Halloween!

It's finally Halloween! My costume is ready, I've got shoes picked out, and I've found a purse to carry my things in. I'm really excited to go out tonight. I'm kind of bummed that Ronnie didn't want to come, but whatev. Steven and three of his Navy friends will be up, so that will be interesting.

I have a lot of homework to do, but Ronnie did direct me to Bob and Tyler's blog, which is hilarious: Bob and Tyler's Family Feed Bag. You should check it out.

Top Ten Favorite Foods

I recently found out that cheeseburgers make the list of Ronnie's top ten favorite foods. I truly believed them to fall lower on his list, below pancakes, steak, and all of the other things I know he loves to eat. Inspired by this ranking of foods, I decided to list my favorite. Here they are, in order, my favorites:

1. Steam N Mash mashed potatoes
2. Tyson Chicken Breast Tenders
3. Baked Mostaccioli
4. French Fries
   
5. Popcorn
6. Gumby's Pizza
7. Berries: Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries
   
8. Velveeta Mac N Cheese
9. Honey Crisp Apples
10. Cousins' Subs brand chips

What a lazy weekend

Although I did drink an entire bottle of delicious Korbel champagne on Friday resulting in hilarity, the rest of my weekend was much more low-key. April's party was fun, despite Liz's having to nurse Steph back to health. It was nice getting to catch up with Brad, Jon (my Muse friend), Dani, all the girls that live there, as well as Mitch and Dan. I don't think I want a huge extravaganza like that for my birthday. I think I'll probably have just a few close friends over, perhaps even dinner out, and then I'll hit the bars with Beth and whoever else is free Tuesday, December 9th. I'm just not into large parties, though it is nice to catch up with people you don't regularly see.

I'm really glad we're not moving. Have I mentioned that previously? I know I have, but I can't stress it enough. This week I am completely in charge of getting people to sign leases and direct them to sign up for us to set up an appointment (following the 15th, of course). I'm excited and feel priviledged having this much responsibility.

Scuba class is going well. I kind of skimmed chapter four, but I did just fine on the quiz for chapter three. Next time we meet, November 6th, we will finish our chapter four quiz and begin preparing for the final exam! Our closed water dives will be at McFarland High School in, obviously enough, McFarland, on Dec 6th. Our open water dive will be in May at Devil's Lake in Baraboo. I'm really excited, but sadden that scuba gear is so expensive. The masks at Fontana were over $70 each, and those were not so nice ones. Oh well. I plan on selling my snowboard this winter, so that will help offset that cost. I'm really lucky that Casi mentioned this to us leasing consultants because you only need to be certified once, and that certification is good for life! Her and her husband own Breezeway Bubbles.

I also went to the mall with Kimi yesterday. I ended up buying a shirt, a wallet, earrings, and a bracelet. Good stuff. Kimi ended up buying a lot. She definitly walked away successful.

Scramble: a Reprieve from the Busiest Week Ever

I just finished an excellent game of Scramble (Boggle for Facebook) against Beth. I'm addicted for now, but I'm sure that as soon as I get busy, I will forgo this Facebook fun. For now, though, I love it.

This week is perhaps my most busy yet. Monday was work training for the new leasing consultants, Tuesday all of my Classics friends came over so that we could make the mountains for our float (yes, there will be pictures of our float). It was me, Andrea, Tony, Katie, and Ashley cutting out cardboard, gluing on cottony stuff, and painting on blackish brown lines to make it look like real mountain ranges. Even Cait helped out and made "Mt. Olympus" signs! It was really a team effort, and it only took us a few hours.

Anyway, this Wednesday I took all of my "tribe members" around for a tour of all of our properties at JSM. It went really well, but I remember getting the tour and being more than a little overwhelmed. I know they'll all be fine, but it is definitely a case of information overload during the first few days.

Tomorrow, Thursday, I have Scuba class from 6-9. Luckily we don't have a Classics Society meeting this week, or else I would have to go from class to work to Scuba, beginning at 9:55am.

