Planning Purposes

Hey, all!

So, I'm sitting around tonight in the dorm eating pizza with my roomie and watching Daria. Life is good. I've got two quizzes tomorrow, but I think I can handle them. I'm probably not as stressed out about finals as I could be, but I've decided that from here on in my college carreer I'm going to be satisfied with a run of Bs and a social life, complete with having fun times and trying new things while I still have a few years of indentured servitude to society.

Wow. Daria must be rubbing off on me.

Anyway, I'm getting psyched for Scotland after my meeting last Friday! I'm going to jump around to Ireland, England and Wales, go up to the Orkneys, and hopefully climb Ben Nevis! I have so many plans.
And yet, the closer it gets the more real it becomes, and I'm starting to get a bit jittery. I'm sure it'll all be fine, but it's just old worries popping up again.

And between now and then, we have CHRISTMAS TIME!!

I love Christmas. I love advent. I love making advent crafts with little kids! Church was awesome and advent fair was stupendus, and I got to go over to Peggy's this afternoon for tea. I forget how much I miss her. What an awesome lady. I hope I can be half the person she is when I get older.

Well, off to do a bit of studying.

Sittin' in Class

Hey everyone!

I haven't updated in a while, but I was pretty busy last week and the week before, and it doesn't look like it's going to let up any time before the end of the semester.

Let, see. News.

I love books. Granted, this isn't news, but I've just realized it again now that I'm reading more. Since I haven't had any literature classes in the last year or so I haven't been required to read anything, which means I've just been reading as I have time, instead of making time to read. Now, though, I'm reading "The Testament of Gideon Mack," which is a novel about a Scottish minister who meets the Devil. It's fascinating, and it's for a book club for my study abroad trip to Scotland. I'm so excited!

Anyway, I went home this last weekend and I had a powerful urge to re-read the Little House on the Prairie books, but guess what? They're all missing. Except my favorite book in the series, "Farmer Boy." So I'm reading that, and trying to make it last, because Almonzo's story really is one of my favorite things. It makes me want to get up at five to milk cows again, and it makes me REALLY hope that I can afford to work at Cedar Summit again next summer.

As I'm sure I've said already, I'm depending on getting a really well paying job this summer, even if it's flipping burgers (yuck!!!) so that we can get more money for next year's tuition and to pay back the student loans I'll be taking out for Scotland next semester.

And speaking of loans, I have a meeting with both a financial aid councilor and my academic councilor tomorrow to get all my ducks in order for next semester. Wish me luck, and let's hope I can get everything figured out before winter break so I can have a rest before jetting off to the U.K.

But, rest aside, if anyone knows of any job I can work for a month (namely, January) to make a bit of extra cash, let me in on it! Scotland = expensive.

And I think that will finish off my stream of thought just now. I've got fifteen minutes left of class, so I think I'll re-vamp the look of this blog. It's currently quite drab.

Ta ta!

SOOOOO GOOOOOOOD!!

I'm feelin' sooooo gooooood! (yeah, it's a Homestar reference) right now!

First of all, I just got into University of Scotland, Stirling for next semester's study abroad program. I rock. And I'm SO excited to go! I have to make sure all of my grad requirements are in order, and that we'll be able to afford the program some how, and I'm set! It's going to be so cool. I can tell.

That's all the real NEWS I have lately, so I shall supplement this post with more things I've been thinking about.

- Yesterday the Raptor Center people were flying two hawks out on the quad, and I was watching from a distance away. All of a sudden this shadow came over me, and I looked up to see a WILD red-tail land right above me on a tree limb. Apparently he (or she) had seen the new arrivals and wanted to make friends. The Raptor Center workers were a bit startled by this, but carried on anyway. I stood for a few minutes, watching the interactions between these huge birds of prey, right in the middle of the city.

- I've been reminding myself a lot of a Native American story or parable that I read a while ago. It tells about a grandson who once asked his grandfather why he spent time sitting quietly (or meditating) every day. The grandfather answered that there are two natures within us, one that is creative, and one that is destructive; one generous and one selfish; one of love and one of hate. He said that the two natures were like two wolves that fight within us for the upper hand. The grandson was a little scared, and asked which wolf would win in the end. The grandfather answered "Whichever one we feed."

