Merry Christmas!

Well, I was nervous, but Christmas this year turned out better than I'd expected. I mean, think about the scenario I was faced with. Since I had to be at WORK at 10:00 (yeah, I know, it was my decision, but I wasn't exactly looking forward to it), we all had to get up at like 7:00 to drive with presents over to Dad's house for the morning. I've never had to leave home on Christmas morning before even opening presents. I was not happy about it. And then of course, work. And then my Mom's parents and her brother's family were coming over here after lunch for presents and Christmas dinner. Now, the grandparents I didn't mind so much, but the brother and his family just bailed on the debutante ball on Wednesday FOUR DAYS AGO. Not cool. So I wasn't thrilled about seeing them, either. All in all.... Christmas had me worried.

BUT...

When we got up this morning at 7:15, the boys and Mom were so excited about Christmas that it was infectious and I couldn't help but be happy about the day, too. And Michael and I decided to stay in our pjs for presents, so I just put a coat and slippers on and drove over to Dad's like that. =) There's just something not-Christmasy about opening presents from Santa in anything but pajamas. And when we got to Dad's and passed presents around it seemed like they were endless... Mom and Dad went wild this year. All three of us got ipods from Santa, ipod "stages" from Mimi and Papa (Dad's parents), and gift cards for iTunes from Dad's girlfriend Claudia. Very cool. Mom got me real pearl earrings that are just beautiful. Dad got me a gift card to NY & Co for $200... that'll be gone soon. =) Michael got me two really pretty sets of earrings and a page-a-day calendar of Bushisms from our illustrious president. That will be entertaining. Jack got me another dragon for my collection. There were clothes, books, dvds, and other various insundry gifts... it was more than I had anticipated, honestly. Everyone was happy with the gifts I gave, too, which really makes me feel good. I got Dad a cool tie and a cute little "bathroom book of golf" for his new house, and he thought they were both great. Mom got an inspirational book (she loves those things) and a really pretty green scarf -- she was hard to shop for this year, but she has been wearing the scarf (inside and outside) all day, so I must've done good. =P Michael got a book of Sudoku puzzles and the Book of Duh, which has a bunch of stories of real-live stupid people. It's funny, he loves it. Oh, and also a game called Would You Rather? That's really fun and he was excited. Jack got a dragon (only fair, I guess) and a cookbook. I was worried he didn't like cooking as much as I'd thought but he seemed really excited about the cookbook so I think I was right there, too. Nice to know I still give good presents. =)

So then, I went to work, which was not nearly as exciting but I'm getting holiday pay which makes up for it. And then I came back to the house for dinner with the family. Which did not go too badly. I was perfectly nice to my cousins and aunt and uncle, although I think my uncle's conscience must have been bothering him because he didn't say anything to me or even look at me until he told me goodbye and gave me a hug when they all left. Which is not really normal. And it makes me sad, but at the same time he's right to feel guilty. *sigh* He would have to call with the bad news four days before one of maybe three times a year that I get to see him. My aunt at least apologized, but again, not until they were leaving. And my cousins seemed kind of oblivious to it all, but they don't really talk to me anyway so it might not have been that different. Oh well. Presents with them was fun -- my grandparents gave all of us kids boxes with $50 in them, but the boxes were puzzles and it took us forever to figure out how to open them. Kind of frustrating, actually. =P

So yeah, it's been a good Christmas. Now I just have two more days to get through before Bounds is here, which makes my life better. =D I can't wait! *sigh* At least I'm busy until then. No lazing around waiting for time to go by. Except that's kind of what I'm doing now.

I think I'll clean my room. =)

Everything I Need to Know I Learned at Lucky's

Life lessons from Lucky's.

Shit happens.

When you clean up after dogs all day every day for a while, you realize that shit happens, there's nothing you can do about it, and that's okay. You develop a "who cares?" sort of attitude about shit. This is helpful in getting over shit and just cleaning up the mess and moving on with life without complaining or becoming disgusted with the nastiness. Sometimes it's very small shit and it seems like it takes no time at all to forget about it. Then, sometimes, it seems like the shit is EVERYWHERE and you'll never get rid of it -- but you do.

