Laura's Thoughts

Chez Laura

2006-03-02T22:04:00.000-06:00

I need to do my devotional and get to bed, but wanted everyone to know that I have a house! Well, not really until April 21, but the contract has been signed! I'm so excited. Be ready for the house-warming party!

My new house!

Nevermind

2006-02-17T06:30:00.000-06:00

Nevermind on two statements in the previous post. First, I will not get involved with a divorced man with three children. Thank you all for your concern. Second, I will not be embarassing myself on the softball field as we couldn't find enough girls to make a coed team, so the guys are abandoning Liz and myself to form a team in the guy's league. Oh well. Have a pleasant Friday. I'll be spending the entire weekend inside, away from the "freezing rain and sleet." Gross.

Networking

2006-02-15T21:27:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been at Lockheed for over a month now, and I feel like I'm getting into the swing of things. I've only been through one month-end period, so I haven't gotten totally comfortable with my monthly responsibilities, but I'm getting used to the terminology, the culture, the people, etc. And so far, I really like it!

I'm just now getting some formal training. I'm in training all this week and through to next Wednesday. I like that I got to just play around on my own first before going to training. It makes the material I'm learning now easier to grasp. Anyway, there a few people in the class who came from the Aeronautics facility out in Palmdale, CA. The group I support, ADP, is based in Palmdale, so there are a lot of people I talk with everyday whom I've never met. So one of the Palmdale students is in ADP, and I recognized his name from contact lists and things. I introduced myself and we talked a while about differences between the two sites, blah blah blah. I didn't even think to take him over and introduce him to the rest of my group. He did it on his own, though, clever guy. He ended up going to lunch with one my coworkers. Anyway, my point is that I guess I haven't gotten this whole networking thing down yet. I don't see the opportunities when they present themselves. I'm more than willing to take advantage of opportunities, and I want to, but I need to know when they present themselves. Live and learn, I guess. I get to go out to Palmdale sometime next month, so hopefully I'll make some good contacts that way.

I work with mostly guys -- nature of the defense industry, I guess. Definitely a different environment than XTO's accounting department, which was dominated by women. We were talking about rodents one day and our encounters with various species. Not really sure how that conversation got started. I told the story of finding a rattlesnake under my bed one morning at my parents' house several years ago. Tom found much more humor in this than I thought necessary, and he and Wade have now taken to calling me Rattlesnake, or RS for short. If I had known my office nickname would become Rattlesnake after telling that story, I would have kept my mouth shut. Oh well.

Wade hooked me up with some people on another program who have formed an intramural volleyball team, so I'm playing indoor volleyball every Tuesday night. The team isn't all that talented, but we have so much fun it almost doesn't matter. Almost. I'm still very competitive. Tapp convinced me to play softball with them this spring. We'll see how that goes. I don't think I've ever even played softball.

Love life is relatively uneventful. Went out with a guy from work, but on a different program, so I don't really work with him. I didn't think it would go anywhere before we went out, but thought I'd give it a shot. My original instinct was correct, and we are now friends. However, I think I may be falling for a guy I should not be falling for. I really like him, but he's divorced and has three kids. At first, it was an obvious no way, but I'm starting to open my mind to the idea. I don't even know if he'd go for it, so all this thinking about it may be in vain, but I can't help thinking about it. Open-minded opinions on the subject? Lang's back in New Orleans, which is good. We've spoken once since he left, not sure if we'll talk again. He wasn't that great of a conversationalist. We had fun while he was here, but I'm kind of glad the whole charade is over.

I'll try to post again soon. Hopefully I'll find a house within the next few weeks, and I can post pictures. How exciting!

743 HVN

2006-01-04T00:20:00.000-06:00

That is my new license plate number! My TEXAS license plate number. And I have two of them. Yep, one for the front and one for the back. This may not be that exciting to you native-born Texans, but I'm pretty stoked. That's all for now. Oh, and I got to hang out with Lang tonight for the first time in a while, which was nice. He's a nice guy. Goodnight!

TCU Alum!

2006-01-01T21:56:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone! Let me forewarn you that this is a picture-intensive post. A lot has happened since my last post -- including graduation! So, I am now a TCU alum, and I have a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting. I go to work next Monday at Lockheed. I have this whole week to take care of stuff (becoming a Texan with a Texas driver's license, title, tags, registration, insurance, etc etc) and screw around. My last week of freedom.

Graduation went really well. My parents, brothers, and grandparents came down to support me. And several friends endured the ceremony as well -- thanks guys! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend:

Me and my bros at dinner.

Rachel, me, Toni, and Michelle at graduation.

Me receiving my diploma from Chancellor Boschini.

In other news, I had my last day of work at XTO Energy the Wednesday before graduation. So I will have had a full three weeks off before I start my new job. The week after graduation, my dad and I went to Key Largo, FL to scuba dive. From there, we came back to Fort Worth to watch the Jayhawks beat Houston in the Fort Worth Bowl. That was great! I also got to show Dad my brick in front of the TCU library. Then I went up to Lawrence to spend Christmas with the family. Now I'm ready to re-focus and start a new chapter of my life. Pics from all these exciting events:

Me, Toni, Michelle, and Rachel out at Pete's Piano Bar.

Me on a wreck dive in Key Largo.

My brick!

Me at the Kansas vs Houston game in Fort Worth. Look how close we were!

The annual family pic before Christmas mass.

A new goal for this spring: find a house to buy. Our lease is up in May, and I've decided to buy a house rather than continue to rent. Real estate in Fort Worth is so reasonable compared to what I'm used to seeing in Lawrence. It makes a lot of sense to buy a house right now. I plan to be here for the next few years at least, and since I can afford to buy, why waste money on rent? I'm excited! Meghan, my good friend from high school, will be coming down to live with me for a year or so before she goes on to grad school. We should have a lot of fun. I'll let you know when I've found the perfect house. I'm sure pictures will be involved.

Enough updating for now. I'm looking forward to beginning this new part of my life. I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's celebration, and I hope 2006 finds everyone happy and well. I think this year holds some big and exciting changes. Bring it on.

No more Tuesday/Thursdays!

2005-12-10T13:25:00.000-06:00

I will graduate one week from today. Graduate from college. I will have a degree. That's so weird to think about. It doesn't seem like a big deal because I knew it would happen, but not everybody does that. It's amazing how life unfolds.

I was brought to tears this week at the thought of no more Tuesday/Thursday classes. These were of course tears of joy! Of my five classes I took this semester, four of them were on Tuesday/Thursday. Yes, this gave me tons of time to prepare for my Tuesday classes (although, I usually waited until Monday night to do so), but I could never do anything on Wednesday nights because I had to prepare for my Thursday classes. The reason I was moved to tears was Project Runway. Seem odd? Allow me to explain.

