No Such Thing as Surplus Cupcakes At College

So this morning I had my calc final (ehh) and then I had my theater final this afternoon. For those who are unaware I am one of nine lucky people in the most fabulously easy fine art/english credit classes at USC: From Page to Stage. My professor has a distinct dislike of grading things, and he really just gives everyone who participates an A anyway, so he decided it would be lovely to have a picnic for a final.

When we were all deciding who was going to bring what, I volunteered to provide cupcakes. I figured, it'll be easier to know how many to get, no one will need forks or anything, and everyone seemed in favor of the cupcakes. I will now admit a secret that I'm sure you will all hate me for: I don't actually like most cupcakes. Store bought icing tastes nasty to me (I really just can't eat it) and they get your fingers all sticky. I don't like store bought cake either, but you get the point. I knew I wasn't going to eat any of them.

As it turns out, almost everyone in the class feels the same way about cupcakes that I do. Only one cupcake got eaten at the picnic: the professor brought his wife and kids and Toby, the four-year-old son licked the icing off of one. So there I am with all these cupcakes to get rid of. I had given one to my advisor Dr. Morgan earlier in the day and one to my friend Amanda, because she had two finals today, and one to my roomie Sam. I had 14 cupcakes to get rid of, and I needed to do it soon because the blue icing was melting and the sprinkles weren't faring well either.

There is no such thing as surplus cupcakes in a college dorm during finals week. Two went to Shannon and some guy who was studying in her room (thanks!) and then I handed off three to Reggie who looked like he might hug me for giving them to him. Cameron, Ed, Morgan, and Andrea took another four off my hands. The last bunch went to a group of guys playing Halo in Stephen's room. Yes! I'm cupcake free! Sorry for anyone who didn't get one, they kinda flew out of my hands...

Time to take a nap at the desk of...

More End of the Year Thoughts

So I've been thinking about the past year and about decisions I made and if I would change them.

1.) Random roommate: I would totally not change this. Sam and I being roommates worked out perfectly (ok about 99.99% perfectly). We're very different people with different interests (tennis and photoshop versus marching band and watching CSI) but I think this is partly why it worked out so well. so I would do that again.

2.) Not lofting: again, I'm glad I did this. I do wish though that I had put my bed higher because it would have given me more storage space.

3.) Taking Science and Technology in World History: I loved that class. I like history, but I hate history classes. I feel like they're boring and they focus on details that don't matter in the long run. This was a great class though. I would totally take another histroy class with that professor (Dr. November for those who are interested).

4.) Taking From Page to Stage: I needed a fine art, and this was pretty much the only thing that would fit in my schedule, so I signed up for it. But even my advisor was kind of leary about me taking it. He was like, do you even know what the class is about? I dunno, something theater related I guess. It ended up being a 9 person class, only 3 of whom are theater majors, and the professor is the most laid back person ever. We don't really have grades, but it's very participation intensive. It was great. My final is on wednesday, so tomorrow I need to go get cupcakes from Publix. mmmmmm :)

5.) Green bedspread: I love my bedspread, but I wish it was heavier. Everytime I come back from home I really notice how light my bedspread here is.

Hm, ok that's all I can think of for now. Better, more exciting posts to come.

Thoughts as the Year Winds Down

We only have a week and a half left (well I do- my last final is at 2 on the last day) and I can't believe it. Where did the year go? I just can't get my head around it.

You remember in elementary school when your teacher starting taking down posters and bulletin boards and stuff two weeks before the end and suddenly your classroom, your whole school just didn't feel the same? It's like that around here too. All lofts have to be down before reading day so everybody's dismantling this weekend. Sam's went down a couple days ago and the room feels totally different.

I cleaned the junk out of my desk drawers and took the stuff off my bulletin board so it feels oddly empty. I need to start going through my binders and stuff soon too so packing will be easier.

Next weekend will be worse because the campus itself will start to empty out. Most of my friends have finals on the last day as well, so they'll be here but everything else will be pretty bare.

Anyhow, it's a beautiful day outside and I need to focus on calculus...

Happy Earth Day!

Taken by me at Moraine Lake, near Banff, Canada

Blustery Day

It's so windy!!! Hair in my face, pollen swirling, blustery day. Yuck. 

There really isn't much going on today. Going to go talk to my lab TA in a few minutes. She said I could come by today and get my grade since I couldn't go Friday. Tomorrow I get to go to a student panel interview of one of the three candidates for marching band director. Should be interesting. I wasn't thrilled by the last one so I'm hoping this guy is better. Then I have a scholar meeting. woohoo. 

French final on friday. maxcy banquet on sunday. french awards reception on monday. I think that's it but I feel like I'm forgetting something...

Oh well. That was really it. I don't have much to say today. I'll try to think of something cool and interesting for tomorrow. 

Jackie's How To Write a Perfect Thank You Note

We've all been there. You got the gift. You even liked the gift. You said thank-you in person. It is now the perfectly acceptable 2 days after the fact and you need to write the Thank You Note. It's hard, it really is. I always had a hard time when I was younger trying to figure out what to say besides the obvious "Thank you for the gift". But I've gotten oodles better at it and I thought I'd share my super simple How to Write a Perfect Thank You Note in just a few easy steps.

First start off with your heading. Dear whoever is fine in 99% of all cases. Then feel free to start off with Thank you so much for the ______.

Next, explain why you appreciate it. This is a good time for the This is exactly what I wanted line.