This is applicable as a metaphor for life, too, I think. Shit happens. You get over it, you clean up after it, and you move on. The faster you move through this process, the easier and healthier your life will be. You will be less stressed out, more efficient, and more understanding when shit happens to other people. Also, on the days when, just when you think you've got all your shit taken care of, the bag breaks and shit goes all over the place again, you will be better equipped to handle the situation. (Right Kim?)

There's a lot of shit in this world. And I mean that in both the literal and the metaphorical ways. Shit sucks, but shit happens. And even though sometimes shit almost takes over, those days you just have to get the powerwasher and work a little harder than usual.

That's nice to know. =)

Random...

My Mommy bought me an ice scraper, so now I won't have to use empty Dr. Pepper bottles.

I spent seven hours shopping and hanging out with Kim today and it was so much fun.

I still have to buy presents for all of my friends, but I have stuff for Mom and Dad and Jack and Michael now, and I think my grandparents are taken care of.

I feel fat and ugly and mean and vindictive and bitchy. I think I should blame PMS, but it's still difficult to be cheerful and pretend there's nothing wrong.

I hate my mother's brother and his family for blowing off my debutante ball.

I wish I had more of my friends' addresses so I could actually send the Christmas cards Karen and I finally found yesterday.

I wish I didn't live at home anymore.

I wish I didn't have two and a half more years left of school.

I hate hate HATE being in a grouchy mood when I'm on the phone with Bounds.

My contacts are drying out and my eyes hurt.

I love my cocker spaniel. She makes me laugh.

I bought really great presents for people today. (I've still got it! Yes!)

I have a Banana Republic gift card that I think I want to try and spend tomorrow night.

I just finished a really good book, and I thought there was a sequel, but Barnes & Noble didn't have it.

I'm completely changing my lifestyle starting January 1st so that I can (maybe) achieve some level of hotness in the future.

And now, I'm going to bed.

Disclaimer: This is a freaking long post.

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed working at Lucky's. Towards the end of the summer it was messed up for me a little bit by all of my drama with Matt, but working there today was a lot of fun. I missed those people. They're nice, but totally sketch, which is great. =)

It's been a crazy few weeks. And sad to say, Christmas break isn't really going to be much better. As if I'm not busy/stressed/tired enough already. I drove home yesterday, in the freezing rain and awful road conditions and working on ummmm.... 4 hours of sleep? 5? maybe? With about 3 or 4 the night before, as well? So I was literally falling asleep at the wheel a couple times. Scary. I had to turn the music up till it almost was hurting my ears and dance -- seriously, I was practically spastic I was dancing so violently -- to keep myself awake. And it hadn't really been the best morning before that, either. I woke up at 8:30... okay, closer to 8:40... and frantically got ready for the morning's RA meeting at 9:00, to which Eddie (boss-man) was 45 minutes late. So for NO REASON AT ALL, I had been up like an hour before the meeting even started. I was not happy with Eddie. But anyway, we paired up and started doing the room checks almost immediately, and those went relatively smoothly and quickly once Emily and I got the hang of it.

Until the power went out. (Did I mention there was an ice storm the night before? And all of Greenville practically collapsed in shock and ice? And like all of Furman's trees are broken shells of their former beautiful selves now?)

We were on Emily's hall when the entire school lost power, and it was DARK. Things went a little slower after that. =( But we finally finished up at around 10:30 or a little after, and I practically ran back to my room to finish last-minute packing and stuff. (Bounds and his sister had said they would drive 85 with me since the weather was so bad and I killed my cell phone with Dr. Pepper last week, and I was supposed to meet them at his apartment... I felt sure I was already keeping them waiting and I felt really bad, so I went as quickly as I could.) I went out to pull my car around at about 10:45 and was presented with a bit of a problem.

It was frozen solid.

