My roommate Elizabeth needs to learn 3 things:

1) It is NOT cool to knock on people's doors asking them if they are awake when you KNOW that they are not. (I.E.-this morning at 7:30 a.m., and last week, knocking on my door at 1 a.m.) Especially when SOME of us don't have the luxury of sleeping in all that often.

2) It is NOT cool to yell upstairs to try and talk to us (Jess and me) when you know we are occupied-as in, on the phone, etc.-it's just plain RUDE!

3) If you want to use my printer, FINE-but don't get upset when I tell you it's not working, and *news flash* don't wait until 30 minutes before your class to print out the assignment for that class! COMMON SENSE!

She also needs to learn that normal people like to party and bring friends over. Jess, being the socialite that she is, had some friends over a couple weeks ago when Elizabeth and Kara were home for the weekend. They were drinking and having the usual fun times that college kids have, and unbeknownst to Jess, one of them puked in Elizabeth and Kara's bathroom. Well, Jess had no idea this had taken place, so of course she didn't go and bother checking out their bathrrom. BIG MISTAKE! Whoever had made the mess had obviously tried to clean it up in their drunken state, but not done a very good job. Elizabeth comes home, finds a few suspicious specks on her towel and on the floor, and I SWEAR, she completely loses it. She's crying and whining and pissy, even when Jess tells her she'll clean up the mess. I swear I've never seen anything like it before. I mean, if it was me, I would have told Jess about it, cleaned it up (or maybe let her, but whatever), and gone about my business. We're in college, stuff happens-and it's not like Jess is disrespectful of our stuff or a dirty girl-she's the one who is ALWAYS cleaning things up. So yeah.

Anyway, Elizabeth responded by telling Kara that she just couldn't stand living here anymore, and proceeded to take all of her stuff out of the kitchen and hide it in her room for spite, acting like a 3 year old. And she proceeded to ignore all of us, until Jess finally went in and forced her to talk to her, and now things are back to normal-except we all came out of this realizing that Elizabeth is awfully immature for someone who is 22 years old.

ALMOST there!

WOW-my first year of grad school is almost over. Only a paper and one big assignment left, and I'm done until June, when I'm taking 2 classes-a lobbying seminar and an online course. I'm so glad-my last assignment for 511 is going to be a bear, but I'm just glad to almost be done.

My dinner party for this weekend had to be cancelled, unfortunately, thanks to me having to go home under penalty of death-not joking. I'm planning one for August once I've moved into my new place-it will serve as an apartment-warming party, a reunion for some, goodbye for others, and fun times for all, I'm sure. It will be fun to see how the personalities of my Chambana and Springfield friends mesh...hmmmm...

Memory Lane

It's so hard to believe it's been almost a year since graduation-yikes. So much has happened since then, so much has changed-drastically changed. I still miss many things about U of I, but I can finally say that I'm really happy here. I'll always cherish my memories of U of I, and I hope that the old gang can get together in 10 years at an alumni function and laugh and goof off just like old times.

Some things I remember fondly...(as we travel down memory lane)

1) Move-in day, 2001, sitting up w/ Alisha (my cousin/roommate turned cousin/roommate/great friend) and talking all night. The first time I realized that U of I was really gonna be great-and maybe I WOULD find that there was life beyond KC and C-town.

2) George Forman cookouts w/ the B-E girls-particularly, making 2 a.m. Meijer/Super Wal-Mart runs w/ Amanda and co.-filet mignon on the George Forman at 3:30 a.m.! Yeah!

3) Wednesday nights out. This tradition started my 2nd semester at UIUC, and turned into a regular cult gathering by my last semester! Gotta love all of us at White Ho, downing the infamous rum and coke pitchers in the beer garden w/ the guys smoking like chimneys, singing American Pie and Piano Man-good times, good times.

4) Cubicle/Office hours. This may sound silly, but I bonded w/ some of my favorite people in that darn RSO complex.

5) Campaigning-too much caffeine, too much pizza, WAY too much alcohol and too little sleep-and we all loved every second. And the image of Dan dressed as a barbershop quartet member, dancing on the table in the Berns office to Michelle Branch and Santana will forever be ingrained in my memory. And who could forget all the nights afterwards at Boltini’s? Not me.

6) Election night, 2002-'nuff said!

7) All those OTHER nights out drinking that haven’t been mentioned…happy hours, CR barcrawls, etc…

8) Formal dinners at Timpone’s w/ Nia, Alisha, and Kamakshi-since most of the time we were eating bagels from late night for dinner, it was always a blast to get away from it (even if it was just across the street) and for a couple of hours, be dressed up and fabulous and dining on some of the best Italian food in Chambana!

9) Dinner parties! Surprisingly enough, ramen wasn’t all we could cook, or so we found out-Donald, Meghann, Dan, and I had a great 4 weeks last summer!

10) Late nights at the B-E front desk w/ the girls…we would stay up for HOURS talking about absolute nonsense! And having the time of our lives.

