Now that Thanksgiving is over, all I have to do is wait [patiently]

So Thanksgiving was rather nice. But too short a break for comfort. I also, unfortunately, did not get the amount of sleep I desired. But, hey. It's all good. I got to bond more with my extremely cute baby cousin (she turns 2 in a few weeks~).

Christmas is nearing, and yet I still have to go through finals. uggh. The first of which is this coming Tuesday. And then I don't have another final until next Monday. Thank goodness my Macroeconomics professor is allowing me to take her final a week early. Otherwise, I'd be taking it on the 22nd. Not fun in the least, you know. Still, I am prepared for my finals. Mostly. All I have to do is get a few things in order... I should probably study. And it's most likely that I'll study for Pre-Calc and Econ.

I'm really excited about going back to good old B-ville (I get back on the 19th!). I can see mine friends and whatnot. It'll be so awesome. I'm a little worried about it, though. I won't want to come back to Arcadia. But, life is meant to have at least a few things you have to suffer through--I've always known that one. Still--I am SO ready for winter break. A near month's worth of friends and family. Can't wait.

You know, I find that being so far from Blairsville has made me a bit nostalgic for (I know people will probably flinch here) high school days. Ah, I had so much fun in AP and whatnot. So great. It's so nice to have such fond memories!

Well, as it is 2:30 in the morning--and seeing as how I really should sleep so as to not garner the now usual "are you all right?" from everyone who spots me--I should probably get to sleep. Or at least attempt to. Again. Man, going to sleep at 7:00 am and then getting up at 4:00 in the afternoon really messes with that whole sleep cycle thing. Not that I was doing anything crazy or energy-consuming. Parties? Drink? Pssh. There's no need for that; I've an imagination and a near-endless supply of stories, manga, anime, and television shows to sift through...plus important people to chat with!

Heh. Well, seriously...off to sleep for me. Goodnight all!

It's been a little while, yesh?

Sumimasen. It has been quite a while since I last posted! I could say I was busy, but that's a lie. I just find my time taken up by facebook--so addictive that thing! Yet again, I apologize.

So how has my life been, you ask? Well, I must admit that it's been a rather miserable couple of months. Health issues, apathy, and general homesickness have plagued me the entire time. Not that I'm complaining. Much. But, in any case, I'm transferring back down south next year (going with Angela to Reinhardt, hopefully...woot woot!). In the meantime, I'm working on my Nihongo and scraping by with a B in Pre-Calc. I have a big project for Economics...I'll be doing something regarding the gold standard and the impact inflation has on the price of gold, blah. Should be slightly interesting. We'll see. I also have to remind my Econ. professor that I have to take my final exam a week early; otherwise I'll be getting home on Christmas Eve. Not fun.

So, that's what's up at the moment. If there's much more...well, I don't know. My will to blog is fading as facebook takes over my brain and helps Hulu turn it into mush.

oyasumi, minna

Arcadian Tales

you know, i never really thought about how much I actually like college. I just love the stmosphere, the people, and whatnot. I've finally got to Arcadia and, though I haven't started any real classes yet, i've had a great time just meeting new people and everything. I've fallen into the international crowd--not that it's a bad thing. in fact, everyone is so very interesting and they seem almost exactly like everyone else (except for my roommate who insists that my chips are "crisps"). Despite their accents, I can understand all of the international students pretty well. Okay, so maybe the Jamaican is a bit hard to understand...and my Irish roommate (only at times, though. I'm really good at interpreting what they're saying). there are two Korean girls--Soo In and Seong--who are just so cool. Seong doesn't talk much but Soo makes up for that by just chattering on. But not tiringly. Then there's Jin who's technically not an international student, as he lives in the US, but who came from China. He's pretty cool. We had a nice long conversation the other day about video games and Hiyao Miyazaki films.
It's so funny to listen to everyone complain about their roommates. I'm just glad that Katie is very laid back (I'm pretty laid back myself in the roommate department). Some of the others come back with horror stories--despite only being at school for three nights. I don't envy them their situations.
I love the campus--it's kind of small and relatively low-key. There are a lot of trees everywhere (and crickets!), despite being ten minutes from Philadelphia. One thing I don't like, though, is the food. Uggh. I think YHC completely spoiled me with its food choices (go YHC!), because i completely hate the hamburger/hotdog/sandwich/random meat meals. They have pizza, too, but I would not even recommend that pizza be given to my dogs. It's not good. okay, so that's an exaggeration borne out of my days working with pizzas. but still.
I miss my friends soooo much. Especially Angela and Liz. I wish sometimes that I could just see them. But other than that, i think i'm adjusting pretty well. I like it here at Arcadia. it's nice.

