Sweet Catastrophe

So, I’ve somehow managed to do all of my Spanish homework, but I still haven’t actually studied. I know it isn’t just me. I know this is a problem that plagues everyone–when you’ve got something you really need to get done, it’s inevitable that you’ll get everything else done first. Fortunately, I still have Biology class in the morning before I take my test, so I’ll most likely finish studying then. I feel better having gotten the other work done, so now at least I won’t get berated for not having that yet.

I got out of ACED 25 minutes into class today. It only even took that long because she made us go over our homework out loud. It felt good to leave when there was still almost an hour of class left.

I left for Douglas after that and went by to see my mom first. We got to talking about my Christmas gift idea list and I remembered a funny conversation at work (I started the list when I was at work Tuesday night) Courtney in Lumber was telling us that he got sick of trying to figure out gifts for his family so for the past two years he’s just been giving everyone books –no joke! The thing is, Courtney reads a lot, but he knows no one in his family does. He did a hilarious impression of his relatives opening the gift, looking like, “Wtf mate?” and then pretending to be really excited.

I could buy books for a lot of my relatives on my mom’s side, and they’d most likely have already read them!  That’s just how the Faulkners roll.

I spent a lot of time up town with Jesalyn this afternoon. More than I mean to, actually, so I ended up cutting my time with Papa and Granny a little short so I could get home and attempt to get some of this work finished. Depending on my workload next week I may try to go back and visit some more. I know that’d make them both pretty happy to see me twice in two weeks, haha.

I took some Dramamine ’cause I’m out of Pamprin. Not the best idea I’ve ever had, but at least it’s making me sleepy!

I’ve run my errands. I even picked up ink, and a quick dinner for tonight which I’ve already cooked and served.

I’ve completed all of my ACED (Typing) work through next Tuesday. We’re not having class then, so I’ve done my homework, tomorrow’s classwork, and Tuesday’s classwork/homework. I even did a little more than I needed to…

I cleaned the upstairs bathroom (umm…I can’t even tell you how gross it was in there) and I’ve taken out all the trash in the apartment.

I’ve even started and all but completed my “christmas gift idea” list. All I have left, really, is Mom, and she’ll basically tell me what she wants; Kristi–the idea will come to me though, I know; and there are a few people I’ve listed gift baskets for, so if I don’t find what I’m looking for on those, I’ll have to reconsider. The list is the big part. Now I can start picking up stuff as I have the extra money.

What have I not touched? My Spanish. I’m still in decent shape though. I’ve now gotten everything out of the way that I needed to. I may or may not get into it tonight. I’m pretty sure I will since the only distraction really left for me tonight is Josh and Lego Star Wars and even if we play, it’ll be for a limited amount of time as Josh has to study also, and he’s much more responsible so he’ll cut us off.

Okay, I’m dumb. I’ll admit it. I took an extra day or two off from Spanish class after the Oklahoma trip so when I returned *wait for it* they were having a test! Oops! So now I have 3 worksheets, my online Quia stuff to do and basically an entire chapter to learn on my own and take a test on Friday…

Of course, I could take Thursday to do all of this after Typing, but I’ve already opened my mouth about going to Douglas on Thursday, so now if I’m not there, they’ll all be disappointed and blah blah blah.

I should probably be cracking the books right now, but I’ve got errands to run in a bit so I figured I’d give myself this little bit of time to chill, ya know?

It’s weird because I have two full days off from work and class coming up (Sunday and Tuesday) but I feel like those days just aren’t gonna get here fast enough. Next week is mid-term so I’ve got tests all over the place…actually, in every one of my classes…well, I don’t have Spanish, but the re-take for this test is Wednesday, and I feel certain I’m going to want/need to try it again, so I’m counting on a test there as well.

I’m so run down right now physically as well. Between getting back on concrete and tumbling down the stairs, everything is really stiff and achey.

My sinuses have gone nuts and every time I turn around I can’t breathe. It’s been a while, but the last time the doc used one of those pulse oximeter things to test how much oxygen I was getting, it wasn’t enough. Well, it was enough, obviously, but it was below average and that was with minimal wheezing. I think I need to go back and get new inhalers. They changed the contents of my old one, and it just isn’t as effective anymore. What I was getting OTC at Wal Mart worked for a while, but now I think it does more harm than good with giving me a sore throat and an achey chest. I’m gripe-rambling now though so I’m gonna go eat lunch and hush…

Wish me luck with Spanish!