11) COLLEGE REPUBLICANS. The best choice I made in college was joining this organization-hands down. We had our ups and downs and fights and trying times, but I made some of the best friends I've ever had, had a BLAST, and made a lifetime of memories-all in two short years. I don't know what it was about our gang, but we had something special-even if it was all too brief.

12) My last hurrah-sure, I ended up sick by the end of the night, but I can’t think of a better way to bid goodbye to the gang than a visit to all of my favorite, err, places in Chambana-one last time! The turnout was great, and the memories are precious.

All right, that's enough of the reminiscing for now-today was crazy as usual, running around the capitol for hearings and doing research at IARF-my internship will be over in about two weeks, and I'll likely be doing something w/ the state republican party for the summer. Fun times. Tonight, I'm going to get my dose of "Must See TV", pack for home, and work on stuff for 511 like the good little student I am-no Mowie's tonight. Boo...oh well, summer is almost here!

Downtown Springfield isn't so bad after all!

Ahh, last night was good times, let me tell you. It was like the many nights in Chambana all over again, except this time it was different people, better drinks, and a slightly different bar/restaurant atmosphere. First, we started out at Cinco de Mayo, where I discovered the BEST drink ever made-frozen margaritas with a touch of sangria. You must try this, it will win you over, I PROMISE-even if you don't like them. Good food and good times were had by all in attendance, and after SEVERAL hours of laughing and other nonsense, (Oh-and I think the waiter wanted to ask me out, lol-he kept telling Angela to say "hi" to that beautiful woman across the table for him-lol-and apparently he meant me. This made me laugh, a LOT) it was time to move downtown-so we did. We headed to Catch 22, which is in the basement of 11 West, a hoity-toity martini bar a la Boltini's, but a lot less fun. Catch 22 is great, though. Anyway, I have found that I am significantly more at ease and significantly MORE charming when I have a few in me. Me, Marylynn, and Angela proceeded to be loud and obnoxious (but hilarious!) by quoting from the blue-collar comedy tour, and this prompted many gentlemen to gather 'round and listen to our antics-yes, they got quite the show if I do say so myself. So then, don't ask me why, I felt compelled to answer the southern guy at the bar who starting making MORE southern jokes, and I returned the favor until Marylynn pulled me away, telling me he looked a bit too interested. Since the guy was, well, AVERAGE, I escaped and we continued with our behavior until around midnight, when it was time to depart.

Location, Location, LOCATION!

The best thing I discovered is that my new apartment, which is RIGHT in the middle of downtown (yeah!) is literally within spitting distance of all the good Spfld bars, something I really didn't realize until I was just walking around. So I'm exicted about my new location for next year-it's gonna be fabulous when I have people over, or just want to go hang out myself.

I guess the best part about everything is that I'm finally starting to feel at home in Springfield-I knew it would take a lot to get me past the homesickness I felt when leaving Chambana (Seriously-ask my parents-they were the ones who had to console me when I was crying my eyes out upon leaving Chambana following graduation-and I don't cry. EVER.) But time heals things like homesickness...and good friends are hard to come by, but come w/ time. And once again-I am having THE TIME OF MY LIFE!

BACK

Hey ya'll, it's been a little while, so here's an update:

So I'm stressing a LITTLE less over final papers and what not, thankfully things will be over soon. Then I can focus on the 12 hours I have left, and my new child (a.k.a. my thesis-but it's going to be consuming so much time I might as well refer to it as my kid), in addition to working this summer (hopefully doing an internship w/ the state party, BUT we'll see-if not then it's full time at the mall for this girlie). Oh, and getting a new car, VERY excited about that, and mentally decorating my fab new apartment downtown, which I will move into in August. YAY!

So yeah, other than school, I have been swamped w/ work at FB and interning downtown-hearings, hearings, hearings, research, research, research! Anyhoo, after I was done w/ IARF business today, I got to say hi to the Chambana gang, (some of them) who were in town for the Senate aprop. hearing for higher ed.-they were giving testimony and stuff-only got to see them for about a half an hour, but it was great to see them, I miss them (some more than others).

Anyhoo, now it's time for errands and class stuff (or not?) and winding down this evening at Cinco de Mayo w/ some friends. Gotta run now, I'll post more later when I have time to breathe.

Wow...the end of the semester is here.

Almost. I can hardly believe that I'm 12 hours & a thesis away from being done w/ my higher education. (Well...for awhile, at least-I need some time to breathe and live) I have sooooooo much to do before May 7th gets here...luckily, after this semester is over it should be smooth sailing-no more than 8 hours per semester, and my LAST semester (fall) I will have only an internship (for credit!) and my thesis...now that's gonna rock. And I might have a job sometime soon-that is, a REAL one actually doing what I'm interested in...so keep your fingers crossed for me. Things are stressful as hell right now, but hopefully I'll be able to breathe in a couple of weeks, and it will be bliss to do NOTHING except work for a month. Summer session starts up in June, ends at the END of July, so it won't be too bad, and then I'll have August to relax...ahhhhhh...

