Hey everyone!

Currently avoiding packing, instead I'm writing in this lovely little waste of time that is of interest to no more than 5 people...lol.

I woke up in dreadful pain this morning, thanks to an aggressive game of tennis with the roommates last night. Wow, I'm so out of shape-tennis takes endurance and I seem to have lost most of mine. Ah well-nothing will bring it back except more exercise, so that's what I'll have to keep doing.

To change the subject-I consider myself a pretty fair cook, all things considered, but my newest specialty is oatmeal cookie bars-my roommates went nuts, so nuts that Jess told her father about them and he now wants the recipe. Step aside, Betty Crocker!

In other news, I've seen 3 movies so far this summer, which is one of the reasons I like summer, because I never seem to have time to watch any during the year.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban-fantastic! Even if it didn't follow the book entirely
The Stepford Wives-overrated, but funny
Shrek II-Very clever, but not quite as hilarious as I had expected. Very enjoyable, nonetheless.

Next on my list: Farenheit 9/11
What can I say, it sounds quite interesting. Plus, I need to prove to liberals everywhere (including you, Lance) that I'm not as hard-core right-wing as they come, in addition to being open-minded and a proponent of civil rights.

Moving on with this somewhat random post:

Things I'm annoyed about right now and will rant about:

MEN-they pretty much suck right now, the only decent men I know are a select few related ones in addition to some guy friends, none of them people I would ever date. As for the rest of them...the ones I have encountered lately belong to the following categories:

1) Emotionally unavailable a-holes who run from their emotions in favor of instant gratification-but not before breaking your heart or at the very least making you slightly bitter/jaded about relationships. (I'm not even going to comment, but for any of you girls who have been in this situation, I feel your pain!)

Example: Mr. Big from Sex and the City

2) Unchivalrous, arrogant jerks who show no respect for women by violating their personal space when it's obvious the woman they're hitting on has no interest in them, and would rather spend an afternoon getting a root canal as opposed to being in their presence. (Take for example, the other night I was out w/ the girls. I think all of us have been in this situation a time or two)

Example: Daniel Cleaver from Bridget Jones' diary: he was cute and charming but seriously couldn't take a hint once Bridget had decided to move on-very, very pushy!

3) Sweet, understanding, attentive guys, who hang on to your every word and treat you with respect...only to reveal in later conversation that they have a girlfriend/fiancee/wife. (I'm encountered many of these, and they aren't jerks at all-the problem is, they make some of us feel like there's no good ones left!)

Example: Aidan Shaw from Sex and the City

4) The cute, boring guy-a guy who wouuld obviously date you, but unfortunately you have no interest whatsoever. Yeah, sorry. Been there, don't that-don't wanna go back.

Like Carrie (from SATC) said:
"Some people are settling down, some people are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies."

I'm not interested in finding "Mr. Right"-not for quite some time. I'm nowhere near ready to get married and I don't think I will be for a long time. But I don't want "Mr. Right Now"-for obvious reasons. If I could find someone in between-a nice, considerate, yet quirky & interesting guy who wouldn't necessarily need a lifetime committment (but wouldn't be afraid to stick around for awhile)-that would be ideal.

So...the real question is:

Where do you find such a guy?

and...

Do these guys exist?

I myself am not so sure...

Whenever I DO find the right guy, the ideal relationship would be something of a partnership-neither one having to give up any of their interests or desires, yet somehow managing to complement each other-not complete each other, because if you're interested in finding someone to "complete" your life, your life is likely something that needs improvement before you start looking for a soulmate.

I can't say that the women of the world are without blame. In many cases they're the ones responsible for men turning into jerks. The trick is getting these emotionally scarred men into the mindset that ALL women are NOT inconsiderate b*****s, and that learning to trust isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Ok, enough of ranting. I don't want to scare the 3 people that DO read this away from ever reading it again-but it's just something to be frusterated about, and this is my personal space for telling stories and venting, so why not?

Stay tuned for my next rant-which will discuss the lack of "genuine" people in the world.

Meanwhile, I wish HAPPY WEEKEND to everyone! With that I'm off to class, then packing, then Nashville! YAY! It should be fabulous. Stay tuned for details on my trip-talk to everyone later!

Sorry for not posting much lately, I've been busy as well as sleep deprived.

