So, while I've been out sick for almost two weeks now, I've had to find ways to keep myself occupied. Since I managed to finish any and all homework I'll have between now and the end of the term during the first day or two, that meant catching up on some good ol' achievements on the Xbox 360.

I did luck out in one regard. Last Tuesday saw the release of Dragon Age: Origins. So, I picked it up, along with Prince of Persia/Zoids Assault.

It's a good thing I waited until I finished my work first, because let me tell you, DA:O sucks you right in. It comes from the makers of Neverwinter nights, and includes much of the rich storytelling and side stories that made me love NWN. The game play is pretty simple and you can learn it very quickly. Occasionally though, the battles can get rather tiresome and repetitive, (Like in the Underground Dwarven City) Yet it's your companions and their interactions that keep me hooked.

Gonna see if I can actually max out an achievement with this game. Never really been good at getting them, but DA:O's achievements just take patience and a lot of time. Something that I find myself with in overabundance.

Hopefully, I'll be better in the next few days. Yesterday seemed to be the worst of it, and today the lung-wrenching cough finally started to go away. Here's to hoping I get my voice back tomorrow!

I went nearly two and a half months into the school year disease-free, which is really saying something where people drop like flies to the nearly weekly plagues that circle the campus. It looks like I finally caught something, but from who I don't know.

I think it's strep throat, or at least hope it is. The alternatives (Flu or Mono) are not very appealing. Was up all last night because my throat burned Never felt like that before. Right now, my throat is very tender to the touch and I've been drinking water like crazy. I'm on my 8th 500ml bottle today.

If it's worse by tomorrow, I'll head back to the health center, or just do what my family suggested and go wait at the emergency room. My insurance covers it after all.

Finally took the leap and go myself a tattoo. I've been debating what to get for a while, but I thought I'd better start off small and then work on the larger designs later on in life.

A lot of people told me that getting a tattoo on my collar/collarbone would be painful. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt all that much. A little annoying, but not painful. It also went pretty quickly.

I'll be going for a touch-up in a couple of weeks, to darken the black in a little more. But otherwise, I'm really happy with it :)

Got my mid-terms, which all turned out to be pretty good. (Mostly B's and A's, with a C+ for a class which has yet to take the midterm, which was aced) So things are looking pretty good up here. Gotta keep that minimum of a 3.5 GPA

I've also taken to 'jogging' in the mornings at a local park. I say this with parenthesis, since my injury really prevents much in the way of actual running. Instead, I found a trail that is full of dips and curves, so I can get a decent workout instead of just walking on a flat road. I've been going for about an hour every morning at the crack of dawn, and I've never felt better!

Lastly, I've been pulled into doing props for the production of "widows". But I'll also probably end up dabbling with the costume shop on any of the more advanced sewing projects. I just can't stay away for long.

Four weeks from now, I'll be heading back for CT yet again. Definitely going to make the CT Staff meeting in November. Then off at the crack of dawn to get my Visa application seen to.

Just got back home to CT now, having started out around 3:30pm. I hate having to drive that route in the dark. Thankfully, Colleen kept me company for the long trip back and out conversation helped the time pass.

This week has been hectic and draining. I'm just thankful to have made it back home in relatively one piece. I'll be taking the day to rest tomorrow, before taking the plunge into a very busy weekend. Then, it's right back up to hicks-ville, USA and more weeks of endless rain and snow.

Yes, we've been having snow since September, haven't you?

If anyone's heading to MAD this Saturday, I'll see you there :)

Been acclimating into college yet again. Taking 18 credits, yet again, which is why I've been so darn busy. At this rate, I can take the bare minimum senior year, and still pass with more credits than I need. (Been debating if I should graduate a semester early) Yet despite the massive amount of classes, they all fall between 1pm and 4pm each day, meaning that my mornings and nights are totally free.

Anyways, I've gotten my acceptance to the study abroad program I was trying for. Come January, I'll be calling Florence, Italy my home for the semester. :)

With that said, off to play a little L4D on Xbox Live.

http://www.wfsb.com/video/20255930/index.html

Look for me around 0:37

I sound SO bad. This was taken first thing in the morning, and my voice was nearly gone.

Check it out.



This is my attire. Originally inspired by Amelia Earhart's style of dress. Full description can be read on my D.A

So with one month left until ConnectiCon, I'm in pretty good shape. Amelia's been going along fine despite the lack of pictures. I'm also working on a little fun project that might go with the costume. Depends on how it turns out.