Tell how you plan to use it. This can be a lie. Telling Grandma you can't wait for everyone to see you in her hand-knitted sweater at school on Monday morning will not kill you. It might get you another sweater though.

Now add in a line about a future meeting/phone call/letter. This keeps the thank you note from sounding like a communication cut-off. It also makes it sound more like a heartfelt letter, versus a forced and hurried note.

Finally, thank them once again. The wrap up can be hard sometimes, but try to keep it ending on a word of thanks.

And that's it! Perfect every time!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go write a thank-you note....

Finished!

My fellow bookworms know the peace, relief, and sadness that comes with finishing a particularly excellent book. Today, just now, I completed The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.

Ken Follett is a best-selling author of suspense thrillers, and it surely came as a surprise to his publishers when he brought forth this novel about building a cathedral. However, this novel far outpasses his other works. It is historical, but not dry, it is detailed, but not weighed down, and it is long, but not slow.

The plot is an intricate tapestry of events spanning several decades. The reader follows a knotted path with twists and turns at every corner; Follett's narrative is never easy to put down. The characters are richly woven together with ornate, lifelike personalities. One cannot help but to cheer as their favorites win small victories, gnash their teeth as the villains come up with new schemes, sigh with pity when the misguided repent, and cheer when the truly evil are brought to justice. The medieval backdrop provides a setting so frought with danger, chivalry, greed, love, vengence, and hope that it lends itself so naturally to the tale as to seem undeniabley real.

The book captures you and commands your imagination. Once you've started it you will not be able to let it go.

In short, this book is a masterpiece which deserves to go on the top of your book list.

Some Spring Pictures

Isn't spring in the south lovely?

I'm On Google!

I'm on google! Yes! It is not exactly super duper easy to become searched by google; I had to work with it a bit to get it to crawl my page. But now when you search my name I'm #4 on the main page, and if you search Google Blogsearch for me, I'm THE FIRST entry that comes up. Sweet.

I'm also searchable by Yahoo, Ask.com, and WikiSearch. Woohoo!

So Many Things Have Been Left Unsaid

So for those of you who don't know, I volunteered at Scholar's Day this past weekend. I started out as just a student display for ALD (hence the tri-fold) but then my band director found out my topic was marching band and basketball pep band...let's just say it was highly recommended that I go as the band representative. Yikes! Nobody believed me when I tried to explain how much stuff I would have. That giant screen/poster/display thing behind me is HUGE and it was not nearly as easy to put together as the director said it would be...Some dad was milling around because he was early and he had to help me. It was a really fun day though, and I was wearing really cute heels (which hurt ALOT at the end of the day).

Other big news: I have my computer back! Yes! And best of all, I didn't lose anything. Nothing. Every document, every picture, every song, every program was right there waiting for me. It was like nothing had ever happened. I know, I'm currently holding the record for Luckiest Person Ever.

So that was yesterday. Oh and I got mail yesterday too. Isn't life great?

My mommy would be so proud of me!

So Sam got this cute new black top from I-don't-know-where, but the straps were too long. So it was a tad bit too revealing. Scandalous!

So she decided she could just shorten them a bit. She has a sewing kit; should be easy-peasy right? well not if your private school education deprived you of the fun life-experience of Home Ed class.

That's where I come in...whatever middle school I was attending in 7th grade (I know it was in IN, and I think it was called Carmel Clay Junior High) decided that as part of my public education I should be aware of how to cook and sew. *trumpet fanfare* Thank goodness for Sam that I once learned how to make a plushy platypus. (Sidenote: it was made out of plaid flannel so it was a Plaid-ypus. hahaha).

So to make a long story short, I was able to shorten the straps for her, with this ingenius idea of coiling the braided rope straps into little swirls on the back, so you can't even tell anything was done. Plus I did a really good job of hiding the silver thread she gave me to use. So Sam's shirt is perfectly non-scandalous, and I get to end the day on a happy note!

This is a Post

I've had a lovely day overall. It was really really ridiculously windy today, but it was also sunny. I didn't get any mail today, but that's ok. I spent several hours today reading, one of my favorite hobbies and completely lost track of time. Wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Not very productive, but extremely enjoyable. My mom has not yet received my computer, but it probably only shipped today. I expect it to arrive on wednesday. I've been eating waaaay too many peanut butter sandwiches lately but it doesn't seem to be having an effect.

Hm. That's pretty much all I've got. Enjoy your monday night.

An Update on the Computer Situation

I got a call from Dell two days ago letting me know that "the.re-pairs.on.your.lap-top-com-put-er.are.com-plete." So hopefully I'll have it back soon. My poor baby...it's had such a hard time...

But I sort of had a little bit of a revelation about the whole thing. I often remind myself and others, that if we start to really go off the path of righteousness, God is still 100% capable of smiting us down. If we start getting too cocky, God can still put us back in our places. Easily.

My little revelation this morning, and I must insist on calling it a 'revelation' because it really truly wasn't tied to anything else I was thinking about at the time, and was really rather pithy too.

God doesn't need lightening bolts to smite people.

Smiting could for example, come in the form of a cup of water.

SO I'm officially going to church on Easter Sunday, for absolute sure.

Quotes make me giggle

I would have made a good Pope.

~Richard M. Nixon

No, really, he actually said that. 

Feels Like a Quote Day

You can tell alot about a man's character by the way he eats his jelly beans. 

~Ronald Reagan

How do you eat your jelly beans?