Hey HEY Hey!

Hey there!
Well, I am not officially counting down until Thanksgiving break. Hmm.... 10 days, I think? Or at least, 4 more days until my family + Rita come for parents' weekend (which is oddly placed the weekend before Thanksgiving break... Why would they put it so close like that? I'm not complaining though- I get to see them soon!). I was just thinking yesterday about how I haven't seen my dad since I got dropped off for the year- that's been a long time!
Things here haven't been that much different- it's starting to wind down in the warm weather department. I am seeing Ben Folds with friends on Thursday night and then James Taylor on Monday night in Indianapolis! THOSE should be a pretty good time. I was calcluating how long I had until Winter Break (again- ALL about the countdowns over here) and I only have 4 more weeks and exam week to go! I hope that it doesn'y get that much colder while I'm still here- so far, it has been manageable. But, not to worry, when it starts to get unbearably cold in February, I will be in....
!!!!!!! AUSTRALIA !!!!!!!
Yes, that's right- I was accepted to study abroad in Wollongong, Australia for Spring semester 2007! Woohoo! Come February, it will be about.. oh... 78 degrees?? Oooooh yeah- that sounds nice. I will leave in mid-February and stay until sometime in late June when, HOPEFULLY, my family will come on over and visit me! I was just sitting in my study abroad class (called "Before You Go") and I was thinking about HOW LONG I will be gone- over 6 months! That's longer than I have ever been away from home- way longer than Zambia. We will see how THAT goes....
Not much work on the academic side of school life (not as great as you would think- I have a LOT of time on my hands and only working once or twice a week in the evning), so I have a lot of time to read (I think I wrote this in my last post...), but that's never a bad thing, right? Speaking of that, I think finishing "Fast Food Nation" is in order for tonight. I will be back for Thanksgiving break on the evening of November 17th- hope to see you all over break- I will be at Hendricks' Thanksgiving this year.
Ciao!

-a

Fall Update....

Hey everyone!
Sorry that I haven't updated this blog in such a long time- things get busy, you know?
Classes are still going well, not a lot of work. I find that I have a lot of free time on my hands. I try to fill it with reading (currently reading "Fast Food Nation"-GREAT book so far) and I tried to get a job in the dining hallf that is in in the basement of my dorm, but somehow my application never went through. kind of sketchy... Still working in the Cafe in the basement and still lovin' it.
A couple of weekend ago, I randomly went up to Indianapolis for the weekend. Some people from my dorm were going to go camping in Brown County, I was pretty excited about it, but then it got canceled because of stormy weather. SO, I bought a bus ticket up to Indy and stayed there for the weekend. I eventually stayed in the Days Inn (Thanks for helping out, Dad!) and I walked around the city and ate at P.F. Changs. It was pretty good- get the lettuce wraps.
Then, Mom came over to B-town after Uncle Scott's birthday party. We hung around Bloomington, did some shopping and ate on Lake Monroe (so fun!) and fell asleep in front of the T.V. in a hotel room.
For this weekend, I am in Munster, Indiana (very Nothwest Indiana, very close to Chicago) at my friend, Sarah-Anne's house (currently sitting at her kitchen table, surrounded by her Aunt, Uncle, Baba-Serbian for "Grandmother"-, and cousins) for her cousin's Willie Wonka-themed birthday party. It's been a good time- we had sweet potatoes with pineapple in them- wowsah! They were SO good- I'm going to get the recipe from Baba. She also made a "wild pear cake" which was also, basically, to die for. Hopefully I'll make it soon for you all!
Next weekend, my roommate, Jess and I are going to go to Nashville, Indiana for a fun day of strolling around the town and drinking cider. Weekend after that, there will be a Halloween dance in my dorm and I will also my putting on a "pumpkin program" where people can come outside on the varanda of my dorm and carve some pumpkins and eat/drink some "fall foods."
Recently found out that two great places in Bloomington (Ladyman's Cafe-a great local diner-and Jiffy Treet-the best ice cream place in the whole town) are getting knocked down in order for high-rise business buildings to come in. Big bummer.
OK, I'm off to go talk with the Lanman Family and then I think I'm getting a nice walking-tour of Sarah-Anne's neighborhood- it's a beautiful night out tonight. I miss you all, but I will be back for Thanksgiving hopefully on Saturday, November 18th. See you soon and hope you're having a great fall!