We were so fortunate as to have campus shut down Wednesday and Thursday due to ice here in the lovely city of Fort Worth. XTO also closed on Wednesday afternoon. So, I left the office at 1 on Wednesday and did not have my afternoon class. You would assume, with finals coming up, I would take advantage of this "magic time" and hit the books. But no. I sat down in our blue recliner at 2 PM, turned on the television, and didn't get up again until 11 PM. Our apartment turned into the shelter for wandering TCU students. I was accompanied in my slothliness by my wonderful roommates, Toni and Michelle, and Jeff and Kourtney decided to brave the slippery roads and camp out here. The Project Runway marathon led to Martha Stewart Apprentice led to the Project Runway season premiere. Way too much TV. We also killed off an entire pan of scotcheroos.

Anyway, I made the comment that now we have another show to watch on Wednesday nights in addition to Martha -- Project Runway. I started to say how this was bad for me because of my heavy load on Tuesday/Thursdays. I then realized that I would never have to worry about putting off homework for TV -- or anything -- again! Granted, I will probably seek my MBA at some point. But at that moment, the thought moved me tears. I am so ready to go to work, come home, and not feel guilty for doing anything besides study. Take now, for example. I should be studying for my final on Monday. But here I am procrastinating on Blogger.

Wish me luck on my last final as an undergraduate. It is all that stands between me and graduation next Saturday. Party at my place Saturday night. Be there.

Oh, and my Jayhawks won today. I was getting slightly worried. Those close losses were disheartening. I think that we'll be a very strong team by the end of the year, though. Very talented freshmen. Keep it up, boys.

Lockheed here I come

2005-11-20T10:05:00.000-06:00

I officially have a job; the beginning of my professional career. I accepted the offer from Lockheed Martin Aeonautics on Thursday. I will be a Cost Schedule Analyst in their Advanced Development Planning group. I am very excited... it sounds exactly like what I want to do. The offer was less money than the public accounting position, but I really couldn't see myself auditing and filing tax returns. Plus, I think this was the highest offer I would have gotten in an industry accounting position. So I'm happy with the money. Plus, I start with three weeks vacation, which is nice. And! we get every other Friday off. All year. How cool is that? So, I went and peed in a cup and had a physical, and as long as I'm not about to die and not a druggie, I'm good to go. It's nice to just have it decided. Now I can enjoy the holidays and really focus on these last few weeks of school. So many projects! I just want to get out!

Lockheed recruited me pretty hard for this leadership program they have for college new hires. I imagine I will be participating in it. The program allows you to rotate positions every year for three years, and you go on various conferences around the nation and meet lots of people, so good networking opportunities. And, they pay for you to get your MBA. I'm actually fairly excited about that. As long as I can wait to go back to school at least a semester, which I think I will, I'll be ok. Then I'll probably be eligible to sit for the CPA. I could be Laura King, MBA, CPA. Crazy.

I'm still dating Jerry, the Navy man. I think it's a pretty good situation, actually. His squadron is going back to New Orleans probably in January, so neither of us can get too attached. Which is what I want. Sounds kind of heartless, but I'm not really looking for a full blown relationship right now -- getting ready to start my career, graduate, enter a new part of my life. I don't want to complicate that with a boyfriend. And I don't really have time for a boyfriend right now anyway. Or maybe I'm doing this to trick myself. That's probably the real answer, but I like ignoring it. I'll get it figured out someday.

And speaking of graduation, party at my place Saturday night, Dec 17. Be there. I will have probably partied the entire week before since my last final is Monday at the latest. Hurray for being a graduating senior.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Public Accounting, anyone?

2005-11-08T18:52:00.000-06:00

I got my first job offer! Yay! Middleton, Burns, & Davis made me an offer last night. They are a large public accounting firm in Dallas. If I decide to go into public accounting, this is definitely where I'd want to work. I like everyone I met there, I felt like I fit in, and I like the way they did business -- or at least the way I perceived they did business. And they gave me a pretty damn good offer. So, now I need to decide if I want to go into public accounting (tax returns and external audits) or remain in private industry accounting. Can someone please just tell me what to do?

The industry firm I'm really waiting to hear from is Lockheed Martin. I think if they gave me an offer close to what MBD is offering, I would go with them. Right now, I feel like the position suits my interests better. Plus, I wouldn't have to move to Dallas. I love Fort Worth. I could probably grow to love Dallas, but I know that I already love Fort Worth. And Lockheed has this great leadership development program that I'm very interested in. I'd get to rotate jobs for three years, go on conferences, and they'd pay for me to get my MBA. The more I think about it, the more I love the idea of having an MBA.

So I called Lockheed today to see where they were on making a decision. They have one more candidate to interview on Thursday, then they'll sit down and decide. But they told me I was a strong candidate. Heck yes, I am. So now I'm just waiting. I've interviewed with several other companies, but these two are definitely my top choices. At least I know that much.

The results from my two weeks of tests are all good. I have one more to go in this round, then a little break until after Thanksgiving. Thank goodness. Speaking of tests, I'm off to the library -- the one where you study.

Jesus turned water to wine

2005-10-31T23:16:00.000-06:00

Jeff as Jesus

I just love this picture. Yes, Jeff was Jesus for Halloween. And a pretty damn good one, at that. Toni and Rachel threw a Reformation-themed, Halloween-time party at our apartment. I was myself... wearing a pink wrist band with a cross on it. Maybe I'll get more into the whole costume thing next year. Fortunately, I got sufficiently inebriated and had a fabulous time, costume or no. More pictures from the festivities:

Toni and Rachel as the Ten Commandments

Me and Jeff playing Twister

We only had two little trick-or-treaters tonight, and they were together. So now we have a huge bowl of Halloween candy that we have to eat. Grr. And I haven't been getting to the gym as much as I'd like to. I'll work on that.

My neighbors had their baby. Little baby Isaac, born last Friday I believe. Michelle and I ran to Target tonight to get a gift for them. I like having nice neighbors.

I'll hopefully be getting some offers soon. My office visit with Lockheed Martin went really well on Friday. I think that's my top choice right now. I had a first interview with Hanson Aggregates this morning, and they really liked me. They wanted me to come back for a second interview tomorrow! I asked them to wait until Friday because this week is crazy with tests and projects. So, that may be another possibility. I'm waiting to hear back from MBD, but pretty sure they'll give me an offer. Again, I'll keep you updated.

I think that's all for now. Less than 7 weeks until Commencement!

Viva el Mexico!

2005-10-24T00:20:00.000-05:00

Yes, I consulted the experts on my Spanish grammar (aka Toni and Jeff). Hopefully they are correct and I do not insult any Spanish-speaking persons. Anyway, the title refers to my trip to the wonderful country to our south. Dad and I flew down to Cozumel for a quick little dive trip (of the scuba variety) over my fall break. We dove several times in Cozumel, and then went back to the mainland and dove in a cenote (cave) south of Playa del Carmen before heading back to the States. We had a ton of fun and some really great dives. And of course we partied at Carlos 'n' Charlies in Cozumel. A bit awkward to party with Dad, but had a relatively good time. Another plus of my trip to Mexico: a cold front came through Fort Worth that weekend. Not only did I miss the yucky cold weather (of which we are experiencing more right now), but I got a fabulous tan, compliments of the fabulous weather in Cozumel. All in all, a very nice little trip. Some pictures for your enjoyment:

Diving the Bricks in Cozumel.

