Curse you, Electromagnetic Field!!!!

Mum and I have been having a rousing go-around about the stupid International Economics paper, right? So, I have about four paragraphs of free-write done and saved, I'm on a roll, I'm gonna get this done by Christmas. I saved it to a disk last night and went to open it on my cousin's computer (home is sounding a little hostile right now) and *plink* "This disk is not formatted." Seems that the four seconds my cell phone spent on top of my disks yesterday was just enough to erase it, with all of my papers for the last year, including my Capstone, which was the only one entirely saved in another place. *raging and gnashing (or is it knashing?) of teeth* Of course, all you ex-students and current students know what that means: ALL of the wind has been taken out of my sails. I CANNOT write about Venezuela now, CANNOT. Even though I know Marie would counsel me to just get all of the stuff out of my head and into the document, I keep thinking of the two brilliant opening sentences I had already crafted and which I'm not willing to spend a ton of money I DON'T HAVE (right now, maybe when I'm rich and retired) to try and maybe possibly not-sure retrieve. *heavy, heavy sigh and the sound of a candy wrapper crinkling* On the plus side, it didn't manage to erase my Mexico journal entries that are on the disk underneath and that also need to be turned in soon. Sooo, yes, Merry Christmas to all!!! Drive safely, traveling mercies, and may all your disks retain their information.

I am not crazy!

The voices were from a radio in the bathroom in the other room. So there, Billy.

I have received a comment prompting me to reveal my grades, and I have to say that my last post has been up for rather too long, as I have recovered quite a bit from that low. Mom and I went on a road trip and had a good long talk about all sorts of stuff, like life, love, and family. (Don't you all feel sticky now?) Tonight I get to go have the traditional holiday tamales with friends from church and tomorrow is the Hughes Lumber Co. Christmas party. Free food!!!! Whoo hoo!! I'm thinking of getting tamales for my family when we go to the coast for Christmas (a two year tradition). I'm planning on flying in to Los Angeles on Christmas Day to join Joel and his family, and then I'll be staying down there for a couple of weeks, so I'm not sure how often I'll get to post.

So, I guess that's it for now...... doncha hate it when people do that? They start out with the intention of telling you something and then never get around to it. Oh! My brother has a girlfriend; she lives in Alaska. It's all very strange to us, especially me. Or did I already tell you he had a girlfriend..... I need to eat. So, yes, back to school. I got an extension in International Economics, so I'm trying to have that all done by January 1st. And yes, I will now end your torment: my grades were the incomplete, 4 or 5 A's, and an A- in Conducting, which means I must have done VERY badly on my final. My GPA is now 3.79 or 3.80. And I'm supposed to graduate now. YEAH!!!!!! Who knows what the future holds.....

Voices

Somewhere in this house there is a radio, and it's on, so I can faintly almost hear voices and music, but not enough to find the source. It's kind of irritating/spooky/argh! Our frost has turned now to rain, which will hopefully NOT turn to ice tomorrow. I am sitting at the computer, trying to understand stupid, wretched, evil, twisted, sadistic, incomprehensible Economics. It doesn't help that I'm trying to learn it by reading, which, I never realized before, I don't do very well. In a subject like this, I need to hear the professor present it, especially since they tend to condense and simplify. *sighs* It's really, really hard not to get depressed. Poor Joel. This makes two nights in a row now when he's had to deal with me wallowing in the murky mire of self-pity and recriminations while attempting Econ. And the worse part is, there's really nothing he can do. Other times when I'm depressed he can be sweet and kinda jolly me out of it, but when I'm depressed because my homework isn't done and it's the end of the term and I'm staring down the barrel of the cannon that is This Friday.... well... I'm afraid there's not much he, or anyone else for that matter, can do from a distance. What I really needed was a good long hug. But tomorrow is another day and I'm sure I'll be bouncy and cheerful enough to sicken all but the strongest of stomachs. And YES MOTHER, I KNOW I AM A LAZY SLACKER!!!!

Frozen fingers

...and legs and arms and ears and poor little noses. It is 28 degrees here in Ashland, Oregon, today, ladies and gentleman. At 2:30 in the afternoon. That's REALLY COLD, in case you didn't know. It means that the fog is freezing on the trees and grass, so everything is covered in a layer of white, crystalline spikes. It's like a Christmas card, really. But this does result in ice on roads and the inability to be outside for long periouds of time.

On my finals week front, I'm still alive and haven't had any major anxiety attacks, which is good. I'm finished with most of the little trivial stuff and can now focus my attention on that one class that's going to ruin my GPA, International Economics. I knew better than this. I knew that there was no way that I could take a class as an independent study. But did I listen to me? Oh no!! I knew better than me what I could and couldn't do, and so here I am, three days left in the term, with two take home tests, a 10-12 page paper, and a 20 page reading journal to do. *heavy, heavy sigh* Ask not for whose GPA the bell tolls. It tolls for mine...

Wanna see the world?

Yeeeeees!!! (That was a very pitiful 'yes' by the way.) I cannot tell you how upset I am that my financial planning skills stink so badly that I'm probably not going to be able to go to Spain to see Andrew and explore the other side of my chosen language. I know that if I borrow the money Joel is going to have a field day being deeply disappointed with me, and he has a point; I really can't afford to go any deeper in debt than I already am.... but, oh, I want to go so badly!!!! *sniff* And so it is that I gift to you, my dear readers, the following tip: Scandinavian Air has what it essentially an Advent sale. Every day until Christmas, they offer a flight to a different place in Europe, from Seattle (among other airports) for $299. Granted, once the taxes are added on, it's a little over $400, but, in case you didn't know, that is ridiculously cheap. Here is the address:

http://world.campaign.scandinavian.net/us/

Seriously, if any of you can go, please, do it. This is how I went to Norway several years ago and I have never regretted it. Life is too short and the world too big to stay in one place without ever leaving. If you want to save the money to go, start now, and although I can't guarantee the sale will be there next year, I can say that it has been for the last several years and even if you can't get this deal I'm sure there are others. But GO!!