Lorillini!

Lori is officially an ILLINI now! She got accepted into the Computer Engineering program at UIUC-and I always knew she would. She was getting very nervous, but got her letter yesterday. As if they would reject her-she had a 33 on her ACT and a 3.97 GPA-and her college GPA has been just as good for her first year at KC...she'll transfer as a junior in the department. The child is a genius-I'm not kidding. Who pulls straight A's while taking 18 hours of Calc 3, Calc-based Physics, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra? (PLUS Adv. Comp?) Yeah, that would be Lori. Anyhoo, if she has HALF as much fun at U of I as I did, she'll be bound for a wonderful college career-I hope she loves every second. And I'm going to be only an hour+ away, so hopefully we'll get to see each other a bit more often next year.

Craziness...

This has been such a busy week. I have finally gotten to the state of sleep deprivation where I have resumed taking naps-you know, I have one of those schedules now where it's sleep when you have any spare time, otherwise you WON'T. This week has been a mess of committee hearings at the capitol, various papers, work, IARF Spring Meeting, job interview...the list goes on and on. Oh, and I rediscovered the fact that I have absolutely NO tolerance, as I had a few glasses of wine at the IARF legislative reception Wed. night and was, well, "relaxed" as a result...it's been quite awhile since I've been like that. It felt good...lucky I didn't drive that evening, though. Then, Jess fixed vodka tonics for herself, me, and Elizabeth as we watched TV...it's so bad here-people just sit around and drink, people don't even bother going out! Ah well, I guess it's part of going to school on a campus that is far and away from nightlife of any kind (well...except for Bootlegger's...but it doesn't count)-far in away meaning 10 miles, but still that's a pretty long drive when you can just kick it in your living room!

Oh-I did something this week I thought I'd never find myself doing. I actually APPLAUDED Speaker Madigan after he made a statement at Wednesday's hearing. Before you criticize me and call me a bad Republican, don't-he was making a jab at Gov. Blago-they are not friends, to put it mildly. Blago made the statement that he will not balance the budget on the backs of the hard-working citizens of Illinois (that's a lie-bc really, he is-isn't he closing Vandalia prison? And forcing fees on small businesses who are nearly going BANKRUPT trying to pay them? He's a liar and I hate him. HATE HIM!)-well, Speaker Madigan said to Blago's rep at the hearing, "Please take this message to the Governor-we want to let him know that the budget will NOT be balanced on the backs of the DD/MI community!" SWEET! Even Dems know Blago is a dirty bastard. He's not gonna survive the next election and I cannot wait to work on the opposition's campaign.

I've adopted a new slogan: I stole it from the Dems-they have "A.B.B."-"Anyone But Bush".

Well, I have adopted "A.B.B." as well.

"Anyone But Bla-gag-me-vich".

Yup, my hatred of Blago has gone far past any silly Republican/Democrat thing-bc when it comes down to it, I'm really more of a moderate-socially moderate/liberal, fiscally conservative..with a few exceptions. However, I typically align myself w/ Republican politics, always have. Anyhoo, Blago is trying his best to kill Southern Illinois simply bc of a few legislators down there that are at odds with him. Specifically he hates Frank Watson-no surprise there. That's fine, Blago, make THEM miserable, but DON'T punish the people who are ultimately responsible for electing you to office! Downstate is the reason that Blago won the primary, and downstate is responsible for his victory. Maybe the cold-hearted, unforgiving branch of conservatives say that they deserve it, and they got what they voted for, but I don't think this is true. Democrats always claim to be champions of the "little man", but this Governor could not be more different. You do not cut corners in the name of balancing the budget when there are no more corners to be cut! Vandalia prison is just one example-I don't have relatives or anything working there, so it doesn't affect me (my parents both teach high school); HOWEVER, I do see so many hard-working men and women in my small town who are going to be affected by VCC's closure, and this is just another harmful blow to an already fragile economic system in Southern Illinois. UUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH...SAVE VANDALIA PRISON! IMPEACH BLAGOJEVICH!

Well...I could write a lot more now but I'm VERY tired-and tomorrow is basically going to be the longest day ever, and then some...so I'll write more later. Until then, adieu.

MILLER LITE: You're not pretentious, but you have
certain expectations of the people you spend
time with. You're a fun person, though, and an
unconscious flirt. People enjoy being around
you, even if you don't treat them kindly. A
beer which is an only choice for some, but
liked all around, for a person who is picky
themselves but well regarded.


The Greatest Beer Quiz, ever!
brought to you by Quizilla

Time to vent...

Yeah, I was pretty annoyed last night, for various reasons, but luckily I kept my cool. The last time I lost my temper, REALLY lost it, was junior year, (of HIGH SCHOOL!) and my dears, it wasn't pretty. Pretty much everyone that knows me knows that I'm pretty easygoing when it comes to most everything, and although at times I have had a penchant for drama, that's all beyond me now.

