I am so crazy tired right now, but I am in the middle of a reading marathon. Exactly 100 pages to go...

I just opened this window and immediately forgot what I was going to say.

I remembered: I got a 95.41% on my Structure of the French Language midterm. That's what I wanted to blog about. My grade on a test. I'm so lame. I'm doing amazingly well in my classes for the amount of effort that I'm putting into them. Yay for me.

Here is my potential schedule for next semester. I am taking:
-FR 543 - French Studies - film
-FR 543 - French Studies - versions of America
-FR 479 - Studies in Francophonie - Quebecois literature
-CINE 381 - Black Women & Film
-CINE 247 - Animation
Don't let the IlliNexus thing fool you--that's 15 hours I have, not 13. It's not counting the different sections of 543 as separate classes, which they are. Look at how nice my schedule is--I can wake up at 9 every day, and I don't have any Friday classes. Next semester should be exciting. Wow: I don't have any classes in FLB next semester. I...think I'm going to cry. I will miss FLB, especially after having all of my classes but one in there this semester. I'll have to make special trips to sit in the hallways and read there...sigh. Okay, I'm a loser.

The good:
-Birthday!
-I had a $7 beer and a filet mignon for my birthday dinner.
-I got a free mug from Legend's.
-My mom bought me a buttload of booze.
-Tom supplemented the booze.
-Tom stayed over on Saturday night.
-Clocks were moved back.

The bad:
-It gets dark at 5:15 now.
-I only slept for 2.5 hours last night.

The guh:
-I didn't get carded when I ordered a beer at the restaurant.

I had a really, really good weekend. It was much better than I had thought it would be.

-Fr civ exam = sucks
-Job interview = she will e-mail me when she wants me to start :-D
-Linguistics midterm returned = 95%
-Dinner with superintendant = still to come...

Dream:
     I made out with Zach Braff. He had a golden retriever puppy.
     Rob and I took a trip to Gabon. It was about 80 degrees, but all the leaves had changed color for the fall. There were forests with Greek statues. It was gorgeous.

Dear unconscious: Can I have more making-out-with-Zach-Braff dreams?

I had a shitty piano lesson today. Really shitty. Shitty enough to make me seriously consider quitting for a second time.

Talia is apparently psychic, because she called me and suggested Thai food, which makes anything better.

Tomorrow I have...
-a test
-a job interview
-a steak dinner with the superintendent of my MS/HS district and the namesake of my middle school
-Kristin may or may not be coming, and may or may not bring Avanti's bread

< brain asplodes >

I just registered to a knitting message board so that I could give my two cents on the subject of LYS. For those not in the know (read: you're not cool), it means local yarn shop (store? not sure). And I've been to quite a few in my area, so I like to think that I am extra cool.

Talia and I went out for Chinese food tonight, which was good. And then she took me to Target and watched me eeeeeeeeeeeeeee over like one thousand things, and did it patiently even though she was tired and I was probably annoying her. Maybe she did it because she feels bad that SHE IS MISSING MY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEKEND, not that I'm bitter or anything...

< Insert smiley here. Maybe a winking one would be good. >

P.S. Winky smiley is for Talia. Cause seriously, I'm not bitter or upset or anything.

I have a job interview on Friday, so I'm freaking out about what to wear for that, since it is for a "sales associate" position at a clothing store. I bought a grey cashmere turtleneck, so maybe I will wear that. I hope jeans + nice shoes are okay, because I don't have any nice pants here at school.

I am knitting Glampyre's One Skein Wonder and I am making it long-sleeved. I had some fair isle work on one of the sleeves, but then I decided it looked too tribal-armband-tatto-ish, so I ripped back.

I skipped both of my classes today because someone was in the shower when I wanted to use it, and I would have been late.

Dream:
     It was Halloween. I put on a bikini and a grass skirt and just walked around the riverwalk by myself.
     Talia said she was going to drive to Boston.
     I saw Catherine O'Hara get stinking drunk at a bar, and I made a reference to her about A Mighty Wind, but I did it slyly as if I didn't even know that she was in that movie.
     Johnny Depp was dressed as Willy Wonka and greeting people into a theater. Gene Wilder threw on a purple velvet coat and shouted, "The original was much better!" as he walked by. We then got word that there was a sniper in the area, and everyone expected me to give my life to protect Johnny Depp.

The mere thought of practicing Debussy is enough to make me seriously consider quitting piano lessons. I haven't even really practiced it that much, and yet it makes me hate the piano. Arg.

Here's an e-mail I just wrote to Steve of The Sneeze:

Dear Steve,

I am a faithful reader of the Sneeze. Sometimes I think I'm a little too faithful. If you've been getting 40 hits a day from the same IP address, then it's probably me. Sorry.