- I picked up a new book at the library yesterday called "How Shall I Live My Life." It's a compilation of several interviews with people in the ecological and philosophical communities, and it's fascinating. There are a few points that I disagree with, and a couple of times I've thought "gosh, this is a little too 'conspiracy theory' for me," but there are some very good ideas and principles raised. A lot of the first chapter which I'm currently reading is about "waking up" to the world and taking a step out of culture to look at things from a different point of view.
This is my current favorite phrase:

"Compassion is the desire to remove the suffering of others, and love is the desire to reinforce and preserve their happiness. So the two are related. Anyway, by reinforcing our capacity for compassion and love, by concentrating on other people's needs rather than ourselves, we can remove the sort of energy system which creates selective inattention, which creates the capacity for self-deception. This is what the Buddhists have been saying for some two and a half thousand years: compassion and kindness and love empower reason, because you're taking away the energy that drives selfishness and the selective inattention."

I believe that all actions should spring from compassion and love. I'm working on living that out.

-I went to Tai Chi yesterday for the first time! It was a lot of fun, and we get taught by two Chinese guys who don't speak much English at all, so two of the students had to translate. It's facinating getting the meaning and explanation for the movements in the context of the culture that created them. Unfortunatly, I probably won't get to go again, since they changed the meeting time from Sunday to Tuesday, during my night class, but I got to go last night since class was canceled. I plan on working on the Yang Short Form by myself, and then joining up to practice with then again sometime.

Ah! Class time! Gotta go.

Feeling Good

Hello, everyone!

I haven't posted in a while! Here's a quicky: OneRepublic rocked SO hardcore, and they signed my stuff and I got to talk to them. They rock. Halloween at Gabe's house was a perfect time, and in fact, the whole weekend hanging with Gabe, Beth and Lyss (of course!) was awesome. I've recently gotten into baking, and I've made a TON of yummy things in the last 7 days. I've eaten Chipotle, I've had fun dressing Lyss up in new clothes with Beth, I've played around with my little Sly Boy nephiew (and his new baby brother will probably be arriving tomorrow!!), and I got to spend Tuesday exercising my right to vote and watching the results come in.

I just need to say how excited I am about what happened yesterday! While I wasn't totally invested in Obama or McCain in the beginning, I did have my preference, and I didn't realize until least night around six o'clock how much I wanted Obama to win. The more I thought about what the future of this country could be, the more sure I was that he's the one to get us where I hope we'll be by the time I have my own kids.

I, like most people, I think, was glued to CNN from 7 o'clock until midnight, and the whole thing was both facinating and excilerating. Just to know that people all over our country are standing up for their beliefs, and that WE MATTER because our government is OF THE PEOPLE. Now, I know there are some people out there who will say that votes don't count, or that there are people in Washington who are throwing out ballots by the handful in order to further their own agenda, and to that I can only say "I don't believe it." And also, as Athena Currier says in her blog, "don't give me none of that shit."

Cliche as it is, today I am proud to be an American. I have never felt that way, ever in my life. I feel like I can go to Scotland next semester and not have to be sorry for the crazy things my government is doing, because WE THE PEOPLE desire to right wrongs and fix our mistakes. That feels GREAT!

I wasn't here last night when everyone heard the news, but my roommate tells me that there were people running up and down the halls shouting the results, excited and happy. There were people outside doing cartwheels. It feels like even though we may not have voted for the same people, we can finally stand UNITED in our desire for change. No matter what changes may come to us, or that we may effect ourselves, I have a newfound trust in the democratic process in our country, and I believe that we will speak up and be heard, and we will work together to do the right thing.

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”

“This is our time to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one."

GUESS WHAT??!!?

I just got selected for backstage passes to meet OneRepublic tomorrow night.

Yep. No one is going to be as excited about this as I am, but that's life. :-)

I am STOKED.

Tomorrow is going to be awesome. I get to meet Ryan Tedder and the guys from the band, and get photos and autographs, and then get to listen to SWEET music for a few hours and yell my lungs out.

This is going to ROCK.

New Coat!

I skipped class this afternoon and went shopping instead.

That's right. I did it.

But I figured it wouldn't kill anyone. Unless I got hit by a bus or something, which I didn't. :-)

And I bought A NEW COAT. A pea coat, to be exact, which is made of wool, and which I really love. I do need to find my scarf, however, as my neck is now cold.

New coat!
New coat on me!

I Miss High School Sometimes.

It's not that I miss high school itself (I wouldn't go back if someone paid me), but there were some really good times, and I find myself thinking of it as "back when I was a teenager," which is pretty weird.

I miss not having a driver's license and walking all over town. Right now I miss walking over that hill by Sibley back when we rode the bus. Back when I wore my headphones everywhere, even in class, and thought I was pretty punk rock. I miss painting my fingernails black, and seeing that Wes, Dita and Ben had all done it too. I miss writing terrible poetry in study hall.