And finally Friday, I work 9-5 probably painting the walls of Campus Village again since we are ahead of schedule (for once!). I'll be leaving at 3:30, however, in order to get my costume on for the parade! This means that I'll need to buy leggings (sigh) before Friday. Which means Thursday night. Which means tomorrow at 10pm. Afterward, we're all going over to Justin's for a Symposium - aka a gathering of people to philosophize and drink (in my case, champagne) until we are all tired and ready to go home. I'm guessing for me that this will be around 11pm. So it goes.

On Saturday night Katie, Cait, and I are volunteering at the Horror in the Dark at Olin Park. This happens to be the night of April's birthday party, so I don't know if we'll be able to make it until late.

Busy, busy, busy. I should study for my Latin quiz tomorrow instead of playing scramble. But I can't help it...I love word games.

Tsuj gnixaler - ton gniyduts!

This afternoon Cait and I played Diddy Kong Racing and it was nice to finally get a chance to play videogames. Some days I feel like I hardly have time left for myself and this was not one of those days. I wish I had time to go to the new tea house on State. I found time to read both papers today and the DC had a poorly written article describing the new franchise. Here is my favorite part of the whole article:

"Overall, Dobrá Tea is a nice retreat from the stress of classes and bustle of State Street. According to the manager, daily tea drinking improves body and mind. Dobrá Tea would make a great destination for some studying, catching up with friends or relaxing with a warm cup of tea."

Either way, this place sounds cool and relaxing. You know why I can't go tonight?? Because I start my scuba diving class tonight!! Yay!!

The only thing on TV right now is sitcoms. Terrible sitcoms. I think I'll go to class now...

Latin = Love

By far my favorite class has to be Latin. I'm still enthusiastic about it (whereas with Greek I was starting to become overwhelmed at this point) even though I swear a quarter of my class is freshman who had Latin in high school. For our last homework assignment we had to either create a paragraph in Latin or translate something into it. I took a risk and translated the first lines of Moby Dick, though I did struggle with the first line the most ("Call me Ishmael."). I was worried I would get some comment on the top saying that I should have stuck to something easier, but I was delighted to find that only my first line had been edited, and the word "excellent!" was written in purple marker at the top. I wanted to prove to my TA that even though I didn't have high school Latin I still understand how it works and what's going on in class. And I feel like I did so successfully. Yay!

This week has seemed to drag by. I'm excited to go home and see the dogs and my family. I'm also excited to see Ronnie, but I don't know how excited he is to see me. Hopefully things will be fine. I don't know what else to say about seeing him other than I'm getting restless and wish I knew what our futures hold.

Like I mentioned earlier, we renewed our lease, meaning that we won't be moving out until August 14th, 2010. It also seems that our football-playing neighbors won't be leaving anytime soon either - they also renewed their lease. Those guys are really nice (and at least 33% of them are without a shirt 88% of the time) and enjoy videogames as well.

This article is ridiculous and about how UW tries to ensure that athletes will graduate on time: Wisconsin State Journal. It also lists entrance ACT scores for athletes and regular students: ridiculous.

nom nom nom nom

(That's the sound of me eating pretzels)

So I've been thinking that I might spend almost the entire summer in Greece if it means I can complete another class requirement. Here's a link to the program I'm considering in Athens: http://www.ascsa.edu.gr/index.php/excavationagora/summer


I know that if I leave and Ronnie and I get back together it would be unfair to be gone for so long, but I also know that if we decide to date again it would be because we want to spend the rest of our lives together, and one summer is nothing in the long run.

Life is enjoyable right now. Fall makes me hypersensitive to my feelings, meaning that I feel extra romantic and extra insightful and deep. In the spirit of autumn and the coming frost (pun intended) here are some of my favorite poems:

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep
But I have promises to keep
and miles to go before I sleep
and miles to go before I sleep

...I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.

