. And I know that on the day of, it's just sitting and waiting in a waiting room. But it's waiting with my family. And then being able to help out afterwards.

So happy thoughts and/or prayers would be greatly appreciated. We've done this before, with his other knee, but it's still scary.

Posted by Rina at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So. Josh's knee sublexted and he's being put on the surgerical list. Probably for March 24. Madison sent me a letter telling me I didn't get in. That's 2/6 so far. 1/3 rejected.

On the plus side, it's 60 out. Well, now it's 50, but it was 60 about 10-15 minutes ago. And we came up with a super fun and cool dance routine that I can mostly do.

But still.

Posted by Rina at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, obviously, I opted to just change the colors. LOL The blue is far more becoming to me. Okay, sure, there's still a fair amount of red, but they're not bothering anyone. And if I could make my entries have a white background, that'd be swell. But for now? It's all good.

Over the years, many have heard me talk about the Monster Snowflake. Josh's 4th grade teacher sent home an art project, several winters ago, involving cutting paper to get snowflakes to hang up. Mom asked me to do it.

First one went great. Ha, I said. I can do fourth grade art projects! Second one, fine. Third, I was getting a little cocky. Missed a snip. It turned out to look like a monster out of the X-Files.

Thanks to my digital camera, now you too can enjoy in the monsterness of the snowflake! Click below, my friends.

Posted by Rina at 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So. I get dressed in dance clothes (grey and pink dance pants, Elmo and Grover t-shirt). I head out to find the sorority house that we're rehearsing in. I find it. I wander around, feeling that something wasn't right. I ring the bell. Girl answers, says [...] is at her office hours, but I can come in and wait. I hang out, watching TV. [...] comes home. Yeah. They canceled the rehearsal, but couldn't remember my e-mail address.

GAH! Oh, well. The house was absolutely gorgeous, and the girls there were pretty nice. And of course, everyone loves feeling chubby and brunette in a sea of skinny blonde girls. Not to mention the Elmo/Grover thing. <.g>

Knew there was a reason I didn't want to go, man! LOL

I need to do a redesign here. I can't decide if I want to keep the same idea and just change the color, or what. Decisions, decisions.

Posted by Rina at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So far, a good day! Class, done. Meeting, done. Digital camera stuff, done. Actually keeping up the reading in Poli Sci, doing. Only thing left for today is a dance rehearsal. So why do I really, really not want to to do it? LOL

I like my Fridays. Well, I like my Fridays when they're like this - sunshiny and bright. This is great! I have the sunlight streaming through my living room, blue skies peeking up over the roof of the house next door, and I'm actually accomplishing things and feeling good.

Still not wanting to go to dance. ; )

Now if I can just keep this up throughout the weekend, I'm set. I love this peek at spring. I can't wait for the real thing!

Posted by Rina at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's been awhile since I did one!

1. What was the last song you heard?
My Heart Only Knows What it Feels - Brad Maule

2. What were the last two movies you saw?
My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Chamber of Secrets

3. What were the last three things you purchased?
Panera, JC's single, birthday card for Jennie

4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?
Study for Arch, read Poli Sci, clean the bathroom, go see a dance performance

5. Who are the last five people you talked to?
Mom, Sheila, Brent, Victoria, random person I held the door open for.

Posted by Rina at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am so excited! I brought back my family's digital camera, and I uploaded some pictures. ::bounce::

First up? Me! Playing with the mirror and the camera. I remembered Krissy always participated in the picture yourself, or whatever, blog, and maybe now I can too!

I picked this up in the Dells over the weekend. It's a nightlight for my bathroom, and it matches my towels. LOL Once a Phile, always a Phile!

This is my old monitor. This is my new monitor. Isn't it pretty? It's a (n)SyncMaster. <.g>

To demonstrate why I needed a new monitor. This is what the colors looked like before. They're all washed out, and that's the brightest they ever got. Videos? Couldn't see a thing. This is my colors now. Much clearer. <.g> I realize using a black and white wallpaper wasn't the BEST way to show things, but take my word for it. Or ask Kate. I bitched a lot to her. <.g>

I think this is going to prove extremely addicting, guys. LOL Fair warning!

Posted by Rina at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...from the Dells! : ) Quick highlights.

Friday
*Voted for BMU 9 times on Friday. Endured much mocking.
*Drank Siberian Cream, and loved it muchly. Must remember to call voice mail, where recipe is waiting.
*Cheese curds are very much of the good.

Saturday
*Stayed sane. (Was v. big accomplishment.)
*Went to Baraboo's Circus World Museum. Enjoyed it greatly. Endured much mocking. Josh's opinion: THE CIRCUS MUSEUM HAD NO CIRCUS. IT WAS JUST POSTERS AND OTHER JUNK. WHAT A RIP OFF. Now own neat t-shirt with tight rope walking girl and a fuzzy purple pen.
*Went to my first casino. Made some money. Lost it all.
*Sibshop went well. Oldest sib was 25. Brought his wife, the "sib-in-law." Was new experience, as Sibshops are technically for 6-13 year olds. Will be prepared next year.
*Drank Blue Hawaiian. Loved it a really lot. Endured mocking.
*Admitted to bartender (who remembered me from the Siberian Cream) that I enjoyed girly drinks, especially those with umbrellas, and my mother is deeply ashamed. Is truth, sadly.

Sunday
*Sanity hung on by slim, tenuous grip.
*Bought cheese.
*Traveled far too much. (nearly 9 hours. *sob*)
*Ate "Cow pie" from Baraboo. Interesting.
*Came back to monitor on the fritz. Cried.

Today? Daddy drove down to buy me a new monitor. I am the proud owner of a SyncMaster 151 V flat panel monitor. I can see COLORS! And can only apologize for the color scheme here. It will change soon, and thank you for putting up with it. (Dude, you have to TELL me these things! I went around telling people about another site and it's pretty purpleness only to learn today that its actually blue, damn it.)

Saw ALL of Krissy's designs. Was quite excited to realize I can now see black websites. And pictures! And videos! Thank you, SyncMaster! I love you!

Posted by Rina at 09:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)