By Jove....It's FRIDAY!

Hey happy Friday everybody.
My room is starting to smell like the pumpkin I carved yesterday.....Happy Friday AND I got paid today for work study!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

.......check out my pumpkin----->

Hahahahahha imagine that.....

Oh ps I forgot to tell you that today when Chris and I went to lunch after Geo, there was a little envelope on the front desk thingy and there I found my invite to Joey and Gretchen's baby shower!!!!!!!!!! Hurrrraaah! I have ZERO idea how it got there, but whatev, I'm just happy I found it!!!

WHEW has a lot transpired since last postage!

     FIRSTLY I would just like to say....thanks! For all the happy birthday wishes and cards and packages from everyone. My birthday was WONderful, really. I was completely dead though, from having gone to sleep at five o'clock that morning. But it was good nonetheless because I got a cake and balloons from the 'rents and a package from lauren and two cards from mawmaw and rachelita and a super awesome video from stacy.  Plus just today I got a Woot! package from my parents which I haven't opened yet and it's just driving me CRAZY. Seriously.
J/K I GOT IT AND IT WAS AWESOME!!!! It contained an iPod!!! Can you believe that!?!?!?  I have decided to name it Diablo after a pipefish that we found this passed past weekend in the Keys!!! It was between Diablo or Capt. von Trapp.  Hoooooraaaaah! Today, tuesday the twenty seventh, I got my auxillary bday package and it was ALSO AWESOME!!! I got some yummy dark chocolate, a cute bracelet, some itunes money, (what should I get?) and a delicious swatch of fabric for the bridesmaids' dresses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So excited about that.  ALSO in the mail I got an invitation to Gretchen's baby shower which I am SO MEGA EXCITED FOR! The only thing is I thing I set it down next to me while I was opening my package, and it blew away in the fierce winds we had today. Sad. Hopefully it will show up though...hopefully. Hmmmm I really really want to know where it went.
     SO for a prezzie from lauren (so awesome!) I got last Monday. It was a wonderful yummy green tee-shirt from Trine that I just LOVE it's so super duper comfy. And a lovely shade of green. ANNNND Lauren asked Andy to get me a skateboard. So now I have a skateboard, because Andy works at Wooster Skate Shop and voila! I have a skateboard!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited to get it over break and come back and learn how to skate board. SO EXCITED! Seriously.
I
Can
Not
Wait.
That's how excited I am.
     This passed past weekend, as in two weekends ago now, I drove around in a van with Professor -Ski and some other FRP-ers. We were collecting pipefish for their project about pipefish dispersal. It was absolutely insane. Cold (it's relative, people, I know! don't freak out, but it was, I promise I had goosebumps and shivers), windy, and it rained a tiny bit, too. We spent many hours in a van stop-and-going around random cities along the coast. The first day, Saturday, we spent mostly in Jupiter. Then we drove down to the Keys, and camped at Looe Key state park, which was totally amazing.  We parked the van, and then we walked from the parking lot, to a boardwalk that cut through the mangroves, and we camped on platforms in the mangroves. SO AWESOME. So amazing. There was a tall observation tower, too, where we could stare at the gazillions of stars. There were SO many stars-I've never seen so many in the sky in my life before. It was the kind of night where you could see every star in the constellation. It was quite beautiful, I might say. Then waking up the next morning this is what we saw:

...and here is the boardwalk/observation tower that morning:

     After we left the campsite, we drove up Highway 1. It was SO WEIRD driving along in the keys on HW 1. It felt like I should have been with anyone from "the trip" but no one was there. It was really weird. A tiny bit sad. I kept seeing things that I remembered from driving during spring breaks, like the giant lobster statue, or the history of diving museum, etc. It just didn't feel the same. It made me miss the FL spring break trips and long drives down the highway, a bunch of us sitting on the dock and talking with Osborne, excursions, midnight ice cream runs, and of course playing 'ze Dutch, and diving and everything.  I think the next place we went was Key Largo, then a couple places in betwixt and eventually, Miami. The sky in Miami was really pretty, exhibit A:

