money money money money

So, the other day, my brother's computer blew up. Well, not "blew up" precisely. There was no explosion. No smoke, no fire, no pieces of the house flying into the air and landing in the neighbor's swimming pool. Pity. What really happened is that the power cord stopped working. (See, now isn't that less interesting? An explosion would have been way cooler). The effects of this, however, can be put in the same list as the effects of an explosion. There was panic. There was cursing. And a little blood (although, that was NOT my fault. I can't help it that he's clumsy). Some crying (though if you ask him, he'd say allergies). The reason for this chaos? School. See, my brother's computer is HUGE. 17 inch screen. Lots of power. And, it's old. These two things coupled together equals very little battery time. Add to that a 6-7 page paper due in two days and you can see why hyperventilation and nausea might ensue. Add to all this the fact that this didn't happen until midnight (at which point, I believe, only 3 pages had been written) and the problem becomes evident. Nothing is open that late in Tucson. Nothing is open after 9 pm in Tucson. So, we make a plan. We'll leave for class early the next morning, stop by Best Buy and pick up a new cable. Expensive, yes, but necessary. Problem: Best Buy doesn't open til 10. We both have class at 11. Is this enough time? Sure. It shouldn't take that long to find a power cable, right?

Wrong. Best Buy has nothing. Nada. Zip. And the skinny little kid working in the computer department has about 8 people following him around. Crap. So, we ask the dude at the Geek Squad Counter. He doesn't seem to know much about computers, which I find very odd. He tries out a cable, but it doesn't work. Sigh. I expected more from Geek Squad. By this time, we are both getting kind antsy. We have class soon. He has to have the cable. He has to write a paper. So, we go across the street to a little computer store called Blue Chip. Really nice people. A little expensive, though, but by this time, we're desperate. We go in. While they're searching for a cord, I ask a seemingly innocuous question about MY computer. The USB ports don't work. Why don't you bring it in? they say. We can help. I say, ok, I'll think about it.

So, I think about it. I think about it as I drop my brother off at his class and then frantically scurry to mine, still arriving 15 minutes late. I think about it at work. And what do I do? I take my computer in. I buy a cool little card ($50) that gives me two USB ports. Two WORKING USB ports. And then, in the most amazing display of salesmanship I have ever witnessed, the offhanded comment. Not even said to me, but rather to his co-worker. This computer would work faster if it had more RAM. Like night and day. Uh oh, I think, here it comes, the push. But no! They just go on with their work. And leave me to think. And to ponder. It would be really nice to have a computer that works at a reasonable pace. Hmm. How much?, asks my oh-so-helpful brother. $89 for 256, he says. That's not bad. I think and ponder some more. Get behind me, Satan! But alas, I succumb to the temptation and the ever present, all consuming need to have better and cooler toys (sigh. That sounds like a very masculine trait, doesn't it? Well, I can't help it!!) and I end up spending $150. As I leave the store, I think: Well, that's $150 that I can't take to Germany with me. But, on the plus side, my computer really does work faster.

Procrastination?

Wow. Making Erasers is a lot more complicated than you might think.

But what are we gonna do about dinner?

These last couple of weeks have been INSANE!! And I can't think of one single thing that I've done. School is crazy. Lots of German. Lots of German. On the plus side, I've reached the point in the year where the homework assignments have stopped. I just have 1 more paper, a book to read and a presentation before Finals. I like finals. Does that sound weird? Let me explain. I don't like taking the tests. But, I REALLY like the fact that I don't have to go to class everyday, I don't have to do homework, and, the test can only last 2 hours. After that, it's over. I don't ever have to go back and do it again. It's wonderful. Of course, this year, finals will be especially wonderful because after they're over, I get to go travelling. yay! First to Philadelphia where I get to meet this guy:

Everybody, meet my nephew, now 5 months old. According to his mom, he's quite the character. I believe it. I just don't know how he can possibly turn out normal (what with his gene pool and all). :-). I guess, if he turns out weird, he'll always have his looks to fall back on.

