the tao of chic

WOOHOO everybody loves Halo2...except me, of course. Blacksheep I am, as always. I figured I'd have to mention it too now since it's the talk of the walk. This morning as we were leaving the bike shop Joseph tried to explain the vast amount of teamwork required to excel in Halo2. I see the mild humor there, but sorry guy, I have to call a What-The Hell-Ever, on Halo2. Whatever happened to Tetris and Dr. Mario?

Haha.

On a more exciting note, my bike is now cleaned and tuned. And by now I practically owe my life and first born child to Ride On Bikes and the super wonderful employees Joseph and Byron. (mainly joseph, for the record, but I love and appreciate Byron too) who is now back in the saddle after recovering from a broken back, the resulting injury of an automobile driver who was not paying attention to her surroundings. People LOOK at motorcyclists and cyclists all day long but they never SEE us. SEE US PLEASE.
Nothing irritates me more.

Except maybe Halo2.

So I'm debating and debating when to actually leave for South Carolina. I dont WANT to, you see...and that's what's making it difficult for me to actually DO that...go, I mean. So I'm piddling time away in Columbus not wanting to drive the 280something miles through HELL also knoown as I-85 thru Atlanta with construction and holiday induced traffic to then reach a destination and submit myself to annual holiday trauma. I dont even HAVE money and I practically have to meditate to convince myself to not stress about other peoples spending habits. Also this year is the first year my family has agreed to draw names for gifts and I'm convinced that someone or something is going to make that a dramatic event despite it's good intentions. Spite and greed are some of those things I could verbally abuse Pandora for putting in her box.

Anyway. It's later in the afternoon and I've successfully done not too much since this mornings activities. I was awakend at 8, but was supposed to be up earlier, to take my car to the shop to have the front bumper and headlight fixed from the accident. Then to the bike shop to clean up a mess we started last night and finish tidying up my bike. Then I returned to seclusion in the safety of Waynes condo, took a shower, phoned a significant someone, ate lunch, and began this blog. But Wayne is playing on the big daddy mac and keeps making me come in there and look at gross email forward pictures because he thinks it's funny. I'm in the next room on the couch and I've started just asking him to email them to me (me? lazy? hah) but he wont. Plus I'm afraid he might send me a disgusting picture of a really really fat naked person and then I'd have that one my computer, be it for only a short amount of time. I dont want to risk it so I just get up and go look. It's enough to make me want to go purge, as Rob would say.
But this is what holidays are for. Not having commitments and not worrying about anything. Now, I want to ride my bicycle before it rains, so
peace-

Helter Skelter

I'm watching a movie at Waynes, Solaris. For whatever reason I love this movie. During my schooling this semester I watched a documentary on Charlie Manson...anyway, in watching that documentary I realized that one of the characters in the movie Solaris plays a man who has a lot of the same "tendancies" as Manson, and even kindof looks like him...it was a weird realization...I dunno-

I rode yesterday with Joseph out at Flat Rock Park...it's a nice easy trail...good for playing. I'm trying to collect some extra technical skills and finally found the ball to start the other day while riding at a trail called Blankets Creek outside Atlanta. Then went to a party last night with jo and watched them play Halo all night. A real thrill I'm telling you. Then got a voicemail from Rob saying he learned how to play Halo, and I thought "what is the world coming to?"

OO...speaking of the world, Joseph also let me in on sommething that resolves an ongoing struggle of mine to re-find a really funny computer skit called End of the World...it's hilarious. So I'll post a link soon.

I need a phone call, I need a raincoat, I need a plane ride...I need a sunburn

peace-

heavy eyes in G major

Oh my. I just typed a huge amount of words onto this screen and then blogger decided it wasn't worth a pubication OR remembrance. So it blipped away into cyber land. What a sheist. Aggh.
Well, the bottom line was that a lot of stuff went on since last Thursday, but I had a great weekend. For so many reasons.
Now I'm callin it a night and letting these eyelids succumb to gravity and sleepiness.
Peace

donde` esta el bano`

Ahhh, Good morning America--it is ten till eight on this chilly December mornin and here I sit, diligently, studiously, seeking brief refuge in an empty classroom at the university I know and love as my own, woo hoo!