     I mean really, just LOOK at those clouds! We stayed in Miami for a couple of hours. We were there until the sun went down...and then it was crazy. The sunset in the city was just gorgeous. We collected pipefish in this one little cove type place....where there was city encircling the water, and as the sun went down, the lights came on and the city was totally alive. It was really amazing; the fading orange sky and the crazy city lights.
     Ahhhhh! On the...uhm....fifteenth of October (I think), I went to see a MOST wonderful play. It was actually a musical. It was called "Mahalia, Just As I Am," it was about the life and times, the voice of Mahalia Jackson. She was a gospel singer way back when, in the middle-ish-ness of twentieth century. So...the ninety fities I think. She was the first person to win a grammy for gospel! She was very famous both in America and abroad in Europe. The play basically followed her life in the early 20th century, having to grow up in the segregated south.  Anywhoo....our very own playwright, Sharon E. Scott, wrote the play and starred in it as Mahalia Jackson, and just one other person that played multiple parts. They were both amazing-she was impressive in her gospel-ocity, and he was SO impressive in his ability to play multiple parts so well. Here is a link to the Studio@620 page for the show: click here and read! Then the next Wednesday in our honors class, Bob Devin Jones (that I wrote about previously because he came and spoke to us as Langston Hughes), the creative director/produce, and Sharon Scott, writer and star, came to speak to our class and answer our questions!!!  It was awesome. She was absolutely hilarious and very wise, and you could tell she was just a very geniune person with strong beliefs and a lot of character. Hearing about Sharon Scott's life was also interesting, because it shared just a few similarities to Mahalia's life, and you could definitely see how Mahalia had inspired her and how her music had always been there for her.
     OMG FAM & FRIENDS. Do you know what I LOVE?! I love speeeeeed! No, not speed the drug. Speed the card game!!!!  WHY hadn't anyone introduced me to it before?! It's SO FUN.  A super long time ago, Chris and I were both feeling very uninspired and unmotivated to do homework before honors class, so he taught me how to play speed and it is...........awesome. I'm basically addicted now I think. When I come home we are DEFINITELY playing, you got that, 'rents?
     So today at three I have my mentor meeting. I have to decide what classes I should take.....what classes should I take??? Someone tell me. I don't think I can start calculus this spring, so math is out. (Oh darn!) And....I can't take any intro 101 courses either, I don't think. We'll see how it goes, I guess. I really don't know what to take. 
    On a happier note, today there is free pumpkin carving!  Woooo! I'm so excited. Really really excited hopefully my pumpkin turns out awesome. Tomorrow I have a math exam which I am a tiny bit nervous for, so send me your good luck wishes please.
Lastly, this weekend I fixed my own bike! It was a huge accomplishment pour moi and I am very proud of myself, actually!! I just had to change the inner tube, but considering I have never actually worked on a bike (thanks dad, you're the best).  I am impressed by my mad skilllllz at being able to take apart the bike, a, and b, fix the inner tube, and THEN c, put it back together again, correctly so that everything works. Just say it's impressive, okay, it is!!!
(This weekend I also tried biking to ft. desoto, buuuuuut it didn't work out as well.  I think I made it about five miles before I turned around, because I wasn't feeling so great and the idea of having to another 1.5 miles and then 6.5 back was daunting me....haha.)


Oh here's a pictura of my yummy cake my parents sent me:
It was mega-delic.
That is all for now I suppose.
Peace, fools.
: )

Hahah my life is average just made my day.

A very Nagel-y thing to do
http://mylifeisaverage.com/story.php?id=901259
http://mylifeisaverage.com/story.php?id=914822
http://mylifeisaverage.com/story.php?id=921998
http://mylifeisaverage.com/story.php?id=902978
http://mylifeisaverage.com/story.php?id=901607
http://mylifeisaverage.com/story.php?id=899239
http://mylifeisaverage.com/story.php?id=898195
http://mylifeisaverage.com/story.php?id=898231
    (I would def do that to 'mousey.)

Today, while while walking around campus, a pile of leaves laughed evily as I walked by it. I figured it was an automated thing so I walked by again. Then a person jumped out, screamed, and ran away. Then I buried myself in leaves and waited for the next victim. MLIA.

I just want all of you to know that I have, honestly been reading this for a long time and just CRACKING UP. I think Synthia probably thinks I have lost my marbles, am off my rocker, flown the coop (is that legit?), etc etc.
THANK you brian for introducing me to mylifeisaverage.
SO FUNNY.
(Now I must go finish my work, sadly.)

YUMMMMMY.

Oh no. I just opened the bag of candy

 corn that my 'rents sent to me in 

a package, and now....