I managed to get my door open and started the car to warm it up. Then, another problem: no ice scraper, and TONS of ice all over the windows and windshield. So I searched my car for some kind of tool. The best thing I could come up with was an empty Dr. Pepper bottle. .... Imagine, if you will, a half-abandoned parking lot, busy with people loading cars and driving away, and me, standing over the windshield of my poor, frozen Camry, furiously beating it with an empty Dr. Pepper bottle. Occasionally pausing to say goodbye to someone passing by in the parking lot. Funny picture, isn't it? Yeah, except I didn't have gloves besides my nice leather ones from Bounds and so I was picking off the loose ice with bare hands, and it took nearly half an hour to finally get my car to the point where I could drive it relatively safely. *Note to self: Get an ice scraper or risk clearly identifying yourself to the general public as a true Southern girl when it comes to wintry conditions.

So then, around 11:15 now, I finally started loading my car. Bounds showed up before I even got the first load down the stairs, and he helped me with the really heavy stuff before going back to his apartment to finish his own stuff and wait for me. I was over there by 11:30 and we headed over to the Vista house to pick up his friend Kay who was riding home with him. I needed gas in a bad way, and as far as we could see NOTHING had power, so I was feeling a bit nervous at this point. But we drove back along Poinsett and finally found a gas station that had power and stopped there. Bounds got gas first and then headed over to Wendy's to grab lunch, with the understanding that I'd get gas and then join them. Well, I went inside to pay for the gas and right as I got to the counter, the power flickered off. *Inner monologue: ARE YOU KIDDING ME???* So I got to wait five minutes after it came back on again before the lady felt safe letting me get gas. Oi. I got to Wendy's at about 12:40 and joined Bounds and his sister in line. Called the parents and told them the deal. Waited in line for 45 minutes. I kid you not. It was 1:30 before we finally got on the road. And then the sleeping-at-the-wheel thing commenced.

So yeah, I got home last night around 5, chilled out until going to dinner at 6:30ish, came back and got in the bath at like 8:30, fell asleep in the bath until 10:15, slept off and on till 12, then couldn't go back to sleep until 5 this morning. Then woke up at 7:30 (which is when I was supposed to BE at work), hurried like whoa, got to work at 8:10, and worked until 5. (Am I tired? You think?) And then I had Gallery Choir rehearsal tonight at 7 for the Candlelight Service at church on Sunday.

Life never stops. Nor does it slow down, I'm beginning to realize. It's Christmas BREAK, and this is how my schedule looks, as of right now:

12/17: Gallery Choir rehearsal 9:30
work at Lucky's 12-5:30
dinner (and hanging out?) with Kim after work
12/18: drive to Danville, sing at the grandparents' church at 11:00
drive home, Gallery Choir rehearsal 3:30
Candlelight Service 4:15-6ish
12/19: Lucky's 7:30-5:30
12/20: hanging out with friends (don't know who yet, but I'm sure that's what will happen)
some debutante thing 4-6
12/21: more hanging out with friends
12/22: Lucky's 7:30-5:30
12/23: Lucky's 7:30-5:30
12/24: Lucky's 7-5:30
12/25: Christmas morning stuff
LUCKY'S 10-2
more Christmas stuff
12/26: Lucky's 7:30-12
debutante rehearsal stuff 1-???
12/27: Lucky's 7:30-10?
more deb rehearsal stuff 11-???
12/28: Day of the Ball: begins *officially* at 11:30, ends *officially* at 1:00 a.m. on 12/29
12/29: Recovery period.
12/30: back to work at Lucky's 7:30-5:30 (last day)
12/31: something for New Year's Eve, of course
1/1: Recovery period =)
1/2: Back to Furman
1/4: Classes start up again.

Ridiculous. Completely, totally ridiculous.

But at least Bounds will be here on the 28th. =) I can't wait. And at least work is fun. And I will get paid a relatively substantial amount of money. If I work as much as I'm scheduled to, I might pull in close to $500. That would be so freaking nice. Having money again. Wowsers. I can only imagine. =)

Yikes, this post is long. I'm going downstairs to read before it gets any worse. Though I have the distinct feeling that this will be my de-stressor over the break. I feel remarkably calmer having written in this thing. Strange. Until tomorrow (probably), then.