I miss Ken!! He called me late last night so I didn't answer, but miss hanging out with him. He's my doppelganger. I've always seen him as the way I might have turned out if I'd been basically ditched by my family when I was young. We used to have some sweet times back in the day. I miss the days when it was me and Wes, Dita and Ben, and Ken and Angie. We used to stand around playing pool for hours and listening to Nirvana, Green Day and Blink 182.

It's funny now seeing the kids in freshman and sophomore year, including Julia, being at the age I was when all this was happening. They seem so young. I was only 14 during that crazy first high school summer with all the friend drama. I remember feeling so old, but I wasn't even sixteen!

Obviously I'll be saying all this again in five years, about how much I miss the "good old days," but I just had a sudden attack of nostalgia.

I guess I would go back, for maybe a day, as long as I could get out of the homework.

News and Musings

So, here's some stuff, and some thoughts. Disjointed and mostly happy. :-)

I went and played at the Open Mic coffee house we had in Bailey! I didn't think I'd be up to playing, but as it turned out they needed a few more people, and it wasn't TOO intimidating, so I went up and got my guitar and played "One Year, Six Months" by Yellow Card and "The Animals Were Gone" by Damien Rice. Both pieces went pretty well, although, since I'd just learned "One Year, Six Months" it was a little rocky. That one'll be improving soon, I hope. It was a fun time, though, and I got to hear some AWESOME poetry by Tiffany, the RA on the 4th floor. She's got some really cool rhymes and similes, and every single poem she recited was really new and beautiful. I wish I could write like that, but it's cool to be there when someone else gets that creative bug.

I'm working on a new crochet animal! Y'all will just have to wait and see!

I went to check out the student led church service at the University Lutheran church here last night, and it was nice. We used the same Haugen vespers service that St. John's uses in our Lenten services, so it felt a lot like home! I also learned more about the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, which is a bit like Americorps, but different. Basically, you apply to the program for a year (it pays, which is nice), and you go to live in one of fifteen cities in the US working on social justice and environmental issues, which is right up my alley. Their three tenants are "social justice, commitment to intentional community, and ecological sustainablilty," all of which I am 100% for. A possible after-college option.

I'm starting on a 9 week/2 month health extravaganza! Say hello to a healthier Alison who eats even better, and excersizes like a maniac. There is, of course, more to it than that, but this is all I'm prepared to say about it at present.

I find that I have a problem with people who are not understanding and compassionate. These are qualities I need to keep nurturing in myself, I know, but I find it almost unbearable when others refuse (or don't think) to put themselves in the shoes of someone else. Just try to understand, people, instead of pronouncing judgement and passing that on to your nearest friend in the form of criticism. Quit sniggering at that guy's haircut and that girl's glasses. When it comes down to it, they are you. You are them. We are all loved equally, together.

Books are cool! I'm reading one right now called "The Chemistry of Joy: A Three Step Program For Overcoming Depression Through Western Science and Eastern Wisdom" by Henry Emmons, M.D. It's a pretty amazing read, and I'm not even halfway through. Lyss recommended it to me because she's going to be meeting with the author (who, I just found out, works at the Northfield Allina Clinic and may be Eric Emmon's dad?). Even though I don't technically have depression, the causes and responses of anxiety are often the same, and Dr. Emmons is revolutionizing the mind-body connection when it comes to these illnesses by writing in a clear way that makes sense and (I hope) will give people a new understanding. I'm taking his advice into major account with my new health project, especially when it comes to the foods and diet that increase serotonin and serotonin receptors, which will up my mental resiliance and help me deal with my anxiety in a more wholistic manner.

Wow. A lot of run on sentences in this post, but then, I've always been prone to them!

Tomorrow is Tuesday, which means a lot of running around to classes, but this week is going to be fairly laid back. And there will be a new crochet animal by Friday, so expect pictures.

Later, folks!

ARE YOU READY FOR A PIC HEAVY POST??!!!??!?!?!?

Guess what?!
A lot has happened lately!

Instead of writing a bunch, I will list.

1) I got super stressed at the beginning of this week because I was bogged down with an unreasonable amount of work. Nearly died.
2) Everything got better on Wednesday night after all my big projects were done. AND I GOT ALL MY APPLICATION INFO IN TO ARCADIA!!!
3) I am now waiting to hear back on whether or not I get to go to SCOTLAND!! Yay, Scotland!! I'm also waiting (they said this would be done by last night, but it wasn't) to see how much financial aid I'm getting this year. Our account is past due because of this, but the nice people in the office realize that this is their fault, not mine.
4) (Apropos of nothing:) I LIKE LISTENING TO REALLY LOUD MUSIC!!!!!
5) Since all of my homework was done, I spent Thursday night and part of yesterday creating something totally awesome. I made her up. Look!I also made her a dress. Joanne Fabrics sales are the best.