So last night I was basically accused of downplaying "important" drama, and talking in a "condescending" manner to people. These accusations came from someone who I (used to-and still do) consider to be one of my best friends. Let me make a few points here to clarify myself: seeing as I sometimes have a difficult time doing it over the phone.

I never have been, am not, and never WILL be condescending. It is NOT in my nature. I was born and bred to get to know the real person, not the shell of a person-I have friends in all social classes, ranges of intelligence, and ages-I have NEVER been judgemental. NEVER-that is one thing that most people value in me, my ability to be a careful and understanding listener without ever passing judgement of ANY KIND. If anything, I feel like I have been the one being judged or criticized.

A great example of this is last year, when I was applying for grad schools and informed my friends of my intentions to attend UIS. My friends from home & KC were overwhelmingly supportive of my decision. Most of my friends from UIUC thought is was great. Everyone knows that my interests lie primarily in the practical side of politics-and what better place for me to explore these interests be than the state capitol, where I can get all the practical application of my undergraduate degree I could ever want (with 2 U.S. Congressional districts, U.S. Senators' offices, and state politics GALORE), in addition to earning my M.A.? I thought it was an ideal fit for my ambitions. Still, I faced the "looks" from some friends of mine who shall remain nameless who seemed to think that UIS was a bad choice, an unprestigious school, and somehow unfit for my abilities. Needless to say, I missed UIUC at first, but the things I missed had nothing to do w/ education-I missed the social atmosphere, my friends, the bars, etc. Anyhoo, I went on to do VERY well in the program in addition to getting a great internship with U.S. Congressman John Shimkus. I decided once and for all that MAYBE the politics of the federal government isn't where my true passion lies, and pursued an internship with on of the state associations downtown, and I can honestly say I've never been happier. And this has led to what will hopefully be a great job-fingers crossed.

Now, it seems that the same people who appeared critical of me are now 1) either in awe of or shocked by my success, and 2) dare I say, a bit jealous? That may sound unfair, but I can't help it if that is the vibe I am picking up. And one person in particular has criticized me for my tirades on how stressful things are right now, and how I just "don't understand" what's going on with other people, but I don't think this could be further from the truth. I have been a patient listener even when it WASN'T convenient for me. Because that is what friends do. And I'm sorry, I'm not and never have been the type of person to get a big head just bc I was given power-I know just as well as any other rational human being that power is a fickle friend that can be taken from you as quickly as it is given to you. And I have NEVER tried to say that my life and my business is so much more important since I'm in grad school and it's a slightly clearer glimpse of the real world-that is not the case. ESPECIALLY since this so-called drama is something I was a regular part of last year. It's not unimportant, but my business isn't unimportant either. And I guess graduating kind of puts a new perspective on things, and makes you realize how silly things you did in the past may have been. You're still usually glad you did them, for one reason or another, but you can still appreciate the fact things have changed-priorities have changed. And it kind of makes you try to avoid all avoidable drama at all costs. Bc you've got so much else going on.

UGH-I guess all I'm trying to say is that I'm exactly the same person that I was last year. Only slightly more mature, a bit more refined and very much sober. And if anyone has had to deal with judgemental and "condescending" behavior, I would argue that it was me. I mean, I love my Chambana friends very much, but you have to admit that I put up with my fair amount of b.s. The CONSTANT cracks about SO-IL, southern tradition, and all the other ridiculousness-I can't even remember all of it. It is funny at times but rest assured if you were in my shoes, you would understand that it, like anything else, gets REALLY OLD when you've repeated the SAME JOKE 20 MILLION TIMES! No, my parents ARE NOT cousins. Or brother and sister. The same is true for other families in Centralia. Centralia and SO-IL isn't entirely composed of dirt roads, cornfields, and cows. We have a large city nearby, so we're NOT completely alienated from "the real world". We DO have indoor plumbing. We appreciate family values and home-cooked meals. We like living in a place where you can still hear the crickets chirp and see the stars at night. A place where you can leave your doors unlocked without worrying about being murdered in your bed! I love my suburbanite friends, they can make fun of this lifestyle if they wish, but frankly, it's not bad. Not bad at all. Quite good, actually. And although I'll probably never live there again, I won't forget my roots.

That was long and I'm not sure if it all made sense. But if it didn't rest assured I'll read over it and clarify if necessary. Until next time...

This weekend...

I haven't done much except work and run errands. Yesterday I had to run over to Chambana to FINALLY order my class ring, since me and my mom haven't had time to make a trip up there to pick one out. And I graduated last year! Anyway, it's so cute-it has Chief Illiniwek in the center, surrounded by "University of Illinois", with my degree and year of graduation. I figure if somehow, someday, the anti-chiefers succeed in their evil quest to get rid of Chief, I'll always have a tribute to him and my days in Chambana. Anyhoo, I met Natalie for lunch and we went to the mall, where I was reminded why Chambana's mall is crap (EXCEPT for the Gap, which is way better than ours, and Lerner New York-we don't have one! TEAR!). Then it was back to Springfield and working at FB till the late evening.