Waiting for the shower = time for a survey

1. Your name spelled backwards:
eniv arik

2. Where were your parents born?
mom = somewheres in Virginia
dad = Corning, NY

3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
ummm.... music from The Last 5 Years (futile gesture, that)

4. What's your favorite restaurant?
I have a lot of those. I really love Olive Garden and Red Lobster, and Flat Rock is yummy too

5. When was the last time you swam in a pool?
over the summer, probably while at the beach at some point

6. Have you ever been in a school play?
The Lark, The Mummy's Claw, Chamber Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Bye Bye Birdie, Steel Magnolias, and Women of Troy being the key examples, yes.

7. How many kids do you want?
four. three boys and a girl. please.

8. Type of music you dislike most?
bad music. ummm... I don't dislike classical music, but I can't listen to it for very long.

9. Are you registered to vote?
yep

10. Do you have a car?
a little green camry named Chiz =)

11. Have you ever ridden on a moped?
no, I haven't

12. Ever prank call anybody?
does drunk dialing count?

13. Ever got a parking ticket?
yeah... stupid FuPo....

14. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?
Only if I had to. And I would be very scared and hate it.

15. Furthest place you ever traveled?
from home? um, to the west the furthest is British Columbia; to the east the furthest is somewhere in Italy.

16. Do you have a garden?
no, I have a dorm room

17. What's the size of your bed?
single x long x FREAKIN TALL

18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem?
yes, I've had to sing it in various choral arrangements so much that not only do I know all the words, I know about five different harmonies

19. Bath or Shower, morning or night?
bath soon =) but usually showers, and in the morning if at all possible.

20. Best movie you've seen in the past 4 months?
I have seen SO MANY movies in that span of time!!! Geez. The best oneS were, in no particular order and probably with some left out because I won't remember them all: King Kong, Pride & Prejudice, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Corpse Bride, Chicken Little, Walk the Line, and Rent.

21. What's the next movie you want to see?
Hm. Nothing is really pulling at me, although The Family Stone looks fun

22. Chips or popcorn?
popcorn

23. Have you ever broken any hearts?
yes, I think I have. And I don't say that proudly.

25. Are you a good cook?
I can make some seriously delicious chocolate chip cookies =)

26. Orange or Apple juice?
orange juice

27. Who was the last person you went out to dinner with & where did you go to?
ummm, Bounds I guess? And probably Jack in the Box. How romantic. =)

28. Favorite drink?
alcoholic - Corona with lime, right now
non alcoholic - Dr Pepper

29. Best thing in the world?
laughter, song, faith

30. Have you ever broken a bone?
nope

31. Have you ever won a trophy?
yeah, but these days hasn't everybody?

32. What is your favorite board game?
Monopoly

33. What is your dream car?
A cute little electric blue Mustang. with good gas mileage. (you did say dream car, right?)

34. Ever order an article from an infomercial?
negative

35. Coke or Pepsi?
pepsi, absolutely

36. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work?
yes

37. Last thing you bought at a pharmacy?
ummmm... toothpaste?

38. Who are you going to marry?
the one with the biggest rock... JUST KIDDING... seriously though, I'm going to marry the guy whose proposal I accept. (copout? yes.)

39. Who would you like to meet?
Gene Kelly, Johnny Depp, Emma Thompson, Barbra Streisand, Dubya, Emily's boyfriend, Audrey's Brazilian, Karen's date to the ball, among many... and all for very different reasons

40. Do you believe in love at first sight?
no, I don't, I think it's silly.

41. What features do you find most attractive in the same sex?
eyes, back, legs, neck

42. Where would you go for a romantic evening?
the baseball field (don't ask)

43. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
more than I'd care to share with all you stalkers.... =)

44. Last song stuck in your head?
Desperado (so random)

45. Any pets?
Holly the cocker spaniel and Sassy the Sheltie

46. What's your all time favorite Saturday Night Live Character?
um, to answer this question would require knowledge of SNL. which I, regrettably, have never watched. ever.

