my cold, cold heart

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to handle this.

My Holly called me a bit ago, proposing we go to lunch. After lying in bed for a few more minutes, I got up and went to the living room. There I found, amidst everything else scattered about, the WalMart bag I have full of toiletries. I rummaged around, found my new toothbrush, and I saw it immediately. Whoever works at Oral B and produced this toothbrush is an idiot. What is the "clever" name of this product line to which this brush belongs? Artic Advantage. Artic Advantage, with an icy-looking background and everything. C'mon people. It's spelled Arctic. I probably learned that in third grade around about the time my spelling words were things like Barcelona. Against my better judgment, I opened the package and used the toothbrush, with the misspelling emblazoned on the side in big letters. *sigh*

It is a sad situation when I'm getting snobby with my toothbrush, isn't it?

welcome back

film: eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

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Well, I know I've already been here for a day, and the truth is that I've been here off and on, though a bit sporadically, all summer. But it now feels like I'm back. I went to WalMart twice today. That definitely counts for something. First, I went with Mom and Dad and got my DVD player and a rather cute bookshelf. After finishing Half-Blood Prince (I swore I'd do it before school started), I began assembling my shelving system, which I had somehow imagined it would pop out of the box fully assembled since it appeared to be some sort of collasping contraption on the in-store display. How I wish it was one of those elusive no-assembly-required deals. Whoever did the pre-assembly put a nuts-and-bolts thingy in the wrong hole, screeching my nifty handiwork with the Allen wrench to a halting stop, sending me back to WalMart to the uncharted waters of the hardware department in search of what I was certain would remedy the situation. Oh, no. So I'm a tad inept with tools and their functions. I whined, stomped my feet, and hung up my Allen wrench. And put in a DVD.

Yes, yes. A new DVD must accompany the new DVD player, right? It's only fitting. And WalMart has, since I've come near the rack, put up some new nine dollar and thirteen dollar movies. I couldn't find Love Actually. I was going to break down and buy it. But I did find Eternal Sunshine, which I snatched up immediately. I also saw Fried Green Tomatoes, but I decided to hold off. There is also Garden State, an obvious purchase. However, Mom already bought it for me, along with October Sky, like six months ago. BUT WE CANNOT FIND IT. A tragedy, indeed. I've put Mom on the hunt for them -- again.

Okay, I'm completey distracted by the movie. And everything that's been brought in here in the last twenty-four hours has just been tossed about, nowhere near its proper place. And I've got a half-finished bookshelf in the middle of my kitchen floor. Somewhere inside me lives a little neat freak. She's also a morning person, an over-acheiver, and all those things. I said she's little. Tiny, really.

balance

I'm back in Murray, and you'll never believe what've I've got. Besides two awkward empty spaces in the back of my mouth (I'm nicely recuperated), I have a new-to-me and massively huge television and a computer screen. Yes, yes. I talked myself out of the whole new computer thing. But after my built-in DVD player broke in my TV and my parents bought a camper in need of a television bigger than the three-inch set they're coping with, I'm giving it to them. And Sissy and Randy (strange folks, they are) had a 32-inch (sweet mother, it's big) TV and a 17-inch (sweet mother, it's big, as well) flat-screen computer monitor laying around. Not only can I watch TV (even though I don't usually all that much) and compute at the same time, but I can also see them both clearly from a mile away.

I still haven't finished Half-Blood Prince yet. Why, oh, why? I've suddenly found myself very busy. Speaking of books, I attempted to order Bridget Jones's Diary and Edge of Reason from half.com. I am now the proud (or not) owner of two copies of the first book. I have quite an issue to take up with the seller of the sequel. And continuing to speak of books, I need a bookcase, and I think I've got the Mom and the Dad talked into bookcase-shopping tomorrow. That, however, means we'll be doing long battle with every single Murray State student. Nasty crowds in the stores.

But did I mention how incredibly excited I am about the beginning of school? Incredibly excited.

I would be highly disappointed if there wasn't a production of Realities on Campus in order for sometime within the next couple days. I'm sure there is... I'll check some Great Beginnings schedule that is floating around the internet somewhere. Anyway, four years in a row. Can't miss it.