Actually, I'm pretty sure he's already smarter than I am. Yeah, yeah, I know. Not hard to do, but seriously, check this out:
Yep, this is my nephew, IM-ing me at 5 months!


I didn't start IM-ing people until I was....well, until I was 17. Ok, bad example. But still.

Then, I get to go to Alabama and meet my other new nephew and my niece. I'm still waiting for pictures of them. Ahem. Hint. Hint. Sarah, Hitomi? Please, pictures!!!!!!!!! I'm begging you!!
Oh yeah, and while I'm at it, I'll also get to see my sisters and their families. Whatever. I'm just going to see the babies.

So, to update the countdown:
There are:

8 days left of classes.

6 days of finals (although I only have 3 finals, so most of those days will be taken up with work.)

Which equals: 14 days left in the semester (weekdays, that is).

Which means: 22 days til I fly to Philly

and then: a mere 4 more days til Alabama!!!!!!!

After that, I guess I'll count in weeks.
From today, it's only 6 weeks and 3 days until I leave for Germany.

Wow. I think my mental problems just revealed themselves to the world. Yes, I really am keeping track like this.

Ok, it's time to go and answer the question I posed at the beginning of all this insanity. What are we gonna do about dinner? I have no idea why this is so hard to answer, but it is. Time to deliberate.

A prime candidate for hypnotism

So, here I am, in the computer lab at the U of A and something occurs to me. I am sitting in the computer lab on a FRIDAY night trying to get papers typed for Monday. geesh. What a life, huh?
I've been here for about an hour and I've only managed to type 100 words on one paper and 4 words on the other. My clothes would never be called fashionable. They serve a purpose. That's it. I haven't bothered with makeup and my hair, while perhaps once neatly done, is now merely pulled back from my face in a clip. Straggles are tucked behind my ears. I look like death warmed over. My eyelids are so heavy that I'm struggling to keep them open and people who walk by me shiver with fright and walk a little faster. I don't care, though. The very fact that they are walking by me means that, like me, they also don't have lives. Sad for them, really. I'm getting hungry, but acknowledging that means that I have to pack up my stuff, walk up the stairs, go outside and across the mall and pray that the Union is still open. Too much energy required for that. I have some smushed granola bars in my bag. That'll do. My mind keeps drifting from one topic to the other, and the screen on the computer follows. Paper on immigration in germany. Paper on growing up during WWII. Email. Song lyrics for what's currently playing on my MP3 player. Paper on WWII. Email. Yahoo! games. The games don't last long. I'm not able to concentrate long enough to play.

Eventually, I think, it will all become a huge blur and I won't know what goes where. Come Monday, I will turn in two papers, yes. One will be about growing up during WWII, with the lyrics to "Sweet Home, Alabama" inserted in the middle. That should be interesting to grade. The other might make it out in better shape than that, but I fear that I'm just giving myself false hope. It will probably contain a reply to an email.

It's cold down here. Arizona's funny that way. Or, at least, Tucson is. The minute the temperature outside goes above 80, they crank the coolers way up (or is it down? I never know.) as if that will combat the heat outside. You freeze outside during the winter and bake inside. You bake outside during the summer and freeze inside. Well, I guess that means you get well done.

My train of thought has derailed. It wasn't going very fast, anyway. I'm now wearing my jacket. It seems silly to carry a jacket around in Tucson in April, but I know that in a few minutes I'll be wishing I had gloves too. I've just noticed that I can see outside from here. I thought I was underground. Apparently not. It will probably be dark in another 10-15 minutes. And I zone out again, strangely captivated by the red exit sign hanging on the other side of the room. The Goo-Goo Dolls sing. I know the words to this song. No need to look them up. My mind flips back to the paper on WWII. I guess my computer screen should follow.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Being sleep deprived and facing the last month of school are not things that should happen at the same time.
Now that I'm done complaining. I have a German paper to write. Another German paper. And two more due next week. and a test. Why did I pick this minor, again?