Jane Austen and Nerdy Italian Genes

Well, just in case all of you [and by that I mean all two or three of you. Hi, Mom. Thanks for being my #1 fan. You da best. You too, Bragg, since I know you aren't slacking on your creeping skills! :)] were worried.. I'm still alive. I've just been living in the library the past three weeks or so. Seriously. Guess where I am right now? Uh huh. The 4th floor and I see lots of each other, but I occasionally cheat on it and go up to the 5th floor instead. When I'm here at night, I'm always afraid I'm going to fall asleep and get locked in here. So I set an alarm on my phone for 1am every time. You know, just in case! The library is probably my favorite place on campus, even though I associate it with school work. If I don't feel like sitting in a cubicle, I'll just go sit in between two book shelves against the wall. The smell of old books.. yeah, I could get high off that stuff. LOVE it. Nerdy, I know. What can I say, I'm my mother's daughter. Sometimes I think we are the same person. She's just been here longer, so she has more wrinkles. :)

Speaking of nerdy, I have to write a huge research paper for my honors comp 2 class and I've decided to do it on Pride and Prejudice. I'm LOVING it. I mean, I love it a little less on the days I'm feeling super lazy, but I really have taken the terms nerdy and geeky to a whole different level. I spent at least 45 minutes in front of the shelf with all of the Jane Austen/Pride & Prejudice literary criticisms. Then I had to take two trips to the check-out desk because I got 12 books. When I had to write my 10 annotated bibliographies, it took me FOREVER. Not because I didn't know what I was doing, but because I would start reading part of a book to get an idea for my summaries, and then I wouldn't be able to stop reading. Sigh. Thanks for the nerdy traits, mom. :)

In other news, time is going by so fast! I feel like I'm going to close my eyes, open them, and suddenly have 4 kids, lots of grandkids, and a jillion wrinkles. Oh, and a husband. Those are generally important. But you get the point. My baby sister turned 16 on Sunday. SIXTEEN, people! She'll also be able to drive a car by herself soon, so if you live on the coast.. you have been warned.

How did we go from this..

To THIS so quickly?

Yeah. I have no idea either. Either way, my life needs to SLOW DOWN. I'm getting too old, too fast! And thanks to my lovely Italian genes, wanna know what comes with getting old? WEIGHT. Apparently I don't get to eat whatever I want and get away with it anymore. I started a new diet thing this week. Oh, excuse me.. not a diet, a "new, healthy lifestyle." Gag.

:)

Snotty Noses and the Fires of Failure

That, ladies and gentlemen, is my GPA going up in flames and burning in the fires of failure. Just in case you weren't sure since I have the drawing skills of a two year old. Not good at physics, not good at drawing.. what can I say, I got the short end of the stick. 

"I promise physics is important! You really will use it later in life no matter what your career choice is!"

Umm, sorry Josh Winter, you may be hilarious and attractive, but you are a liar. Six year olds don't know or care about physics. I mean really. Are they going to ask me to calculate the speed of their barbie jeep or something? Besides, if they ever ask me a question I don't have an answer for, I'll just do the responsible adult thing and say, "That's a great question for your parents! Ask them when you get home from school today!" Problem solved. :)

Physical science and I have a relationship that will never be filled with anything but hate. Maybe it's just a common problem with elementary ed majors. There are a few other girls in my class that are just as clueless as I am, and they are elementary ed majors too! I mean, jeez.. don't you think there's a reason we want to teach elementary school? We don't have to be the brightest crayon in the box when it comes to physics, we just have to make sure we have enough crayons for our kids to color with! (That's a joke, peeps. Elementary ed majors are just as smart as engineers! But, uh, hopefully engineers are a little better at physics.)

So maybe I don't have the IQ of a genius or a perfect GPA, and I'm not going to be as successful/rich as JT's going to be; And I certainly didn't get my mom's artistic talents like Zoe did, so I can't draw decent looking stick people, much less something spectacular; BUT I can/am going to spend 8 hours in a classroom five days a week with short, whiny humans that constantly need my attention and have snot on their face 90% of the time. I'm going to teach them to read, count, and use their imagination. I'll laugh at their jokes that make no sense (Knock knock! Who's there? Tomato. Tomato who? ORANGE! Giggle giggle giggle) and smile when they finally understand something and their face lights up.

And to me, all of that is WAY better than being able to tell you the velocity and frequency of the sound waves coming from your computer speakers while you're blasting your Backstreet Boys Millennium CD.