6) Last night I hung around with my roomie and read and watched Buffy and played video games. Good times.
7) Today we spent most of the day trekking to PetsMart to get our new illegal friend, Moshi!!!
Say hello to Moshi, everyone!
Sorry these pictures aren't better, but she's so darn FAST that she always looks like a cute brown blurr.

8) I am now going down to Open Mic night in Rock Bottom. I thought about playing, but I think I'm just gonna watch and listen. Maybe next time.

Aloha!

Mommy and Money

Let me take a moment to say this:

I love my Mommy!!!!

I don't know where I'd be without her. Stuck in college in Chicago, experiencing daily panic attacks, and not aware of half the awesome bands I currently love, probably. Even though I complain fairly frequently about food and parental frustrations and her occationally unreasonable requests (/orders), I am very thankful not only that she gave birth to me but that she has been my friend and council throughout my life thus far. She brings me out of stressful situations by telling me she'll handle things, and reminding me that things aren't so bad.

For instance, on Tuesday I had a meeting with my financial aid councilor here to figure out which financial aid could be applied to my studying abroad. Upon inquiring about this, I was given the news that we did not qualify for the Pell Grant or the Founder's Free Tuition program this year because our financial situation is a couple thousand dollars different. This means that instead of having one more year of tuition and bills paid for me by the government, I now need to secure student loans that will put me in debt for the forseeable future. Good job, Uncle Sam.

Understandably, I really just wanted to get out of the terrible councilor's terrible cubicle and go cry my eyes out somewhere, but instead had to listen to him go on for another twenty minutes about all the things I already knew I had to do. By the time I got out of the office I was feeling a bit panicky, and all my hopes and dreams of going abroad had been squashed under the heel of the Establishment.

I got out my cell phone and called Mom. I told her what had happened, and about how discouraged I was. We talked for a while, and finally I blurted out my worries about going abroad when we had so little money, to which she replied that if I was going to have to take money out to finish college, I might as well be paying for what I want. This immediately cheered me up, and made the sky seem a tad less grey (but not much, since it'd been pouring for hours).

I got on the bus back to St. Paul feeling a bit happier, and trying to figure out the logistics of money and currency and exchange rates. God willing, I'm going to be staying at the St. Paul campus and going to Scotland. My family is great, I'm currently happy, I get a nice loft bed in good accommodations with food (sometimes good, sometimes not). I have nice clothes, I have the love of my friends, and I have fictional characters and an imagination, and my music. Everything is going to be fine.

Stream of Consciousness. And love.

I love learning things about cool new people. I love finding music in common. I love music. I love joking around with my roommate. I love cleaning our sink. I love being more complicated than the box allows. I love writing in my own answers. I love the realization that I don't know anything yet. I love going to the 24 hour grocery store with my best friend at two in the morning, and racing matchbox cars down the deserted isles. I love water. I love October air. I love crappy songs I used to identify with. I love playing guitar with a guy I just met. I love hiding from the RAs when we have a hall meeting. I love being 20 and 1/2 in two days. I love really good, hearty, whole wheat bread. I luv speling foneticly. I love having really talented friends. I love my friends. I love a strategically placed swear word. I love my desire to be a better person. I love my infatuation with romance. I love my middle name, and it's namesake. I love my need to learn new things. I love dogs. I love the way you make me feel. I love the person I'm going to marry someday. I love the uncertanty of not knowing who it will be. I love Reeses Puffs for a midnight snack. I love playing with the hamsters that live illegally across the hall. I love my chickens. I love growing things organically. I love listening to stories about the Trinity Tacklebox in church. I love St. John's. I love understanding, loving, helpful adults. I love being treated like an adult when I want to be. I love being a kid the rest of the time. I love the fact that I'm just coming up to the age of peak physical condition. I love the U of M. I love Northfield, Minnesota. I love a challange. I love hitting the snooze button. I love all of the possibilities that I contain. I love all of the things I've inherrited. I am in love with life just now.

Ah, The Weekend...

Weekend post!

Last week was terrible through Wednesday, but got progressively better as the days wore on ("The day wore on..." remember Jimmy Stuart talking about that phrase in Harvey??). Monday I was stressed about two projects and a test, Tuesday there was my big Anthro test and an hour in pouring rain, Wednesday started out tired, but from Thursday on I've been doing NOTHING, because my homework load was light. It felt good to sit around a read and watch tv and unwind.

I went out with the roomies on Friday night in search of the free pizza we'd heard rumors of, only to find that we'd gone to the wrong student center and wasted all our time on the bus. We decided to skip the whole thing and wound up at Arbys at about 11 o'clock, eating curly fries and watching the hilarious drunk people. Good times.