I can't stop eating 

the candy corn

so yummy

: )

Eugh. I slept away my Saturday : (

Fact: Sydney slept away her Saturday.
Fact: I can use alliteration : )
Fact: I should be translating my French homework, but I'm talking to you instead! Aren't you glad we have this dialogue to keep both of us busy when we should be being productive? I know I sure am...
NOW I am in Laura's room and we are watching NCIS and working on her speech about...Oscar Wilde's "Picture of Dorian Gray."
School is really picking up now. I have a thesis/outline due on Wednesday and an exam and another research paper thesis/outline due on Wednesday. EUUUUGH and I have not yet researched or finished reading the books, or thought about the topic. Ack. I'm not looking forward to this week.
EW I just read the creepiest thing ever. From a blog called "Letters of Note: Correspondence deserving of a wider audience," and it's a note from the serial killer Son of Sam. Do not read if sad already....  Super freaky.
FACT: I have just spent WAY too much time reading blogs. It is an addiction. Some blogs I have been reading are:

1. Phoo-D

2. Chocolate & Zucchini

3. Letters Of Note, and lastly, perhaps my favorite:

Today I Saw

I would definintely recommend Today I Saw the most, it's fun.
ANYWAYS I don't really know what to write about...
last night EC had a campus-wide birthdays bash with WONDERFUL amazing latin music from Orquesta Infinidad which had ELEVEN pieces playing and it was just SO awesome. I could hear it inside my dorm too which was awesome, I though. It was just really cool music and everyone was dancing, it was basically adorable.  AND they had delicious foooood which I think was Mexican. It was delic.
OH Wow I am like 'Net adhd....
Cute screenprinted cards!
Oh okay speaking of screenprinted! Sarah sent me a little birthday/graduation present in the mail which I got a few days ago and which was wonderful!!!! It was a little handmade stationary holder with some photog postcards and some really really wonderful thanks/bday cards that she made and designed herself which I just LOVE to death. They looked so like she bought them but I could definitely tell they were from Sarb because all of her work is just oh so lovely and wonderful and yummmmmmy.. OHHHH I seriously loved them! And a sharpie pen! And some other goodies, too. Bet you're jealous!

Today I have been craving:

Mashed potatoes

A milkshake (which I had and it was yummy)

Ice cream in general

Fruit and yogurt parfait mmmmm

French fries, seriously

And tomorrow I can't wait to go to breakfast and have a SUPER yummy ommelette for brunch. OH MAN I am huuuungry!
Yesterday was just AWFUL let me tell you. Well not the day as a whole but many....obnoxious things happened. First and foremost was the destruction of my bike's tire which I have no idea how to fix. I guess the innertube blew out right before I got to Walmart, which is just like two and a half miles away from school, but STILL. How much does that stink?? I was with Laura, and she was wonderfully nice enough to take the bus with me (which is expensive! A buck seventy five each time!!!!) and we had to wait for a while after finishing our shopping (I just had to get shoes for my lab on Tuesday). ANNND we both had bikes, and we had NO IDEA how to put our bikes on the device in front of the bus. I felt like SUCH A TWIT. And we were holding everyone up and everyone was just STARING at us like we were total idiots. When we FINALLY got our bike in the contraption, we had to feed our money in the machine. Which was crumpled, as a result from the stress of the bike incident. Or at least that's why mine was: you see, I had the nice dollar bills out and ready when the bus got there and then we had to do the bike thing and I had to LIFT (imagine me, lifting, hahahaha!) my bike and just HAD to crumple the money, so you see it really was necessary. It took Laura and me lit'rally FOREVER to feed the meter our money, it was ridiculus. It was indeed very stressfull. BUT a learning experience, I say.
OH AND THEN when we got off, I guess because there were no bike on the bike rack we were supposed to put the bike rack up but we didn't know how. so thebus driver sort of yelled at us to do it but we didn't even know the bike rack could do such a thing. Euhhh and then we had to carry my bike all the way back to the dorm, so as not to mess up the rim. It was a....
fiaso,
spectacle,
brouhaha,
any other good ones you can think of to describe said situation just let me know I'll add it to the list.
The good news is I found a pair of ADORABLE $9 shoes from the young boys' section to wear for lab on Tuesday. I've heard that your shoes get really nasty on boat-labs, and one girl said that she had to throw hers away. So I thought I should get a cheap pair I'm not super attached to to wear, and I think if I just rinse them out really well afterwards they should be good. But I'm just taking precautions, protecting my investments  (in my many pairs of wonderful shoes, mmmmm). You know? YOU KNOW?? Okay I really am totally justified in this, I promise : )
Earlier in the day I had also gone to research which made my neck and back hurt SO bad from staring at a pc screen for two hours but it was fun because we had trail mix and both of the people I'm working with are very nice indeed.

OH insert subcomment-Monday is lauren's birthday so if you think of it send her a little wish on facebook or something I'm sure she would love it!

Also you know what I really really really want to see? Where The Wild Things Are, it looks so gooood!

That's all for now. Now I am going to hopefully fall asleep and watch an episode of the Simpsons, season five, wooooot! Peace amigos!

Sydney is "HAPPPPPPPY FRIIIIIIDAAAAAY EVERYBODY!"

I just (one-half) wiped out on my bike, and now my knee is bleeding...but....


TGIF.  To the nth degree, seriously.