Been doing a whole lot of sketching lately, since I've really come to dislike my own art style. It's too generic and flat. The next time I upload something, it'll be after I come back from Italy and feel my artwork is finally up to par.

I've also started something major. Something that I'll be keeping under wraps for at least another year. (The estimated completion date isn't for another two to three years) I'm collaborating with a few other people to make it, and all I can say is that it will blow you away.

I'll give you one hint, even if it's a rather obscure one. Tentatively, I'm calling it, "Project Homer"

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My Diet is going pretty well too. Down to a size 14, minus the chest. My assets haven't been loosing much as I thought they would which is good :)

I'm going to be running a 5k Road Race in a few weeks. In prep for it, I've been going jogging first thing in the morning, before the sun's up. Done me a whole lot of good :)

Yep, snuck up on me that one did.

Turned 20 as of today, and I'm too busy to do a thing :)Going by myself to a small antique show this morning, to look for parts for my steampunk costume. Then I'm going to a graduation party for the rest of the day.

So, I moved the actual celebration of my birthday to the 24th, When Transformers 2 is coming out :O Going to see it on the really big IMAX screen over at the crown palace. I'm not sure if it's the "IMAX Experience" Version or not, but I'll be seeing to movie at least three or four more times when it's in theaters, So I'll get around to it. (The IMAX has a couple of extra scenes in it that the regular cut of the movie doesn't)

Also: We've decided to lease a brand new Toyota Rav4, after visiting a lot of dealerships and test driving a ton of different cars. It's going to be blue. Now is just a waiting game to see when the dealership can get one in from the distributor.

It's been a long way coming. Ever since the fuel belt went back in Fall of '08, my poor minivan has been on the slow decline. He started spewing out white smoke these last couple of days, among other things, so I took him down to our local mechanic.

His engine is pretty much on it's last legs. The coolant has been leaking into it for a while, and it's finally had enough.

Fortunately, we had some money squirreled away. Originally, it was to go and pay for college. But since the majority of my tuition is funded by scholarship we've been keeping it stored away. It's got enough to cover the cost of a used car, so that's what I'm looking at.

Currently, I've got three cars in mind, all the same kind (2005 Hyundai Santa Fe). They are all pretty much the same minus a few details from car to car and color. They all have between 50,000 and 60,000 miles on them. I'm going around tomorrow with my parents tomorrow to shop around and try to get a slightly better price on them.

Gonna need to start thinking up a name for my not-so-new car.

So, I wasn't able to go the Glastonbury Club meeting for this month :(

I thought I'd be better sooner, since it was just a minor surgery. I had to get a gum graft to my front teeth. It only took them a half hour and they didn't need to even put me under.

But nope. My lower teeth are all swollen up and I really can't talk or even DO anything. I'd love to go out for a jog, but I'm not allowed to do any activity that would move my head. They don't want it to start bleeding again.

Hopefully, I'll be better next week, so I can resume my workout routine. Until then I'm doubling the length of my morning 'jogs' since I can only walk them.

Moved the bed back into my own room, even without the floors done. I really didn't appreciate the dogs waking my up when I was on the couch >o<

However, my room has no blinds at the moment. I'm up around 5am or so everyday when the sun lights up my room. It feels really odd to be up so early, yet I've got so much more energy than I normally do.

Heck, it's only 10am but I've already gone for a jog, cleaned the house, walked the dogs, showered, done my laundry, and made some naan bread. I also find I can stay up to 11:30pm without getting too sleepy.

I think I like waking up this early. It makes me feel energized and ready to do anything :)

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Also managed to get my first two TF2 toys. I finally got Ratchet along with Sideswipe. Oh, and I picked up a mini-jetfire. He's so adorable ^-^ (Not something you'd normally saw about a SR-71 Blackbird)

So, I can now lift about 130lbs without a spotter :)

Been painting walls, drilling holes, and working construction. I'll finally be back in my own room and bed by Tuesday, when the flooring people come back. I'm definitely going to be taking some pictures of my new room once it's finished. It's looking totally snazzy.

Also, my waist is now a 31 inch one. Only six more inches to go there now. All in all I've only got 15lbs left of fat to get rid of, since the hard labor of the last two/three weeks has really slimmed me down. My legs and arms are trimmer now just that last bit of stomach fat is all that's left. I've been jogging for an hour every morning and it's starting to show.

Might be time to go bikini shopping soon!