Then yesterday, on my way back from the library, I got a call from Lyss, who was all "Hey, I'm at your dorm! Where are you?" So I got to hang out with her and show her around last night and this morning.

Now, unfortunatly, it's back to business. I've got a project due for my Geography of Public Policy class, and the research involved is going to be tedious. I've got two more exams this week, but neither one should be too bad, I hope.

Next weekend is gonna be nice, though. They're playing Wall-E at the theatre here and I'm trying to get Lyss to come up and see it, since she hasn't yet. And I'm planning on coming home, provided I can get someone to pick me up from Apple Valley, as usual.

Well....That's about all I can think of for now. Caio!

At Least I Haven't Passed Out

Well! Last week is over, thank goodness, and all I can say is that I REALLY need to remember to take my meds EVERY NIGHT or I tend to fall into the depths of despair, as Anne would say. But things are better now, and so I shall post an update.

The weekend was quite nice, although much too short. I got to hang out with Dita and Mike and listen to them play a gig at the Cow, and listen to drunken middle aged men talk loudly about how they'd like to make it with the cute base player. Just a tad awkward, but very funny!
The Rowley-O'Boyles left on Friday for Wisconsin, which left me with time to hang out with Lyss and my lovable doggy, since Dad was out of town.

OH!!
And we watched "Charlie Bartlett," which I reccomend HIGHLY to you, Maddie! You'll LOVE it!! And mom, I may make you watch it, too. It's one of my new favorites! They borrow a few things from Harold and Maude, and the kid who plays Charlie is one of the best actors I've seen in a long time. Watch it!!

As for this week, I've already had an eventful morning, as a girl fainted dead away in my Animal Food Products class, and we weren't even doing anything! There we were, a group of students standing in the dairy facility, listening to our prof go on about pasturization, and all of a sudden this girl just hits the decks. Nobody knew what to do (we're animal people, not nursing students!), and the prof started running around calling for cloths and water. It was rediculous. She came around, though, and was a bit embarrassed, naturally. I felt bad, but this has made me realize that I need to get on board with learning some basic first aid so I can actually help in these situations!

And speaking of first aid, I may need some myself tonight when I start to worry about my big Anthro test tomorrow.
Cue rescue breathing!

A Disjointed Post

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been mysteriously missing for the past week or so. Much business + much emotional angst with friends has made me an unhappy Hathan.

On the up side, I love the U of M more every day, and realize it most when I'm walking down the city streets, munching a bagel from Brugers, listening to my ipod, watching the people go by on my way to the library where I'll find a good book before heading back to my quiet St. Paul dorm to hear the crickets out my window.

Good times.

I won't waste time filling you in on my days recently, since I don't remember anything interesting at the moment anyway, except that I love rock climbing, eating dinner and playing Kingdom Hearts with my roomie and roomies-across-the-hall, learning about dairy products, going new music shopping, and attempting to play the piano.

I do NOT like waking up for classes when I've been up too late, getting sick from cafeteria food last night, sitting through my Animals and Soc class, being angsty, and being without my guitar.

Things to do:
- Get financial aid done
- Fill out forms for study abroad
- Wait for reply to request to stay at St. Paul
- Study for giant Anthro test next Tues.
- Send Maddie her letter
- Be less angsty

Also, MADDIE!!! GO TO yearbookyourself.com!!! I think you'll find it funny!
Apperently I was hot in '72.

Sweet Happenings

I finally got my computer cord and phone charger back after leaving them in Northfield! Lyss was awesome enough to come bring them back to me today, and we spend part of the afternoon wandering about campus sipping Jamba. I'm lucky to have such cool people in my life. : )

It's only Tuesday and this week has already been tiring. Every night around ten or eleven I begin to feel like I could lie down and sleep for innumerable days, but, unfortunately, I don't think the University would understand.

And yes, Mom, before you even comment on my tired-ness, I AM getting enough iron, calcium and vitamin C!! Actually, my eating habbits have gotten both better and worse since I've been here. On the one hand I now have a salad of spinach and romaine lettuce with just about every meal, and I've won my battle with portion control (it's just so nice to have SO MUCH FOOD around, I can barely choose!!) now that the U is trayless. On the other hand, I now have access to so many yummy desserts, I must admit that I have one with lunch and dinner more often than not.

Classes go along as usual, and I'm beginning to give in to the reality that I can read through every Animal and Society class without missing a single thing. It's nice, really, once you get over the "why am I here?" reaction. I'm probably getting more out of the class that the people who listen to the "lecture" since I use the time to scour the textbook.

