Book Club! (plus some other stuff)

Yesterday I bought my book for book club, yay! Devil in the White City promises to be a great book, and I am looking forward to reading it. :-) As of now we only have two people in the book club, Mo and I, but I still think it will be good. I am also trying to think of the next book, but maybe its too soon to do that, seeing as I haven't even started this one, haha.

Weather wise, I am basking in 70 degree weather, and wishing I was in DC, where there is a blizzard! I think it would be so fun, and I hope that I get to experience something like this again in January. I have been told this is going to be a crazy winter, so its a definite possibility. All things considered, its probably good I left on Monday to come west instead of Friday like I originally planned, as it has saved me from potentially being stuck in an airport.

On another note, I finally got my iphone! I love it and have been playing with it nonstop since I got it last night. Thanks Nana!

Finally, I chopped off all of my hair again to donate to Locks of Love. I think it is a good thing to do, plus my hair will be much easier to take care of now :-) And bonus, it still covers my neck. For some reason, its reminding me of Carrie Bradshaw's short curly do in Sex and the City, no clue on which season that was. Anyway, I like it, and since I won't be getting my hair cut again for months, I think it was a good idea all around.

RIP Jake

November 18, 1996-December 13 2009

There Is A Mouse In My House

There had been rumors that there have been mice in my house before this evening, but I had yet to see one with my own eyes. My roommate Meghan swears she saw one months ago, but this was never confirmed. Another time something in the pantry was obviously chewed on by what could only be rodent teeth. Yet another time there was a dead mouse on the basement steps.

Still, having mice in the house was abstract to me because I never saw one and it wasn't eating my food.

Sadly, this ended today.

As I was minding my own business, with pasta on the stove and the oven warming for the garlic bread I was preparing, a little brown thing with legs went scurrying across the floor from the door to underneath the stove.

I'm not proud of it, but I actually squealed, and said "Oh my god" over and over and over again.

Unfortunately, I still had to finish cooking my dinner, and then clean up after myself once I was done. While I was completing both tasks, I am ashamed to say I jumped at shadows repeatedly and imagined little critters all over the place.

Ick.

If there was ever a reason to move out of an old house and into a new condo, this is it. I just hope this whole thing goes through sooner rather than later.

::shudder::

I Fought Public Transportation...

...and Public Transportation won.

I blog way too much about my troubles with the bus system here, but I'm hoping that one day I will look back and find it all amusing.

Today (my second to last day at State-for now) I finished up around 510, which is when I usually leave for my 520 bus. So I decided I would take the next one, which gets to the stop normally no later than 540. So I bundled up and I got to the stop around 525, and waited in the frigid weather.

And waited.

See, this is another one of those times where the bus never comes. By 550, I was so frozen I couldn't feel my fingers and my ears were burning. So I said eff this and walked the 10 minutes to the metro, furtively looking behind the whole way in case the bus did decide to show up so I could hop on at a later stop.

No such luck.

So I get to the metro at about 6, wait a couple of minutes, then pile into my train. About 2 minutes into this train ride, my fingers started burning, as if I was holding them over an open flame, as the blood finally started surging through my arteries again. This lasted a good 3-4 minutes, from which point, they felt fairly normal again. Then my stop was up, where I change trains, and lucky me, I just missed one, so now I have to wait 8 minutes for the next one.

No biggie.

Except this is the most highly trafficked line of the metro. Which means that by the time the train comes 8 minutes later, the platform is packed with people. When the doors open I have a vision of I think Japan, where they are forcibly shoving people into the metro system. I don't think it was quite that bad, but you get the picture.

Finally, I got home around 640, where I checked the weather immediately, because I thought it was freaking freezing. Turns out, I was right. Its 36 out, but only feels like 24 because of the stupid wind. No wonder my fingers almost fell off.

What Was I Thinking?

It is this time of year I want to smack myself for taking on so much. Not only am I working 8-5 every day of the week, but I'm also working on the weekend. Oh, and did I mention? I still have 1.5 papers to write! The good news is there is a light at the end of the tunnel: on Monday I will turn in these papers, hop on a plane, land in sunny (I hope) San Diego, and head to Hanukkah dinner with the fam. While there I can relax, hang out with friends, and oh yeah, study, because I have two big tests coming up...the thing that must not be named in January and the Comprehensive exam in February. No pressure or anything. Right. Seriously though, it will be nice to spend time at home, and I get the feeling this will be my last long trip home. So even though I think I will be beyond ready to come back at the end of the trip, I think it will be worth it in the long run.

In any case, its 1120pm, I have work at 815 tomorrow morning, a book to read for my paper I am half done with, and an entire paper to outline for the other class, so I think its time I get to bed. Wish me luck!

P.S. My Dad might have bought a condo out here that I will get to live in...no more old house with maybe mice and people who don't take out the trash! ::fingers crossed:: it all works out!

Should Have Worn Rainboots

If I had, maybe I wouldn't have fallen flat on my butt when getting on the bus today after work. Damn those shoes with no traction when they are wet! Although, it could have been worse. I mean, at least I was the only one on the bus when it happened... not including the bus driver of course. And all I did was skin my knee, hurt my foot, and bruise my butt. Sigh, yet another episode of the graceful one.

Way to be Michelle, way to be.

P.S. How did it get to be December!?!?!

P.P.S. How the hell am I going to write three papers between now and the 14th?