oh dear, betsy, you dropped the spoon again...

have you ever been on the cusp between happiness/giddiness and sheer guilt? not that i've done anything too wrong to feel guilty about. i'm just guilty about misunderstandings and bad timing. on the other hand, i'm just really happy. i can't even stop smiling. i'm near to delirious here. but i know this situation will not be pleasant to some. however, do i get brownie points for owning up to things (sort of)? i'm doing my best to use reason and look at things from a logical point of view instead of the panicked-yet-giddy point of view i'm wont to take.
well, nothing i can do about this happenstance to lessen the blow that's poised to come. so i will continue being happy until i have to own up to things tomorrow (nighttime is so lovely to help you push responsibility aside for a few more hours).

on another note, i'm still waiting to start my semester. i move onto campus this friday. i can't wait. i'm a bit bummed about my roommate deciding to commute instead (and a little apprehensive as to what arcadia's going to do anout it), but i'll not let that dampen my mood. so, wish me luck!

"Easy" steps that take you in circles are NOT easy

So I don't have to take English 101, yay! All I had to do was take a placement test...which told me that I didn't have to take English 101, and that I should instead take an advanced english course... ... okay...
in other news, Arcadia has done a good job in killing my reliance on either a fax machine or the postal service. They have lost 4 financial aid documents (or never recieved them, i'm not sure O.o), which i had to make a million copies of and resend twice. And now they've also "not revieved" the medical paperwork I sent them in June. Oh yeah, great job. Good thing I still have the original. So now I have to call them up and complain...But is that the end of it? No. They also did "not recieve" my parents' request for a PLUS loan (aren't they wonderful?) which was sent in a month ago. But, on a good note, they're very nice about it.

I've talked to my new roommate. She seems very cool, and I'm sure we'll get along fine.

Oh, but on a better note, I've had some wonderfully delicious Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pie. Now if only it was less sweet...

Where has all the English gone???

So I just spoke to Bruce Keller at Arcadia. He seems pretty nice and open and whatnot. Anyway, he just so happens to be my Advisor for when I go to Arcadia this friday. It's really simple, I have to get to the Castle at 8:00 AM (harsh, but fair), I have to get my photo taken for my ID, go through a mini orientation, schedule my classes...and take a placement exam for English!!! It turns out that Arcadia doesn't accept AP credit for English 101. So I have to take English 101. Luckily, I have no more maths to take (as of right now; hopefully they won't push them at me later). But I worked so hard so I could skip 101 and now they're making me take it! Ah, but that's not too bad. I guess. Really, they had said they took AP credits...and said nothing else on the matter. And then Bruce Keller informed me that all Arcadia students are required to take 101--no exceptions. Bruce Keller also helped me narrow down my major to History, with a secondary Ed. So i'll have everything all set up for me. I'm sure they won't be giving me much wiggle room when they help me set up my schedule. But at least I get an advisor!
Beyond that lamentation, I'm doing pretty well here in PA...despite the fact that I have no human contact beyond my grandparents (and they keep introducing me to the different types of fine alcohol--in the smallest of quantities, of course). Maybe I'll be able to see my Aunt Laura and my cousin Lexi at some point this week. And maybe, before I go to Arcadia at the end of August, I'll be able to see my Great-Aunt Sandi and my Uncle Bobby, along with the cousins Scott and Beth (with their Meghan and Nicole), and Craig and his wife (and subsequent children); I haven't seen them in ages.