I now have everything that I listen in my previous posts! Some of it was brought from home, some bought at the bookstore, and yesterday I made a valliant four mile trek to the nearest Target on my bike to seccure the rest. It's a nice Target, as they go, and it has a pharmacy, which will make getting my meds a bit easier.

And speaking of meds, my alergy pills are almost gone. I only take it when I need to in order to function, but I'm going to have to keep taking them until it starts snowing, so I'll need a refil. Problem is, refils are expensive. Possible help with this, parents?

Guess what I saw yesterday??
I was walking to my Animal Products class, and as I passed one of the open quad spaces I saw two people with giant gloves on, which naturally made me curious. One looked like she was holding a fishing reel, and the other would walk to the end of the line and pick up something that looked at first like a bunch of rags (I was quite far away...), until the second woman picked it up, and it began to flap it's wings. They were training an owl to fly! As I stood and watched I saw another pair of people with a young red-tail hawk doing the same thing a bit farther away. They'd throw the bird, who was attached to the line, up into the air and it would flap a few times to get some height, and then glide slowly down to the grass.
SO COOL!
I wanted to walk down and yell "CAN I TRY???!!!" but I thought that might be bad, since it would frighten the birds.

Anyhow, I'm off to bed, I think.
Night, all.

Nearly Done With The First Week

Hello, all!

I just came in from a random s'more party out on the front lawn, which was tasty.

Classes are all pretty interesting, and the only one I'm really worried about is my Animal Products class. On the first day the professor informed us that if we didn't eat meat we'd have a hard time, and furthermore we're going to be watching three slaughter videos (steers, pigs and lambs), and basically said that if we couldn't handle this without turning vegetarian, we were pussies.

He's from rural Tennissee. Enough said.

My Rise of Civilization class is going to be a challenge, if only because my prof is an archeologist and not a social anthropologist. But, thankfully I took Physical Anthro last semester, so I should be able to handle it. I'm excited to learn about all these ancient places and their artifacts!

My Crops class was much better today than last Tuesday because we finally started talking about CROPS instead of getting mistaken facts and dates from the prof about the fertile crescent. I have to give him props for his knowledge. Of crops.
Today we talked about corn, and I learned quite a few things I didn't know before. Hilariously, one time a week when we discuss a specific crop the prof brings in foods made from the aformentioned grain. Today we had corn chips, Cheetos, several kinds of pop and Hi-C, all of which grossed me out with their high levels of high fructose corn syrup. I felt a bit smug when he pointed at my Odwalla juice and asked me what kind of sugar I had in my drink and I got to reply "less than 1% cane sugar." Good times being healthy.

My Geography and Public Policy class is daunting, what with my having rudimentary (at best) knowlege of the federal system, but my professor's from ENGLAND, and GET THIS!! His name is RODERICK!!! Like Spode!!
Anyway, in this class I have to write a large paper, but it's spread out over the whole semester, so it should be fine, and quite informative. I think I'm going to write about public policy regarding free-range poultry. We'll see.

My Animals and Society class (which IS a 101 class, after all) is going to be a piece of cake. I don't expect it to take up much of my time, but the prof knows what he's talking about, and the text book is so interesting I'd pretty much read it on my own anyway. Good times!

I like school here!!!

My roommate is really nice, and we get along well. She plays videogames too, and loves Kingdom Hearts, which is my new game, so we sit around and play that and FIFA Soccer. She also knows the people across the hall, so I feel like I'm connected with other humans since we have our door open whenever we're in the room. And I eat with her, since we have the same meal times, for the most part, so I only eat alone when I feel like it, which hasn't been the case elsewhere (pathetic, I know).
There's stuff to do (last night I went and saw Iron Man!), and stuff to eat (ALWAYS in the mood for Jamba Juice), and classes are fun and interesting. Overall, I just like the feel of this place. I can see myself staying here until I graduate.

But I'm still glad I'm coming home for Jesse James Days tomorrow. :-)

First Day of Classes!

Alright, as promised, here are photos of my dorm! Interspersed within this post, because I can't figure out how to post these nicely!

