She makes a man want to speak Spanish

After a particularly enjoyable night sans bars, I've had a pretty productive day. For my experimental psychology class, we have to create our own experiment from scratch, finding previous research, creating all materials, conducting the experiment and writing a lab report about the whole thing. Some of you may be thinking "that doesn't sound too bad..." at which point you would be wrong. This thing's about to take over my life. After my second meeting with my TA this morning, I'm pretty pumped about it though. Even with her warnings about how much reading and other work I had to do before I could conduct the experiment. When I answered, "Oh, I think it will be ok, I only have one test a week for the next two weeks" she looked at me like I was crazy. The rough draft of the lab is due in three and a half weeks. Along with a group project for my marketing class. Austin that weekend will be a pretty fantastic end to that week.

The weather is pretty crap here right now, definitely a day to heat up some tomato soup and grilled cheese...maybe some hot chocolate. Maybe Katie and I will break open some hot Vaina (looked for a proper link, found nothing suitable...Vaina's Chilean goodness in a bottle) for a study reward. mmmm.

he said I used to like your smile once

Two tests tomorrow: Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Psychology. It's not going to be pretty. I'm having trouble connecting words and ideas and ideas and ideas. Once again the ridiculousness of learning theories. If I am not going to be testing these theories or choosing one to believe in, I really find it hard to care. Oooooo what mental codes do we use? Well, we could use imagery, or we could use symbols, or we could use propositions, or we could use a mixture, or this could be the most boring information I've ever learned. Maybe the fact that my brain treats the act of remembering a memory the same way it treats the actual experiencing of a memory will come in handy one day...but for now, I'm pretty excited for a future 24 hours from now, when my brain can treat my memory of these tests the same way it does the actual taking of them. Or my brain will be slush by then. Either way it will be a relief.

Let your two feet move to the big beat

I looked out of my window this morning to see men setting up the fruit stand that sits among the food carts at the end of State Street in warmer months. Made my day.

And soon I will be knocking upon your door

At a group study session for my experimental psych class we started talking about food because food is the most interesting conversation topic there is and experimental psychology is certainly one of the top 10 least. So of course sushi comes up and after about 20 minutes of talking about where some first timers should deflower their tastebuds and with what types of delectables they should do it, I was sufficiently salivating in desire of a dragon roll. Alas, I walked home in search of some butternut squash soup and garlic bread. I took a pit stop at my mailbox where an unexpected envelope tumbled to the ground. Puzzled, I open the envelope with my sister's return address as I climb the stairs to my apartment. I tug out two items, one is a note scrawled "You might not be able to afford it...but at least you can look at it!! Te amo, L" Flipping over the second item, a magnet bearing assorted sushi rolls grins up at me.

And thanks to Miss AliG my apartment once again boasts a smokable hookah.

I spend a good amount of time wondering how so many amazing people could be a part of my life.

Take that look from off your face

It is becoming increasingly evident that my purse was stolen at some point last night. By stolen, I may have left it and someone took it, but either way it's stealing in my book. Now the lucky part is that for some reason I had my keys, my IDs, my cash, my phone and my credit card in various pockets. Why even carry a purse? you may be asking yourself. To carry my camera and gloves of course. So the crappy part is that I no longer have a digital camera, favorite pair of gloves or favorite purse from Chile. I have to say I'm not so much a fan of this situation. I have checked (and rechecked) every place I was and nobody's found it. Bummer. I'm holding out a glimmer of hope. I don't think March likes me very much. I believe it was about this time last year that someone stole my wallet from my own home. Wow. This sucks. But tomorrow is an entire day worth of library goodness, followed by the same for the rest of the week. So that's really an uplifting thought. Seriously, when is summer?

If you would like to contribute to the "Jenna needs a new digital camera" fund, or even the "Jenna needs to buy a $10 battery so her old 35mm will work, then buy film then get film developed" fund, let me know. I'm accepting donations.

And I still can knock some more

"So not having money could be the best thing that ever happened to you."
A comment my sister made after we discussed how I was eating better and sleeping more so that giving plasma twice a week wouldn't affect my health, plus not going out to eat or drink because I don't have the cash. And since I won't be buying booze, there's not as much reason for me to go out to the bars, therefore creating an excellent time for me to study. Lauren may be right...

For the first time in awhile, I feel like I'm getting it together school-wise. Although I have a ton of stuff to do, I'm pretty calm about it all. A novel concept.

It's snowing right now. These huge fluffy quarter-sized flakes of snow that stick to the end of your nose and eyebrows but not to the ground. It's fantastic. I love when it snows. I just wish it could go from snowing to 80 degrees in a day without the slushy aftermath.

I was waiting for Adam outside my apartment today and a man came up to me and asked if I was artsy and creative. I laughed and he asked if I ever wanted to be published. I laughed again. I miss my art classes from Chile. Actually I just kind of miss Chile overall right now, this very second. Maybe I'll make some gnocchi tomorrow (yes, those two things are related).

Open your eyes just a little bit

We're looking for cheap flights to Austin...lowest so far is $225.

