I Got into the Wrong Car Today!

Today, after finishing up some work at the library, I had quite an embarrassing moment (actually more like scary).

I walked out to the parking lot to the general spot where I knew I had left my car. With my mind on other things (such as the huge research paper I have due next monday), I did the usual and used my key to open up the door, the door opened, I got inside and then I noticed it strangely smelled like cigarettes... Yep, definately wasn't my car! It was the same color, make, model, and everything.

As soon as I realized this, I jumped out as quickly as possible and then came to realize that another car just like mine (that infact WAS mine) was parked one spot down, hidden by the car next to me!

I was embarrassed yet more scared. I hope someone didn't see me and think I was breaking in. Also, I hope even more than that that I didn't leave anything in the car (which I doubt)... I was so shocked at what I had done that I didn't even think about anything else but getting out of the car! lol!

Also, I am still confused as to whether my key worked in their key hole or whether maybe their car had already been unlocked. If it was the first one, I am mad! heh.

AND... when I told my parents what I did, they told me that my dad once did the same thing except he actually drove off in the persons car! Phew... praise the Lord for the smell of tobacco!

Wanna Chill With Me Over Spring Break?

Spring Breakin' It!

Now is the time for me to begin planning something to do over spring break this year. In the past, I enjoyed going to my hometown and being a couch potato the entire time. Now, however, realizing that I am not going to have a summer vacation, I would really really like to do something with my life this spring break -- something different (though I'm sure it won't compare to Dustin's Carribean Cruise over spring break -- or will it?). Any suggestions?

My spring break is: March 14-20th

Some ideas I have:

• Big Bend National Park -- http://www.nps.gov/bibe/ -- "One of the largest and least visited of America's national parks."
• San Antonio -- The Alamo, The River Walk, no need to explain further
• Saledo -- Just to stop in for a short visit. It's a cute little town near Temple, TX that is home to some cool bed & breakfast places, cute little shopping places, and this totally awesome place, I think it is called "The Stage Coach Inn," that is an old hotel where Robert E. Lee often liked to stay -- it is now a cool restaraunt.
• South Padre Island -- Been talking about this off and on for a long time -- but I don't know what the weather would be like there in March -- too cold? or just right?

Some problems I have:

• If some of you wanna go on one or more of these cool little adventures with me, we would need to work out the travel situation. I'd gladly take my car except for the fact that it has a very bad oil leak and also needs a new muffler. My dad will throw a hissy fit if he learns that I am taking it all over the place -- and it's just not worth upsetting the source of my financial aide. However, I am praying he doesn't find out I am taking it to Abilene this weekend.
• We could take someone elses car (all chipping in for gas, of course) or else just rent a car.

So, let me know if you are interested. I can guarantee it would be quite fun just getting to hang out! Also, I figure I'd better do this now before all the rest of you are married and taking "family" trips! hee hee. If none of this works out, maybe I'll go visit my sister in Ohio. I hear it's beautiful there in the spring!

Friendly Reminiscence

Gotta love V-Day...

I love Valentine's Day because I can now look forward to my annual "V-Day-Three-Way" conversation with Donika and Shannon (two of my former tennis teammates in college). This is a thing we started last year where we call each other on three-way and talk for hours and hours about our lives, memories, problems, and blessings. We plan to do this every year from now on -- even if we don't get to chat for hours on end. There is something special about waiting for that phone call.

Tonight's conversation was filled with us reminiscing old memories from our first college -- some of which I had totally forgotten about, like this one for example:

Apparently, according to Donika and Shannon, I used to have this thing about not telling anyone when something was wrong. One time I hurt my leg during practice while doing a silly little dance called "the snake." According to them, nobody knew anything was wrong until they saw me, later, non-chalantly wiping a bunch of blood off this wound on my leg. Concerned, they asked how it happened and I said I had hurt it when I was doing that dance for them earlier. They said something like, "You mean to tell us that you went all this time like this and didn't tell anyone?" lol. I don't know why this was so funny -- but they just thought it was hilarious because I would never tell anyone when something like this was wrong. All this reminded me of a similar incedent that occured in little league softball practice one time...