Anyway, I'm sure you're familiar with blogging memes--they're ubiquitous. I think blogging memes need to get back to basics. The blogging community is lacking the "What did you eat for dinner last night?" meme, "What color is your favorite t-shirt?" meme, and the "My name begins with the letter..." meme. I think you're the man to help me out with my campaign. Just think up some questions--nothing too difficult!--post them on the Sneeze with your answer, tag your favorite bloggers, and learn things you never knew about people!

What do you say?

I took a different sleeping pill last night, and didn't think it was that strong, but my head has been totally fucked up since I woke up this morning. I feel like I'm drunk, but it's nowhere near as fun. I can't talk without getting confused by myself.

Sometimes it feels like I'm the only person on the planet who doesn't understand Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Dream:
     I got a call from the doctor, and they said I was 2 months pregnant. I wondered how they knew, since I hadn't had any blood work done recently, or even seen a doctor since August. I figured the baby was Steve's, and told him, and he was amazingly supportive, considering...well, considering everything. My mom called me a whore and threw me out of the house. To console myself, I went to a gas station and bought several sodas, some cinnamon fireball jawbreakers, and a lot of other candy. The gas station attendant (a woman with bleached hair and dark roots) called me "sweetie" and "baby".
     Then we were going over the recent midterm in my linguistics class. My professor asked if we had any comments on the test. I raised my hand and said that I was being nitpicky, but I didn't have enough room to write the answers in some spots. He sighed, and asked if it made me feel good to be so nitpicky. I apologized, but he walked out of the room. He returned a minute later with a baseball and a bat, and then he went outside to my car and started hitting the ball at my windshield over and over again. He then got in his car and started ramming it into my car. I got into mine and backed up and started ramming it into his, hoping that my momentum would lessen the damage to my car and inflict some on his.

Dream:
     The Settlement turned into a 18th century village. I somehow managed to piss off my mother.
     I started working at Walgreens again, and they scheduled me and Laura for the same shift, so of course we talked a lot. They had four registers ringing at the same time, and it was still really crowded. I didn't get time for a break until 9pm. Our assistant manager left early, and as she was leaving she made a snide comment about how Laura and I suck.

Easily the best part of my night was when Mark and I were talking about metronomically precise sex, and he started chanting, "Put it in, pull it out, put it in, pull it out..."

Dream:
     I was talking to my conversation TA (a French chick) on AIM, and she revealed that she has a child, but everyone thinks it's her younger brother, and also that her boyfriend-y person was teaching in Wisconsin and she missed him.
     Then I was watching an Illinois/IU women's basketball game, and James Augustine had a girlfriend on IU, so all of the news media were focusing on how it was a conflict of interests for him. Every time she was benched, he would sit and hold her hand and have a dumb closed-mouth smile on his face.
     I had a plate with nacho cheese, salsa, and chocolate sauce, and I was dipping pretzels into all of those and eating them. I kept getting up for more, and then I started adding powdered donuts to the mix.
     Then I started looking at porn where, instead of actual naked parts, they used cacti that looked like boobs or a huge raging boner or some shit.

Midterms = over.

I have permission to take 2 graduate-level courses next semester.

I went to bed at 10:30 last night. It feels good to sleep back like I did when I was in 6th grade. You can bet I'm going to sleep really early tonight, as well.

Three Ben Folds Five songs in a row on my iPod. And somehow I thought this event was meaningful enough to blog.

I've been up for 15 minutes because I need to use the shower. Guess why I can't. Go ahead, I've got time, just guess. BOBBA THE HUTT IS IN THERE. Shit. I need to get in the shower. There better be some hot water left, but there totally won't be. Fuck. Prepare for the coldest shower of my life...

UPDATE: I had to wait for 30 minutes, just so I get cold water. This is ridiculous. I'm going to start dividing the rent and the gas/electric 3 ways, and bitch better pay up.

Damn. I've only written a page and a half since yesterday. I can't hand in a 4.5-page paper. I need at least one more page, preferably two. But on the other hand, I'm sick of this topic and I can't think of anything else to say about it. Arg. This is ridiculous. I'm in a terrible mood and all I want to do is sleep. I think this paper is 50% of my grade for this class, and I don't want to get a B or a B+ or even an A-, because I can do better than that. I'm just having trouble getting motivated and doing stuff. Aaaaaaaaugh. This is a really crappy week.

Yay: 3 pages of Judaism paper written in only a couple hours. Boo: 3 or 4 more pages to go. Yay: I still have stuff to talk about. Boo: I don't like writing opening or closing paragraphs. Yay: I will own this paper. Boo: I am owning this paper at the expense of my Fr Lit reading, my Structure of the Fr Lang homework, my two pieces for piano, and my Ling midterm. And at the expense of my health.

