ice ice baby

Just when I'm starting to feel more comfortable with ceramics, the class is about over. Oh well. That's how it is with so many things.

I have had a great time lately with some girls from my floor/room. Two rooms on my floor got together for "girls night" last Friday. We went to Sioux Falls and ate out, went to the mall, then Barnes and Noble, and then to some hick bar. :) Great times. One girl actually asked if she could bring her fiance. Silly goose. (Thats nice for "dumbass".)

I was supposed to get a winter bike tag by last Friday but forgot. We were threatened with having our bikes impounded at the cost of $10.00 to redeem if we didn't get tags. I didn't get a tag. But luckily Friday night (I think) there was this ice storm that saved my bike. :)

It woulda taken too much work for maintenance to steal these bikes so they just left them all be. Plus, they had other matters to attend to I'm sure. Like getting the ice off the sidewalks so people wouldn't die on their way to church on Sunday or something.

I've come to admire my little sister. Though I don't always agree with her ideas, I admire her ability to back up her ideas/thoughts with action! I don't know anyone else so near my age who has done so much. She sees problems and needs and doesn't just sit around talking about it, like me. She comes up with ways to help solve the problems or meet the needs and then does them. I guess I've always had this tendency to get stumped the problem, intimidated by it, and unable to see past it to find a solution. I let myself get defeated by issues and give up way too quickly! Not Yoli, though. I think she'll do great things.

The past two gen 300 classes have had potential for being good and have at least gotten me discussing things with friends... but when it really comes down to it, I walk away from class thinking, what were they trying to tell us? What was the point of that whole talk? And my conclusion is nothing. We spent a whole class period being informed about domestic abuse, talking about different kinds of it and discussing different scenarios and whether or not they are examples of abuse... But in the end what I got from that class was a sense of hopelessness - if you let it go too far, there's no way to get out of it. Today we discussed homosexuality and all I get from that is this feeling that we're making too big a deal out of something not that huge...
Maybe it's just senioritis.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm in Grand Rapids this holiday. Came to see my sister, brother, and grandparents. The rest of the relatives aren't coming to eat. They had other places to go I guess. So its just the five of us. Grams is the best! Not only is she cooking this whole Thanskgiving meal just for us, she's doing it with a broken foot!! She stepped in a pothole two days ago and fell, scratching her forehead, her glasses, cutting her hand, and breaking her foot. Poor Grams.
I gotta go baste the corn chickens. Have a blessed holiday, everyone!

The great/horrible story

Friday Morning and Afternoon: I had a VERY busy day! Got up at 8.15, went to class at 9, interpreted from 10-12, ate lunch, went to class at 1, babysat from 2.45 to 4, made a porcelain pot, took a nap at 5, and went to tool my other pots at 6.30.
I had asked my good friend Dave if he'd be around the ceramics room in case I needed help with tooling and adding handles. He said of course, and like the good friend he is, he was there right on time. In our conversation it came up that he had a class in LeMaars from 8am-8pm the next day and he needed a ride. He had a vehicle, just no one wanted to get up that early (7.15) to take him there. I said I'd take him.

Friday Night: I got invited to hang out with a bunch of cool people at a popular spot. We smoked hooka, ate chips, drank tequila, and some people played guitar. When the tequila was gone, we got rum and moved the party to The Brick House, which was warmer than our popular spot. Great times were had by all. Or at least by me. And we didn't bust up the party till 5am the next morning.

Saturday Morning: Since I had to be up in about two hours and was exhausted from the busy day and drunk from the hopping night, I thought there was a chance I might not wake up to my alarm. I rarely don't wake up (hadn't all year) but my alarm shuts itself off automatically after less than one minute of beeping, so to be safe I put my cellphone on loud and right next to my bed in case Dave called.

Saturday Morninger: The room phone rang. I woke up and thought I bet it's Dave. Looked over at the clock and - "SHIT! It's 10.15?!!!" Phone wasn't Dave. I jumped out of bed. "Did I sleep through my alarm?" Angry roommate still in bed says "Yes, and many phone calls!" Checked my cell - 5 missed calls. "And a room call", says the roommie. I'm a horrible friend... AND A WRETCHED BABYSITTER!! I was supposed to babysit from 10 to 12. Shit! Threw on some clothes, grabbed my coat and keys, ran out the door (not too quietly).. roommates more pissed off, me hating myself. Got to Henderson's around 10. 25! Note on the floor said "Carmela, come on in. Ruben's inside." I feel like the most horrible person ever. Not only do I let my friend down, I am late for babysitting and instead of feeling bad because he was home alone for 25 minutes, I am relieved because his parents don't even know!

They do now, though. I told them. Vaguely... :S

I currently have 4 jobs. Sounds like a lot, but really I only work an average of about 10 - 15hrs a week. Hehee.
My little sister, Kayla, called me today. I think she likes to call when she's bored or something. Sometimes I get random voicemails from her. They go something like this...

"Hey Carmela. This is me, Kayla. I'm just calling to say hi and I miss you and I hope you call back. Bye. Adios"

And two minutes later...

"phoooophoooophohphph" (blowing into the phone) *giggle* "Hey Carmela, this is me, Kayla. And I don't know where you could be and what time to call you so could you please call me back? Bye. Adios. phphphphphphphooophphphpohophphohoooohphp *gasp for air* phphoooophphphooooophphoo *giggle* phphoo--" and thank God for voicemail time limits!


I miss that girl!

fucking people over

I went to see Modest Mouse in Des Moines last night. They were amazing, their opening band Man Man was amazing, but the crowd was amazingly terrible! I thought it was just me being irritable because of the crowds and people getting pushing and pushing into my space... but some good sources claim that was the WORST crowd they've ever been in and they've been in a LOT. Anyway, at least that didn't ruin the show. What a show! What a night!



p.s. I hate unthoughtful people!!

highs

I convinced Van Wyk to let me do just wheel-thrown stuff in ceramics and skip all the hand-built assignments. I have to make up for it by doing a bit more wheel-thrown things but I don't care because I LOVE the wheel and I have NO ideas for hand-building things... Now the only problem is I'm not very good at either. Last week I threw about four things or so? But today I had troubles and only threw one kinda crappy pot. I can't seem to get them tall enough fast enough. So I've got some practicing to do, but I don't mind too much, except I don't have much time for it.
My Gen paper was probably the fastest paper I've written yet. Now I have two papers to write for my field experience.
I found out today I can walk in May though I won't graduate until December 2008. :)
The sunset was gorgeous tonight! I even stayed out in the cold a bit longer than I had to just to sit and watch it.
We have three goldfish! Fanny, Bubba Jean, and Shark bait.
I get to work in the Humble Bean tonight.

Today's been nothing but great weather and yet I can't help but think rainy and cold would be more fitting at the moment.

I need to write some lame-ass paper about my calling and what not for Gen 3-stupid (as Kramer likes to call it). Hooray.