:)

No Country for Old Men, No Sanity for Alexa

Warning: I'm about to be an overly dramatic drama diva queen. You have been warned. :)

Cormac McCarthy is still alive, right? I need to have a little chit chat with that lunatic of a writer. Because after having to read No Country for Old Men for my Honors Comp 2 class, I have a few questions. Ahem.

1) Are you a psychopath or do you have dreams of becoming one?
2) While other kids were coloring, were you looking up a million ways to be cruel?
3) Did your parents hug you enough when you were little?
4) Now that I have read your book, could you kindly point me in the direction of the nearest therapist?

Worst. Book. Ever. Ever. Ever. EVER.

If you are going to tell me something about how it's a great piece of literature or some other kind of nonsense like that, you better keep those terrible thoughts in your pretty little head! And then be thankful that your head wasn't one of the many ones that got to meet a nice cattle gun (Is that what those things are called? The thing they use to shoot cows in the forehead or whatevs?) in that stupid book. I mean REALLY. I've watched my fair share of gory tv shows/movies that made me want to throw up all of my internal organs, but this book goes way past anything I've ever seen. It's 309 pages of nonstop killing! I wake up in the morning and brush my teeth, he wakes up in the morning and kills five people. Then changes his shirt and goes on with his day. No big deal.

I hated reading it. I can't even imagine writing something like that! I always get really attached to the characters in the books I read, so that's probably a big problem too. Once I got closer to the end of the book and he killed one of the main character's wife, Carla Jean, (who, might I add, had just lost her husband AND her mom) I lost it. I'm pretty sure Jen thought something was wrong with me. I had to stop reading and do something else because I couldn't do it! He's awful, mean, terrible, and just HORRIBLE! The way he kills the people, and the awful conversations he has with them right before, and just everything! I can't wrap my tiny little brain around something like that. I've been having awful dreams about it too! I mean, there are probably people like him on this planet! I have big dreams and plans for my life, people. I can NOT afford to get chased down by a psycho killer. I was glad when I went to class on Tuesday and discovered that some of the other girls in my class are just as disturbed. Oh, and someone PLEASE tell me how the movie got an Academy Award. Best picture? Are you kidding?! Sickos.

My heart sinks every time I have to open the book. The best part? I still have to discuss/analyze it even more and then I get to write a paper on it next week. Lucky me! If you have/had to read this book, I'm so sorry. You are more than welcome to go searching for a therapist with me. :)

So, stay away from psychopathic murderers, and if you see someone with a cattle gun.. RUN.

Home Is Where The Pickles Are

I surprised my family and went home this past weekend. I had no intention of going home because gas is really expensive, but a few of my friends were going home so they talked me into riding with them. (thanks Ryan and Christian!)

Best. Idea. Ever.

I didn't say anything about coming home to my parents. Then I ran into a slight problem because my mom wanted to either A) overnight my machine that helps me breathe to fix my mama llama lung drama (Just in case you're wondering, I have no idea how/why I came up with that. But it rhymes!) or B) drive up to Starkville to see that I'm alive with her own two eyes. My oxygen intake level has been really low for the last week-ish, and apparently my parents were a lot more worried than they made me think. Clearly, they love me.. who knew. ;) Anyway, I came up with a nice little story and told my darling mother that my friend Drue was going home this weekend and would stop by on Friday to pick up my thingy. Needless to say, she was really excited when she opened the door and found her darling oldest daughter instead of Drue.

It was the perfect weekend to go home! My mom and I showed up at the football game on Friday and surprised my dad and sister. People probably thought my sister hadn't seen me in months/years due to the fact that she squealed/jumped up and down/hugged me for five minutes. We have separation issues. Then band contest and my dad's birthday was on Saturday, so I got to see the halftime show and be there for my dad's birthday party! AND I got to watch two Yankees ALDS games and the Saints game with my wonderful daddy. That's something I miss more than anything.

It was really, really good to be home. Between my mama llama lung drama and school kicking my butt, I needed mommy/daddy hugs and sleepovers/silliness with my sister. It was a really wonderful weekend filled with baking cakes, band stuff, and loving on sweet baby Livie! I really missed my family! I take them for granted for sure. They really are the best! I can't wait for Christmas when my brother will be home and all five of us will be together. Speaking of JT, cross your fingers and maybe mention his name when you're saying hey to Jesus every now and then. He's starting to interview for scary, grown-up world jobs that will determine where he lives after he graduates in May! So, fingers crossed. (Double crossed for somewhere closer than 14 hours away. Me no likey this distance.) I'm so proud of him!

I have four midterms and a paper due this week.. BOOOO. But that's okay. Thanks to the weekend I got my oxygen, hugs, and pickles. :) Pretty sure I can conquer the world (and physics) now.

