Bored in Batavia

Ok, maybe not bored, but relaxed? Lazy? Comfortable?

For me, this summer was the equivalent of 12 weeks of finals all in a row. The stress from Finals Week is bad enough, but looking back I just feel like it was week after week of that. No one notices my birthmark any more--which means my stress level has subsided...haha.

I'm just catching up on sleep and hanging out with people all week--oh yeah, and shopping and packing and getting ready for SENIOR YEAR. I can't be this close to done?!

Oh, Megan. I'm sorry about your issues with the Dove deodorant. I'm glad you brought them to my attention.... =)

I haven't decided if I will switch back to my xanga or to a different blog... haha, i'll keep you updated. =)

This is the tree in Guernica, Spain... Here is the wikipedia article about the importance of the tree (this picture is of the dead one) and here is one about the Bombing of Guernica

summer's out for school....

I'm no longer a CAT intern!!!

Ok, so even yesterday I didn't think that I'd be this excited to be done--and then my boss called me at 8pm last night. He and some other coworkers were trying to get some spreadsheets together and they wanted to know how I had done something on one I created a month and a half ago! whaa? Who remembers a month and a half ago? And did they really think that by saying "well, do your remember how you got $302?" I would actually remember what they were talking about? Especially since they were the ones who told me exactly what to do and how to do it--how come they didn't know the answers?! Whatever. After that I realized that 12 weeks was just right as an intern and now I'm ready for a vacation. I think I will be working there every Friday throughout the school year (drive up, work 10 hours, drive back to C-U). It's good money and it's good exposure and a good experience so... can't turn it down.

In other news, my personal life is sorting itself out--primarily by pretending some issues don't exist. haha, seriously though... things aren't good, but I'm more hopeful thanks to all y'all's advice and such.

I have to pack tonight and move out of this lovely apartment. It's a mess. I mean, if you've ever seen my dorm room, apartment, or room at home you know I get a little messy. Well, this one's worse than any of those. [sidenote: i'm watching Martha...haha] Anyway, I have to pack and clean for moving weekend 2 of 3. But then i'll be home and can slowly slide back into the non-corporate Susan.

This is looking up at the Alhambra in Granada. I wanna go back!!

New Day.

The best part about going to bed is that it is a new day when you get up. Things are feeling promising...then again, I'm still not out of my comfy bed... ;)


This is the Catedral en Sevilla. =)

Pain.

I would just like to say that I had a whole angry, sad, frustrated, bitter, emo-ish post written. But I deleted it. I've had a rough 24 hours which have left me feeling betrayed and sad. I'll be fine, I'm just bummed that I'm back at square one as far as trust issues. I guess I should've built taller, stronger walls that would have kept me from trusting in the first place? Dunno. Three more days of work... 3 days and 15ish hours until I am back in Batavia for a week.

This is a picture of the view from our hostel in Bilbao, Spain.

stupid is as stupid does

Sometimes it just hits me how stupid I am. I mean, seriously, what was I expecting?!?

In other news, I moved out of my Urbana apartment this weekend. My parents came down on Saturday and helped me box the stuff that was left there and then they drove it home to Batavia that afternoon. It was weird being in that room when it was completely empty. Good thing Michelle and I (and Brooke) hung went out to dinner and then ate (delicious) brownies. I'm sad that Michelle's leaving me, but I'm glad I got some hang out time with her this weekend. Oh, and we got to hang out with my future husband and his roommate, too. :)

They're building a new apartment complex right next to my Urbana apartment and so the driveway/steps are completely torn out of the place. We pretty much had to jump from my doorway into a pile of dirt to get all my stuff out of the place. My parents loved that, haha.

Now I'm back in Peoria. I had a pretty rough week last week with a lot of highs and lows both in work and out of work. I'd use the rollercoaster imagery, but I suppose it's been done. I need to stop being stupid about everything, rebuild some walls and suck it up. ...maybe if I stay busy with work I don't have to deal with anything real? Sounds like a plan, Stan. Less than a week...less than a week...less than a week...

Shrimp. Garlic. Alcohol. Fire.

I miss being able to carry a fan around with me and having that be socially acceptable (and not just weird). It's hot. Not as hot as Spain, but there you never got cold from air conditioning so it wasn't as drastic of a change. But I do miss my little 4 euro fan that I carried everywhere... I got really good at flicking it open, too.

I also miss olives. BUT, I found some really good garlic stuffed olives at the grocery store the other day. Pretty much amazing, but you can tell (because of the garlic) that I'm single. Oh, and thanks Megan for the Facebook fact that only 26% of females are single at UofI. This from the newly engaged girl to the single girl. =) I'm not so unhappy being single at the moment--perhaps because I can eat garlic stuffed olives? Or, maybe I just tell myself that I'm not unhappy...? Who knows.

Oh, I had an amazing dinner last night. It involved shrimp, garlic, brandy and open flames. Yeah, I was pretty impressed. Tonight, however, I had a chocolate bar, some tuna (from a can) and rhubarb cobbler. Excellent. While I enjoy all of those food groups (um, I've built my own food pyramid, don't question it), it just really can't compete with some of my more recent dinners. And dinner conversations aren't as interesting when I'm just talking to myself.

I'm getting sleepy. I haven't been sleeping much lately, but only for good reasons. And, when I try to go to bed my brain starts working overtime (and it doesn't even get paid time and a half!) and everything seems even more confusing, more impossible and more--frustrating?

On another note: tomorrow I get to tell The Boss that he's wrong... that should be fun. Wish me luck...no, just hope with me that I don't do or say something stupid.

Only 8 more days of work! =) Only 8 more nights of Peoria-ness. =(

Don Quijote statue in Madrid