One more thing before I go. No, no. Three things. One, I got an A in my Spain class. Hoorah. Two, I've been place to work in Waterfield again this semester. Hoorah. Three, I just realized that I'm going to have two lunch-time classes back-to-back with Hammurabi on Tuesday and Thursday this semester, which absolutely negates any excitement that might have been perceived by those two previous hoorahs. Well, it does seem that all things will eventually balance themselves out in time.

what it all comes down to

in my ears

artist: alanis morissette
album: jagged little pill (acoustic)

---

So I was kidding myself when I bought the accordion file, thinking I could organize all my education materials into it. I gleaned from shelves and my closet, and before I knew it, I had a pile of stuff up to my knees. Stuff just from education classes. Yeah. That cute, totable file looks like a pansy little nothing in that face of all forty pounds of that. So, I managed to separate it all into three piles and stick it under the futon. That's what I do. If I don't know what to do with something and it's a bit too fragile to be chucked all haphazardly into the closet, it can go under the futon. At least it's all together now, right?

But continuing with my back-to-school blitz, I went ahead and labeled my notebooks and folders for this coming semester. And yes, yes. I know. It's really not all that possible to make me geekier. Of course, you could look at my neatly lined up Harry Potter books on the shelf. So what if I just wanted to see what they'd look like all together?

And for your reading enjoyment, a list of things that I'ma loving right now:

This all-too-fun school shopping and preparation.

Green tea with mint. I drank it almost every day in Spain. Thank God I bought some at the airport before I left because I can't find it here. I'm enjoying it immensely before I run out.

Hanging out with Holly. It's unfortunate that we haven't been able to hang out this summer, but we do what we can to make up for it.

Justin. Got to see him tonight. It's been too long. And absences like this should never happen again.

All the music I've wrangled away from people. It's taken a lot of actually buying some albums to ease my conscience about burning CDs. Who am I kidding? But I'm currently finding time to listen to Alanis' new CD, some Iron and Wine, The Shins, Wilco, and Century Century: Unmastered.

Graph paper. I've been using it for my handwritten journal, and I have to say, those criss-crossed lines make me write differently. I like the way it looks. So much neater. Keeps it small and compact, which is always better.

Movie previews. I am pumped about The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Goblet of Fire. I have to wait until the holidays to indulge, but oh, will I be there.

Lamps. That's right. I love lamp. I've recently had a new one added to my collection. I bought it off of Day, and it's on my kitchen counter. I've been able to function off lamp-light only, which creates a mood I rather enjoy.

All right. I think that does it for now.

endless numbered days

These are interesting days. I'm sitting in my living room floor, looking up at the TV, wishing school would start. Not that this summer hasn't been good, but like I say, the first day of school is my favorite holiday. Holly's and mine after-Tom's trip to Wal-Mart turned my heart even more longingly toward planners, binders, and -- oh, my -- expandable accordion files. I have this innate need to organize. I'm currently talking myself into the all-mighty computer purchase, which would be an organizing machine, no? It's been a back-and-forth internal battle over it, but between Mom and Dale and anyone else who has seen my pitiful computer, I've about got myself convinced that it is a necessary purchase.

I've actually got lots of purchases on the brain. I just downloaded a Shins CD, and I'm rounding off the Iron and Wine CD that I partially downloaded. Good music. I've acquire lots of new music from folks this summer. The good thing about new friends and new friends of friends is the trickle-down effect of great music, nicely adding to my wide selection of listening enjoyment. In other purchases, I've finished off the entire available selection of the wonderous Harry Potter. I've still got the fifth and sixth books to read, but at least I own them now. Also, it would be quite nice to have a for-real bookshelf to begin housing my rapidly growing collection of books. But a bookshelf is a lifetime piece of furniture, an investment, if you will. So stacks and boxes will have to do for now.

But as I said, this is a summer of a different color. It will go down in my memory forever as the summer of Spain, Harry Potter, and the Tonsilectomy. That's right. Come Friday morn, I'll be tonsil-free, and livelihood-free, as well. We're looking at two to three weeks of recovery, which brings me right up on the start of school. So I need to get all my school preparations under way in these next couple days. I doubt all that'll happen. But a girl can dream, eh?

In completely unrelated news, have you ever felt like someone's tearing the world down around you? Okay, so maybe those are strong words. But in the past few days, those with wrecking balls and bulldozers have destroyed three buildings in Henderson: Walgreens, Lee's Famous Recipe, and -- worst of all -- Jerry's Restaurant. Maybe Jerry's needing tearing down, but oh, how many a childhood memory I have made sitting with my family as they drank endless cups of coffee and told stories. No matter the place, if you've got formative memories attached to it, it's hard to see it go. Here's to you, Jerry's. I'm sure Denny's will never be able to take your place.

Well, in the matter of a day, I've fallen deeply in love with Iron and Wine's song "Passing Afternoon." I might see if I can learn to play it. And I might actually order a computer. Maybe by the time I rouse out of my post-operation stupor, it will have arrived at my door.

Show somebody some love, won't you?