PS- IT SMELLS LIKE FALL OUTSIDE!

Hugs, Lungs, and Animal Crackers

I love hugs. LOVE THEM. I grew up in a big, loving family that likes to hug a lot. Bad day! Hug. You made an A, yay! Hug. You just brushed your teeth! Hug. Are you catching what I'm throwing, peeps? The Van Ackers/Cacibaudas are all about hugging it out. Maybe it's because we like each other, or maybe it's just because it makes it easier to secretly stick something to someone's back. Who knows, but due to this hugging obsession, hugs play a vital role in my life. They are #3 on my list of life's necessities, right under oxygen and pickles. When I lived at home, I was too lazy to walk downstairs for food/water/school binder/anything, but I would go down there just to hug my mom without even thinking about it.

Anyway, the point of this ridiculous tangent is that hugs are different when you get to college. I don't always hug people goodbye, because I'm probably going to see them in a few hours! You get hugs at church, but they are just the quick .253 second hugs. You don't get a really awesome hug often, and you certainly don't get any mommy hugs. But I can always count on my Critz girls for a good hug. It's normal for me to walk across the hall into Stephanie's room, hold out my arms, and say, "Hold meeee!" I think I need to start hugging people all the time again. Did you know you need 4 hugs a day to survive, 8 to function, and 12 to grow? Eat your veggies and get your hugs, people!

Remember that list of life's necessities I mentioned earlier? Well, I'm short on hugs, there aren't pickles in my fridge, and my lungs are crapping out on me this week. It's only a matter of time before my short little life ends! So tragic. The cold I caught from my infected friends has worked its way up to a nice little upper respiratory infection, just like I figured it would. I'm such a pro at being sick. I go to the doctor and tell them what's wrong with me, what I have, and the medicine I need. If only I could write my own prescriptions. Just think of all the money I could save!

Due to my mama llama lung drama, I never feel like walking up the steep hill to get to the Union/Perry to eat dinner, so lately my dinner has consisted of a nice, healthy bowl of animal crackers and peanut butter. Tonight I might even spice it up and throw in a fruit cup and Capri Sun! You're jealous. You would much rather eat my dinner than your nice, home-cooked meal. I know.

If you need to get your good deed out of the way for this week, I'm looking for a new pair of lungs. I'll even buy you dinner first! No old, black, smoker lungs, please.

Reunions and Rain

Well. I've been here for a little over a month now. I haven't been arrested or kicked out, and I've managed to avoid being raped/attacked/stabbed/kidnapped, so these are all good things.. right?

Things have been quite eventful around here lately. I like keeping myself busy, but lately I've just felt like being lazy. Too bad I never have time to be lazy! I should start putting "be super lazy" on my to-do list every day. I had three tests last week, so being lazy wasn't really an option. I have my physics test this Thursday. Gag. I will gladly accept prayers, chocolate, and/or a noose.

Anyway! Last weekend, Jen and I took a road trip to Auburn for the Auburn/State game! We left State at 5 am, and met up with two of my friends from home, Sebastian and Jill. Then we drove back later that night after the game. It was a LONG day, but it was so much fun! Seeing Sebastian and Jill made me so happy. :)

Then it was test week. :( I survived my geography and psychology tests on Monday, and aced (read: I MADE A FREAKING 100!!!) my math test on Wednesday. We had Cowbell Yell (a pep rally thingy) on Wednesday night to get everyone pumped for our first home game on Thursday. I went with my sweet little Critz family! Have I mentioned how much I love them?

Stephanie, Audra, and myself at Cowbell Yell! They live on my hall. :)

Ready to hear the best part? Since ESPN and LSU fans invaded Starkville on Thursday for the game, classes were cancelled. Terrible Thursday was NONEXISTENT! The weather was super nice, and college football games are really fun! It was weird being at a football game and not being in a band uniform. I had lots of good times in band, but this was so different! I loved every second of it. Also, I don't care what kind of jokes are made about our cowbells, ringing those things are FUN. And painful. But still fun. :) Along with getting to watch a football game and make lots of noise with a cowbell, there are a few bonuses that are thrown in there that no one mentions. You know, like being slammed into by obnoxious boys and getting alcoholic drinks spilled on my clothes.

My roomie :)

Drue :) She lives on my hall and is Stephanie's roommate!

   
 














Then, the very best thing happened on Friday! I was reunited with two of my very bestest friends from home! We hadn't all been together since summer, so saying we were excited is an understatement! Courtney came up Wednesday night, and Ashley got here Friday. Ridiculous things always happen when we're together. I don't know how, it just happens! I'm pretty sure my mom was saying a prayer for every person in Starkville when she found out the three of us would be together all weekend.