This is another favorite of mine:
Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

It doesn't matter which path you take to reach your goals, it only matters that you do your best to get there. By the time I'm 27 I want to be married so that I can have three beautiful children and watch them grow up as I grow old. I'd like to be able to study ancient Greece, and perhaps even write a few books. We should be dating.

We have twenty-four hours to figure out whether or not we are leasing our apartment again. I have a bad feeling that we need to sit down and talk again.

Answers and Current Favorites

We will not be moving next year! I'll be sharing a room with Beth so that we don't have to move. You know what though, I'll take one for the team (and don't get me wrong, Beth doesn't want to have to share a room necessarily either) if it means not moving. This place is wonderful and very homey, not mention how GORGEOUS it is now that it's fall and the leaves are slowly covering the ground in shades of yellow and red. The chance of us finding a better location, cheaper rent, or better apartment in general are slim and none of us want to move from this particular apartment. These decisions, although made under the influence of delicious Korbel Brut Rose will hold and that also means I'll be paying less in rent next year! Plus, I won't be paying for parking!! (Shhhh!)

Here are the my fave five (if you will) this week. Perhaps this will become regularly updated, though I imagine I will update it too much and then get sick of it. Either way,

1. Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon (thanks Ronnie!)
2. Lay All Your Love on Me by ABBA (I just bought the Mamma Mia! soundtrack!)
3. Understatement by NFG (an oldie but a goodie)
4. Get It Faster by Jimmy Eat World (I just love it)
5. I Will Posses Your Heart by Death Cab for Cutie (but ONLY the last four minutes of it)

Don't go wasting your emotion
Lay all your love on me
Don't go sharing your devotion
Lay all your love on me

Playing Catch-Up

Katie and I went to the Pumpkin Patch last weekend and had a wonderful time with Wyatt and Finn! We did everything possible at the farm, from watching the kiddie puppet show, walking through the "haunted" silo, petting and feeding the animals, to picking pumpkins and nearly getting left behind by the wagon that takes you out to the patch! It was so much fun that I would gladly do it again this year! I bought three gourds that are really cute and each one is unique. I also got four baby pumpkins (one for each of us!). It was really nice getting to see the kids, as well as just getting to hang out with Katie.

What are we doing next year? That's the big question we'll have to figure out this week. The stipulation: each of us wants our own room. Here are the things I would like to find in an apartment (since it's highly likely we'll have no choice but to move):

1. Lots of windows/natural light. Last year I had no windows in my room at all!
2. No lofts. They are terrible. End of story.
3. An antenna jack in every room (or at least the living room and my room).
   
4. Water/Hot water included, at the minimum. I'd really like to find an apartment with heat included, as well, though it is not a requirement.
5. My own room.
   
6. Furniture included.
7. Near campus - not outside of this region: Bassett, Mound, and Breese St.
   
8. Preferably not a house. The idea of a house is not a pleasant thought.
9. Less than $520/mo for my room.

So for the first time ever, I've gotten an A on all of my exams! I've yet to get my Troy exam back, but I probably got a B or better. Hopefully. We'll see. I'm really happy and quite proud of myself.


I got the perfect Halloween costume last week! I'm debating putting up a picture since everyone who sees it won't be as excited. I MIGHT put up a picture later. Either way, it's really cute and classy. Pun intended.


Tomorrow is the training for leasing consultants! That means that I'm missing APO, but that's okay because I kind of needed a break from it anyway. I can only do so much for APO. Anyway, we get Milio's meals for free and we discuss what we do as leasing consultants. I'm excited to find out who's on my team although I'm quite sure Caitlyn will not be since my boss knows we're roommates. I'm really antsy to start the leasing season since it's so lucrative. It's also a blast and I know I'll enjoy meeting the newbies. We're so far ahead right now, actually, that we've been painting the hallways in Campus Village beige. Fun fun. Oh well, as long as I'm getting paid!


I don't want to talk about bed bugs ever again. Never. Ever. Ever. If we still have them, I should be getting bit. I have not been getting bit. We do not have bed bugs.