Dad and me having lunch above the dive shop.

My first octopus!

One of MANY turtles we saw.

Medium-sized nurse shark.

Looking for bats in an opening at the Dos Ojos cenote.

Other significant happenings in the Life of Laura: interviews, interviews, interviews, and dating a Navy man. I had four interviews last week, all of which went pretty well. I had my office visit with Middleton, Burns & Davis - a local public accounting firm in Dallas. I really like the people there, just wish they were in Fort Worth. If I took a job in Dallas, I'd probably end up moving there. Maybe commute through this Spring to finish out my lease. I don't want to leave the girls hanging. And I would miss them! The others were first round interviews on campus, so we'll see if I get invited back. I have one more first round this week, and my office visit with Lockheed Martin. I can't wait until all the interviewing is over and I have (hopefully) the perfect job.

So, met this guy partying in Arlington, and been out with him a few times. He's way different than I am, but I think that makes it fun. We have tons to talk about because neither of us know much about what the other person does. He lives right outside the base here in Fort Worth, so pretty close. Not really what I'm looking for, but fun for right now. I don't want it to go too far, but we've heard that before. I think I can stick with it though because he smokes. Yuck. Lord, what am I doing dating a smoker?! Ok, maybe time to end this one. Speaking of ending, time to end this and get to work. Damn group projects.

Free stuff!

2005-09-24T15:34:00.000-05:00

My various connections and involvements have offered a couple free opportunities. Ok, so the fact that I go to TCU and work at XTO have offered a couple free opportunities. But they're both exciting. Casa Manana is offering free tickets to Blast! for XTO Employees because of our support or something cool like that. All I know is that we're getting free tickets to a really cool show. For those who may not be familiar, Blast is similar to Stomp. The website says it's "a cast of 68 playing percussion and brass instruments combined with color and choreography evolved from the Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corp." So there ya go.

Really cool free opportunity #2: Ben Stein. Ben Stein is coming to TCU. I don't know what he'll be talking about, but it's Ben Stein, and it's free. I imagine whatever it is, it will be at least slightly humorous. I'm excited to go hear him.

So that's my exciting news for the day. Oh, and I have my first "real job" interview on Tuesday. It's so weird. This is my first interview for my first real career-type job. And I really like this firm - Whitley Penn. I met one of the firm partners at a recruiters' function, gave him my resume, and their HR department called me the next day. So I have a good feeling about the interview. I'll let you know how it goes. I need to go be productive now. After the TCU game, that is. We're losing... come on Frogs!

Hurricane Rita

2005-09-22T16:18:00.000-05:00

I am reconsidering my desire to one day live in a beach house overlooking the ocean. Hurricanes are not fun. Hurricane Rita is projected to hit the Galveston area this weekend, and it's affecting people all across the state. And all those people can do is board up their houses and hit the road. We've been told the effects will extend all the way to us in the Fort Worth area. Certainly not the devastating winds and water damage, but heavy rains and wind will not make for a fun weekend. We even got an email from TCU today saying that as of now they don't expect to have to cancel classes next week, but they'll keep us informed. How far from the gulf are we? Over 300 miles? Of course we won't have to cancel classes! I guess it's better to take unnecessary precautions than to be unprepared.

So a bunch of people from the Houston area are coming up to Fort Worth this weekend. I'm supposed to do the Heart Walk this Saturday benefiting the American Heart Association. I hope it's not pouring on us - as long as it's not lightning, they said we'd still walk. That just wouldn't be a whole lot of fun. Anyway, one of the people walking with me said his apartment is turning into a hotel room this weekend with all his family and friends from Houston coming up to stay at his place. I'm glad I don't know anyone down there!

I feel especially bad for the Katrina evacuees in the Houston area who have to move again. How unsettling would that be? They're like nomads. They have no home. They won't have a home for another several months if they plan to return to New Orleans. It's difficult to imagine what their lives must be like now. I know I would be totally lost if I, as a college student preparing to graduate, were displaced during my last semester. I would have to find somewhere else that would let me finish my degree, then decide if I go back to New Orleans to work or just completely rearrange my life plans. Wow. It's just not a good situation for anyone.

Hopefully the effects of Hurricane Rita won't be as devastating Katrina. We'll soon find out. I think everyone is taking more precautions and authorities are better prepared than they were for Katrina - even though this storm should be less threatening.

So, pray I don't drown on the Heart Walk this weekend. I guess this means I can't lay by the pool as I've grown accustomed to doing every weekend lately. Maybe I'll get some homework done this way. Wishful thinking.

I'm full!

2005-09-08T23:01:00.000-05:00

No, I did not just eat at Taco Bell. I did, however, have an absolutely delicious free dinner, compliments of Catholic Community. And still at 11 PM, I'm stuffed. It wasn't so much the lasagna and bread that did it, but the amazing dessert. It was coffee cake, but it was the best coffee cake I've ever had. It was so light and fluffy. And because it was so light, I ate and ate and ate it. It was kind of like drinking a lot in a short amount of time. I didn't feel anything until a while after I stopped. Then the effect wasn't so good. I was so incredibly full. Even working out over an hour later didn't help. Anyway...

Would anyone like to read a book on petroleum for me? It's for work, and it's hard to make myself read anything not for school when school is going on. But I've set a goal to have it done by early October. Maybe I should break it down a bit more. It's a big book.

Oh, I'm working on the picture situation. Kourtney has my old memory card and is hopefully getting them onto a CD. I did take my broken camera in and, as expected, they said it wasn't worth repairing. So I got a new one! It's a little Nikon 5600. Hopefully it takes pictures as well as my beloved Canon. The seemingly knowledgable camera man said it was an excellent choice. We shall soon see.

Talked to one of my accounting professors about consulting. He said in the accounting field, consulting usually involved creating computer accounting systems - so IT work. Something I'm definitely not interested in. So as we all knew would happen, my plans change again. I have an appointment with Career Services next week, so hopefully they can help point me in the right, or at least some, direction.

Go frogs!

2005-09-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

I definitely forgot to post yesterday about how TCU beat OU in football this weekend. Go frogs! Now surely after beating Oklahoma, we'll have no problem with SMU this Saturday. Surely...

First home game Sept 15th vs Utah. Be there.

Party or sleep, that is the question

2005-09-04T21:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I have some pictures now from when I went up north, compliments of Katie. So think of this as an addendum to the previous post. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Justin, me, Katie, Collin, and Sam in our favorite restaurant - Perkins.

Justin and Collin gettin' crazy with the Cheese Whiz.