I bought some Nyquil last night and tried to swallow it. Those are friggen HUGE. Bobba the Hutt made fun of me because I couldn't do it. I informed him of my gargantuan tonsil that makes it hard for me to swallow lots of things. He just kind of seemed like, "uh-huh, yeah, sure, I bet...wuss." I don't think Bobba the Butt even sleeps in his own dorm room, which means he's paying money for something he never uses, which means he's wasteful and as long as he has money to be throwing around, he should chip in for rent, too.

I just finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. What an amazing book. I don't even know what to say about it. It's probably the best book I've ever read. I need to read it again. It's amazing. I'm really sad now, and I'll probably have a hard time sleeping due to that and the stress I've been under this week. Wow. This book really affected me in so many ways. It's absolutely brilliant.

This link is mostly for Talia

I re-signed up for the Facebook. Talia and I have matching pictures, and I didn't even notice until she said something. Wearing orange and playing the mandolin...that's creepy.

I had a quiz and a midterm today. They both could go either way with respect to grading. I just hope I didn't suck too much. Throat is still sore. Chloraseptic spray still tastes bad. Didn't get too much sleep last night.

Later today I must start my Judaism paper (due Thursday) and read 80 pages for tomorrow. This week is not so awesome so far.

Dream:
     I went to Rob's house. They had modified their basement to have a swimming pool and a movie-theater-sized screen, so you could watch TV/DVDs while in the pool.

Dream:
     Talia was playing a Haydn violin concerto (I don't think this particular one exists in real life), and she gave a pre-concert for a test audience. It was my job to stand onstage and turn the music for her. She got this really high trill exactly in tune; like it was the kind of high note where you have to bend your wrist at a really awkward angle and you don't have your thumb so much to anchor your hand to the fingerboard. Anyway, she got it in tune, and while she was playing it she gave me a look that said, "Dear Lord, I got this in tune, but WHY???" Afterwards, we ran into Allie, who was playing a Haydn cello concerto, and we went out for Thai, but Talia and Allie wouldn't let me speak because I wasn't playing a Haydn concerto.

Last night I had a dream that I pissed off Talia in some way. Talia: why are you in every. single. one. of my dreams?

I awoke this morning with a really sore throat, and a feeling like the tonsil in the back of my throat is even more swollen than normal. I feel like I don't even have any room to breathe. I bought a chloraseptic spray (is that what those are called?) and it tastes terrible, and some cough drops, and I'm going to call my ENT doctor on Tuesday (that's the only day she works). Arg.

This week I have 2 midterms, 1 paper, 1 oral exam, and 1 quiz. I'm not worried about the oral or the quiz, but I'm quietly freaking out about the midterms and paper. I'm really hoping that I don't feel even more sick this week than I do right now, cause that would be terrible.

I just got permission to register for a graduate-level French film course. Badass! Next semester will be so boss: I'm only going to take about 14 hours, and I shouldn't have any class on Fridays (unless some weird schedule change happens). I can't wait to register.

Dream:
     I was giving a presentation in one of my French classes, and Talia came to play a piece on the cello. When she finished, my prof asked, "Quel âge avez-vous?" (How old are you?) and Talia thought she asked, "How long have you been playing?" so she answered, "Douze ans," (twelve years). I corrected her and said, "Elle a dix-huit ans," (she's 18), "et elle joue du cello depuis quinze ans," (and she's been playing for 15 years). Talia got mad at me because she had actually been playing for a total of 17 nonconsecutive years, and I apologized, and she was like, "You should be sorry!"
     Then Nathan and I were signed up for MUS 100 together.
     Then I was going to see Amélie at a free theater, but it ended up being a feature length production of Michel Gondry's "Junior et sa voix d'or" video for his band Oui Oui. I stayed for a second movie; this one was a monster movie starring Michael Jackson. I had to periodically leave the theater because the monsters (all having MJ's face) were too scary.
     Then I had to babysit some guy's baby. The baby was sweet and cute and all, but I didn't have a stroller or anything, and carrying it was starting to hurt my arms. I was supposed to meet Nathan at a cafeteria for lunch, but I couldn't find him, so I fed the baby peas.

me: i used to toast marshmallows over the menorah
Sara: ok now that's sinful
Sara: sinfully delicious
me: hahahaha
me: ohhh i heart you
Sara: no no
Sara: i heart you

The Beatles - "Tomorrow Never Knows"
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaugughghghghghghh this is the best song ever for so many reasons.

I was walking home from the music building after practicing (Mendelssohn OWNS MY LIFE) and I felt like I needed to run. So I got home and put on some running clothes and ran. And it felt really good. The weather was perfect for it.

Garden State 2: Bluegrass State. AKA Elizabethtown.

I really want this hat. Normally I don't really like hats, but this one looks really cute. Really. I wonder if I could make it work.