3 days!

Till the biggest career possiblity of my life...so far! I have the outfit, I have the skills-all I need now is for them to hire me. It seems like a GREAT possiblity-considering the behavior of the association thus far, but I am not getting my hopes up until they say, "YOU'RE HIRED!" Still, it's fun to daydream about the prospect of an exciting job doing EXACTLY what I want to do, and getting paid well for it! We shall see...until Wednesday comes I have plenty to do. I kind of wish my interview was another day, bc it is also the day of IARF's spring meeting and lobby day for the members, and I'm going to be EXTRAORDINARILY busy there, along w/ the legislative reception in the evening at the Sangamon club-but I should be able to steal away a couple of hours-hopefully the members will be tied up in meetings at that point of the day.

Tons of work

I have so much stuff to do in the next two weeks, it's sickening. I'm going to breathe a huge sigh of relief when May 4th rolls around........ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

What else?

Not much else here-I could start ranting about various things, but that would only take away time from schoolwork, and that is my priority right now-so we'll save the rants for later. Oh-and Dan Bolin-you are freaking hillarious and I always enjoy your drunk dials (you are the one person who can call me in the middle of the night, and I don't mind TOO much-bc you are so darn entertaining).

ttya'll later.

Random thoughts

So basically all my life, I've been what's known as a pleaser. I aim to please. I like little drama and happy people. I love it when my friends are getting along and not hating each other. Needless to say, life is not so simple. But with this being my nature, you can understand why being friends with various drama queens (and kings) is at times trying. I specifically refer to my Chambana friends when I refer to the dramatic folks, although some of my friends from home definitely qualify. My Springfield pals are too new and with the exception of a few I don't confide deeply in them.

ANYHOO-moving on...

I very seldomly ask for sympathy or make people feel sorry for me. I don't like being the center of attention or the subject of pity/sympathy. I'm not shy, but I am definitely reserved. I get physically sick at the thought of being at the "center" of things-this may sound weird, but it's true-my friends in Chambana regularly scream/freak out when I show up at various events, I guess because they don't see me so much this year. I've never said this before, but when everyone is running around me and showering me with attention, it actually makes me nauseous. I miss the simple days of my senior year where is was just all of us chilling at White Horse with a few R&C pitchers and a bad rendition of "Piano Man". When no one missed me and people took my presence for granted-how horrible is that? I'm not saying that it's not nice to know I'm missed so much, but, yeah-life was simple last year. Everyone loved me, but they didn't have to worry about missing me. Last year, when the biggest decision any of us made was what bar we were going to and what we were going to drink, and where we were going to eat afterwards.

Let's just say things have changed...a lot. Not just with me, either.

But with this being said, I wish some people would realize that I am NOT invincible. And although I try to keep people happy, even I am sensible to realize that sometimes this is NOT entirely possible-LIFE freaking HAPPENS and you have to roll with the punches, so to speak. I realize that I CANNOT be everything to everyone at all times. I try, but there's no sense in doing this because you only end up hurting yourself. You cannot spend your life apologizing for everything that goes wrong and everyone that DOES wrong otherwise, you'll be apologizing your entire life-bc this world is full of faults. I have finally realized that I have to take care of myself first and this semester I really HAVEN'T been doing that-I am taking a full load of graduate coursework, I am working about 25 hours a week at FB, and doing an internship on top of things-and still trying to pull a 4.0, eat, sleep, and maybe somewhere in there squeeze a social life. Oh, and deal with drama in general-strangely, hardly any of it is mine! FORGET dating-when would I have time? Not that there have been any potential Mr. Rights (or even Mr. Right Nows), but if there were, you can rest assured that I wouldn't have time OR energy for them. The fact that there are no decent men left in the ENTIRE world is an entirely different story for when I have much more energy.

Basically, my doctor told me that I have to slow down or I am going to end up with an ulcer or mono or something equally horrible. So today, as I was thinking about the hectic state that is my life, I made a vow to start putting myself ahead of others (not in a selfish way), LEARN TO SAY NO, and just overall take better care of myself. Because I haven't been doing that. Not at all, lately.

Ok. that's enough for tonight, I'm really tired of all of this rambling/ranting and the best way I can take care of ME right now is to get some sleep...stay tuned, more later.

YAA-AAY!

First (official) interview: April 21st. WISH ME LUCK! (I'm so excited-but I'm not saying anything else until then for fear of jinxing myself!)

My Pets

So since I'm getting a dog AND a cat next year for my apt., I have decided that they will be named MILO AND OTIS. :o) They're going to be adorable and I'm totally going to be one of those people who dress them up for holidays and pose with them for Christmas card pictures. hee hee hee...

Not much else except I am back in Springfield after a long & lovely Easter weekend and have plenty to do.

P.S. I officially have enough Easter candy to put me, a non-diabetic, into a sugar-induced coma (or state of hysteria). Yeah, it's bad, but hopefully I'll make it. SUGAR!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU MR. AND MRS. EASTER BUNNY!