47. What is one thing you would like to learn to do?
horseback ride (like, for real, not just sitting on the horse and letting it do all the work)

48. What do you do when you are bored?
THESE SURVEYS, check people's away messages online, visit overheardinnewyork.com, read, sing, write notes to people, go to the music building (or now that I'm home -- dad's house) and play the piano

49. What is one thing you would want someone to appreciate about you?
I try really really hard to make people happy

50. What is one thing you are grateful for today?
Bounds and his sister waiting for me to leave Furman so that I didn't have to drive in the mess and grossness all by myself -- I would have completely freaked myself out and it was nice to have driving buddies. =)

Up Way Too Late, and Bored Out of My Mind

I really, really need to shake this cough. I mean, this is ridiculous. Of course I would develop a chronic, sounds-like-I'm-dying-of-tuberculosis cough during my hell week. Let's review:

I get back from Thanksgiving Break two Sundays ago and have FUtones rehearsal Sunday night. Monday night is Madrigals rehearsal, plus rehearsals start for DJ's opera, Trouble in Tahiti. Tuesday night, opera rehearsal. Wednesday night, FUtones rehearsal and then Madrigals rehearsal and then opera rehearsal again. Thursday night, (guess what?) opera rehearsal. Friday night, opera rehearsal. Saturday afternoon, extra Madrigals rehearsal for our concert. Saturday night, opera rehearsal. Sunday afternoon, Madrigals winter concert at 4:00.

~By the way, I'm going to take a small break here to say that although it was a little shorter than it possibly should have been, the Madrigals concert was really good. We were in the Playhouse and I was really scared no one would come but people did! And as far as the length goes, we gave just as long of a concert as the FUtones gave this weekend, so at least there's that. And we did 14 songs. From memory. Which is just cool. =) Is it bad that I'm really extremely proud of myself? I've worked so hard at this... running a choir isn't really all that easy, and it's taken energy and committment that I didn't know I had. Over the summer I was so afraid no one would show up for auditions that I wanted to just quit. I couldn't, for Erin and Polly's sake, but I didn't really think that Matt was all that into it any more and Bounds and I weren't even really friends at that point so who knew if he would even stick with it? After all, Crawford had quit. We didn't have that fantastic of a track record. Coming back to school and starting it all up again was actually one of the hardest things I've ever done -- but it was so worth it. We make beautiful music together and I absolutely love it.

So. Sunday night, FUtones rehearsal AND opera dress rehearsal. That winds up rehearsal week -- now performance week, kicked off by the Madrigals, swings into action.

Monday night, Madrigals rehearsal for an hour before running to the Playhouse for opening night of Trouble in Tahiti. Tuesday night, Trouble in Tahiti again. Wednesday night, FUtones rehearsal, Madrigals perform at White Oaks for the Shis' Christmas Party for the Seniors. Thursday afternoon, Madrigals go caroling through the dorms (and for the Housing Staff, yay!), then FUtones rehearsal, then closing night of Trouble in Tahiti. Friday night, dress rehearsal for FUtones concert. Saturday evening, FUtones concert, then Madrigals perform for a Christmas party.

That was tonight. It has been a CRAZY two weeks.

And did I mention classes ended somewhere in there, I had to write two papers and give a research presentation in that first week, and I've already taken one of my exams?

I don't know what I'm on, but it must be some powerful stuff....

Anyway... it was after Monday night's Trouble in Tahiti performance that everything went down the drain. I coughed all night long and woke up on Tuesday morning with no voice and no idea where it had gone. I didn't feel sick, I just could not stop coughing. Tuesday night, I barely had a voice with which to sing in the opera. Wednesday night I could only just sing in the Madrigals performance. Thursday when the Madrigals sang Riu Riu Chiu while we were caroling I couldn't sing my solo. (Which is not that big of a deal, but it was frustrating and it would have been nice to be one of the soloists.) In the opera that night I sounded stronger but not by all that much. Friday after FUtones rehearsal I couldn't speak, my voice was so tired. Tonight it was finally back to the point that I could sing my solo at the Christmas party the Madrigals sang at, but it wasn't great... *sigh.* Like I said, leave it to me to develop freaking laryngitis over the one week when my voice has mattered the most to the biggest number of people.

Blah, it's almost 2:00 in the morning, the one person I want to be hanging out with is out cold, and I'm not tired AT ALL.

