Moon Dog's Musings

Monday, March 31, 2003:

Spring quarter 2003...it has begun. I begin this quarter with almost as much optimism as I began last quarter...except now I have the understanding that all of my academic plans and any other plans I have might change at a moment's notice. At least now I know that I have the ability to readjust my schedule accordingly, but I also know I have to learn to let it stop throwing me into an emotional whirlwind.
Instead of discussing my classes (my schedule's not concrete yet; I'm considering this my week of "shopping" for classes), I'll talk about what I did during spring break.
I went home to study for finals, and then came back to school briefly to take my two tests. I got an A in syntax and management; still waiting for a grade from the AIDS class. The war started sometime between my two finals, which distracted me a bit from studying for the AIDS final, but we'll see later if that affected my grade. (Is it politically correct to blame a grade on a war even though you might have gotten the same grade even without the war?)
Then, at last, spring break began. I spent the first weekend on a camping trip with TBS and KKPsi (that's the band fraternity). We went to El Capitan, I showed off my brand new bikini (!) and stayed up around the campfire bonding with everyone (we actually finished a game of Trivial Pursuit. My team lost, but it was close.). We almost died on a hike because the tide was coming in (ok, maybe I'm exagerating, but I was worried because I'm a dork like that). I was introduced to Snipe Hunting, which apparently is a common activity on camping trips. I'd done five years of camping regularly with girl scouts and we had never snipe hunted. Guess I missed out. And the food was FANTASTIC. You can't beat steak, mashed potatoes, and smores when you're camping.
After camping, I went back home where I did absolutely NOTHING constructive. Except went shopping. And I'm sick of shopping. Can you believe I just said that? Yeah. I don't care if I don't go shopping again for months. As much as I love new clothes, there is such thing as overkill.
The end of spring break meant CONVENTION! which had been hyped for so long that I was really looking forward to it. Convention, meaning TBS/KKPsi Western District Convention; I think there were band frats and sororities from something like thirteen schools. It was in San Diego, and we stayed in a nice hotel. A lot of it was business (electing officers, planning next year's convention, etc.) but there was fun stuff too like hanging out at the pool area (I went into a sauna for the very first time), meeting people from other chapters, and the banquet and dance. Oh, and of course, there were the fights to steal other chapters' mascots (stuffed animals). One fight (well, it was more like a dogpile) ended up in hotel security being called. Last I heard, our mascot is still missing. :( :( :( The stupid KKPsi guys from our school somehow yanked her away from us at the banquet and locked her in the trunk of a car. But what a great weekend. I'm sad it was only a weekend; I wanted to get to know some people I met better.
But spring break can't last forever, and it's time for me to go back doing things that are constructive.
HOWEVER, I currently have no pressing hw to do, no reading except in books that I don't have yet. That means free time! Yay, for it's not fun to start the quarter with tons of assignments. I'm thinking about hanging out at the pool and/or working out until my meeting at six thirty.
I miss AIM. I feel sooooooooo disconnected from the rest of the world. :( Three more weeks! Then I'm never giving it up again!

moon // 2:10 PM

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Wednesday, March 12, 2003:

What's special about today? It's 100 days until Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix is released! So forgive me if I'm obsessed.
I am soooooooooooo unmotivated to study for my management test that I have tomorrow...it's probably because I could get a C on the test and still get an A in the class. I think I already have a C level mastery of the material, but I'll still probably spend a couple hours studying before tomorrow just because I'm weird like that. Plus, the review session we had yesterday was quite entertaining. A la A Christmas Carol, my professor dressed up as the ghosts of chapters past, while a TA played the part of a student who had been slacking all quarter. Oh my, I'm going to miss that class. Why do some quarters have to end when you're just beginning to like them?
moon // 10:31 PM

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Sunday, March 09, 2003:

In the dining hall last night, I was eating dinner with seven of my TBS sisters, when suddenly this random guy came up to me (I was sitting at one end of the table) and started talking. The way he was talking, it sounded like he knew somebody at the table, I was thinking maybe he knew the girl across from me. He was carrying his tray, which had several empty dishes on it. He said, "Excuse me, but my tray's kind of full, and I was wondering if you girls could take care of this plate for me." He then proceeds to place a plate covered in ketchup squiggles in front of me. My friends and I all stared at it, confused, as the guy walked away. Turns out, nobody at the table knew him, and it takes us a couple of minutes before we decipher the message that's scribbled on the plate with ketchup. It says "Party, 518 Midvale." Well, make that the most creative party invitation I've ever seen! We then started cracking up and couldn't stop talking about it for the rest of dinner. Little did the guy know that he had just invited a bunch of band geeks! We of course did not go to the party (since most of us were planning on going to the basketball game anyway)...but I suggested that we pass on the plate to another table. So we found a group of guys and passed it along to them...my friend went up to them and said, "Excuse me, but my tray's a little bit full..." Wouldn't it be hilarious if those guys had shown up to the party? The guy who had originally invited us would have been quite confused.
Anyways, after the game (which by some miracle, we came from behind and won!) we went to In and Out where I avoided a hamburger but ended up mooching some french fries. And then we hung out in somebody's room and watched Legally Blonde. But I wonder what happened at 518 Midvale...
moon // 1:24 PM

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Saturday, March 08, 2003:

Today I reached my Weight Watchers goal weight! (Actually, it was yesterday, March 7.) I'm still amazed that I lost 50 pounds in nine months. Technically, I have ten more pounds before I've reached my personal goal, but I was so happy today that I allowed myself a Diddy Reese ice cream sandwich. It was worth all the points! (Thank you Michelle!) I felt like a mini-celebrity today after the meeting. We were eating at Subway and several other WW members approached me and congratulated me on my success. Add that to the hundred-percent I got on my linguistics homework, and the absolutely beautiful LA weather, it certainly was a wonderful day! Check out pics of me on my weight loss journey at http://www.geocities.com/themoondoggirl/wwjourney.html
moon // 12:48 AM

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Tuesday, March 04, 2003:

It's Mardi Gras, which means tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. I'm giving up AIM for Lent. (We'll see how long this lasts.) Some people are upset that I'm giving it up and I agree that it sucks that I won't be able to chat with everybody for six weeks, but the truth is it's time for something new. I've been giving up sweets for the past six years, and it's getting old. It's not even hard anymore. This will be a test in self-discipline, which is what the point is in giving up things for Lent. And let's face it, i AM addicted to AIM. Hopefully this will work out. Only one hour left...and then no AIM till easter. :(
moon // 10:44 PM

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Sunday, March 02, 2003:

Oh my, what a weekend. I'm a little tired right now, so i'll try not to ramble, but it's kinda hard to concentrate while i'm typing.
On Friday, I finally had my third and finally degree of initiation into Tau Beta Sigma. (TBS does NOT stand for The Band Sorority, FYI). It was a beautiful ceremony, and I got presents, and I'm always happy when it's not decemeber and I get presents. And I got a rose too! I wore a pretty black dress...size 6, can you believe it? I sure can't. After degree, we had an "unofficial" party to celebrate, and I was finally introduced to the legendary Tuba Soup, which is a fruity drink (the recipe is secret, but let's just say it has more than just fruit juice). It's nice to finally be officially a part of the sisterhood, and I'm so excited to get to know my new sisters better and see where this journey leads me.
My only plans for Saturday night were to visit a couple of my friends who were doing the 26 hour dance marathon to raise money for pediatric AIDS. I dropped by to say hi at seven o'clock (eight hours into the marathon)...and ended up staying until the end of the marathon at one o'clock the next day. (I came back to my room a couple of times, but just to do random things; i didn't sleep all night). The dance marathon was awesome. The theme was "The Real World", so there were a lot of Real World cast members there. Mike from New York (got my picture taken with him), Ruthie from Hawaii, Julie from New Orleans, Dan from Miami, Frank from Las Vegas...I admit that I am a frequent watcher of many of the Real Worlds (who doesn't love an all-day MTV Real World/Road Rules marathon?), and I cannot tell you how WEIRD it was to be standing next to these people who I had up until then only seen on TV. Matthew Lawrence (of Boy Meets World fame) was there, too. Courtney Cox was a no-show though. :( Anyways, the whole thing was awesome (although tiring). The pillow fight at two thirty was great. So were the performance scattered throughout the marathon. And I actually had a chance to appreciate a Los Angeles sunrise. What a great weekend.
Q: What do you see when the smog lifts in Los Angeles?
A: UCLA!
moon // 9:30 PM

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