Currently listening to: "Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson...hehehehe

HAPPY EASTER

Everyone-hope the easter bunny brought you lots of nice treats-Sunday started much too early, with me being at church w/ the family at 6 a.m. for sunrise service. My father and mother told me I should be a bit more cheerful waking up, and I explained to them that I'm sure God loves me even if I'm not cheerful about being up at the crack of dawn, despite the fact Christ is indeed resurrected. I seriously hope you understand God-it is nothing personal. Anyhoo, after sunrise service, back home for a couple of hours, (I took a nice nap) then headed off to my grandmother's house to spend the day w/ the ENTIRE family-a la my mom's side. The usual, everyone talking a LOT and eating and driving each other crazy-gotta love it. Then back home to C-town around 9 p.m.

Had the weekly phone convo w/ Krissa, and we are both just too hillarious for words, I don't think anyone understands our strange senses of humor except us, so it's probably good she is my best friend. Anyway, it turns out after going to WAY far apart colleges, we both might end up getting jobs in Springfield and if this happens will probably get a townhouse downtown together-YEAH! HOORAY! The best bachelorette pad, ever. We will be the most fabulous, well-groomed, southern belles that central IL has ever seen-WATCH OUT!

Hopefully setting up THE job interview for this week-WISH ME LUCK!

Blago--->sucks the big one. The fool is trying to kill of one of the top employers in SO-IL, what will he do next? More ranting on this one later, I'm too tired to go into deep discussion of this right now.

BOO--->guys you aren't attracted to trying to KISS you on barcrawl-yeah, sorry, I AM NOT INTERESTED! HOW CLEAR MUST I MAKE THIS?!? (I realize I forget to add this in my last post, but it was worth mentioning) The only worse person I can think of would be...well, you know who I'm talking about, CR's!...and yeah...that thought is too horrific for words, and w/ that I digress. Oh, and apparently this Brian Colgan character thought I should make out w/ Schlau, who is a little brother type. Wow-the things drunks say. Sorry, but um, I'm going w/ a big NO on this one.

NEW CAR!!!

I'm getting a new car. I'm so excited! If all goes according to plan I'll have it by the beginning of June! The Redneck Princess and I have had many good times, but nothing stays the same forever, and sometimes it's just time to accept that things have changed and it is time to let go. This goes for more than cars, btw, but it was a good analogy.

A DOG!

I'm getting a dog for my apt. next year! I won't get her until the beginning of August, but I have decided to get a pug puppy-they are the most adorable dogs and I have ALWAYS wanted one. I'm also going to get a kitten, bc I love cats and want to get them young so they'll get along. They will be my roommates next year, bc I think I'm going to live alone, I want to try the "no-roommate" thing for at least a year. Not that my roommates and I don't get along, but I would kind of like to see what it's like, and that way I can decorate however I want and DO whatever I want, and have whomever I want over. It will be good times.

I don't know much else except I'm going back to school tomorrow, going to Chicago suburbia on Thursday, and have a lot of general work to do this week-so I'll post more when I have time. Later all.

Chambana...it's different.

So last night I decided to go to Chambana for the bc, and me and Nat went out to Brother's to meet everyone around 10:45. It was kind of weird...all of these people milling around in CR t-shirts whom I didn't know at ALL, scattered w/ a few familiar faces (Dan, Joe, V, Donald, Diller, etc...) who greeted me and attempted to carry on conversation, despite the fact that you can't hear anything in those blasted bars. Anyhoo, I wished Diller a happy 21st and proceeded to make the rounds. We then went to Joe's, where I ordered a shot because I was sure it was the only thing I could tolerate-sadly, beer makes me sick and I don't drink much of anything besides a good cabernet nowadays...yup, I'm getting old. Not so much old, but more mature. And it doesn't help that most of my friends in Springfield are between the ages of 25 and 35 and have actual careers. And...I don't know. Maybe it was just the lack of familiar faces crowded together, and the fact that a bunch of the old gang took off early-it just felt different, and pretty much all of my friends on the crawl I talked to agreed-things have just changed so much since last year. But really, it's not a bad thing-it was going to happen sooner or later, we're all growing up. And you have to grow up sometime. And I think that's what we're doing-some people it has taken longer than others. Anyhoo, after Joe's was Legends, followed by Murphy's, where I proceeded to do a carbomb w/ Garrett and somebody else (I think) for old times sake, and despite the fact that I really just DON'T drink anymore, & true to Amy Luhnette history, I had that thing down before he had passed the halfway mark. YEAH! I am still a champ. The cold beer didn't feel too good in my warm stomach, but I was neither drunk NOR puking-so it's all good. IHOP followed, where I declined sitting next to Dan, seeing as he enjoys salting my hair, stayed for a bit, then headed out w/ V, went to B-E to visit Amanda (who was working!) till 4:30 a.m., then headed back to Nat's to sleep. Got up this morning, feeling suprisingly well-rested after my 4 hours of sleep, and headed back to good ol' Springfield.