-Allison

Hey everyone!
Yeah, yeah... I know- the last that you know, I was preparing to leave for Zambia. Well, not to get too long-winded on this one, but the trip was amazing. Without a DOUBT, life-changing. If I already haven't shown you the pictures that I put together in an album, let me know! I would be more than happy to go through them all and tell you all of the adventures that I went through (going to the bathroom in a DISASTROUS hole in the ground, bungee jumping, 13-hour flights....). The only thing that I regret is that the trip didn't last a bit longer... Oh well- that calls for another go-around, right?

And now, I am at IU yet again, although this time, it feels like I am attending a completely different school. Everything is filled with new and FUN changes and experiences (instead of them being scary, possibly homesick-filled). I am still friends with most of the same people as I was last year (although many of them have moved into houses/apartments off-campus. It's OK though- I still try to hang out with them as much as I can.) I am living in the same dorm as last year (Collins) and my roommate is my good friend from last year, Jess. We are doing well- the room is finally put together and I think it looks really nice. I am taking new and fun classes this year (I recently changed my major- and by recently, I mean last week, haha- from International Studies to Applied Anthropology- woohoo!) like: French (I really enjoy it!), Intro to Archaeology (um... not AS fun, but it goes towards the Anthropology major), the next level of Psychology, "National & International Policy" (NOT A GOOD CLASS), and (get this) "MUSIC OF THE BEATLES"!!!! Aaaah! Best class ever! It was basically made for me. I already own all of the video footage that we watch.. ahem...
Also, I am working in the coffee shop that is in the basement of the dorm and am trying to get a job in the dining hall in the basement as well- we shall see about that. Working in the Cafe is great, though- free coffee! Heck yeah!

Well, I'm off to class- hope all is well with everyone and, just to let you know- my address is the same as last year, just with a different room number:
Allison Hendricks
Collins-Edmondson 0310
541 N. Woodlawn Ave.
Bloomington, IN 47406

I love, love, LOVE to get mail (*hint hint*) Love you all! Talk to you soon- ciao!

-a

Leaving for Zambia... SOON!

Hey everyone!
Well, yes, I know- it has been quite some time since I have updated this thing. Things have beebn hectic, yo! Moving out of the dorm room went smoothly, but I had a WHOLE lot more stuff than I thought I had... Fortunately, Mom and I got done with "unpacking" all of it yesterday, so now I can RE-pack for Zambia! For all who didn't know, I might have a few chanced to visit an internet cafe while I am in the capital of Zambia, Lusaka. If that is the case, I will be updating/reporting about my time in Zambia through this blog. Sooo, make sure to check it sometime between May 13 and June 1st to see about my trip so far!
Hope all is well with everyone- I will see you when I'm back from AFRICA!
Ciao :)

-allison

The Renaissance Fair...

Hey everybody!
This is kind of a random post, but I just wanted to let everyone know that today, on top of it being Collinsfest (which I tell tell you more about later if you don't already know...) there was also a Renaissance Fair going on! It was so cool! Jess and I went over to Dunn Meadow (where it was being held) and checked it out. Here is the website where you can see all of the really cool pictures that I took today. Unfortunately, it is not the same place as the site where I posted my Indianapolis and Chicago pictures, but that website wont let me post any more without paying to join it. So, I found one that would! Just click on the album titles "The Renaissance Fair," and click on the images to make them bigger. Then, you can navigate forward or backward through the pictures- you know how to do it :) Hope you like 'em! Ciao

http://my.opera.com/Allikat319/albums/

-a

A Visit From The Leslies!!