But at least not homeless :)

So, there's been a delay with the flooring thanks to my cat. I'll be out of a room for at least two to three days. Gonna camp out in the living room until then. Thankfully I've been so busy, I'm never really been sitting in one place for too long.

Been doing a lot of work around and outside the house. I've lost about two more inches on my waist and about 1/2 an inch on my arms. I've been jogging in the morning with the dogs, which is where I can credit most of that toning. Next week I'll probably start heading down to the gym for weight training. If I can keep things up for the next two months or so, I'll probably have a nice set of abs and a flat stomach for ConnectiCon.

Right now, a medium size fits me fine but for my height, I should be aiming for a small. Gonna hold off on an already long delayed clothing shopping trip until I get there.

Also, I've managed over the last week to get a VERY nice tan on my arms and shoulders. The one for my back and stomach is about half way there. My legs are probably gonna need a little extra help though. But, at this rate, I'll have a nice healthy tan by the time my birthday roles around :)

But in a good way at least.

Been home for a week now. Most of my time was spent hunting for a second job. (Can't find anything but part time now-a-days)But I did do a lot of work around the house.

My mother wants to spend the summer doing some home improvement projects, and to save on labor, the two of us are doing a fair deal. My room needs an overhaul, since the rug is in tatters, and it is the only room in the house without wooden floors (Subtracts from the house value) Spent all today packing everything in my room up and tossing clothes that I've shrunk out of. Also did most of the heavy lifting by myself. I thank the crutches entirely for allowing me to lift a 100lb case and drag several 7ft tall bookshelves down a flight of stairs :) Next week, I'll be stripping the walls and puttying up any holes. Then I'll probably be giving it a fresh sheet of paint.

I also started going back to riding this week, after a three/four month recovery period. My trainer pushed me hard, but it'll be worth it. A couple of more weeks at this rate, and I should be comfortable back in the saddle.

Things with my sis are going as well as can be expected at this point, but at least she's no longer as critical as she was during the last month of school.

At 10:30 tomorrow, at the latest, I'll be on my way back to CT.

Everything is all packed up in the car, minus the TV, bed sheets/pillows, and my laptop.

I can't wait to get back home. I'm going stir crazy up here in Alfred!!

Also, in a terms of a little revenge for people staining my coffee table, I've taken back all of my stuff that I got for the suite. No more towels, silverware, soap, and cleaning supplies!

I thought it was just allergies or the like, but now it's starting to seem more like a viral infection XP Just during the last week too :(

Nothing to do now but treat the symptoms and wait for it to run it's course.

Also, I'm going with a group of friends to go see the new X-men Origins movie. Our local theater only plays three movies at a time, so we're lucky it's out.

So, first, the bad luck. This weekend was Hot Dog Day up in Alfred. While it's supposed to be some sort of family day, most people just use it as an excuse to get completely wasted.

Now, I'm not a drinker. I've got a high tolerance though, so I really don't enjoy drinking. Never gotten so much as buzzed, so drinking looses it's appeal to me. So this weekend I treated myself to some Orangina, a non-alcoholic orange soda. Soon as I opened the four pack though, I dropped the first one cap-side down on my second toe. I broke the toe, and I'll probably be loosing the nail too. And it's on the opposite leg that the horse bit me too ;-;

Fortunately karma decided to be a kind mistress with me in a roundabout way. Turns out that I was chosen from a lotto to win a $100 American Express card from the dining hall. Ironic, since I probably bashed them the most. Half of the card went to get myself a nice raven in PWI, while the other half went toward a really nice mother's day gift for my Mom. (Harry and David stuff) If I've been having a hard time coping with everything that's happening, She has it a lot worse off.

Just a week and two days before I'm off for home now :)

So, shit's been hitting the fan a lot lately (See upcoming locked post for details)

All in all, I wake up feeling completely drained, and I'm having a hard time dragging myself to do anything. I'm emotionally worn out. I've cried to the point where it hurts to cry any more.

Thankfully, I've got a lot of things still to do, or I'd be going crazy by now. Despite my weariness, I'm still on top of things. In fact, looking over my credits, I might even graduate early :) I'll be wrapping up all but one class for my theater major by next fall, and I'll have completed my art minor by the summer.

All that's left for my senior year are three general reqs and a senior project. After that I'm done. I've also got my study abroad to look forward to. From what I know of the international community, they are much more open minded and rational people than Americans.

In other news, It looks like I've made staff for ConnectiCon this year. Can't wait until I get home and get to start working toward the convention.