Tomorrow marks the last day of inventory-thank God. I'll admit, summer inventory is much better than winter inventory, 5:45 isn't nearly as bad when it's 70 degrees and the sun is rising outside (as opposed to the winter, where it's -20 and pitch black with snow everywhere). Still, 5:45 a.m. is awfully early to be at work, so I'm glad tomorrow is the last day. I took a 4 hour nap Monday afternoon, and that has helped make the week more manageable, because I was severely sleep deprived before then.

Right now: Watching CMT 100 greatest love songs-I am the biggest CMT junkie the world has ever seen, and this is only helping me get in the mood for Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry, which I will be seeing THIS WEEKEND! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I am so excited, I'm about to scream. I've been to Nashville before, of course, but I was a baby the last time I went to the Opry...then followed the youthful hatred of country, and when I turned 18 it was like a switch flicked and I fell in love with country music all over again-aww, hooray.

Country Concerts I'll be attending this summer:

Kenny Chesney (3rd time to see him)
Toby Keith (surprisingly, I've never seen him in concert, yet he is one of my favorite artists: however, his concerts have always conflicted with my schedule)
Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, and Gretchen Wilson (this one will be AMAZING-I have seen MG before, and they were even more amazing than I had hoped for-I expect B&D and Gretchen to be just as awesome)
George Jones (MY ALL TIME FAVORITE country male musician. He's going to be at the IL state fair and I cannot wait-I jumped up and down and shrieked when I heard about the concert)

Oh, and I'm hoping to make an end-of-summer road trip to Nashville to see the Opry again, in addition to hit the best night spots there-so if you're game, let me KNOW!

Anyway, back to the countdown: they've included many of my favorite country songs, including the following: (Sorry, I'm in an obsessive country music mood right now-with good reason!)

I Cross My Heart (George Strait)
I Wouldn't Have Missed it for the World (Ronnie Milsap)
Forever and Ever, Amen (Randy Travis)
You Were Always on my Mind (Willie Nelson-but I liked the Elvis version much better)
Hello Darlin AND You've Never Been This Far Before (Conway Twitty-haha I will always love him!)
Strawberry Wine (Deana Carter)
Your Everything (Keith Urban)
I Believe in You (Don Williams)
Annie's Song (John Denver)
Cowboy Take Me Away (Dixie Chicks)
Something That We Do (Clint Black)
In Another's Eyes (Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood)
The Heart Won't Lie (Reba McIntire and Vince Gill)
When You Say Nothing at All (originally by Keith Whitley, redone by Alison Krauss-both versions amazing, although I'll always love the original)
She's in Love with the Boy (Trisha Yearwood)

...and finally...

I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton)

Ok, so there's a few...oh how I love country music.

Like them or not...these are some of my favorite country love songs-and I'm quite glad that CMT decided to recognize them!

Meanwhile, enough of the music stuff, it's time for tennis w/ Jess and Brandis. More later, and a full account of the trip when I return next week! HOORAY for time off! I'm working too much, but summer is definitely going well.

So it's been a bit...

You might say it's been a long week. Because actually, it has been.

Working and going to class are taking up most of my time nowadays, in addition to sitting on the porch screaming obscenities with Jess in the late evening-it's a wonderful stress reliever! (don't ask) Also, I've started playing tennis again...I'm no Serena Williams, but I manage to have a good time and get some exercise, while enjoying myself.

Honestly, I don't have much new to report: my life nowadays is remarkably drama-free, consisting of school, work, going out, and occasionally playing nintendo. I'm currently home for father's day-last night I went out for margaritas and Shrek II with some friends, and it was fun enough. Today I worked, then headed home, and currently write this after an evening of catching up and drinking margaritas with Alisha. Now I'm getting ready for bed...and I don't have much more to say except that the only downfall right now is I'm not sleeping in as much as I would like to.

More later, 'cause it's time for bed.

Update:

Home in Centralia. Spent yesterday wandering around STL w/ the family, Forest Park, then down to Laclede's Landing. First, we went in this freaky little wax museum that me, Krissa, and Cheryl explored 3 summers ago during a VERY hot Fair St. Louis...it was creepy but fun. For dinner we headed to the Old Spaghetti Factory right down the street. Good stuff. Happy Birthday to my mom! The whole restaurant sang to her and I think she was successfully embarassed. I really miss STL. I hadn't been down to the landing for...GET THS...almost three years! Afterwards. we hit Garden Ridge on the way home, and who did I run into but...la familia de el "ex-factor". Yeesh. After the obligatory "Hi, how are you?" and forced niceness, I forced myself NOT take another trip down memory lane, as I find I have been doing as of late. If the past two years have done anything for me, they have forced me to grow up and realize that my life is not necessarily going to resemble the cookie-cutter picture-perfect existence only seen in Happy Days or another unrealistic 50's sitcom...my life has had twists and turns and bumps and ups and downs, and frankly...I'm ok with that. It keeps things exciting. After all, what fun would life be if we all took the same path? Exactly.