So. Today:
-Woke up to the sound of a nice man fixing the ethernet port in my room at 8am. Unfortunately I don't have a long enough cord, so I'm still attached to the wireless in the common room.
-Since I was up anyway, I decided to take the bus over to the building where I get my UCard on the east bank. Nearly got lost riding the bus (but saw a lot of cool things!) stood in a long line, paid 15 dollars, and got my UCard with a promise that it wouldn't be functional until tomorrow. Yay.
-Biked over to my Crops class at 10:15 and was unimpressed by the professor. We went over a brief history of agriculture in the ancient world, and he (not being a anthro student like myself) got most of the information wrong. But that's ok! I've looked through the text book and I'm excited for the class!
-Went over to the cafateria to see if I could sneak lunch with my faulty UCard. Imagine my surprised when it worked, and I got a yummy lunch of cous-cous, salad, and fruit!
-Didn't have to go to Crops lab because it's the first day, so I get the rest of the afternoon off.
-I switch some classes by dropping my Chemistry class (it's a long story, but the jist is that it's not something I need to take) and adding Geography and Public Policy (which will be useful in a Sustainable Agriculture minor).
-I spend the rest of the afternoon hanging out and getting ready for my Anthro class at 6:20!

And that brings us up to date.

So far, I really like being here. I know it's a little early to decide what I think about the school, but honestly, I love being around trees and being on the relativly quiet St. Paul campus. My dorm room is comfy, my roomie is nice, my classes will be sweet once I get them straightened out, the food is good, and I have access to EVERYTHING just a few blocks away (including Brugers Bagels, Chipotle and Jamba Juice, all of which take my UCard). Plus, SO many places to hang out!

I just have to mention one downside, however.
My bed is hard as a rock.

But that's ok! I'll buy a mattress pad or something!

And speaking of buying things...
List of things I need:
-Ethernet cord
-Light bulb
-Deoderant
-Mattress pad
-Dry-erase marker
-And a few other things I can't think of at the moment.

I'm off to dinner, and then to class! Enjoy the pics!

I'm Goin' In...

Hey! Here I am, back at college!

My roommate is really nice, and I think we'll get along well. She's a sophomore, and so are most of her friends, so they're a bit immature at times, but I had dinner with them tonight and that was pretty sweet.

My room is quite nice! I have a loft bed FINALLY (I've always wanted one), and I'm on the first floor of the building, which has never happened to me before! Yay for less heavy lifting during move-in! And speaking of move-in, many props to Miss Lyss for driving me up here and being awesome.

I really like the coziness of my space! It's mostly confined to the under-my-bed-area, except for a little reading corner I've created, and everything looks decorated and cute. Pictures will follow.

On the downside, my Ethernet port is broken, and no one will get around to fixing it for a few days, which means my internet usage is confined to the student lounge. Also, my Ethernet cord is too short, and broken. I need a new one. Also, also, I couldn't get my UCard today, which is used to pay for my meals, transportation, and let me into my building. All the offices were closed (Labor Day, you know), so my nice roommate let me use her guest pass to eat dinner. I need to get my UCard ASAP tomorrow morning so as to do....everything.

Funny coincedence! Guess who I ran into in the hall today on my way back from dinner? Lizzy French! A rather hilarious conversation ensued.

So, the rat race resumes tomorrow morning with Crops, Environment and Society at 10:15. Hopefully I'll get a chance to find my UCard before then.

You know, I think being here this semester will be good. I'm not feeling too nervous, and it's nice to know that I'll be going home in four days for DJJD. I like being close to home.

Well, I'm off to a res hall meeting. Night!

A List

I have new clothes!! And a new hair cut!! I like it mucho. And Silas is here! Mucho fun with a tiny person! He talks quite a bit now, when he wants to, but he's adorably shy. He's just so CUTE!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Things bought at the mall on Wednesday:
- 1 pair all purpose Gap jeans
- 1 pair dressy cropped trousers
- 1 jean skirt
- 2 stripy shirts with puffed sleeves
- 1 sweater-shirt with stylin' pattern
- 1 cute brown overshirt
- 3 cool headbands, assorted varieties
- 1 tiny black wallet, to replace duct tape ancestor

And other things were bought the yesterday, such as a new alarm clock and a bath robe. I'm feeling so much more prepared already!
Now, I still have to get a few of the little things, like kleenex, a shower caddy, laundry detergent, wall stickies, etc.
And I still have a lot to do. But I'm not stressing about it, 'cause most of it is fun stuff. Canoing tomorrow, leaving with Lyss on Sunday, and going to Green Bay with Maddie next Wednesday are included.

What's NOT so much fun is looking over my classes and trying to scramble everything around to fit in different classes. Eventually I gave up, and my new plan is to scramble things after my first week of classes so I have a better idea of what I'm getting in to. I'm just glad I finally learned to buy my text books after the first week. You never really know what you're gonna use until you see the syllabus.

As for my weekly goals, I can say that the food and mind bits are going alright, but as for the exercise...
I console myself with the thought of a gym two blocks away starting in September.

Oh my gosh! Thunderstorms tonight! Crap. I'm really psyched about the Ness' bonfire party. I'll be bummed if it's canceled.