Today marks the two month anniversary of my separation from Ronnie. I wonder if he knows it's the 12th?

So much to write about, so little time!

I really wanted to sit down and jot down a few things I've been thinking of recently, but I just haven't had the time. I know, I know, I had my midterms last week, but this week has proven just as strenuous. I'm working on a great piece that I'll hopefully post later this week :)

Here is a list of the things I would like to cover sometime soon as well as some random notes:

-Katie and I and our trip to the Pumpkin Patch with Finn and Wyatt (with pictures!)
-Apartment hunting/nonhunting/indecisiveness on my part
-My exam grades
-My Halloween costume
-Work, in general


The guys that live across from us literally ALWAYS have their tv on. We thought they turned if off earlier today, but they were actually just hooking up their video games!

An incessant banging on the windows and doors

This weekend, the glass windows and doors outside of my apartment got quite a workout! On Friday night after Cait, Alex, and I left KHK (which is only a few houses down, thankfully!) we were awakened by Bri and Dani banging on the glass door of our apartment since all of their things were locked inside of our apartment (including their jackets). Cait let them in (I thought it was people across the sidewalk knocking on our neighbor's door). During the Badger game, some guys were tossing around a football and hit the bay windows three times before I went out and asked them to watch out for our windows! The cacophony that awoke Liz and I around 3 AM this morning was much more agitating last night than it is right now. A bunch of random guys and Ace came by looking to "party" and alerted us to this by banging on our windows and asking if we were in our rooms. Yes, yes we were. We were sleeping! So it goes.

I finally sat down and watched Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. It was awesome! I absolutely loved it. I heard a rumor from a campus tour guide with a group near Van Hise that the elfish language used in the movie was created by people at UW. I've found no such evidence via a Google search, which is slightly disappointing. I kind of wish I knew how to speak it, and that there really were elves around, because I think I would be an elf. I'm decent at archery and woulndn't mind living 400 years! Anyway....during the movie, I heard them mention the Eldar, which immediately made me think of um...well...nerdy things. Don't tell, but I didn't watch the Badger game because I was too focused on whether or not Filbo would stick with the golem or Sam for the remainder of his voyage.

Today I sat down and created the Classics Society Blog. You should wait to check it out though, since I have little information to put on it.

Liz is watching me type this blog and thinks that it's getting long, so I'll stop here. More about the Pumpking Patch with Katie, Wyatt, and Finn later!

I know you see it....

Oh my god you have to see this video, especially if you're a Survivor fan.

Three down, one to go!

I finally feel like I have enough time to write on here! I'm really happy that my exams have been going well. My archaeology exam was so basic, given that I've already taken two other archaeology classes (not through the archaeology dept) and I took Geography 170: Map Reading and Intro to GIS. We've talked a lot about GIS recently, so having that background knowledge certainly helped.

Biological Anthro didn't go as well as archaeology, but that's okay. I think I still got at least a B. But seriously, if I got less than an A on the archaeology exam I'll be upset. I rocked it.

Finally, my Archaeology of Troy exam seems to have gone better than I had originally believed it would. I don't know what to expect yet, but probably a grade that I will be at least ok with.


I need a backpack, badly. I went to Target yesterday and they had only Hannah Montana and Spiderman backpacks left. I'm considering just spending the $100 or so to get a nice North Face (gasp) backpack. It's one of the few purchases from the North Face that I wouldn't feel like a coastie making. I'm just having a hard time picking one out. Exciting!

I went over to Madison Property Management and secret shopped their new property, Grand Central. It was wayyy over the top. I mean, it's only $882 for your own room in a two bedroom apartment. And with the double occupany rate, it's only $590 to share a room in that same two bedroom. Sorry, but all of the coasties already live in Lucky. I did get a free beanie and two free shirts; they're really excited about this new property over at MPM. I would be too, if I had $1000 a month to use for rent and utilites (since only water is included). It's $1000 for an EFFICIENCY! Ridic, absolutely ridic.