And speaking of pictures, I'm very sad because my camera is out of commission. It's my own fault, but I'm sad nonetheless. Last weekend Kourtney turned 21, so we were out every night. I of course wanted to bring my camera to document the occasion(s). Unfortunately, I apparently don't do too well at bars with cameras. I dropped it on a rather hard floor, and it broke. There are a couple pieces, presumably key pieces, missing, and it won't even turn on. Luckily, I got pictures from dinner and I got several pics at the bars before I dropped it. I can't post any of them because they're on a memory card that I can't access without my camera. But I will get them, and I'll post some good ones. I know I got some good ones.

But to back up, classes have started. We've had about a week and a half. I definitely prefer working full-time to juggling both school and work. Can't wait to graduate. Classes will of course be tough, but I always seem to get through just fine. However, I do foresee this semester being more difficult than those in the past. I find myself choosing to go out over sleeping more often than I used to. I'll have to work on forcing myself to stay home and study. And living off campus has made for some long days. Leave for work at 7:30, work, go to class, go to meetings, go to the gym, get home around 9, study. Blah. When I was on campus, I could home in the little breaks I had throughout the day. Now it takes over half an hour to go home and drive back to campus. Plus gas is ridiculous, in case you hadn't noticed. That's another topic altogether.

So last weekend, as I said, Kourtney turned 21, and we partied... a lot. Went out in Fort Worth Thursday and Friday nights. Went to happy (three) hours with Kourtney's co-workers Friday. Dinner with friends & fam Friday night. Drove to the Guadalupe River Saturday morning, tubed the river and drank way too much, drove to Austin - I let a sober(er) person drive my car. Partied on Sixth Street Saturday night - so much fun, everyone needs to do it at some point in their college career. Passed out in Austin, got up and drove home Sunday. Back to work and class on Monday. Anyway, had tons of fun welcoming Kourtney to the world of being 21. And haven't really stopped since, as is evidenced by my lack of sleep. I'll start to regret it soon. But it's been fun! I've met lots of people, of the male variety, and I'm still alive. As my dad would say, sleep when you're dead.

Besides class and partying, this first week has been pretty busy with Mu Phi and Catholic Community starting up, too. Jessica and I have already had one CC social, and we're doing another one tomorrow night. If you want to play sand volleyball at 7 tomorrow, we'll be at the rec center. Planning meetings have taken up a lot of time, too. But I love all the people I work with, so I don't mind.

Ok, new career goal of the week: consulting. I haven't looked into much yet, but I've been thinking about it for the past couple days. I'm pretty sure I don't want to do anything XTO would have to offer. It's a great company, but I don't really want to be stuck in a position I don't enjoy. Yes, it's all work, but I don't thinkn I'd be happy at XTO long-term. I don't want to go into auditing, so I'm not really looking at the Big 4. I can't really start out right away in a managerial position. So I think consulting might be the way to go. I've talked to a couple people who've said it's a pretty good route. You get to experience all kinds of business situations and different types of industries. So then if I want to go into industry later, I'll have an idea of what I like and don't like. And it pays pretty well, which is a plus. I need to do a lot more research, but that's what I'm thinking right now. Again, ask me next week and it will probably be different. It's getting down to the wire, though, and I need to start making some real decisions. I'll keep you updated.

Oh, need to plug the new shoes I got yesterday. Love them! Got two pairs actually, and love them both. Got to wear the silver ones out last night. So hot. Anyway, very excited about the shoes. Once I get my camera fixed - or buy a new one - I'll take pics and post them.

I need to post more often so I can write about something other than just life updates. I'll work on that. Enjoy your labor day, hopefully free of labor!

Embracing roots...not new identities

2005-08-15T22:41:00.000-05:00

Two of my friends from high school, Meghan and Ashlyn, came to visit me in Fort Worth last week. It was so nice to see them and take some time off work. I'm glad we all still make time to get together and catch up on each others' lives. We don't talk very regularly, but we make sure to keep up on the important things. And we still have so much fun together. We went out and got drunk, we stayed in and got drunk, we went shopping, we cooked delicious meals, we rented stupid movies. It was a very enjoyable week with those girls here. Here are some pics from when they were here:

Me, Meg, and Ash getting ready to do a very nasty shot.

Me, Meg, and Ash ready to go out!

Ash and me on our night of recovery and Disney Scene It.

Meg and Ash left last Saturday, I went back to work, then this past weekend Toni and I drove up to Kansas. So I got to see the girls again, we spent a lot of time with Michelle, and I got to see the fam. Michelle, our other roommate, has been in Kansas City all summer interning for St Andrews Christian Church. It's too bad we couldn't make it up to see her until the weekend before she comes home, but that's just how it worked out. We went to her church service yesterday morning, and it was good to see what she had been doing all summer. The church is gorgeous, and the community seemed very close and caring. I hope that by working there this summer, Michelle has a better idea of whether she wants to go into ministry - or at least in what capacity.

Besides eating and driving around Lawrence and Kansas City with Michelle, I met up with my clarinet buddies from high school. Again, it's so nice that we're still able to get together and catch up. We've all changed in different ways since high school, but we all still get along and I think really understand each other. We met at Perkins for dinner as usual where we spent several hours talking about what had happened since we last met, then went to my parents' house for intense pool basketball and Spoons. Toni and Michelle were both at Perkins with me, and they had never met the clarinet group. We thought it would be funny to give them different names for the night. It ended up being not so funny. I wouldn't suggest it.

I've heard of people using fake names when they meet people at bars and things, and I've thought it would be fun to do, but I've never done it. So we thought we'd give it a try with my friends. I introduced Toni as Antha (short for Samantha, how creative), and Michelle as Emily. I think we pretty much pulled it off the entire night. But Toni ending up feeling pretty bad for deceiving my friends. Michelle left for Kansas City early in the evening, so she didn't get the full effect.

Essentially, we decided it's not fun to pretend to be someone you're not, even just for a short time. We like who we are, and we don't want to fake any part of ourselves. Plus, you're not being completely honest with people - right off the bat with your name. So I'll email the gang and explain and hope they aren't upset about being deceived. Sorry guys!

I actually didn't see my family very much. We only slept at the house on Saturday night, and either we were busy or they were busy. We finally got to spend time together for lunch on Sunday. Then Toni and I hit the road - got back late last night. Then work this morning. I need a vacation to recover from my vacation. Oh well; sleep when you're dead, right?

Oh, and quick Tikko update if you were wondering what happened with that. Things went way farther than I really wanted them to, and he was getting too attached. I don't think we can be "just friends" because he's too clingy. So I told him I didn't want to see him anymore, and I've been ignoring his calls and texts. Bitchy? Maybe, but he's so damn persistent. You gotta do what you gotta do. We'll see what happens.

Ready to start so I can finish

2005-07-28T21:19:00.000-05:00

I have about a month until I begin my last semester of undergraduate study. I'm having so much fun this summer, I don't want to go back to class. But I want the semester to start so I can hurry up and graduate. I'm having a blast and meeting so many people this summer, I wondered why I hadn't been having this much fun before. Then I decided that school gets in the way. I love just working during the day, coming home, and doing whatever I want - no homework. I can't wait for it to be like that all the time. I love going out on the weekends and meeting all kinds of people. It's really made me a much more open-minded person.