But you know what they say, all good things must come to an end. I don't really like the person that came up with that. I started my Monday with wet hair, no coffee in my system, running on less than two hours of sleep. After my two classes I did some homework in the library, made a careless mistake on my easy cheesy math quiz, and realized I have no idea what I did with my physical science lab work that's due this week. Then I got to walk all the way across campus to my dorm in the pouring rain. And since my sweet mother was nice enough to share her TERRIBLE luck with me (thanks, Mom!), I was walking down what is probably the biggest hill on campus and slipped. And fell. While carrying a 10,000 pound backpack and holding food, a drink, and my keys. Yep. That happened.

If you're gonna do it, do it big.. right?

Fig Newtons and Mass Watchers

I hate Tuesdays and Thursdays. I usually refer to them as Terrible Tuesdays and Terrible Thursdays simply because I despise them so much. I secretly hope it hurts their feelings. (The ONLY good thing about Tuesdays is the CSA $2 Tuesday Night Dinner. Real, delicious food? Yes, please.) Anyway, I start my Tuesdays and Thursdays with an 8 am physical science class that is in the middle of NO WHERE and takes 10-15 minutes to walk to. The best part? The entire walk is uphill. Lucky me! Every Tuesday and Thursday, as I am literally falling out of my lifted bed, I ask myself, "Self, why the HELL would you schedule an 8 am class that's located in East Jesus?" The only response I can think to give myself is, "Because, Self, you are the DUMBEST PERSON EVER." But I will admit that on the days I get up on time, have 3 cups of coffee, and the weather is nice, the walk is somewhat enjoyable. It was 58 degrees when I left my dorm at 7:40 this morning, so I had a nice 15 minutes of coffee/Benjy Davis bonding time on my way to class.

I got to class on time, I didn't have to run, AND my hair was dry because I actually had enough time to use that awesome invention known as the hair dryer. I was feeling pretty accomplished. My naive, sleep deprived self even thought You know what? This Terrible Tuesday might not be so terrible after all. (Did you just laugh, shake your head, and call me stupid? I did, too.) Then my (really cute) teacher started talking and my dreams of a good Terrible Tuesday went down the drain. The same drain my Physical Science grade (and sanity) is going to end up going down.

Physical science is nothing but physics. I don't even know why they call it physical science! On the first day of class my teacher said, "They call this class physical science, but it's basically a physics class. All we are going to do in this class is physics, so I hope you like math." So, being a person with a geeky, intense love for math, I was excited! I LOVE math. I think it's the best thing since sliced bread and the New York Yankees! Sometimes when I'm bored in class or laying in bed at night, I make up equations in my head and solve them. It's something/one of the only things I'm good at. Obviously when Josh Winter said, "I hope you like math," he REALLY meant, "I hope you like a bunch of stupid crap that I'm going to call math, but when I teach it to you it's really going to sound like someone is talking to you in German." I don't understand it. What's even worse is that I don't understand why I don't understand. It just makes NO SENSE!

There are so many stupid words like velocity, inertia, net force, mass, and weight. Then there are confusing things like the fact that mass and weight aren't the same thing. My teacher went on a hilarious rant about the fact that Weight Watchers should be called Mass Watchers, because you're actually trying to lose mass, not weight. Wanna know what mass and weight are to me? Mass is where I go to praise Jesus every Sunday, and weight is what I gain when I go home for Labor Day weekend during a tropical storm and my mom has nothing to do but cook and bake! Also, I hate that stupid Newton guy. The only kind of newton I like is the fig kind. Sigh.

So, there's that. I know this particular post isn't very convincing, but I still love college. A LOT. I love that I love it so much! My other classes are fine, my physical science lab starts this week (gag), and I have my first test in every class next week. Terrified doesn't even begin to explain how I feel about that. But thankfully I have my wonderful friends and my awesome Critz 1st floor girls. We have become a legit little family and I LOVE it! I have no idea what I would do without them. I have to study and do most of my homework in the library, because it's impossible to get anything done at my dorm. We all like each other too much, so it's easy to get distracted. Jen and I are taking a road trip to Auburn this weekend to meet up with our friends Sebastian and Jill for the MSU/Auburn game! I'm so excited. I love road trips!

I can hear my physics homework calling my name, trying to suck my soul. Hanging myself with my computer cord sounds more enjoyable, but I was told it's illegal to tie a noose. Who knew. Do you think eating Fig Newtons while dealing with this physics nonsense will help? :)

PS- This is just one example of the many amusing things that come with community bathrooms. Those RA's are so clever ;)