I'm almost positive that anyone reading this is as infatuated with life as I am.

HAH...(WHAT has she been drinking?)

So I have an exam at 10:15...or 10:30, either way I'm already in the classroom, so I dont think I'll be able to miss it. Even with my luck. No no, with my luck, the last day of class (that I didn't go to) they decided to have the exam in a different room. That has actually happened to me before, and because I threatened the life of the professor, I still got a B in the class even tho I missed the final, along with about 10 other non-lastdayofclass-goers. I hope I never have to do that again, it stressed me out, having to think of ways to make the prof believe I really was going to track her down, even to her summer getaway, until she let me take the final.

ok I didn't really threaten her life, but I bet she thought it was coming judging from the number of times everyone called her. Seven of us went back to my (then empty) dorm, and we called every 3 minutes and always left messages. Frantic ones at that. Since then I've had nightmares about missing final exams, so you can see how it scarred me.

That's why I'm at school beore 8am and my exam isn't until 10 something.

Hah.

What, did you think I was really that ambitious? I actually had a nightmare in the three hours of sleep I had between 2:30 and 6:30am. When I looked at the alarm clock after it sounded off with its blood curdling "wagh wagh wagh," I thought "oh #@&*! it's 6:30, I gotta go!" and that nasty surge of early morning adrenaline is NOT a very good feeling...I imagine its almost equivalent to waking up on the edge of a cliff.

tomorrow will be nice, I'll wake up and hear Ellen chiming "and I dont have to go right now..." and all will be good.

today I let my car warm up for 10 full minutes before driving the 45seconds to the marta station. but it ran so much smoother, and theres nothing like getting into a warm car when theres frost on the ground

(I just sneezed so loud I probably interrupted the exam takers next door. it really echoed in the room I'm in)

Rob's coming into town tonight! Yay :) I love having company, especially company that I like. Good ole Rob, I'm going to make him rake leaves with me (haha, you didn't know THAT did you Robin? mwahaha) Hopefully theres a bluegrass show tonight (like I promised) and we'll make it in time to sneak in before cover charges apply. I do dislike covercharges.

I feel so empathetic for these kids who have 8am exams. all hurrying around to get to class. except at this point I kindof wish mine was at 8 too. oh well, but, I'm meeting my best Atlanta friend Christyna after my exam and we're supposed to "catch up" b/c we havent talked in two weeks or more. (it's a good thing we're not like some people I hear about) Anyway, last year we took a Stats final together and it was so freakin hard we both needed a drink after class (and she "doesn't drink")...so there we were at 11:15, ordering margaritas at Mama Niftas mexican cantina--the only time I've had a drink before noon. I think.

All morning as I was getting ready for school, the country song "Fancy" was in my head...I dont know why, but it was still in my brain while I was standing at the station waiting for the train (in the frost) so I made myself hum "white christmas" for two stanzas...I think it worked,
until I just mentioned it, that is.

peace-

counting bricks

Yesterday I should have studied more than I did, but it wasn't my fault. Lifetime sucked me in for their afternoon matinee and I had to watch The Christmas Child...which I still didn't really get the gist of. Then I DID start to study but I left the tube on and a while later I heard this british voice "ooohhww mey! sheys sleepin weeth cat pew!" and I was again sucked into watching "how dirty is your house"...and man that girls house was NASTY! That poor cat. Anyway, it made me feel like less than a perfect mother to my cat, so I went about making her a new eating area and bathroom area and gave her new food and cleaned out the litter box, which wasnt that bad, but I thought we dont go to the bathroom with stuff already in the toilet, why should she? Robin wont even use the toilet when theres a q-tip that accidentally fell from the cabinet in it.
I can see this is going to turn into me cleaning the litter more than once daily now. Oh well. Then I worked on my paper and studied some more and went to bed around 2am thinking about the forward rob sent me about how bad it is to mess with your biological clock. Sucks for my clock!
Today has been ok...I got up early and plodded my way up to the shower where I now take time to allow me to humor myself with wodering what a taun taun is and not really wanting to know at the same time--but I think they might be smelly.
I naturally finished my anal retentive rewrite of the social psych paper about 30mins before the exam and the exam itself wasn't too bad...i hope.
Now I'm sitting in a cold room, seeking refuge so I can email and type this blog and post so rob doesn't get mad...haha! it's all his fault. Gah rob.