Bonjour!
The past few days have been some of the best ones yet for me this freshman year. As they continued their massive "college-visit tour" around the midwest, the Leslie family came to IU to do a college visit and to see me! (of course! :)
I had such a great time with them and their friends the Lucia's. They came yesterday (Thursday) at about noon and we grabbed something to eat in the student union (something that, according to Uncle Bob, that do NOT have at Boston College... Weird....) and then they were off to their walking tour of IU campus. The weather was beautiful- that really made the days enjoyable too. Meanwhile, I cleaned up my room (yes, it was messy before- but that is just one more perk of having people come to visit me: it movitates me to clean up my room!). Afterwards, we walked up to the student rec center and watched some amazing divers dive off of the biggest boards I have ever seen! The most amazing part is that they were little kids! Auntie Donna said that I had to jump off the highest one before I graduate. We will have to see about that...
We walked all around the town and saw many cute little shops. We ended up walking around the square (the roads surrounding the Bloomington Courthouse) and ate at the Malibu Grill. We all had VERY good food (I had swordfish for the first time- YUM!) and all cheered on Marko as he tried to finish his dinner. Our waiter had told him that, if he ate all of his twelve wings, he would buy him dessert. Well, even though Mark was mighty cocky about his wing-eating ability, twelve was just too many. They were pretty big wings and SO SPICY- I don't see how he even did one. Mark- I'LL buy you dessert- how's that? Can't go wrong with a cone from DQ, I swear.
For the evening Kara, Kevin, and Kevin's friend, Jeffrey came back to the dorm with me and enjoyed some s'mores that were being cooked out on a bonfire in the quartyard. While Kara and I sipped on "Banana Split Frozen Mochas" from my cafe in the basement, the boys entertained themselves with a 2-hour frisbee game. Kara spent the night and, I felt so bad, experienced the worst night that even I have had this year. Number one- it was hot, but we couldn't open the windows to cool it off because, Number two- it was raining. And we allll know what thunderstorms in Indiana mean- yes, that's right! Tornado warnings! Yay- THAT was fun. The alarms went off and everything, but when the RA on my floor pounded on my door signaling to go to the basement, we decided to roll over and keep trying to sleep.
Overall, the visit was so great. I really appreciated that they stopped in, even after they were so tired and ready to go home after doing a crash-course visit to so many colleges. Although I only have a little over two weeks of school left, having them here really made me miss home and realize how excited and anxious I am to have this school year be over and be able to enjoy the summer.
Try not to get pulled into this nice weather (well, minus the tornados) TOO much- I know that many an afternoon has been spent on the grass, eating ice cream and listening to harmonicas, instead of doing work. Hmmm..... *Meh* You only live once: do what makes you happy, right? Hope that all is well with everyone- keep pushing towards that summer! I know I will. Ciao

-a

P.S. Also, Happy Easter, everyone! I wish that I could be there in Cinci and help y'all color eggs and everything, but I trust that someone else will find that darned silver egg without me there :) Have fun!

My Day in Indy!

Hey y'all!
Well, I have had quite a weekend- how is everything going for everyone? (17 school days left for me! Woohoo!) Yesterday (Saturday, April 8th), my friend, Jess and I ventured up to Indianapolis for the day. I had never been there and since Jess lives right here in Bloomington, we could just use her family's car to go up there for the day. We had a great time! I really like Indy, overall. Especially the mall (Cirle Center Mall), what fun!
We first got there and parked and walked around the mall. I'm told that that is the biggest attraction in Indy. Then we walked outside a little bit and saw some great things on the street and in "The Circle," which, for anyone who doesn't know, is like the town square, except that it is round! That was cute.
We spent a lot of time at the HUGE Border's Books that they have there and just kind of hung out, read some books, grabbed some coffee, and did some people-watching (my favorite, hehe). It was nice and relaxing. Also, we didn't have that bad of weather- we lucked out. A few days before it was majorly storming here in Indiana (Friday night, I had to spend much time the basement of various dorms because of tornado warnings), but our weather was nice- a little chilly, but we enjoyed walking around nonetheless.
We had dinner at a fancy place called 14th Street Restaurant. We didn't really have any sort of specific restaurant in mind, and I saw that the neon outside of the place read "Jazz," so I suggested that we go there. It was VERY nice. We ate very well- very happy, mostly, that it was the weekend, we were in a big city in a nice restaurant, and, most importantly, NOT on-campus. :)
Even though we only stayed for the day, it was a really fun one- and it felt long too! I always like that...
Next up: Wednesday & Sunday nights: ushering for "Mamma Mia!!!" I am soooo excited for that one- I haven't seen it yet! Thursday night/Friday morning: the Leslies are coming! Ahhhhh! I can't wait! I hope that the weather hold out... Saturday: Collinsfest! For all of you who don't know, Collins is the dorm that I stay in. This Saturday is the biggest event of the year for us. We have this big celebration on the quartyard/veranda outside of our dorm all day long. We are going to have live bands all day (some are coming all the way from Indy), a Jupitor Jump (remember those??), a grill going all day along with cotton candy/snow cone stands, each organization on campus gets their own little booth or table where they will have nice food and raffles/other activites, an all-day water-balloon fight, face painting, other various games (such as: twister somehow including shaving cream. hmm.....), and, best of all: a 65-foot trough filled with a 65-foot long banana split! Whoa!! I am so excited for that.
The weekends are winding down- hope everyone else is looking forward to summer. I didn't think that the warm weather was going to affect me THAT much, but today all I did was sit outside and lay around while listening to someone playing the banjo... such nice weather! See you soon! Ciao

-a

p.s. I was going to try to post some pictures that we took while we were there, but this blog system is acting up again, so I am going to post them on the website that has my chicago pictures on it- here's the website to go to find them: http://ahendricks4.photosite.com Thanks!

