Drive Back

I talked to SEK once about driving back to school from home (or a home-like place...aka R&Js). We agreed it's one of the hardest things to do....EVER. For one thing, you just left home, a place where you KNOW you're loved and cared for and you have concrete evidence that SOMEONE cares what happens to you. And you're going to a place where everything's an uncertainty, and everything's not as clean, and you have to make an effort and care what people are thinking, and the list just goes on and on! Anyways, I drove back to school last night, listening to a mix made for me by HL, and this song came on...one that always makes me unbelievably sad, but heartened and strengthened at the same time... mostly focus on the chorus:

Strange how hard it rains now
Rows and rows of big dark clouds...
But I'm holding on underneath this shroud
Praying.



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Immediately after this song, on the mix, is this one. And for the first time, I appreciated the position of the songs, and realized that the world is funny like that sometimes, whether on purpose or not. and you've just gotta take the shitty with the hilarious, and make your own happy. what a revelation huh?! haha

Breaks from Chemistry

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Poem in Thanks

Thomas Lux

Lord Whoever, thank you for this air
I'm about to in- and exhale, this hutch
in the woods, the wood for fire,
the light-both lamp and the natural stuff
of leaf-back, fern, and wing.
For the piano, the shovel
for ashes, the moth-gnawed
blankets, the stone-cold water
stone-cold: thank you.
Thank you, Lord, coming for
to carry me here- where I'll gnash
it out, Lord, where I'll calm
and work, Lord, thank you
for the goddamn birds singing!



Poem in Thanks (2.0)

Kate S

Lord Whoever, thank you for this Oxygen gas
I'm about to chemically react to create carbon dioxide, this basement
classroom in the science building, the gas for the bunsen burner,
the match- both chemical and physical properties of
gaseous state, combustion, and heat of formation.
For the text book, the scientific calculator
for equations, the cracked and broken
test tubes, the 10.0 molarity Hydrochloric acid
ionized: thank you.
Thank you, Lord, coming for
to carry me to Chem 107, where I'll gnash
it out, Lord, where I'll suck it up
and do it, Lord, thank you
for the goddamn Hydrogen-bond molecular birds singing!

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I have had a huge number of INCREDIBLE 'that's what she said's lately. I'm so proud of myself.

Hoppy Easter!

What a fantastic weekend.

I made a spontaneous decision to go up to see Kels instead of heading to FC, and while I'm sure I would've loved that too...it was so great to see Kels and I had the greatest Easter. We had a 10 course gourmet dinner at her friend's house, I got to sleep in til 10:35 and not be woken up by slamming doors and obnoxious yelling, I got a little bit of Chem done of Saturday, got to hang out with Kels again Saturday night, went to Easter vigil (which was awesome!), then church again this morning! Sorry that was basically one huge run on sentence, but I thought just listing stuff off would be faster than writing it all out!

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The church service this morning was really awesome. Kels found this ELCA church in Glenwood, and the people there truly amazed me with how welcoming and kind they all were to both of us. The music was good, the pastor had a funny, entertaining, AND thought-provoking Easter sermon involving Monty Python and Cookie-Monster and Jesus "gettin' up in your grill."

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Kels and I both commented on how this was our first time not having Easter with the whole family. No big Easter brunch, with delicious food and lots of people. Just the two of us, at McDonalds, with small coffees, hashbrowns, and McMuffins. It's going to be one of my most favorite Easters ever, I think.

Granny

I realized today that I think I'm going to be a great grandma/granny. I mean really, I already like all the things grandma's supposedly do. For example, I like:

-Books and talking about them
-Reading the newspaper
-Crocheting/Knitting
-Sending people cards in the mail
-Spoiling little kids rotten
-Visiting with family
-Sewing
-Cardigans and sweaters
-House shoes

The only thing I really don't like that most granny's like is cooking.But I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before I like doing that too! A shout-out to my Grannys/Grandmas, for being so fantastic!

Insurance

I had strep throat a while ago and went to the student health clinic on campus for some drugs. I just got the insurance paperwork in the mail the other day. On the front it says:

Important Papers Enclosed:
1. Open Immediately
2. Read
3. Send Home To Parents

I laughed out loud. Opened it, read it, and fully intend on bringing it home with me and sending it over to my parents. I wish all of my papers could be handled (and instructed) so perfectly. I'm guessing after college they stop putting that on your insurance paperwork though. That's too bad.

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I have an iGoogle homepage, and a little part of it has 3 quotes of the day. All three of them today made me laugh and/or appreciate their wittiness.

Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better.
- Anonymous
Nobody in the game of football should be called a genius. A genius is somebody like Norman Einstein.
- Joe Theismann
Don't you wish there was a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence? There's one marked 'Brightness,' but it doesn't work.
- Gallagher

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I love Ray Charles. He calms me down like nothing else when I'm feeling anxious or stressed or generally upset.
One of my favorite songs--
This is a great video. The caption reads: A very rare 1963 performance by Ray Charles in São Paulo, Brazil, recorded one day before his 33rd birthday. This set is a remarkable find. Beyond its historical significance, the video provides enormous pleasure: We get to see and hear Ray, The Genius at his absolute best, exactly as it was show then...



this one too:


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I'm reading Ahab's Wife right now...and MAN is it EPIC. I'm not going to divulge details, cuz I think if you have some free brain cells and a bit of time, you should read it. But it's been 400 pages of swash-buckling, Kentucky-wintering, lighthouse-climbing epicness. It's exhaustive. But a good read.

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MT introduced me to this comedian and I think he's just awesome. He just kills me, and I think I was in the right goofy mood to appreciate the first time I watched it, so it was all especially hilarious. Enjoy the one liners and nice background music--