Chrono and Go! Fried Rice

I feel a bit isolated. And too tall. I miss the mountains. Here, all I see are trees and buildings. The horizon is flat and midling. It disturbs me just a little. But, really, I had forgotten how pretty it is just to walk around here. There are lovely trees everywhere, and the woods are even prettier than in Blairsville (less scraggly pines). And there's so many old, old houses here. But they look too well kept. There aren't any shambling, faded wooden houses, no broken barns devoured by kudzu. There are too many edges here, I think. But other than the scenery (and the very lack of human contact), I'm quite content. I still talk to people on the computer (what a lovely way to keep in contact; far easier than a phone call!), but I haven't really met any new people. I pretty much stay here on the 4th floor looking out over the pond, the geese, and the trees. I look out at the sky, too. But I must admit that I like life on the first floor, surrounded by mountains a bit better.
I'm getting excited about attending Arcadia; I visited the campus the other week and found it wonderful (if not a little crowded with buildings). There's an actual castle on campus (called the Gray Towers). You don't know how oddly small castles are on the inside. They use so much space for the high, vaulted ceilings and grand entryways. Then the other rooms are sort of secondary. I like the campus; it's rather beautiful, but there are a lot of buildings. So it makes things feel crowded.
Oh! I went on a tour the other day of the Highlands, which is a manor and farm built in the last years of the eighteenth century. The manor was built in the Georgian style, but there were a few additions made in the nineteenth century and then later in the twentieth. it was a beautiful home, as well as a wonderful formal garden (currently being restored to its 1930's glory). Hearing the history of the place was quite wonderful.
Well, on to more quiet days of reading and pondering.

Beyond the Misty Mountains

So I've arrived in Pennsylvania. I spent 15 and a half hours on a train from Gainesville to 30th Street Station in Philly. And now I am here in Lansdale, a little suburbian burough of Montgomery County (same huge county in which Philadelphia is located). Tomorrow I get to meet my baby cousin. Should be exciting. But for right now, I think I'll crash somewhere. I mean, in the past 48 hours, I've got a grand total of five hours of sleep. Add on top of that the fatigue of traveling for 15+ hours. On a train. But, really, the train ride was nice. I liked it. But let me tell you; I've seen enough grime and litter of big cities to never, ever want to live in one.
But, I should go now and get some sleep...right after I finish painting my nails.

purple and green under blue

so my classes have been over for nearly a month now, and i've not died of boredom. yet. i've been reading, writing, watching movies, playing spore...you know, the normal homebody stuff. well, angela's birthday is this weekend...i'm going to have to get her something...i'm not entirely sure what, though...this is also my last weekend at dominos...yep. i've already handed my two weeks' notice in and i'm ready to leave.
there's more excitement to come, too. the scottish festival is next weekend. so fun. i absolutely love the scottish festival. and after that, i get to have fun with everyone at the party will's throwing. we're going to the falls and then over to his grandmother's house to have a giant field party...and at the end of that week, i'll be leaving for pennsylvania. hopefully. it's pretty much up to my grandmother, as she won't let me buy my own train ticket. she's not bought the ticket yet, so i might have to leave the week after. which is fine, i suppose. i'd just like to get up there and get things settled...all though, a little more time with my family and friends isn't bad, either.
i wish i'd have been able to stop by the high school, but lacking a car sucks. i got to see my brother's graduation, though. yay peter! he's going into the army (kinda worried), and he seems pretty psyched. but this means my mom won't have any more kids in the house. she's all ready getting kind of depressed.
well, i need to be off. bye!

Ah, but for a bit of toast, I'd be jam...or whatnot

I'm going to Pennsylvania this summer. To visit my grandparents...and get ready for life at a new college. Yep. Next semester I will be attending Arcadia University in Pennsylvania. It's a fairly small private college (okay, so 3500 isn't as small as YHC's 650, but still), and is like ten miles away from Philadelphia. The best thing about the college, I suppose is that they have good history classes. And my grandparents are half and hour away. I'm kind of excited...and a bit apprehensive, but I think I'll have a good time up at Arcadia. I'm really looking forward to it. Then again, I haven't been to Pennsylvania in something like eight years. Hmm. Well, I get to meet my baby cousin. And see my other cousins. There are a few I haven't met and the rest I've not seen since they were younger than six. It'll be nice to see them again.