Photos of Spring Break

OK
I finally did it- I made an online photo album that has all of Troph's and mine pictures from out trip to Chicago over Spring Break. Just go to the website below and it SHOULD work. I put captions for each picture. If you can't see the whole comment, just click on the picture to make it bigger and the whole comment will show up. Plus, that way, you can look at the pictures all bigger anyway! Enjoy! Hope you like 'em!

-a

http://ahendricks4.photosite.com

GAH- this past week at school....

Well, to be back from Spring Break was no easy.... break.
Hahahaha, I'm sorry, I just had to do it. Anyway, being back from Spring Break, ALL of my teachers decided that this week would be a good time to have papers assigned/due. Yahoo. So, basically, my entire week was not hearing about what other people did on their break (although I DID hear some pretty great stories- a couple of friends of mine went to Belize! Wow!), but instead sitting in my room (which I am STILL loving that I have it all to myself. Man, each day it just gets better and better) and writing papers.
Oh well, I had a birthday dinner with a few friends of mine celebrating mine and my friend, Jess's birthdays. We went to The Trojan Horse (Greek) and had amazing food. I had never been there, but I am def going back. And, before it got kind of cold and rainy, I did some walking around and found some more great little cafes in Bloomington that I will have to check out further when it's warmer on some weekend...


Here is "the group" out to dinner. From me moving clock-wise are my friends Marie, Marisa, Kirsten, Jess, and Sarah-Anne. We had a great time munching on Gyros! Although, I had "The Drunken Salmon" which was marinated in bourbon and WOW- one of the best pieces of salmon I have ever had. We also had "Flaming Cheese" with pita which was a hit...

For two nights this past week, I stood in front of some of the bars on campus with the group that is going to Zambia to try to con drunk people into buying our various baked goods. That was funny. Well, minus the really cold weather and having to stand in the snow, it was fun. We did pretty well, I think. Laura (the trip leader) said that she thinks that we made about $120 each night, so $240! That's great! (Sidenote: thank you again to anyone who sent me a donation. I really appreciate it!)
Yesterday, Jess and Marie and I all went to the west-side shopping mall place (which I had never been to until Auntie Kathy and I explored it before Spring Break) through a successful run of the bus. That was fun- we went to Kohl's (since it is having a sale on EVERYTHING) and I got a track jacket for $2.50! I know, that's crazy. We ate lunch at The Cracker Barrel which I always enjoy. Had some french toast (I'm all about the breakfast) with different fruit toppings on it. It was a good day.
So, now I'm off to the brunch that is being served downstairs (on Sundays, there is always hot brunch downstairs. You can be sure that I catch THAT one every week, hehe). I THINK (now, Mom, I'm pretty sure that this one is right) that I only have 5 weeks and 2 days left of school. Yippee!!! Ciao all-

-a

Leaving Me A Comment...

By the way- to leave me a comment after you read one of my posts- just click on the link underneath the post (after I am all done with my latest entry) that says "0 Comments" (since I usually have none, haha) and write me a little something. Don't worry about having to put your email into it or anything, you can just click the option that says "Anonymous," just make sure to sign your "post" with your name so I know who is writing it! (Like signing your name at the end of a letter) I would really appreciate! I love to have your feedback... hope all is well! ciao

-a

Spring Break 2006! Chicago!!

Hey all!
This is the official post covering everything that I did over my latest Spring Break!
On Thursday night (March 9th), my beautiful and wonderful Auntie Kathy drove all the way over here to IU to pick me up and take me back to Cinci! We had a great time around the campus (although it rained the whole time! blah!) and discovered a new shopping center! (with a kohl's! yes!) I had such a great time with her (favorite Auntie? Hmm....). Then on Friday night I went, along with 18 of my other family members, to Lakota West High School to see my cousin Kara in their school's musical, 42nd Street. What a great show! NOTHING like Grandview's musical, no offense G-view. I loved it. On Saturday night, I went back to my old high school to see Grandview put on Fiddler On The Roof. For being such a dramatic and dark play, I thought that they did VERY well. That was great to see a lot of my old friends up there on stage- also very weird to actially watch the musical. I hadn't done that in over 5 years!
But, the REAL Spring Break occured on Sunday morning when my good friend, Trophie and I left Columbus for Chicago ! Woohoo! I set out driving, and except for a little mix-up with some Mapquest directions around Indianapolis, we got their successfully in the late afternoon. Our hotel (Club Quarters) was located RIGHT on the river (perfect location) just a block away from Michigan Ave. and two blocks away from the Theatre District. On Sunday night, after walking around some, we ate at Pizzaria Uno to get some good ol' Chicago Deep Dish Pizza (SOO good), and then went back to the hotel (after getting caught in the rain- eek!) and watched "The Nanny" (which was officiall dubbbed the show of the trip- we watched it whenever we were in the room! What a great show...).