Also, my ass looks better than Kirsten Dunst's. But we all knew that already.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa cramps. Cramps. Hurting. Hurty cramps. I hate this. I can't wait to come back from class at 3 and take a nice, long nappppppppp. Sleep away the cramps, oh yes.

I threw out your markers because "your" too stupid!

Dear Monthly Girly Thing (thanks Talia): I HATE YOU. I hate the way you make me hurt and all I want to do is curl up in a fetal position, even though I'm already taking two types of medication for you. I might add a third. And, after the 29th, some booze.

Dear Rash-Causing Conditioner (which is pretty much every conditioner on the market): I HATE YOU TOO. Why must I pay such a price for having nice, well-moisturized hair?

Dear Blind Melon: "No Rain" is the best song in the world. Thank you.

Last night I had a dream that I was running in a race. How timely, since the Chicago Marathon was this morning.

I went to the UI Symphony concert, and then Talia and I went for a walk with the intent to get dinner, and then we ended up going to Steak & Shake and I ate a lot of fatty food and then we came back and watched MST3K and I laughed so much that my stomach is sore now!!! And also I got a chocolate milkshake.

"So...Minnesota...that's passive-aggressive."

I wish I hadn't deleted my previous blog. I did so for a really stupid reason, and now I wish I had it back.

I knew I was going to have a crappy day today, so I treated myself to hot chocolate and ice cream in a huge waffle cone. And those made me feel partially better. And I also got 3 compliments today, which was badass. And my mom laughed at the bad dream I had about my sister, which didn't make me feel so good, cause in my dream I was worried about my sister.

I was hoping to lose some weight (~10 lbs.) this school year, since I don't have the constant temptation of 1) soft serve at every meal; 2) hot chocolate, eclairs, and chocolate-covered rice krispy treats at Late Night; 3) fries with nacho cheese; 4) pizza rolls; 5) soda. I've been eating fairly healthy (healthily?)--I eat a lot of fruit every day, and I drink a lot of water and orange juice. I also eat salads fairly often, and of course I'm obsessed with cheese (shredded cheese straight from the bag = the best/easiest snack ever). I need to start running as soon as it becomes NOT SO HOT outside. This winter I might have some surgery where I would be on a liquid diet for several weeks, so I'll probably lose some weight then. But then I'll probably gain it back because my metabolism will take forever to adjust. Oh well. I'm not unhappy with my current body; I just think I would look a little better if I lost 10 lbs.

UPDATE:
Cassie sez: take it from me you are perfect!
Dear Cassie: I ♥ you. You know just what to say to make a girl feel good!

Quote of the week from my French Civ prof:
"If you thought learning French was hard, just try learning English! ...Well, you don't have to. Sometimes life treats you well."

Quote of last week from my French Civ prof:
"In 1452, Gutenberg invented the Bible."

Blasts from the past, courtesy of my blog archives:

February 22
me: Question...if you had a kid right now, what would you name it?
Talia: Jesus I-Don't-Know
me: Good answer. I would name mine...KETURA BIXBY.
Talia: [laughs] My ass hurts.

April 4
Justin: Okay, I'm gonna go pee, so you guys have a good night.
Talia, to me afterwards: I like it when people are honest.

Dream:
     Tom talked to me on the phone and was hinting at the fact that he didn't want to talk to me ever again, although he wouldn't come right out and say it. Then Steve came to campus and was like, "By the way, I still hate you." Then Talia wanted me to watch Varsity Blues and some other movies, but I didn't really want to do anything cause I was feeling so bad. She offered me ice cream. It was that vanilla-with-a-chocolate-swirl ice cream that comes pre-cupped. I accepted. We were back in our dorm room. I tried to sleep through one of the movies, but I couldn't. At 5:30 am we went to a cafeteria place for breakfast. I went home and my dog was crying and then he threw up. My mom yelled at me for not cleaning it up right away.

The weekend rundown:

The good

• I was able to go home for free, since my dad came to visit on Friday, and for Illini Express every 7th ride is free.
  
• I saw Tom.
  
• I ate at the Grand Lux Café.
  
• I got a new skirt.
  
• I saw a couple episodes of Da Ali G Show.

The bad

• I had to go back to school.
  
• I intended to knit some crap for my cousin's babies, and I started like 4 different things, but nothing really interested me.
  
• The bus was late and plus it rained sheets, so I got back here pretty late. And someone's wet bags were sitting on mine the entire way.

Am I the only one in the entire internet knitting community who is doing Magknits' Sesame? I swear, every day I Google Blogsearch some combination of the words "Sesame", "Magknits", "cardi[gan]", and "knit", but nothing. A lot of people said it looks cool and they'd consider making it. But no one's actually making it. I like to think of myself as a Sesame pioneer. I hope to finish it by October 14th. That's right, I'm setting a date. Good luck, me.