Anyway, today we're having some typical Southern IL afternoon festivities (what do people do in SO-IL when it's summer and a nice day? Cook out, of course), and then I'll probably be heading back over to the 'lou with some friends from home for the evening. I'll talk to ya'll more later...if you're in town, and reading this, and I haven't seen you in awhile, you're welcome to stop by!

Ronald and Ray in one week. I'm not sure I can stand much else.

Let this be my tribute to Ray Charles, one of the great musicians (in my opinion) of our time. I started playing piano very young, at (barely) age 5, and Ray Charles was always a larger-than-life musical icon to me. He played and wrote with the best of them, all the while being blind. In addition, he made a great name for himself, being recognized as an accomplished musician during a very difficult era for his people. When I thought of great pianists, I thought of Beethoven, sure, but I also thought of Ray Charles. He forever will be one of my musical influences (despite the fact I don't get to play as much an more), and no doubts will be missed very much by musicians and fans of all genres.

With that I'll share one of my all-time favorite songs with you, from the man himself: here's to you, Ray.

Georgia, Georgia,
The whole day through
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind

I'm say Georgia
Georgia
A song of you
Comes as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines

Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you

I said Georgia,
Ooh Georgia, no peace I find
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind

Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you

Georgia,
Georgia,
No peace, no peace I find
Just this old, sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind

I said just an old sweet song,
Keeps Georgia on my mind

(Funny how 3 of my all-time favorite songs relate to GEORGIA-those being "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" {written by Vicki Lawrence, performed by her and Reba} and "Midnight Train to Georgia" {written by Jim Weatherly, performed by Gladys Knight and the Pips}-but this particular Georia song takes the cake)

While I'm talking about great men who died this week, I'll go back to Ronald Reagan for a second-I was appalled to hear rumors that Bill Clinton is miffed to be left off the speaker list at his funeral. Frankly, I am annoyed at the mere thought of this, seeing as it should be clear to anyone that the only reason he's interested in speaking is to get PR in order to promote his new book. However, he's trying to make it sound like the Republicans are "excluding" him. What a jerk, and so disrespectful to Reagan's memory. You don't hear Carter bitching, or FORD for that matter, and he's a GOPer. Now is not a time for bitching between the political parties.

Ok. Enough banter. May Ray and Ronald rest in peace...they will certainly be remembered by those of us they left behind.

Nintendo, walk around campus, then MORE Nintendo. At least we walked tonight, right?

Wow...with such fabulous entertainment as we have, it's a wonder that any of us have social lives. Like Michelle said tonight, "Hey, are you guys going out?"

Our response: "WHY? We have THIS!!!"-regarding the Nintendo.

Keep in mind, it's not even a new and fancy Nintendo. We're talking old-school Nintendo and old-school games. And it is FABULOUS.

Who needs boyfriends...we have Mario and Luigi...and they will always be faithful to us...lmao.

LOL-I hope you all know that I am joking to some degree about our obsessions. Really...

With that final note I do believe it's time for bed. We're actually attending a cookout in addition to going out on Friday night, as to save ourselves from Super Mario Land. And I'm going home for a few days on Saturday, so I'll (hopefully) get some of it out of my system. On a sidenote, at least we don't snack while playing. So we won't turn into fatasses. And we are sticking to an exercise routine. There's hope for us.

It's 6:54 a.m. and I'm getting ready to hop in the shower, just as soon as my roommate gets out. I'm tired, but work beckons so it's up and at 'em for me. I won't complain; as much as I hate retail nowadays I'm glad I have a non-stressful summer job-you wouldn't find me down at the capitol if my life depended on it. Speaking of which, they're going into special session today. I swear, they're just like a bunch of kids sometimes. I'm far too young to experience burnout, right? I hope this phase, like everything else will pass.

I apologize for my lack of insightful, meaningful, and thought-provoking posts lately-I've been too tired, and frankly too busy to take time to write more than just the general wrap of my day/week, but rest assured I'll write more soon.