chestnuts roasting on an open fire

reappearing disappearances

Woo hoo! Monday morning! nothin like it, I'm telling you.
Actually today is great. Tho my last posting may have seemed like a downward spiral into a bottomless pit of despair and agression.
Me? no noooo.
I watched 6am cartoons this morning while consuming a bowl of granola cereal and a cup of joe. Today Rabbit had to be saved by Christopher Robin and friends after he admitted himself to the shelf of a toy store. The suspense was nearly unbearable, but he was indeed rescued. I always think Rabbit reminds me of my Grandmother Barnes, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. hehe. And then there are those childrens learning excercise things like "how many sides are there in a triangle?" One, Two, THREE! A triangle has three sides!
then I heard myself yelling out "FOUR!" when they asked how many sides a square has and I said enough....time to cut the tube. Geez I'm such a sucker.
After a shower where I used nothing but the hot water, I began my morning ritual of over lotioning to prevent premature wrinkels--Kevin KEVIN, are you reading this? haha...he thinks it's funny that I'm in search of satin pillowcases b/c they keep you from getting wrinkles on your face before your time. But it's true. Ask any old lady...she'll tell you she wished she started using satin pillowcases when she was 22.
And Plato was attacking the carpet under my counter as I was heading out the door.
So anyway now I'm at GSU and eventually I'll have been here long enough that I actually start doing some work.
Hasta luego.

deep and shallow

Today...I'm in a downright foul mood.

