HELLLO from St. Pete!: Brrrr....it's cold in my dorm room!

My dorm is frrrrreeeeeezing cold. My toes are about to fall off. No jokes! I'm serious!

This weekend was really good. There was a lot of down time that I should have used to study, but instead I wrote some postcards and just did a lot of thinking. On Saturday, Laura and I went to IHOP for brunch, because on, quote,

the island,

unquote they don't have any chain resturants, or franchises, and stuff like that. So hence, Laura had only been to an IHOP once before, and we thought she needed to check it out. ANNNNND it was SO delicious. It was such an unbelievable relief to be able to not be eating caf food, even though breakfast is the best meal at the caf. IHOP was so delish!! We had been planning to go since FOREVER ago, basically, but our plans just fell into place, came to fruition this Saturday. Plus, this Saturday it just so happened to be raining ALL the live-long day. Yes, we biked to IHOP in the rain. We were soaking when we got there, but it was so much fun anyways. Then Laura went to Walmart and I went to Aldis' (such a success I shall write about later!) and we met up much later after we did all of our respective shopping. It was basically awesome, but very cold both outside and inside in the a/c.

Then later I went to a birthday party for a girl named Chesley who just turned eighteen!! It was very small and very fun, and we played low-key Taboo for forever and there was pizza and music and DELICIOUS brownies and cute decorations. It was very fun and I met another RA named Connie who lives in Alpha.

...during the party I came back to my dorm to take out my contacts and I ran into some people who were partying. And basically they told me that without alcohol, parties are boring. And I absolutely refuse to believe that and it made me SO mad to hear that people actually believe that! It's ridiculous. But that is the mindset of a lot of people here, I feel.

Every day, I wake up and I am happy to be here, but during the nights I get very frustrated by the ridiculous amounts of substance abuse that goes on with everyone, underage and of age and abuse of not just alcohol., and how it is treated SO casually by everyone here.

And there that is my small rant about how frustrated I am becoming.

Friday was very very nonchalant. I just talked to M and D, but mostly just dad (because mom is a smellbik) via vid chat. PS olds you need to check out skype still and add me, search me and my city is St. Pete's. I was very happy to get to talk to dad for such a long time, it was awesome! I've also skyped with some people who've just moved into college, like Sam and Parker, and I've got plans to talk with Chelsey and Rachel soon. Unfortunately Lauren says her webcam capabilities are slim to none with the Trine network. So sad. I also talked to Bob which was awesome because I just miss miss miss everyone and everything, you know? It felt really normal and good to be talking to all these goot friends I've known since forever.

So lately I have been having the MUNCHIES to the extreme, no jokes! I have been depending on triscuits and chocolate too much lately. So after brunch on Saturday I went just a teensy bit past Walmart to Aldi's and I got SO MUCH STUFF for just fifteen dollars. It was SO awesome and so satisfying too. I got pretzel sticks and caramel cakes and lemonade pouches, fruit snacks, granola bars, ramen nooodles (mmmmmm), chex mix, and I think that's all....but that is A LOT of food for fifteen dollars. I feel like this would make Shannon and Josiah very proud of me : ) Oh I also got a two-pack of toothbrushes just in case I drop mine in the bathroom or something. It's a paranoia I have. Somehow allowing my toothbrush to come into contact with ANY surface of the bathroom here. It's so dirty....euhhhhh. Gross.

Then today, Sunday, was a little bit weird. I wish I had done all my work so I could just lounge and relax today. That's my goal for this week is to be prepared enough to do nothing when Sunday comes around so I can just enjoy it and not be worried that I'm not prepared for the coming week or Monday's classes. (Good luck to me!)

Sarah told me the other day that she is sending me a package soon and I am SO excited because it is rumored to include a belated graduation gift!!!!!!!!!!!! Weeeeeeee!!!! I did not get a chance to photograph the sunset from the seawall like I said I would. Sorry I'll keep trying. HERE are some photogs that I have taken recently:

Oh j/k here is where I like to sit and watch the boats from during the sunsetting hours. It is so pretty, I took this photograph way earlier during Autumn Term I think.

This to the right is in the Robert's music center, where I go to find pianos. It's really cool because the building is just these outside corridors, so it's not really a building....but a network of rooms....or something. I like it though. It's pretty.

Then below here are three pictures, one of a painting made by joeandlefty, actually left, by spray paint! I got it at the sigma block party for....FREE! I really like it, and I was SO impressed by Lefty making it in under five minutes. So cool. Then the shark henna tattoo is mine, and the surfer dude is Laura's that she got on her wrist. (Also at the block party.)