I'll really miss everyone here. Especially Angela and Liz. I'm horrible at remembering to write emails and whatever, but I have messenger and facebook and whatnot to keep up with people and goingson...so it won't be to traumatic going up to an urban town and being surrounded by all those strange people...At least the campus isn't too much bigger than YHC. seeing as I've not managed to procure a means of permanent transportation (I'll be traveling northwards by train...planes are too expensive, sadly).

Oooh...my younger brother is graduating this year. Scary, huh? Peter has settled down a little bit. But, compared to the fact that he's a motormouth who bounces off the walls, his "settling down" is more like we gave a sedative to the person sitting next to him...But, really, he's less tempramental than he used to be. Really, I don't like to think this, but maybe it was my older brother's influence which kept Peter so hyperactive. I've noticed that, without Chris, Peter's really rather quiet and contained. Just as long as Peter doesn't have anyone he can run around with, he's fine and goes off and talks quietly to himself. No yelling. No running. No random bursts of energy. But, yes. He's graduating this year and I have no idea what he's going to do. Peter wants to go into the army like Chris, but for the moment they're not accepting him because he stutters (does it matter if he stutters for a little bit? sure, it probably does in a life-or-death situation, but who in their right mind would send Peter off to some dangerous place? He'd blow up the enemy and himself without even touching the explosives...). He really wants to work with stock. And not wallstreet stock. No, he wants to make and keep lists. Because there is nothing Peter does better than lists. It disturbs me. He even keeps lists of characters on shows that existed fifteen years ago...

well, I'll be off to Pennsylvania soon, but for now I have to worry about my school work. finals are in like four weeks.

Vikings and Dinosuars

So. I woke up at 4:30 this morning from a really bizarre dream about Vikings fighting off dinosuars in Jurassic Park. This dream made me think about Iceland, with it's Nordic background and volcanoes...which made me think of the geography paper i turned in last friday...and then came the horrid, wretched realization that my in-text citations were nothing more than just mere numbers that i had used because I had not done my works cited page. The thing is, I meant to fix the in-text citations...right after I did my works cited. Well, I fixed up my works cited and sent off my paper...only to realize at four this morning that I had not, in fact, fixed my in-text citations and that instead of looking like this: (McKnight 439), they looked like this: (3). I must have really confused my professor. Because they weren't even ordered by how the references appeared in the works cited. So. after dwelling on my mistake for the entirety of the day, I decided to fix the citations and resend my paper. I explained to my professor that I didn't care if he still took off points, I just needed to resend the paper to him so I wouldn't flip out.

See what happens when you have two papers due, homework, and three exams all in one week? you wake up the next week from biazarro dreams lamenting your idiotically weird writing habits...ah. At least Dr. Nichols is nice and has a sense of humor...if nothing else, he'll get a laugh from my oddities.

oh, yeah. and here's something else. I somehow messed up my wrist last night while I was typing furiously away on my laptop, editing one of my stories. I was typing and heard my wrist make an odd clicking noise. I didn't really pay it any attention until my wrist started feeling like it was burning...and then it kept clicking every time i moved it. after that, i decided i'd had enough computer use for one night. It still feels really weird and aches a bit, but i'm sure i don't have anything to worry about. i mean, i already have cysts on my hands...they're not harmful or anything, they just form on the tendons of the hand (called ganglion cysts). apparently, it's more common in women and especially so in my family...

For solitude is different than loneliness

i never really understood the appeal of a city. sure, there are lots of things to do and to see. so much so that people always say "it would take a lifetime to find all of _____'s treasures!" yes, the architecture is unique and innovative, the streets are filled with hustle and bustle, and there are wonderful shops and restaraunts at every corner...blah. one could say a thousand nice things about a city and yet counter them with a thousand bad things. but for me, the choice is simple: cities are nice to visit, but i'd rather live in a town with a population of 2,000 than live within a hundred miles of a major metropolis. i like the quiet, the solitude, the comfort of familiarity and the innate beauty that small towns hold. yes, they can look sad and abandoned, people could be poor and disheartened. but the same can be said of people in cities. and there are a lot more of those things packed into a smaller space. i find i like seeing the stars. i like finding the sky pierced by only a few 3 or 4 story buildings. i dislike crowds of people and prefer solitude. don't get me wrong. i don't want to be alone. i just want to live in that bolstered silence where your thoughts and a few good books can keep you in happy company.