Better go check the weather again...

Ohhhhhhh, updates.

I just found the coolest music program! It's called TuneUp, and it works with your iTunes to name tracks that you have no idea about, and to clean up tracks that have become distorted, not to mention give you the album art you're missing, give you music recommendations, and let you know when your favorite bands are playing near you. It's awesome!

Anyway.

Our time is running out, as Muse would say, and I STILL have a million things to do. I'm not feeling too stressed about it, though. I'm trying to think of "back to school" as just an extenuation of time, instead of the beginning of a new era, which is how I usually think of it. I put time in boxes labeled "summer," "back to school," "christmas break," etc., and each season feels like it exists apart from the rest of time. I'm not sure what the benefit of this system is, but the downside is that when I jump into a new block of time, I'm cut off from what came before, which doesn't feel very safe.

But hey, that's why I'm going to a shrink. ;-)

Meanwhile, money worries are piling up. I feel badly about costing Mom and Lance so much money, and yet I can't seem to stop. I need dentist appointments, and supplies for school, and a hair cut, etcetera etcetera. It never seems to end, and I can't seem to help much since I don't currently have a job. And I probably won't be getting one this semester because I'm going to be spending all my time in class. Curses.


BUT, I am really excited about getting my hair cut. It's been driving me crazy ever since I decided to cut it short again. So, I shall be happier shortly. Hah. Shortly.
AND, I'm going to be spending my father's money on new clothes tomorrow. Good times. I feel bad asking him for money too, but he's not paying child support, so I figure this is letting him off easy. But I am thankful. I would like a few new pairs of pants.

Here are my goals for the week:
Physical goal - Do some form of outdoor heart-rate-increasing exercise for half an hour every day.
Food goal - Get a bar of super-dark chocolate (anti-oxidants!) to nibble when I have terrible cravings, but ignore all other sweets until Sunday.
Mind goal - Stop telling little lies and stretching stories to make them sound better. I don't do it often, but when I do do it I feel crappy. It's a bad habit which requires breaking.

So, I am now off to get shorn, get ready for school, and become a better person. Wish me luck! ;-)

School Schedule!

I thought this might be helpful, especially for members of my family who tend to call me during class. ;-)

Alison's Tentative Class Schedule for Fall Semester 2008:

Monday/Wednesday/Friday- 9:35-10:25 Food Animal Products for Consumers, 12:50-1:40 Animals and Society, 3:35-4:25 Intro to Chemistry
Tuesday- 10:15-11:30 Crops, Environment and Society, 12:50-2:45 Crops Lab, 6:20-8:50 Rise of Civilization
Thursday- 10:15-11:30 Crops, Environment and Society, 6:00-9:00 Chem Lab

Hiyah!

My sister Maddie is awesome. I just caught up on her blog, and it reminded me that I've been meaning to start one myself. So, here it is; a sounding board for my thoughts as I begin the second half of my college career. It's like a grown up version of my livejournal for the grown up version of me. Mostly.

First musings:

-School starts soon, and I am unprepared. I have clothes to go through and send to the Epilepsy foundation, a few spiffy new articles to buy during the whole "back to school" craze, several trips to take with family and friends, people to see, places to go, things to do. Etc.

-Haircuts are on Tuesday and I'm seriously thinking of chopping it all to the length of my bangs. It needs a change. But do I really want to forfeit the ability to get up, put my hair in a pony-tail and leave?

-I need to add some more physical activity into my day. I just can't justify driving to Burnsville with Maddie and Dad every other day to work out at the health club, plus, I don't have a membership. I went today and lifting again felt really good, but I also realized how fast I run out of breath during cardio. Unacceptable!

-I have to stop justifying crappy food. Period. Spend more money, get better food, get happier body. No excuses.

-Respect Olympic athletes! The dedication shown by Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson in the last week is inspiring, and it makes me want to really work towards something for myself, which I don't feel like I've done recently. I need to throw myself into something that is personally rewarding and get lost in it a bit.

-More non-fiction reading is required. I've been immersed in Camelot lore for the last two months, and I need to get out and learn a few new things.


Schedule for the next week or so:
1) Sunday - Ren Fest with the fam.
2) Tuesday - Haircut
3) Thursday - Rico's show with fam.
4) Saturday - Canoe trip with fam.
5) Saturday night - Possibly leave with Alyssa for our Summer Triangle Trip.
6) August 26th-27th - Return from Triangle Trip.
7) August 27th - Maddie leaves for school! :-(

And now for sleep, which is another thing I need more of. At least I have Angelo, Alyssa's adorable kitten, who will cuddle up with me.

Night!