And all the days are kind to me

I'm watching the Food Network, where Giada is using a metal spoon on a non-stick pan (?!). Lauren is taking a nap on the couch in between trying to read a book in Spanish while I am fixing up her new facebook account.

Holidays at my parents' house are great, if I do say so myself. Pretty relaxing but not boring, at least not for me. Wake up, have breakfast while looking at the lake across the street, work out, maybe run errands, lunch, read, watch tv, do things for my mom if she's not working, happy hour while getting dinner ready, dinner, movie and tv, maybe games with the family until you feel like sleeping. I've gone out once so far. Lauren, Grace, and I went to the local martini/wine bar in a building that used to be a bank. It was pretty fun, even if seeing people that you are sure you knew at one point is a little awkward.

My family is in love with Grace. My mom said that if she had a third daughter, it would be Grace, that's how well she fit into the fam. I told her she'd probably have to explain her daughter's *slightly* Asian appearance.

Today is a family kind of day here. We went to see my aunt's quilts that are being shown at the local art museum, tonight a sushi dinner in Green Bay.

My life's so tough.

Bring us some figgy pudding

I'm sitting in my parents basement. I am fully committed to my procrastinating tendencies so I'm currently ignoring my laundry...

It's good to be back. I needed a break from Madison to clear my head and my lungs as I made a point of leaving my shisha at home, er, in Madison. "Home" gets confusing during break. The drive back was pretty terrifying for the most part, filled with rain, fog, darkness and tires I don't trust, which made the house seem even warmer and more welcoming by comparison. Linguine with clam sauce and wine didn't hurt much either.

Please don't hate me because I'm trendy

I have been having a fantastic time since classes ended. Although it hasn't been quite the mix of relaxation and productivity that I had hoped for. I have been and will be at work a large chunk of time until I go home on Thursday. Either work or my research lab. Or trying to hang out with a bunch of people who are way more stressed than I am...

no woman no cry

Done with the semester...
Sheboygan got a hookah lounge...
Life is good...although it would be better if I wasn't working and didn't have this headache

And they're all made out of ticky-tacky

If anyone in the Madison area has taken the racial IAT, mentioned in my previous post and shows no bias, let me know. My professor talked to us today about how difficult it is to find research subjects that do not show bias. Therefore, those of you that don't show any can make definite bank by participating in studies.

...dime ¿quién, quién te mató?...

As I read about Pinochet's death, my mind raced back to a day just over a year ago, when I was still in Chile. As I read the comments on BBC about his death, seeing that most Chileans refer to him as a semi-god who "saved" them from becoming a "2nd Cuba," tears sprang to my eyes. I wonder if the families and friends of those who are still missing would think Cuba a horrible alternative? Or those still buried nameless in the cemetery would think it justified? Perhaps those who everyday inhale the wind of foreign lands because they fled? Maybe those who everyday exhale the memory of torture and dehumanization? I wonder if, to those people, the strength of Chile's economy is a reasonable excuse for the brutality of its past?

Somehow, I doubt it.

Go ahead with your own life

Philippines over Spring Break?
scratch that
Philippines, India, Australia, New Zealand in September?
boooooyah!

Then with it why aren't we as careful

There's nothing like IM'ing old Chilean roommates to realize how utter crap your Spanish has become.

If you're leading me on

1.5 hours left to work...get out just as the sun is itching to set...I have read exactly one article for the paper I need to write. It's too busy. Just the right amount of business where you get enough time to sit back down in front of homework and another person walks up wanting dryer sheets or something. It has taken me 5 minutes to write this. and it's going to take another five minutes before I get a title up...oh well...apparently they're paying me to work and not to do my homework. Whaaaa?


Every time a Petty song comes up on my playlist, our sound system skips a few seconds into the song. Generally only with Petty songs...odd

Going to the chapel

When asked, "Who is your best friend?"

over 66% of married men say "My wife"
while 40% of married women say "My husband"

Walk blindly to the light and reach out for his hand

I'm getting very sad about this semester ending because it means Grace is leaving and Adam is leaving and then soon we will all be leaving. I think if I had time, I might find myself tearing up...if I only had the time...

and I will have the time in a week so get ready with tissues.

When I saw you kicking dirt in my eye

How prejudiced are you really?
This test has many versions, some measuring biases for homosexuals vs. heterosexuals, males vs. females, blacks vs. whites but some other stupid ones like Oprah vs. Martha Stewart or something like that. Basic racial and gender tests, plus some other interesting info can be found here.

Don't worry if you think you're not racist and the test shows you are. 85% of white americans show a bias. Activists have shown biases against groups they have spent their entire lives fighting for.

Let your fever come

This is why you should save at least one of your allowed absences for the end of the semester.

I don't think I'm sick sick sick sick sick, because I don't have my usual sick sick symptoms. But I do feel unusually bad. Maybe my cross training class will make me feel better...right.

Paint a different color on your front door

In the library for the first time this semester and getting very little done. Also feeling the opposite of healthy, which is good. If I were to get through this semester without a sick spell it would be the first one of my college career, if not my entire life. And I do not count a day or two of nausea among other symptoms as a sick spell, so we'll see what happens with this not so happy feeling in my stomach.

At least some guy is sharing an awesome music library on iTunes that I'm currently rocking out to in between vacant stares out the window.

Additionally, a girl's computer screen is turned to me, which just changed to the screensaver, "His mullet wasn't looking quite as luscious last night" streaming repeatedly over the black screen.

Got his knees to his face,

Before this semester, I was pretty worried that I wouldn't be able to get through this year school wise. Knowing I want to do something else, it's hard to care what my grades are, whether I read a book I thought was boring, whether I analyzed an article correctly. These are things that simply do not matter. At first, it wasn't that hard. My classes were interesting, I had a good amount of time, everyone else was busy.

I now find myself in the middle of an 8 hour shift of work on a Saturday morning and realizing for the past few weeks how little I have cared. I would rather search recipes for upcoming baking projects than search for articles for my next paper, no matter how interesting it is. I find myself jealous of roommates that hang out while I'm at work or at school or just upstairs. Obviously, it's not their faults that I'm busy or we have free time at different times or that I seem to need more sleep than they do...I'm just a little over this. I'm ready for the semester to be over, but at the same time I know I'll just wish it had all gone slower when it's over.