My dream job?!?

Plenty more details to come on this one. Just stay tuned-I'll just say I'm really excited!

Home Saturday, Back Tuesday!

Working for the next 2 days, then heading home-I don't have to work at IARF on Tuesday, so I get to come back late, yay. :o) The rest of next week will be full of stuff for my seminars, thesis research, reading, Chicago on Thursday w/ the IARF gang, and maybe fitting a night out in there somewhere.

That's about it for now, folks, hope this caught everyone up. Now it's time to get ready for work, ttya'll later!

WHO NEEDS SLEEP?
as sung by BNL-great song.

I hate not being able to sleep. Despite my body's severe LACK of it at the moment, you would think it actually liked to be sleep-deprived, seeing as I haven't been able to fall asleep over the course of the last hour. WHICH is why I'm writing this, in hopes that it will wear me out. All bets are off.

I have friends who are talking about what is stressing them out, so here is what is stressing ME out:

Thesis Proposal
Selecting a Thesis Committee & Chair
WRITING my Thesis
Working WAY too much (I'm serious)
My internship
Springfield & Politics as usual
Random drama w/ various people
And did I mention my thesis?!?

Thesis=Puking?

So yeah, the thesis is basically which is what is making me want to puke, and the thought of defending my independent research in front of three of my professors is enough to send me over the edge. Luckily, I have until December, but seriously, that's not a LONG time. Fortunately, my professors have reassured me that I WILL be ready, otherwise there's no way they'll even attempt to let me defend it. I have a great topic, but I'm still fine-tuning things so when I finally have it JUST where I want it, I'll let you know and go into great detail on the topic and hopefully bore some of you to tears. Muhahahaha...

Just as a sidenote, I'm serious about the puking. For those of you who don't know me as well as others, I regularly get a nervous stomach, and this quite often leads to me throwing up. Prime examples have been before tests, dates, speeches-you name it, I've puked before it. This can't be good for my stomach lining.

Back to the school stuff, did I mention that I got an A on my presentation for 511? YAY! HUGE part of our grade-my nervousness didn't get the best of me, and my professor gave me a hug. You know you did something right when your professor says he's proud of your work. (And it's ok, my prof. isn't a perv or anything-like Weissburg-he's a genuinely nice guy and shows great concern for our well-being as students, which is something that you don't usually find in college, particularly in grad school) Now, onto finishing the dialectic journal and author log-wooo hooo.....

PICTURES!

I finally found my disposable camera from way back when, and used it to take pics at WC of me and the KCers...the pictures are hilarious and include everything from New Year's in Chambana w/ V and the hamster and group pictures at midnight, to various Spfld. activities, to the crazy dinner party, and the best picture of all, w/ me and Cheryl posing w/ Adam the self-proclaimed pimp (haha Adam-but it is a cute picture). WC was a blast, the KC gang HAS to get together more often-I LOVE YOU GUYS AND MISS YOU!

To crawl or not to crawl...

So my Chambanite CR friends are having their Spring barcrawl tomorrow, an event I have been asked to attend, I must say I am a bit apprehensive, seeing as my mere presence in Chambana always seems to stir up drama. Well, not necessarily stir up drama, but I end up HEARING about LOADS of drama-and drama is something I have learned to do w/o. And lack of drama is BLISS. Still, it would be nice to see the gang again, (esp. since there won't be many more opportunities for the old school CR's to get together) and see if tomorrow they decide to love or hate each other. Those relationships within that group have and probably always will be volatile, to say the least. Liquor will add to the comraderie of the group, but I know better-things are NOT the same as the once were, but ah, such is life, such is life. If I end up going, I'll write more about it later. I do have class tomorrow night, and I'm not skipping it, so if I do show up, it will be late.

Ok, I'm going to give the sleep thing another try. And with that said, I'll talk to ya'll later.

HOME

Ahhhhhh home.

I love home.

Most of the time.

Last night: Dinner w/ parents, sisters, Jami's best friend Megan, and Grandparents Hodges. Smoked ribs, scalloped potatoes, salad, corn on the cob, dinner rolls, baked beans, homemade brownies, various beverages-now, this is what I food. This is just a regular Sunday dinner at the Hodges household-I miss home cooking.

I've been working on my powerpoint for 511 ALL DAY-it's awesome and if Prof. Miller isn't uber-impressed, I'm going to be highly disappointed.

Average Joe finale is on tonight-what on earth are they going to do when this one is over? Booo...I love Average Joe, even though it is truly the worst of the worst reality shows. Hate Survivor, hate Celebrity Mole, and yet I LOVE the lame-o NBC reality shows-AJ & Apprentice. Have also became a huge fan of American Idol-but the only one I get really upset about missing is AJ. Unlike my roommates-who tape every SINGLE reality show ever invented.