For those of you who actually read this (all three of you), I have decided to forgo Chambana this evening due to my sleeplessness and piles-o-stuff to do tomorrow...but maybe next week? Gosh, I'm getting old. Me and Victoria went out after work last night (for those of you who don't know, she's working in Springfield for the summer, so she's been crashing on our couch occasionally), and were dead tired after an hour. LAME!

I'm so glad to be going home for the weekend. Leaving Friday, not coming back till Tuesday morning. I miss Centralia (don't laugh, I really do sometimes), I miss my kitty, and I miss going out down there, and running into half my friends from KC and high school-as lame as it sounds, ...seriously, if I ever just decide to ditch the whole politics thing, it's likely I'll look for a teaching position at one of the community colleges in that area. Now, I don't consider myself jaded and bitter-YET. So maybe there's still hope for me on that level.

With that said, I must get ready for work. I'll try to write more tomorrow.

So guys, I've been being kind of lazy w/ this thing, but you'll have to forgive, seeing as I'm working 40 hours a week and starting 6 hours of class this week, PLUS working on my thesis. Yick. I'll try to keep ya'll updated at least once a week.

First, Ronald Reagan, the Great Communicator, our 40th president, died Saturday. A political maverick, unwilling to conform to the party bosses. Confident in his own abilities, and unafraid of going forth with his own agenda. He is my second political hero to die in the past twelve months-with the first being Paul Simon. It's sad to see him go, but his suffering has stopped so in many ways I suppose it is a blessing. To the man who ended the Cold War, revitalized the Republican Party, and restored faith in the presidency, I offer the following words:

"All in all, not bad. Not bad at all."-words from Reagan's farewell speech.

Second, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The movie was fantastic. Yes, it varied at times from the book, but it was done in a very tasteful way. The acting was the best I've seen in a HP movie thus far, and it was an all-around good time. I can't wait for Goblet of Fire. I may be 23 years old, but I still LOVE LOVE LOVE Harry Potter!

Third, classes start this week. Woo-ha. Taking a lobbying seminar and 2 hours of thesis prep.

Fourth, I'll be in Chambana for KARAOKE on Wednesday night! YAY! I'm riding back with Victoria, who is conveniently working in Springfield this summer, and can basically be my ride if I want one. So if you're in town and bored and happen to read this-come out! Hopefully it will be fun.

Fifth, the BBQ on Memorial Day was fun. If you didn't come, you're a loser!

All in all, things are busy but good. Even fun. Although I'm worked to death, the summer is going pretty well, and actually a bit of a break compared to last semester. I mean, there are days that I actually get to sleep in-so that's something, right?

Home Sweet Centralia.

Yep, I'm home in Centralia for the time being, until tomorrow night. Arrived back in town yesterday afternoon, to find only that it hasn't changed much since my last trip home. Yup. After Jami's graduation festivities, I got my first night of good sleep in quite awhile...that is, until my mother so kindly woke me up this morning with her LOUD conversation with my grandmother. Anyhoo, after I fell back asleep, I woke up again naturally and spend the day relaxing followed by a trip to the grocery store w/ my dad. We're grilling ribeyes, chicken, corn, and equally yummy stuff tonight, and I plan on spending the remainder of the evening doing ??? We'll see where things go. Tomorrow I'll be heading back in the late evening, after meeting Cheryl for dinner in STL.

So, I don't think my parents are thrilled with my plans for more school. They think that I should find a job, work for a few years, save money, and then decide if I want more education. As for me, I know very well that if I DON'T go on now, I will probably find an excuse not to go any further, period. I'll find myself in Springfield in ten years, and will always wonder what it would have been like if I had left. However, I made a decision in my life last year, after various things happened, and that decision was to never live to "regret"-don't leave things unsaid or undone, because it's very likely that you'll live to regret it. The point is, I don't like Illinois, and I DON'T want to be here in ten years-so I'm applying to grad school and come a year from now, you will very likely find me in a much different (and likely southern) locale. If my family thinks I'm making a mistake, then that's their problem-some of us aren't meant to "settle"-at least not any time before we're ready to.

Not that my parents aren't supportive. I don't mean to sound like that. But I DO think they want me to "settle", and I'm nowhere near ready to be one of THOSE people-I have my whole life for that. Right now I'm living for me.

With that said, I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes-one that my cousin Alisha discovered during our U of I days:

"Some people may say you are going the wrong way, when it is simply a way of your own. "-Anonymous