Living on campus was fun and super-convenient, but I never really hung out with anyone outside of TCU. Living on Bryant Irvin this summer has been wonderful. I lived in Fort Worth last summer, but no one else was really around with whom to do things. Now that people are here, we're going downtown, going to Arlington, going to Dallas, meeting the neighbors. And I've met so many different kinds of people. I'm learning more about people in general. I've always considered myself fairly perceptive and good judge of people, but now I'm getting to really know kinds of people I've never really known before - both good and not so good.

Our new neighbors moved in last week. They're from Kansas City! Go figure. It's a family of four, soon to be five. I've only talked to them a couple times, so I'm not sure what they do or why they moved from Kansas City, but they're really nice. I think John, the husband, works in the medical field because he was outside in scrubs the other day. Tonya said she grew up in Plano, so she's from around here, but John's never lived in Texas. They have two little kids, and they look like a handful - nice enough, but rambunctious. So it's nice to have friendly neighbors.

I've been thinking more about work and where I'm headed and what I want to do. I need to start talking to some people higher up about where I want to be when I graduate. I really want to get involved in the cost accounting area and managerial stuff. I know I probably won't be able to start in a managerial position as soon as I graduate, but I need to find out how to get my foot further in the door. I think it would be smart to stay at XTO right after I graduate. They have great benefits and they'd pay for most of my Masters if I decide I want to do that. And it's a great, stable company. So unless something else really jumps out at me, that's probably where I'll be. So exciting! I'm so ready. Bring it on.

Tubing and cubing

2005-07-07T22:10:00.000-05:00

My last summer as a student is practically half over. It's going so fast! But as Kourtney pointed out, next summer will be pretty much the same. We'll be working full time and not going to school. The only difference will be that we're making more money and getting benefits. Hell yes. So I'm actually not too sad about this final summer as a student. In fact, I'm excited. I won't have to worry about the upcoming semester of more classes. Hurray.

So my family was here this weekend - well, the family minus Ryan. He's working at Camp Bartle this summer as a lifeguard, or something to do with the pool. They flew in late Saturday afternoon and stayed until Tuesday morning. I had Monday off since it was the Fourth of July. Sunday we drove down to New Braufels and tubed along the Guadalupe River. Kourtney came along as well. None of us had ever done it, and we had so much fun! It's like one big party floating down the river. It was mostly college-aged kids drinking and having a good time. But we had fun in our sober state as well.

Kourtney and I had fun checking out all the hard-bodied, tan, drunk-friendly guys on the river; and they had fun checking us out too. One group of people (slightly older, most of them were married) had rigged up a stereo system adapted for tube travel. I was extremely impressed with their "redneck engineering" as they called it. They had these huge speakers hooked up to a CD player in this tube. At first they were playing country, but they eventually busted out the hip-hop, and everyone on the river was bouncing to the music. It was a blast.

The pictures below are of me and Kourtney on the river, the awesome sound system, and our kick ass tans the next day.

We plan to go down again in late August for Kourtney's 21st. We want to party on 6th Street in Austin (lots of free drinks for the birthday girl), then tube the river during the day. This time we'll fill the cooler with alcohol instead of soda and water, though. We'll take a few girls down and have one last summer party, even though school starts the Wednesday before. I'm looking forward to it.

Oh, we stopped at Texas Roadhouse in Austin for dinner on our drive back up. It was soooo good. The service, the food, the atmosphere - it was all excellent. I highly recommend it if you're on I-35 in Austin and looking for a place to eat.

Ok, now for the "cubing" part of my post. Last week at work, John (supervisor of the Accrual group) asked if I'd be interested in switching over to his group as they need some help with their work load. He said that at their supervisors' meeting, I came highly recommended as an excellent candidate for the job (the only candidate suggested, in fact). They told him I was a very hard worker, smart, and everyone liked me. So that made me feel pretty damn good, as you can imagine. He told me to think about and get back to him. I really like the group I'm in right now, but I'm pretty sure it's not what I want to be doing when I graduate. John said that this new position would give me an opportunity to see if I like the accrual side of things more. He said we'd be able to give it a test run from now until I graduate in December. If it's working out for both of us, it's highly likely it will turn into a full-time position. So, that's pretty awesome.

The girls I work with now were extremely upset when they found out I was switching groups. I've been helping them out a lot lately with getting the backlogged receivables booked. They griped to John for stealing me from them. They came back and told me that John was thinking pretty long term for me, and was basically planning on me staying on after I graduate. Hopefully I'll like the position and it will work out, but I'm not making any committments yet.

When I told John I'd like to join his group, I figured I'd just stay where I was as far as location and switch what I was doing work-wise since his group is on the same floor. But yesterday, I found out I was moving to a much larger cubicle. Now, this may not sound like a big deal, but my old cube was pretty small. I had enough room to work, but certainly not ample space. Now I have more room than I know what to do with. It sounds so silly - I plan to have an entire office of my own eventually, but for now I can be excited about my big cube.

Making the job switch has got me thinking about my future plans again. It's time to start figuring all that stuff out. December will be here before I know it. If I do stay with XTO, they'll probably pay for the classes I need to take to sit for the CPA. I think they'll pay for me to take the CPA, too. That may be something to consider when deciding on a job. They can help me get my CPA, then I'll go off and be self-employed! Milk it while you can, right?

There's much more to say, but this post is entirely too long as it is. I haven't been updating very well this summer. Hopefully I'll post again soon. Until then, enjoy your summer - don't drink and drive. : )

Central Market

2005-06-09T21:04:00.000-05:00

So Central Market is amazing. Tikko and I went there Monday night for dinner, and it has absolutely everything. If you want Chinese, Italian, Mexican, sandwiches, sushi, or basically anything for dinner, go to Central Market. And that's just the prepared food. The groceries are equally as impressive. There are a million types of cheese, and there's all kinds of wine. I was thoroughly impressed.

I really enjoy spending time with Tikko. We have great conversations. We talked at dinner at Central Market Monday night, then went to Barnes & Noble Tuesday night. But I think he likes me more than I like him. So I told him I didn't want to see him as often as we had been. I'm still in the mindset that I want to date around and figure out what I like and don't like. He completely understood, which is awesome. So I think that's going very well.

Then I got to thinking. If I can have such a good connection with this guy in such a short amount of time, but still not really want to be with him, what does it take? I know it's just one instance, but is it really going to be that hard? I suppose I'll have to experiment to find out! And hopefully I'll have fun doing it.

Jennifer, the girl staying in Michelle's room this summer, recently found out that her summer class was cancelled due to lack of interest. So she's decided to go to this camp that she's gone to in the past, then move to Austin earlier than she had planned. She left this morning! We expected her to be here through July. I mean, it's fine, but now we have an empty room. Anyone need a place to stay this summer? She's still paying rent for June and July, so I don't have a problem with it at all. We have a three bedroom apartment for two people. Not bad at all. And actually, it's just me for this next week since Toni's in New York. Hurray! Maybe I'll finally get some things done.