Current Stressbusters/Guilty Pleasures
Average Joe
VH1 All Access, Fabulous Life Of..., etc.-pretty much any of these worthless shows are shows I absolutely adore watching, but tell very few people I do-oops, the secret is out.
Sam's Choice Peanut Butter Cups (like Reses-except WAY better-trust me on this one!)
Evening Walks (to counteract the PB Cups-and for peace of mind)
**Without these things, I think I'd probably lose my mind.**

I'm gonna keep prepping for the presentation, do some laundry, and watch AJ finale-ttya'll later.

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH sleep.

I love sleep.

Trying to awaken myself enough to gather my belongings and head home-my parents are on Spring Break this week, and my grandparents are coming to visit, so I'm going to have to spend a couple of days with them till I have to be back on Tuesday afternoon for work and my otherwise hectic and stressful life. After IARF-ing on Tuesday, I'll be giving my presentation for 511-eeeeeeeee. Then Wednesday is just another 16 hour day, nonstop-yeah, no biggie, I'm used to it by now. Thursday will be slightly better, IARF, then a little afternoon break, then class, then (hopefully) heading over to good ol' C-U for an evening out w/ my Chambanaites. Supposedly, the CR barcrawl is going on, and the last CR barcrawl I came to town for produced nothing but trouble, but if anyone tries to unload their drama on me, I'm going to silence them with a nice, simple, "SHUT UP!!!"

Now it's time to pack and go home...I'll talk to everyone later this week. I swear, if I didn't have a Monday off every now and then, I'd go insane.

I'm so exhausted, I used to go out no less than 3 times a week (last year) and now I can't even handle one sober night out every few weeks! WHAT HAPPENED TO AMY LUHNETTE?!?

...wait...she graduated. That's right. Ya gotta grow up sometime.

With that said, I'm going to sleep. And yes, I realize it's only 8:39 p.m. And I could care less!

Last night was so much fun! We ended up going to Wild Country, about an hour and 10 minute drive from Spfld., but well worth the wait! Natalie drove from Champaign to Spfld, and then we met up w/ Cheryl at WC-it was great! Also got to see a bunch of the KC gang-people I hadn't seen in AGES and miss a lot, so that was a blast-those guys are so awesome, I miss them! Anyhoo, after a night of dancing and (sober) fun, (at least for me and Natalie!) it was time to drive back, which was perfectly fine, except I got stopped by a police car ONE BLOCK from my apt.! AARRGG!!! I realize that the UIS police like to stop people pretty regularly late at night/early morning, since a LOT of people drive home drunk, so I didn't panic, just simply got my license, registration, etc., and smiled nicely at the cop and asked him what I could do for him. Apparently, in my state of exhaustion driving back, I was being a little, err, liberal w/ the distinction between the road and the bike lane, and he had wanted to stop me and see what was up. I explained to him (truthfully!) that I was completely exhausted, and might have not been as careful, taking my half of the road, seeing that no one was around driving, but that I hadn't realized that my driving appeared irresponsible. I also explained to him that I hadn't been drinking (in truth, I hadn't), and I never drink and drive bc, well, it's just stupid. I apologized, and the cop very nicely let me off and told me kindly to get some sleep. Me and Nat then drove the 1 block to my apt., slightly surprised that he had stopped us, but I really didn't think it was highly unusual, given the nature of the UIS cops and their lack of anything better to do. But oh well. This just goes to show that if you treat cops very nicely and are respectful, they'll typically treat you well, and there will be a better result in the end. Screaming and complaining and yelling will get you absolutely nowhere.

Ok, so that was my night in a (very quick!) nutshell. I have to go to work, so I'll fill in details later.

April Fools

Want to hear about mine? Boy, do I feel stupid. As I was doing my routine check of online news sources last night, I stumbled upon the DI and this--> and actually got excited for a second. Then I actually read the article. And looked at the date. And felt IMMENSELY stupid. Sometimes I wonder if I wasn't meant to be a blonde. Well, at least I wondered that in THIS particular instance. But have a happy April Fools day anyway.

Wild Country

Tomorrow night, friends old and new alike, both the Spflders and the gang from home-IM me if you're interested-leaving Spfld. at 10-so speak up now if you want to go!!! It will be nice to take a break and actually go out and relax...something I have so little time for anymore.

Panic Attacks

Are scary. I had one last week and seriously thought I was dying. But then I talked to one of my friends here who has had them, and figured it out. I'm just too gosh darn stressed out.

POS 502

...isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. After I discussed my situation w/ my professor, (working, interning, taking a full load, PLUS trying to sleep/have a life besides study/working) she was very understanding, and acted a bit like a mother hen and explained that I needed to slow down, a LOT, before I made myself seriously ill. She offered to give me an extension on my final project should I need it, so this way I can stress a little less and still maintain a good GPA-she can tell my heart is in it, but the brain (and body) can only take so much-stress, caffeine, sleeplessness, etc.

Enough posting, I'm tired, I'm going to attempt a nap before class, but will probably just end up showering and drinking more caffeine to stay awake...more later kids.