That's a lot of blood money.

Thought I would de-stress by cooking a pretty awesome meal. The food is gone, stress is still here. Just have to get through the next month. Then finals. It's almost summer. Still freezing in Madison though.

Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary

After a 16 hour car ride, including an ice storm during my stretch of driving that left my body and mind tweaked beyond belief (clenching your body for 3 hours straight out of sheer terror is not easy on the muscles), which ended at 2 in the morning, then waking up and heading to an 8:50 experimental pscyh lab, the normal person would head home to crash for a few hours of rehabilitation. Or go the library if they are slightly crazy and want to show off their crazy 'do. But if you're me, you go sell some plasma. Got quite a bit of reading done, only had a 3 minute span of cold sweats and my lunch threatening a visit to the outside world. A bargain experience to help pay for a week of revelry. Perhaps a semester of revelry, but more importantly, a week of revelry.

After a friend's 21st birthday and a visit to the parents, Madison greeted me with new trainees and visitors from Austin. The real excitement began as we set off for Colorado.

Four days filled with car trips, skiing, Pink Floyd, green beer, good laughs, a little annoyance, Pink Floyd, hookah, relaxing, our good friend Ron, and some more Pink Floyd. Anyway you look at it, it was a great time. Fantastic to ski again, my body is thanking me with gifts of sore everything and a few bruises. Even went on a few Black diamond runs and only fell once, but I made it worth my audience's time. I live to entertain.

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces

Cold sunny days in Wisconsin make you feel more alive than most. Your steps quicken a bit as the wind gives your face frosty kisses but the sun forces the thought of studying outdoors...Find a coffee shop with a window warmed by the sun...perfect.

And I know this girl's reborn

I went to mass with my mom tonight, where they have started having teen masses. It was kind of weird but the best part of the service was definitely the end. They were hyping the teen group meeting that followed the mass and played a video. I have never laughed so hard at church in my life. Ridiculous.

When you've seen the look in their eye

Random thoughts:
-Technology hates me, particularly MP3 players.
-Two weeks with nothing due...it's a whopping slice of paradise pie, and a chance for me to be the stellar student I was born to be (could be the biggest lie I have ever uttered).
-I love alliteration.
-I have been drinking coffee products semi-regularly for about 2 months...my head now longingly aches for it when I try to skip a day or two. Years of raging against my love of coffee in order to avoid addiction has died for the sake of energy and taste buds. I may be weak, but I'm wearing a pain free smile as I sip my latte. And I'm getting better at frothing milk. Booyah.
-I have been scouring the web for topics for my coach meeting tonight, reading article after article. I'm really depressed about the state of the world...better make another latte.

Life is a highway

This is just strange. "His motive was to 'avenge the deaths of Muslims around the world.'" by driving through the center of a college campus?

Through all these cities and all these towns

The drive to Colorado, about 16 hours, will be with Mix, Adam and Ansel... Ali might have to beat the sanity back into me once we meet up in Colorado. It's going to be a fantastic time.

Right now it feels like this week will last forever, though. At least the sun's out to keep me company.

It's a habit worth forming, It's a means to justify the end

I have an Abnormal Psych test on Tuesday I should be studying for...but I have no energy or motivation. I feel drained. So I was looking at the Mount Mayhem website as a procrastination tool and I have to say, I am pumped. A bit nervous about spending so much time in a car with these dudes, seeing as one of their favorite pastimes is seeing the different ways they can get on my nerves, and then either making fun of me for being upset or calling me hostile...ugh, and yet I still love em. Anyway, Spring Break is a more than welcome departure to my routine. I tried to break it up this weekend by heading home on Saturday...a home that was unfortunately empty of my parents who went to Ohio. So not quite the home satisfaction that I was craving and I'm kind of missing the fam at this point. OH well though...10 more weeks of school until summer...awesome. which means 40 more days of classes...that actually sounds like a lot...ugh

think I've lost my way, still you're there right beside me

As I was walking to GMM, students were pouring out of the nearby Catholic Church bearing crosses made of ash on their foreheads. My first thought? "I should have gone"...a surprising thought. I don't consider myself religious, but I am self-proclaimed spiritual, although when introspective is your regular state of mind, you would probably find it hard not to be spiritual in some way. Anyway, I was never confirmed but thirteen years of Catholic schooling still seeped into my veins. Interestingly, my blood doesn't pump with the infamous Catholic guilt but rather a respect for the religion...for the religious. Catholicism will always be something familiar and comfortable to me. The churches, Mass, is not this intimidating entity to me but rather a place of calm and stillness...a place of routine and ease. I don't associate Catholicism with the priest scandals, the sexism, the creepy past (seriously, unearthing a dead pope and propping him up so he can stand trial, finding him guilty and throwing him in the river?), or even the beliefs that I disagree with. I associate Catholicism with the Brother in my high school who would encourage me to have theoretical arguments with him and question the religion, with church hymns we sang in elementary school, with my mom and spending time with relatives. Those are my Catholic memories.

But I didn't go. And I kind of wish I had.