And I would call people who I know are up and awake, but oh yeah, I broke my cell phone.

Life is stupid, sometimes.

So, now I use this blog for survey purposes. Excellent.

1. Something purple within 5 feet of you?
a bumper sticker Bounds made at the first Paladin Nites of the year. and I had to search for like 5 minutes to find something purple. Wow.
2. The sexiest item of clothing you own?
haha... wouldn't you like to know? also, a lot depends on your preference. Top items probably include my corset, various insundry undergarments, and of course my Guinness cowboy hat.
3. Your nails were last painted?
toenails? over Thanksgiving break. fingernails? ummmmm... senior prom?
4. The weirdest thing you've ever heated in the microwave?
haha... when I was in sixth grade I was blessed with the experience of watching a bunch of guys that heated up ladybugs in the microwave just to watch them freak out... and then one of them exploded. scarred for life, people, scarred for life.
5. How much Japanese do you know?
none
6. Do you look good in yellow?
I don't think I own anything yellow. No, wait, that t-shirt ... okay, yeah, it's not bad I guess. =)
7. Do you sing?
Not at the moment. But when my runaway voice comes back to me, good times will roll again.
8. Ever danced naked in front of a crowd?
how did you find out about my night job????
..........just kidding.
.....................but it depends on your definition of "crowd".
9. Do you spit?
...or swallow? (ew.) um, like in general? I try not to...
10. Is your hair long enough to chew on?
yeah, but I REALLY want to cut it
11. Least favorite color?
pastels, generally... um, the color of a dead person's skin. even with makeup on they still have this tragic non-color look to them... that's why open-casket funerals should NEVER be allowed.
12. Ever had Dippin' Dots?
yep
13. Ever played an instrument?
piano, recorder (when I was, like, six), guitar (briefly and badly)
14. Ever had a H2O massage?
no.... but I am intrigued...
15. Do you believe in Big Foot?
nope
16. Ever been to a palm reader?
I've been a palm reader, does that count?
17. Last Pez dispenser you purchased?
Santa
18. Have you had sex in your current car?
um. no.
19. Did you have a good weekend?
parts of it were lovely. other parts sucked.
20. What are you thinking about right now?
I'm wishing I didn't have papers to write, and that I had more of a voice....
21. Have you ever had a black eye?
no
22. How is today going for you?
not too badly, as it turns out
23. Any plans for tonight?
RA meeting at 5, FUtones at 6, singing at Dr. Shi's Christmas party for the seniors from 8-9, watching Grey's Anatomy, then I don't know
24. Ever photograph something that was dead?
no
25. Are (WERE) you ready for Thanksgiving?
I was very ready... or at least I thought I was. The debacle that was Thanksgiving break left me rather winded though, actually
26. Ever given someone a Full-Body oil massage?
Not with oil.....
27. Do you find Smurfette sexy?
Something tells me a boy wrote this survey.
28. Current disappointment:
*sigh* myself, for a number of reasons
MORE QUESTIONS!
1. Do you have an air freshener in your car?
nope
2. Do you have plants in your room?
very dead roses... do they count?
3. If you could drink anything right this second, what would it be?
hmmm... apple cider.
4. Last piece of mail opened?
My daddy sent me articles from the Greensboro newspaper about how my high school is going to the state finals this weekend! Woot!
5. Does anything hurt on your body right now?
my shoulder does a lot, actually
6. What city was your last taxi cab ride in?
in order to have had a "last taxi cab ride" I would really need to have had a "first taxi cab ride"
7. Last alcoholic drink you had?
a Corona
8. If someone you hated died, would you laugh and spit on their grave?
no, I don't think I would. Even if their death made me happy (which is a terrible thing to say), I don't think I could actually laugh about it.
10. What were you doing at 9 pm last night?
Getting some dinner between the opera performance and seeing a movie.
11. What's your favorite Starbucks drink?
mocha frappuccino
12. Do you exercise as much as you should?
No.
13. Did you do the deed on prom night?
nope.
14. Would you give your bf/gf a second chance if they cheated on you?
A lot depends on the circumstances. But yes, I think I would.