but solitude, i think, is for those already content with their own thoughts and conscience. you can't feel sad and live in solitude. that sort eats away at you, i think. i've seen too many people who search out their "own lives" and fail in the finding. i wonder if i might not become someone like that. true, i am content with little contact for long weeks at a time, but i like a bit of company after a little while. maybe i should get a cat. and a nice collie or something for that deeper, happier companionship. and a garden. i like gardens... ack. now i sound like some old retiree, just sitting back in her rocker and wondering vaguely if she should bake brownies for the local kids...

true, i like all the energy and giddy atmosphere of being young, but i'd like to live out my life as if i were an old woman. isn't there some sort of switch that i can flip to jump between the two? i guess not. well, lazy summers are soon abound, for i'm going up to Pennsylvania to be with my grandparents this summer. they may have traded their wonderful, personally designed (by my grandmother) house for a nice, efficient condo, by it will be nice to be up there. relaxing. hey, we might even go to the shore. that would be nice, i think. i'm looking forward to it.

oh for the love of a good book...

how many pairs of headphones have i gone through in the past year? i'll tell you. five. five pairs. my latest pair (bought only this past christmas break) broke. completely. my earphones are now unattached from the thing you plug into such and such a device...it's sad. now how am i supposed to sleep? i'll need to get into town and buy another pair, sadly...but that doesn't help me tonight. not when it takes me four hours vs. two hours to fall asleep without music. and that's not even counting the fact that i can't even think about trying to sleep until two in the morning. so, by the time i get to sleep, it'll be about time to wake up again. sad, that. but if i go into town to get another pair of headphones, this means i can stop by the book nook and see if they have that book that i've been wanting and have been too lazy to order off amazon...so...yay for productivity!

on another note: i want a kindle. well, a kindle 2. oh, don't worry; i'm not going to abandon good old-fashioned books. no. i'll just get a kindle copy and a regular copy! see? and now i won't have to keep handling my books until they fall apart. isn't that great? or maybe i'm taking my love of books a little too far... ah well. it's not like i can afford to just get a kindle anyway. so my dreams of multiple copies (BEFORE the first copy falls apart) is relegated to the distant future...

okay. it's late and i should at least pretend i don't have some sort of mild insomnia.

"besmudgeon"

so i went to jury duty on monday. luckily, i didn't get picked...was it because i could barely state my own name (not my fault; my voice kept going in and out due to some idiotic cold makings its rounds about the college)? well, anyway, i would have been a horrible juror. frankly, i thought the case was ridiculous and both parties should be sent home. but, whatever. i got to spend the next couple of days in complete misery...lucky me.

beyond that, nothing much has happened. this semester is a bit tiring, but maybe that's because i started it on a sickly note. and i've got a nice little secret occupying my mind lately. but i'll keep it to myself a bit longer; who knows if my burgeoning plan will pan out?

well, in any case, my nose is going numb...a sure sign that i've not gotten the proper amount of oxygen...so i'll stop here.

of the 19th year

sooo...today is my birthday. my 19th, to be exact. and i must say, it seems rather much like all the others, down to forgetting that it was my birthday (it happens most every year). so happy birthday to me. it's been uneventful, but nice. i also beat my high score on solitaire early this morning (please don't judge me; i'm extremely bored).
oh! but i bought myself Mamma Mia. that's right. Abba's musical sensation. really, i have no idea why it appeals to me so much (probably has something to do with the fact that my mom and i used to dance to disco when i was younger...it's all my mom really listens to). i just absolutely love that movie. my mom, oddly enough, did not enjoy it too much. she says there were too many songs. well, whatever. i'll go and watch it all by my lonesome...
i also got a jury summons today. yep. happy birthday to me from union county judicial system. aren't they great? not only do i have to come back home to go to the jury duty, but it means i'm going to have to miss some of my classes. uggh. it's on a monday, too. so that's history, english, and math. uggh. oh well. i can't do anything about it unless fate decides to let loose some strange, serendipitous moment (unlikely).
well, i'm off to eat more cake and reread hana kimi (yet again, i must mention my extreme boredom. i'll be all too happy when i get back to YHC).