I’ve always had slight dyslexic tendencies–mostly with numbers. It’s never been too inhibiting. In the past months though, I’ve noticed it really increasing. It started in typing. With this typing class, we’re in sections that don’t allow backspacing and I’m constantly losing points for switching letters, and at times, full syllables. I’ve started noticing it in casual reading as well.

I’m wondering if reading more will help out. It’s never really been a problem, and I’m honestly a little concerned about developing a problem, ya know? I’ve just really started thinking on it, so I’m open to suggestions.

Why can’t weight loss be a quick fix? And by quick I mean, why can’t I get on a treadmill and just run for like 15 hours straight and lose some significant weight? I’m always really motivated to exercise, but I only have time so often and I lose motivation when I can’t be consistent. Ya know?

Screw it. I think I’m gonna go run around the block or something.

Edit: Now see? I just tried to go upstairs and exercise on DDR and I fell down the freakin stairs! Pain is NOT a motivator!

Lifehouse:

11/10/07 - Talleyrand Festival - Jacksonville, FL
11/11/07 - Floyd’s Music Store - Tallahassee, FL

Jacksonville is 2 hours from me, and on a Saturday so I could rest on Sunday, but it’s a festival, so it’ll most likely be a shorter set, and definitely won’t be up to the same standards as the rest of the tour.
Tallahassee is about 2 hours away. It’s on Sunday so I’d have to drive home after the show and have a full day of everything on Monday. It’s a full show though…

Do I do Jacksonville or Tallahassee? Or do I do both? If I do both, do I drive home overnight or get a hotel? Driving back home only adds an extra hour total?

Or maybe they’ll add a Georgia date? But if they add a GA date, it’ll most likely be Atlanta, which is much further away and will probably be in the middle of the week.

Or maybe the guys were on crack when they came up with this system of releasing like 5 tour dates, and then adding one or two every few days. Maybe, just maybe, they need to get back to the nutritional supplements, cleanse their systems, auras, chis, what-the-hell-evers and stop tormenting the Southeast every time they plan a freaking tour! This is nuts!

They’ve been really pushing this tour. They’ve been blogging every night, talking about how excited they are. Teasing us with setlist prospects. Telling us how amazing the show is and how it’s so much bigger than the shows they’ve done in the past! Gahhh!

At the moment, I feel like I wanna do both of these Florida dates. I don’t know why I’m even considering that to be a valid, argumentative idea—of course I want to go to both!

Ideally, I’d like to have a concert buddy and go to Jax, spend the night and then go to Tallahassee. I don’t mind driving home between, but it’d be more of an all around fun weekend if I had someone with me. Alone, all the driving seems like more of a hassle.

Hmm…Ryan may be out of town on my Birthday. Maybe I could convince him to go to one or both with me. Ohh the gears are totally turning…I bet, if nothing else, Ryan could work on Saturday in Jax, get KEN to pay for a hotel Saturday night and I could just stay with him! Then he could either work Sunday, or we could caravan to Tallahassee! Either way, it makes the whole thing a little more interesting, and a little less of a hassle. Gears are totally turning now.

I’m gonna have to wait until I see what’s going on in Georgia before I figure this out. Jax tickets have been on sale forever, since the festival has been planned, but Tallahassee doesn’t go on sale until Friday. Where’s my sanity? ‘Cause it’s certainly not in concert trip planning!

So yesterday was my first day of work in two weeks. Of course, I had a full 1-10 shift, which is really not the best way to reintroduce your body to working on concrete. And for those who’ve never had to work on straight concrete, yes, after even as short a time as 3 days straight of not working, your body is basically being reintroduced to concrete. It’s just not something you ever get used to.

So I was already in for a stiff morning for that, but apparently last night both Ryan and Willow loved me a whole damn lot and couldn’t stand to be 3 inches away from me so I spent the whole night tossing and turning, in a spot not even wide enough for me to lie on my back.  It’s sweet ‘n all, but sweet doesn’t trump painful when you’ve got an elbow in your already aching back.