Speaking of getting things done, I need to clean!

Just having fun

2005-05-30T23:54:00.000-05:00

Nope, didn't go to the Rangers game. The weather has been crappy pretty much all weekend. It did clear up this afternoon, but it certainly wasn't baseball weather yesterday afternoon. But Saturday afternoon, I ended up going out for drinks with Tikko, the guy from the pool, and three of his buddies. Then that night, he and some of his friends came over to our little party at our apartment. Sunday night Kourtney and I went to a party at Joe's house, then we went to a party at Tikko's apartment. Then I saw him again this afternoon when we went out for ice cream. So no Rangers game, but I spent plenty of time with him this weekend.

We did discuss the fact that neither of us are looking for anything serious. Well, I told him that and he agreed, so who knows what his original intentions were. I really just don't see anything serious coming out of this relationship, and I don't really want to try to make it up, you know? He's not right for me, and I shouldn't try to pretend he is. So we both know that we're just having fun, and I think it will be fun. I had tons of fun this weekend.

Dating at 21 will be so much different than dating at 16 was. It will be so much more fun. I don't have to worry about parents' rules or driving dilemmas or what to do. I'm looking forward to it. There are so many possibilities now. I plan on just having a good time while I can. I can only live this way for a certain amount of time, and I'm going to try to take full advantage of it. Especially this summer while I don't have any classes to worry about.

So I guess I'm sort of seeing this guy, but I don't want to make it anything serious. I'll keep you updated. Back to work tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to another weekend of fun. Hurray for being young.

Go Rangers

2005-05-27T22:56:00.000-05:00

So I think I'm going on a kind of date. I wasn't brave enough to go on a real date. I mean, it's been a really long time since I've been on a first date - nearly 5 years! So it will be a group of us at the Rangers game. I don't really know the guy, so I thought a group would be better anyway, and then we can drive separately in case he's a weirdo. I met him at the pool last weekend and he seemed to be a nice enough guy. The more I talk to him, the less I think he may be a weirdo. But I don't want to do anything stupid. It's sad that you can't trust anyone. So we'll see how it goes. I'm not expecting too much, but it will be good to get back into the swing of things.

I've been working a lot this week. Since Frankie, another intern, and I have started helping the CDEX girls, we've had a lot more to do. And those girls work all the time! It's crazy. They pretty much always stay late, even if just for an hour. Last night Elia and I were there until 8, and Frankie stayed with Cindy until 10! That's just a little bit ridiculous. I certainly wasn't obligated to stay, but I didn't have anything else to do really. I thought it would be fun this summer with me and Toni staying in Fort Worth, but our schedules don't allow for much fun together. I work weekdays, and she works nights and weekends. I leave before she gets up, and she often gets home after I'm in bed. It's kind of relaxing, though. I've been getting enough sleep, and I've been reading a bit, which I haven't done in a while. But yeah, working a lot. I'm going in tomorrow morning. This week is especially busy since it's the end of the month and close is next Wednesday. I'm having fun, though. All the girls I work with are really nice.

Well, I'll let you know how the Rangers game goes. Hopefully the weather is nice and I can at least get a tan even if I don't like the guy.

Children

2005-05-24T22:24:00.000-05:00

I've never really imagined the option of not having children. I've always known that I would be a mother someday. People used to tell me I had motherly tendancies or qualities. I hope those comments were meant in a good way, and not implying that I was mothering them when I shouldn't be. But I don't think I've ever done that. Anyway, lately I've been feeling less sure of that. I'm still fairly certain I want to have children someday, but I'm actually recognizing the option of life without children for the first time in my life. This may be because I'm getting ready to graduate in December and will be focused on getting my career started, and not so much concerned about starting a family. At least that's the way it looks right now.

I've also become more and more annoyed with children in general than I used to be. I just don't like to be around children anymore. I was never especially attacted to children. I knew I didn't want to be a teacher or daycare provider or anything of that sort. But I did enjoy babysitting when I was younger, and helped out at day camps and things. Maybe it's from being in college for three years. I really don't ever see children on campus, which is where I spend most of my time. The only time I really see families is at the store or out at dinner. And in those instances, children really bother me. I don't think they're cute or entertaining or anything - except annoying. I admire my friends who will respond to them and wave and smile at them. I think, no, I know that I am very impatient.

I always told myself that I wouldn't be as bothered by my children because they'd be mine, and I would be raising them the way I wanted. But what if I just really don't like children? I was a child once, and I suppose I am still a bit of a child. But maybe not. Maybe 21 years old is old enough now to say I'm not a child anymore at all. That's a weird thought.

But looking at the big picture, I can't imagine living the rest of my life with just myself and probably a husband. It seems kind of selfish. I want to share my life and knowledge with my children and grandchildren. I want to help them with their homework and go to their concerts and games and award ceremonies. I want to watch them grow up and make friends and choose a college and start their own careers. Ok, I feel better about having children again. But I don't want any right now! No question about that one.

Wireless woes

2005-05-14T03:00:00.000-05:00

Well, it's 3 AM, and Toni and I are trying to hook her up to wireless. My laptop is up and running, but I had help. We thought we were smart enough to get hers going as well. Apparently not. We have a few more ideas, but then we're giving up and calling SBC in the morning... the later morning.

So all of my finals are over. Praise the Lord. Three of six grades have been posted - all As. I'm pretty sure two of the others will be As also, but not sure about the last one. So maybe a 4 point? That hasn't happened lately.

Mu Phi's formal was last weekend. Michelle came with me, and we had fun. I got to wear her pretty prom dress since I didn't really have anything here in Fort Worth to wear. Here's a picture of me and Michelle. Aren't we purdy? Toni did my hair for me. She did an excellent job.

Dad and Ryan came down last Friday night after the formal with all my furniture for the new pad. Our place is awesome by the way. I'm now officially moved in. I checked out of the on-campus apartments today (or yesterday I guess) at 5:45. Our new apartment is coming together quite nicely. Everyone needs to come by to check it out and have a celebratory drink. Which means I'll be having lots of celebratory drinks. Works for me.

I'll start working full-time at XTO on Monday. No rest for the wicked. We'll hopefully get the apartment all put together this weekend. Going shopping today... after we sleep.

Well, our attempts have failed. I'm calling it a night. Hopefully it will all get figured out later.

So many keys!

2005-05-01T22:58:00.000-05:00

My new room. Toasting to our new apartment.

On Saturday morning, I had eight keys on my key ring. I normally only have three. We picked up our keys for our new apartment yesterday. It's officially ours! We celebrated with champagne and by leaving a few random things in there so it felt more like ours until we really start to move stuff next weekend.

We went to Wal-Mart to make copies of keys after that, and that's how I got so many. But I got rid of two when we got together with the girl who will be in Michelle's room for the summer. We had her sign an agreement, so everything should run smoothly this summer. So, hurray, we have possession. Moving next weekend should be fun, although stressful and hard work. I can't wait until we're in and settled.