Wow, that fragment almost looks as perturbed as I have been for the past few hours. I needed to vent, and bless this blog, now I can drag you all down with me! MWAHAHAHAHA
hehe.
to start things off, this morning I drove back into Atl from SC. Where I was return-delivering a laptop to Lee. Carrie and I ate dinner and had drinks last night and all was good. Until this morning, actually this morning was even good, we got up early and made pancakes and I left by 7:30. By then it was raining. But that's cool, b/c we need rain. Finally in Atl I stopped at Starbucks to get (more) coffee. And had the genius idea that I'd try out my new wireless internet while there. Turns out you have to pay $30 a month to their provider, TMobile to log in at any starbucks,or any of those coffee serving bookstore chains. Do people really do that? or is there a catch I'm just missing. So there began my irritation, still mild. The rain didn't help anything, but all was relatively ok. I went to my apt to "touchbase" and change clothes and as I was inside it started to rain harder. So then I'm remembering the other day this week that it rained, and how incredibly wet I was all day long from it. Erbegan the discouraging feeling. Is the last day of classes really worth it? AGH. I guessed so, and I skipped to the car and headed to East Lake marta station. On the way, a train was stopped on the tracks (naturally) so without missing a beat i did a u and took a detour. And HERE began the incredibly annoyed Rachel syndrome. This is what makes me ill...but just for days like today, when it's applicable.
I get in my car in a downpour, have to detour on inundated backroads, where the puddles you cannot avoid slowly but surely mess up the alignment of your car...when you dont get that fixed, your tires wear and warp, then you deal with a loud "woh woh" noise until you buy yourself a new set of tires, theres an easy $300 out the friggin window, yipee. Then do that every two years beccause you live in town and cant help that it rains and the city has horrible drainage problems. Anyway, then I get to the station, get out, get wet despite the umbrella b/c the wind is blowing rain everywhere, and head toward the train stop. ALL TO GET TO SCHOOL AND SIT IN CLASS FOR 50 MINS. hardly worth the trouble.But I do it anyway, so 15mins later I get off the train at GSU, and begin the 2block walk to the GCBldg, still in the multi-directional rain. And then I join a few others at a corner, we're waiting for the light to change. Now, of course we're ON the sidewalk, can't deny THAT...I mean, we're not not THAT close to the street, but we're not, you know, in the bloody GRASS on the other side either. And an incredibly oblivious driver driving too fast and too close to the bloody sidewalk, goes whizzing by, and ensures that just in case we hadn't gotten damp YET, that we then certainly would be for the next 5hrs. You know the scene...it happens all the time on TV. And Students here practically fight for the area furthest from the road to avoid those idiot urban speeders who dont give a poop that it's raining and there are obviously huge rivers along the sides of the road. I mean, I can understand it on occasion. But today just wasn't the day to do it to me. And they should have known.
So I muttered something equally as foul as my mood, loud enough so everyone knew it REALLY ticked me off in a deep, evil way, but low enough that they couldn't tell what I said. Personally I dont even know what I muttered. But it was definitly in a deep and evil way, whatever it was. I dont even know if it would qualify as words.
Then of course I'm mad at myself because I'm mad, and not only does that make me partially out of control, it ceratinly isn't going to make anyone I come in contact with feel like a bouquet of flowers now is it? so great, now i'm contributing to other peoples bad day, as if anyone needs it.
I should have just stayed home.
But I NEED to be here today, and I do have things to do, so fine, I'm here. Dag-nabbit. In this nastypoopgloomandmuggy stinking weather, I'm here: And midway through class the anxiety from being irritiated while highly caffinated finally got the better of me and I had to leave to pursue a dark corner somewhere-
I began to wanded, and found this place which is where I'm writing from now...the 5th floor womens bathroom lobby of Kell Hall. Where hardly anyone usually comes. Except, of course, the guy in the hall on his cell phone, convieniently standing RIGHT outside the door to the bathroom, and who is obviously wasting time b/c his conversation is pointless and ridiculously drawn-out. (by my standards, at least) How incredibly appropriate.

I just noticed there are lockers in here,

I wonder if I can fit in one.

no food. no drink. no cell phones.

GOD, what do they think we are? Monks?

rob just called me a blog addict. AFTER he complained that none of his bookmarks had posted lately? so what am i? not bookmarked? am i excluded from the bookmarked category?

thats it, i'm going elsewhere...like, to starbucks or somethin

Tripletallmochaforrachel

"they're both out for the season. Finn with an ankle, and J with a groin"

...that's what I caught of the last of a sports news update on my way to the marta station from starbucks. I thought it was funny. I laughed and the guy behind me must've thought that was just too much energy for me to be expelling while sitting at a redlight and he got over next to me in the other lane, I think I actually sensed his irritation. And when the light turned green he ZOOMED ahead....to the next red light. So, you know, he beat me there and I lost (for anyone who didn't already know that it really is a race--personally I can't consider myself a participant b/c I drive a fuel efficient vehicle, but it's not efficient enough for me to blow a $2 gallon of petro to try to boost my ego in 100yds...it would take more like, you know...well, I dont know, but more) But seriously I do wish I carried treats in my car because I really think people should get SOME sort of acknowlegment when they make such an accomplishment-

Oh yea, this morning I was leaving(to go to starbucks) and I was saying bye to my feline roommate Plato. I said "bye bye Plato! hold down the fort, meow meow" And she sat down and kindof shot me this "god I hate your honkey accent when you try to talk cat" So I said "well, deal with it, I'm just trying to get along"
I could have said something mean, like I could have said something about how she drools all the time and no other cat does that for no reason so she must be a reject...but I didn't.

I can tell this is the beginning of a great friendship.

Ok. So it's Thursday afternoon and I need to get out from in front of this computer.

toot ta-loo