I could’ve picked up the cat and moved her, sure, but you try having that bright idea when you’re still basically asleep! She wasn’t responding to pushing at all so I just kept giving up. I couldn’t stop having crazy ass dreams about planets and galaxies–the tv was on *sigh* Ryan had the remote on his side and I couldn’t find it buried anywhere.

Hiho Hiho….shorter shift today, but 8-3 on a Sunday isn’t exactly a picnic. I promise.

Papa isn’t really doing so swell. He’s home, but he’s got a daily nurse and worst of all, he’s very hopeless at this point. Trips to see him are so depressing right now. There are bits of normal conversation, but the majority of what he says to me comes out as if he’s making sure he tells me everything he wants to say to me. I cry every time I think about it. (Two hints what I’m doing right now.) But I’m just trying not to think about it. He’s in his eighties and well, when he goes, I know it’ll be for the best. I can’t imagine what it’ll do to my grandmother though. They’ve been married for 61 years. They spent their last anniversary in the hospital. How romantic?

They give me hope for a happy future. (The also give me hope for a future filled with pills upon pills for funky bowels and osteoarthritis relief–these are achey people and they’ve passed on all their genetics to me!) I can only hope to one day be able to say I’ve been married for 61 happy years. Hell, with Ryan’s affinity for electricity and all things fire, I’ll be lucky to have a spouse who lives that long!

I’m planning on getting a small tattoo in honor of my papa. Ya see, grandchildren have come and gone, but I’ve always had my papa’s heart and he definitely has mine. I’ve always been….well…the favorite. My maternal grandfather died on Christmas when I was a year old. (I share a Birthday with him) So Papa is the only grandfather I’ve ever really had. We’ve always had a special bond.

I’m gonna get a small bumblebee. As of right now, I just want a little one behind my ear, but I want Pete’s tat first, so I may change my mind on the location by the time I finally get it. We used to play his records together when I’d stay with them. I remember one weekend I stayed with them and we spent the day playing records, and I held up a little recorder to record the songs to tapes for me. I’ve still got those and at parts, you can hear Papa laughing at me in the background; I was probably dancing or something.

Our favorite song was The Laughing Song, by George Younce. Here’s a quick video on YouTube, it’s the closest I’ve found to the recording I’m most familiar with. The laughing at the end always varies a bit. The lyrics:

Oh my name is Ticklish Ruben
from way down in old Vermont
I’ve been tickled by almost everything
I’ve been tickled by a feather,
I’ve been tickled by a wasp,
I’ve been tickled by a yellow bumblebee.
*Commence rhythmic laughing*

Papa’s always called it the Bumblebee song–I don’t remember, but that’s probably because that’s what I called it, ya know? He talks to me about the Bumblebee Man every time I see him =) And he always reminds me that he loves me a bushel and a peck, and a hug around the neck.

I think I’m off work next Sunday, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be in Douglas. I was only able to stop by for a few moments before we left for Oklahoma, but my aunt was sure to remind me that my grandfather is DNR (Do Not Resuscitate, which means if his heart stops for any reason, that’s it, he doesn’t want to be revived again.) So that was a big hit to take, thinking about his current condition.

I really need to stop thinking about this right now, so that’s the end of this entry. Friends don’t let friends drink and watch sad movies, dammit!

Maybe! Britney Spears was charged today with misdimeanor accounts of hit and run and driving without a valid license after she smashed into a car in a parking lot back in August. If she’s convicted, she faces a possible six months jail time and $1000 fine for each count.

Not that I give a damn about Britney so much, but I’m curious to see what the outcome will be post-Paris jail time. I think it’d be pretty funny to see stars getting jail times–no matter how short, for their crimes from here on out. Of course I don’t expect everyone to get just what they deserve, but I expect a little more justice now that the door has been opened!

I always tell myself I’m going to get a head start and not be blindsided when Christmas arrives, and this year I mean business. I’ve already figured out what I want to do for the majority of my gifts, and now I’m taking every chance I can get to add money to the Christmas fund.

Jo at Nanashi-Inc, is offering up a $50 drawing for blog entries about her contest. It’s pretty simple– you write up a 50-word minimum entry and link back to both her homepage and a direct link to the contest entry. Provide her with the link by commenting on the contest entry and viola! You’re done. You may now find yourself $50 richer on October 1st. Easy enough, right? So go join the fun.