So my new goal for my life is to be a Financial Analyst or Cost Accountant for some company. I knew that I had liked what I did in position with NGU sophomore year, but I didn't really know what my position was called. And I knew I didn't like NGU as a company. So now I think I know, and hopefully I can find a company I like. I don't think I'll end up staying at XTO just because I don't think the oil and gas industry is for me. It's a great company, and the people I've been working with are really nice, but the accounting for oil and gas is just so boring.

Well, I really should not be posting. I have procrastinated so much this weekend. So here I leave you. Until next time - take care.

My new friend in prison

2005-04-29T10:53:00.000-05:00

So this morning, my cell phone rings at 7:30 (20 minutes before my alarm!). It's a Lawrence area code, but I don't recognize the number. I answer it anyway. A recording starts playing. I received a collect call from a Douglas County inmate! Yes, some guy in prison called me collect. I didn't really catch the name; I wasn't entirely coherent. I definitely know it was no one I knew. It almost sounded like he said Enrique Iglesias, or at least something of Spanish origin. And since I had just been woken, I almost accepted the charges! Luckily, I took enough time to process what the recording said and push the correct number to not accept. Anyway, I couldn't get back to sleep in those 20 minutes, and I was extremely upset that an inmate whom I do not know woke me up. I'm sure it was a wrong number or something. My cell phone is still a Lawrence number. I hope I wasn't his one call. He'd be screwed. Or was it a wrong number? That would be scary. Why is a convicted felon calling me collect from jail?! I'm being sarcastic, of course, but the prospect is rather frightening.

I've heard of people who think they're doing humanity a favor and being good Christians or something by acting as a penpal for people in jail. They think, "Oh, poor prisoner, he has no one to talk to. I'll write letters to him so he isn't lonely." But they don't think of what will happen once that prisoner gets out of jail. They could become a stalker, or get upset that you never tried to help them get out, or who knows!

I still need to post about my new-found purpose in life. But it will have to wait. It is now time for lunch and then off to work. Now you're giddy with anticipation, aren't you? Good.

Exploding Toads!

2005-04-28T17:01:00.000-05:00

So I saw this article on msn.com and thought it was quite funny. Maybe funny isn't the right word, but it's definitely interesting.

Hungry crows may be behind exploding toads
Florian Quand / AP
The Associated Press
Updated: 4:10 p.m. ET April 28, 2005

BERLIN - What’s making toads puff up and explode in northern Europe? More than 1,000 toad corpses have been found at a pond in an upscale neighborhood in Hamburg and over the border in Denmark after bloating and bursting.

It’s left onlookers baffled. The pond water in Hamburg has been tested, but its quality is no better or worse than elsewhere in the city. The toad remains have been checked for a virus or bacterium, but none has been found.

One German scientist studying the splattered amphibian remains has a theory: Hungry crows are pecking out their livers.

“The crows are clever,” said Frank Mutschmann, a Berlin veterinarian who collected and tested specimens at the Hamburg pond. “They learn quickly from watching other crows how to get the livers.”

Based on the wounds, Mutschmann said, it appears that a bird pecks into the toad with its beak between the amphibian’s chest and abdominal cavity, and the toad puffs itself up as a natural defense mechanism.

But, because the liver is missing and there’s a hole in the toad’s body, the blood vessels and lungs burst and the other organs ooze out, he said.

As gruesome as it sounds, it isn’t actually that unusual, he said.

“It’s not unique — it’s in a city area, and that makes it spectacular,” Mutschmann said. “Of course, it’s something very dramatic.”

There have also been reports of exploded toads in a pond near Laasby in central Jutland in Denmark.

Horror scene
Local environmental workers in Hamburg have described it as a scene out of a horror or science fiction movie, with the bloated frogs agonizing and twitching for several minutes, inflating like balloons before they suddenly burst.

“It’s horrible,” biologist Heidi Mayerhoefer was quoted as telling the daily Hamburger Morgenpost.

“The toads burst, the entrails slide out. But the animal isn’t immediately dead — they keep struggling for several minutes.”

Hamburg’s Institute for Hygiene and the Environment regularly tests water quality in the city and has found no evidence the toads were diseased. The institute also ruled out a fungus brought in from South America was infecting the toads.

Other theories have been that horses on a nearby track might have infected the amphibians with a virus, or even that the toads are committing suicide to save others from overpopulation.

Could hungry crows be a reasonable answer?

“We haven’t seen that. It might be, it might not be,” said institute spokeswoman Janne Kloepper. “It’s speculation,” until it’s observed, she added.

In the meantime, officials in Hamburg have advised residents to stay away from the pond, which German tabloids have dubbed “the death pool.”

© 2005 The Associated Press.

Dude, I'm getting a Dell

2005-04-26T16:44:00.000-05:00

Dell Inspiron 6000 (my new laptop!)

Yes, a little cheesy, but it's true! As is typical, I mentioned the idea to my dad of buying a laptop sometime between now and the time I graduate, and a week later it's happened. Not that I'm complaining. I'm usually glad my dad makes decisions quickly. I don't like indecisveness. But this was almost too quickly. Luckily, I think I got everything I need on it. I'm second guessing the processor, but I really don't know anything about it. I just wished I had researched a bit more before the purchase was made. But it's been ordered, and will be here in a couple weeks. So I won't have to set up my desktop in the new apartment. I'll have the laptop before I'm completely moved. It's very exciting. I'll let you know which is the first post from the new laptop.

A major plus of this whole transaction: I had planned on saving up for a laptop and buying it myself, but my dad decided he would buy me a laptop and I'd be on my own this summer for rent and utilities. I think it's a fair trade. I'm not sure how much they were planning to help me this summer anyway. Working full-time with few vacation days planned, I should be able to cover it and still set some money aside.

I'm getting so close to the end of the semester. I can see the end more clearly with each test or project I complete. I have one more test this week and two projects next week. Then finals. Then summer! I'm ready.

Hi, I'm Laura. And I'm a shoe-aholic

2005-04-24T15:01:00.000-05:00

At least I shop at Payless. And it was BOGO (Buy One Get One) 1/2 off. So I found four pairs of shoes who will join the large shoe family accumulating in my not-so-large closet. BUT, in our new apartment, my closet will be plenty large to accomodate them all. In fact, I will be able to expand their number quite generously I believe. Oh, the exciting prospects. I think it's time to go clothes shopping, though. My new shoes deserve some cute new outfits.

Only one and a half weeks of class left! Hurray. But so much to do. And on that note, I sentence myself to studying.

I love Fort Worth

2005-04-23T20:05:00.000-05:00

I think I'll stay here for quite a while. Then maybe I'll retire in Florida. I should probably learn Spanish. That would be helpful here and in Florida. But I'm still glad I know French! I plan to travel extensively in Europe as well.