I was running infield for a water break and made a heroic, out of this world attempt at jumping over a line of batting bags that were next to the backstop. Unfortunately, I wasn't successful! I came right through the air and landed hard on the side of my foot, spraining my ankle. If I would have known the worst curse word in the world at that time -- I probably would have screamed it. It was the most painful sprain I can imagine having! Did I tell anyone? Nope. Trying not to limp, I walked all the way back to the outfield -- in utter pain -- and continued playing for a while. That was, until my coach noticed I couldn't run to the ball when it was actually hit outfield. He called me infield and asked if I was hurt. I told him my ankle hurt and then I showed it to him. It was the size of a baseball -- he asked me "Why on earth didn't you say anything?" Why I didn't is beyond me. That's a kid for you!

So... those were some random memories that caught my mind's attention today. Nothing too funny -- but they do provide some great mental images! hee hee.

Me? A Missing Person?

Last night was so much fun, until the end of it that is...

I went out with Kim and another friend from school after our 6-9 p.m. class ended. First we went to this cool Chinese restaurant by the school. Ever heard of something called "boba"? Anyway, afterwards we went to a movie theater in a local mall and saw the movie "Million $ Baby," which was pretty good! It had been a fun night overall. I came home about 1 a.m. (a time when my roommate is almost always asleep). When I walked in the door, there, standing in the middle of the living room, was a big ferocious moose -- just kidding. It was my roommate.

With a hint of disgust in her voice, she said "Where have you been??? I thought something happened to you. I called your parents." My heart sank. I didn't even bother to answer her as a sense of impending doom settled into my mind. She had just told me she called my parents to tell them I was missing! Here it was, 1:00 in the morning, and I, a 23 year old grad student, was going to have to call my parents (who were probably worried sick and getting dressed at that very moment to come up to my place and form a search party for me) and tell them I had just gotten home. I felt as if I had just then been zapped back to junior high school. I was so scared thinking of what might have happened had my parents actually freaked out when she called -- thinking of my dad coming up here cussing and yelling "Where the hell have you been?" (Which happened to me quite a few times as a kid -- and my hometown friends know what a stickler my dad can be about being on time). Luckily, however, they did not seem to be too concerned when I called (probably because I had talked to them that evening and told them I was going to a movie). After all, I was only out a few extra hours after class -- nothing too out of the ordinary! So...

I am rather confused as to how I should feel about this. I feel as though I should be thankful that she did care enough to worry about my whereabouts yet, at the same time, I have lived with eight roommates with whom none of us ever checked in with each other and I am rather angry (actually more like "pissed") that my parents had to be called because I wasn't home before midnight! I think it would have been different if I had not shown up by night time the next night. But -- I was only gone a few extra hours -- something young graduate students DO tend to do from time to time. So, she told me that from now on I need to check in with her and tell her when I am going to be gone somewhere. That makes sense but I just don't think it's necessary to tell my roommate if I'm going to be gone for just for a few extra hours. I wrote her a note and told her this -- that I don't think it's necessary and that I am not going to make any promises to always check in. That's just ridiculous if you ask me.

So, in the end I am left to wonder if it was more about "me not being home on time" or about "her potentially having to stay at home, alone, at night" -- something she will not do (as if little old me could really protect her if someone did break in). It is kind of funny to think of how I am more afraid of zombies and she is more afraid of living people. lol. Oh well.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Today, as I was leaving the library, I passed a young woman who was happily walking along, talking away… to nobody. From a distance, the woman appeared to be exhibiting signs of schizophrenia – walking along, chatting and laughing up a storm with a person who wasn’t really present. She was talking on her cell-phone, of course.

Yep, those little cell-phone earpieces can be quite deceiving, especially when they are strategically hidden in the hair. I knew what it was after about two seconds – but the thought that she did appear schizophrenic was rather humorous and kept me laughing for a while (and not that schizophrenia is a laughing matter either, but you know). This was not my first encounter, however, with those cell phone ear things.

A while back, this girl was sitting behind me in class just chatting away. I thought she was talking to the guy next to her so I tried joining in on the conversation. Turns out she, too, had one of those darn earpieces in her ear! It was still a nice little conversation – even though she probably thought I was rude for [unintentionally] trying to join in on her phone convo! Ha Ha.

In conclusion, even though those earpieces have probably been around forever (I am not a cell-phone aficionado or connoisseur), these type of encounters have only recently begun occurring. Strange, I know. And, I know this is a strange thing to write a blog about but I’ll do just about anything to put off doing homework today. So, I guess that’s about it. Thanks for reading!