Fort Worth has everything. I love Lawrence, but there are so many places it doesn't have. Yes, you can go to Kansas City or Topeka to find them, but who wants to do that? Think of a store or restaurant you want to go to, and it's probably here. Like last night when we were trying to decide where to go to celebrate Rachel's 21st (happy birthday again!). We had to accomodate our under 21 friend, who we love very much, so we got online, found a bunch of possibilities, and called. We took a chance, went to Yupps, and it was fun. Yes, there are fun bars in Lawrence, but I just love Fort Worth.

I wish I was graduating now. I'm ready to be completely independent, but of course I can't do that while I'm in school. It's just not financially smart. It's possible, but it would more difficult than necessary. I don't want to pay all the bills myself, but I want the independence. It just makes things easier, too. If I had the means, I would do it in a heartbeat. I don't understand why people want to live off their parents forever. I think it would make me feel useless and stupid -- like I can't do anything myself.

On a side note, we finished our Music History project, and it kicks ass. Ask me to see it because I want to show it off! I hope it isn't just really cool to us. I don't think it is; it's too awesome.

New Pope!

2005-04-21T22:49:00.000-05:00

After posting in memory of Mitch Hedberg, I thought to myself, "I really should have posted in memory of Pope John Paul II." But, as you can see, I did not do that. So, in honor of my wonderful Catholic faith, I will dedicate a post to the new pope!

JPII did many wonderful acts during his papacy. He is the only pope I have ever known, as his papacy began before I did. My dad says he was very active during his first several years. However, when discussing his death, we agreed that it was definitely his time. I've really only known him as a sick old man. I've always felt that he was a great leader and figurehead of the Church, but he has always been sick to me. So God called him home, and now we have a new leader of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Benedict, or Joseph Ratzinger, hails from Germany. He worked under JPII for 24 years, and I believe he will continue JPII's terrific work and advancement in unifying the Church. Pope Benedict is 78 years old and has somewhat of a fragile health history, but I think he looks healthy and full of life. He is being described as a very conservative leader who will try to draw liberal Catholics back into the fold. Many people are disappointed at this, but I think it's good. If the leader of the Catholic Church disregards Catholic teachings, then who will follow them? No one. America has always been full of "cafeteria" Catholics anyway, and I don't think things will change that much with a new pope. I'm not saying I'm a perfect Catholic by any means, just commenting that very few people live by all the rules and traditions of the Catholic faith. It's a tough one to follow!

So, I pray for our new pope. I pray that God gives him the strength, wisdom, and guidance to continue leading our Church in the right direction. I pray that he accepts his responsibility with sincerity and dignity, which I think he is doing. And I pray that Catholics and people of all faiths support and respect the new leader of the our Church.

I feel important... or at least not useless

2005-04-21T16:38:00.000-05:00

I finally feel like I am being productive at work. After being there for nearly three months now, I feel like the project I'm working on has some value. So class is almost over, we get keys to our apartment next weekend, work is going well, I got to see my Dad last weekend -- I really can't complain.

So Dad came down last weekend for the Women's Choir concert and also for the TCU Ring Ceremony. We drove around Fort Worth a little on Saturday, then walked around downtown all afternoon. I had so much school work to do, but I knew I couldn't get to any of it until Sunday night after Dad left. So it was nice to just ignore everything because I had to and do things I enjoy -- like sit outside downtown and have a margarita with my dad. It was very nice.

The concert went fairly well. I believe Women's was the best group to perform. The Ring Ceremony was a lot nicer than I thought it would be. There was a nice reception, and the ceremony was held outside the alumni center under a big tent/canopy thing. We don't get a choice in what our class ring looks like; they're all the same. The guys' rings are larger, but the same design. I like it, though. I had to get used to wearing a ring everyday again. It's been a while since I have. And this one is heavier than any others I've worn. Chancellor Boschini presented everyone with their rings. He is such a neat guy. He doesn't take himself too seriously, and I believe he's very sincere. And he's Catholic! He comes to Catholic Community mass on Sundays. And since I'm involved, he at least knows who I am. My dad and I talked to him after the ceremony about TCU and how we have such a great community and all that stuff. So, the ceremony went very well.

In a few minutes I'm going to a Jewish Seder supper. But they are replacing the traditional food with chocolate representations. So we get to learn about their faith without having to pretend to like (possibly) gross food. I'm looking forward to it. Tomorrow night I've planned a movie night for Catholic Community. We're going to watch The Incredibles.

Ok, this post has turned into a laundry list of my life, which I is not what I intended this site to be. So I am now stopping.

I will not be homeless

2005-04-09T13:47:00.000-05:00

It's official: we signed our lease today. Toni, Michelle, and I will be residents at the Heights of Cityview beginning April 30. Actually Michelle won't be living there really until August, but her name's on the lease (spelled wrong originally, Miss Harwick). Anyway, I'm uber excited. We went garage saling this morning in the hopes of finding some furniture we still need, but to no avail. We need a kitchen table, and I need a dresser and night stand. I think Toni and Michelle have decided on the beds they want at Sleep Experts. I'm taking a lot of furniture off my parents' hands for them. I'm taking a bed, two desks, a couch, a chair, and lots of other little things. I want school to just be over so we can move in and enjoy. We're getting a free washer/dryer from Michelle's parents. That's super exciting. However, I must calm down and focus because unfortunately school is not over. I need to write my term paper for Music History on Wagner's influence on Hitler and the Holocaust. How interesting. Actually, it is rather interesting; I just don't want to write it on this lovely 77 degree Saturday. Come to think of it, I would never really want to write it, but especially not on a nice day. But enough stalling, at least enough stalling on my Blog. I can easily find another form of procrastination.

Remembering Mitch Hedberg

2005-04-06T23:49:00.000-05:00

Mitch Hedberg, one of my favorite comedians, died last week. I believe I enjoyed him so much due to his constant incapacitated state. He always seemed drunk or high. In fact, he died of a heroin overdose. Go figure. Yes, it's sad, but we all know drugs are bad. So, I'd just like to quote a few of Mitch's jokes in remembrance of him.

"I have no problem not listening to the Temptations, which is weird."

"If the parade is boring, run in the opposite direction. You will fast forward the parade."

"Weeee. That's what you say when you're having fun. You refer to yourself and some other people."

"There are six ducks out there, and they all want Sun Chips!"

"I think they could take sesame seeds off the market, and I wouldn't even care."

"I order the club sandwich all the time, and I'm not even a member. I don't know how I get away with it."

And there are so many more. Mitch, you were a comedic genius - a high comedic genius, but a comedic genius nonetheless.

I do things when they become popular

2005-04-03T18:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess Blogs have finally become popular enough for me to get in on the action. I finally joined the Facebook last November since everyone else was doing it. I just can't be left out! I need to decide what my Blog will be used for. It will probably be an online journal kind of thing. But maybe I'll be super creative... probably not. It will of course be used as a distraction from everything else I should be doing. But I have a lot of outlets like that. I will try not to ramble when I have nothing to say, so I will stop now.