Here's our hotel. Boy, was it hard to find that little blue awning amidst the big chicago buildings!

On Monday, the weather was wonderful- we walked up and down Michigan Ave. without any coats or anything! It was great. We started out our day with some croissants (mmmmm.....) and shopped, shopped, shopped. We ate lunch at Navy Pier while we were there looking at all of the deserted shops. It was a fun place to go and look at all of the little trinkets and everything. By the end of the day, I bought some clothes at Filene's Basement and GAP, Trophie didn't get anything. (I tried to urge her to get something, no such luck). That night, we went to see "Transamerica" in one of the movie theatres downtown (a GREAT movie- I recommend it for ALL to see) and then we went to the cheesecake factory in the ground floor of the John Hancock Tower for SINLY desserts. mmm.... so much for lent, haha.
On Tuesday we went to the Chicago Museum of Art and saw so many famous works of art. I didn't realize how many famous pieces were right there in Chicago! Then we walked all the way to the Field Museum and saw a fabulous Pompeii exhibit (which I would have NEVER chosen if it were just me- I'm so glad that Troph wanted to go see it), I learned a lot from it. Those poor people from Pompeii! We walked back to our hotel (Tuesday was the day that it was pretty cold), and since the walk back from the Field Museum took exactly one hour (Troph timed it, haha), and it was cold, we just wanted to get back to our beds, hehe. We watched some T.V. and got ready to see WICKED! What an amazing show that was. I agree with my Aunties when I say that I think that it is the best show that I have ever seen. The vocal abilities of those witches! Amazing! The sets and costumes were very good too- it really changed the way that I thought of the original "Wizard of Oz." EVERYONE should see that show.
Wednesday morning we got up and while Troph contemplated getting real Burberry shoes EVEN MORE (this was an ongoing battle through the entire trip), I took advantage of the "Free Coffee Day" at all of the Starbucks. (yes, I was a'buzzin')Finally, after the shoes were purchased (whew!) and the great shoe-debate was over, we walked to Cereality (an ALL CEREAL cafe- Allison's Mecca) and grabbed some great breakfast. Finally the shoes were purchased (whew!) and we were on our way our of Chicago. The drive back was fine, but definitely felt longer than the drive there.
Being back home was great, though. Since I had only been there for one day before I left, it felt great to be in my own house. Overall, the trip was amazing. I know that I will always remember it. Remind me to show y'all my pictures! Hope that your Spring Break went well/is going well!

-a
(I tried to get more pictures on here but Blogger seems to be acting up- just remind me to show you the rest of them when I see you!)

SPRING BREAK!

Woohoo!!!
Off to Chicago avec Miss Trophie!!! AAAHHH!!!

more on THAT later :)

-a

My room...

Hey!
I just realized that many of you haven't seen where I spend most of my time this year, i.e. my room here at IU! I live in a dorm complex called Collins, and I live in the specific building Edmondson (named for some guy I don't know anything about, haha). Well, this afternoon I got a little bored (since I have ONE class on Fridays- ha!), so I decided to take pictures of my room. I hope that this doens't confuse you all too much- the first one starts out at the entrance to my room from the hallway and it rotates around, like if you were standing in the middle of my room and turning to your right.

There's my beloved lava lamp! AND, my new retro microwave/fridge set.

Here is the newly furnished guest bed (since I don't have a roommate this semester). Fancy Schmancy!

This picture shows my window (that looks out into the quartyard) and a side-view of my desk (note the desk chair), which is where I spend much of my time. On the windowsill, you can see my little plant, Dippy!

There's a better show of my desk and my bed. Haha, and my busy wall decorations.

Those are the the closets. Not that exciting- but good for my clothes! As you can see, my coat and jeans/towels are hanging on the outside.

And back to the beginning. That's my dresser again and out the door, the other one you see, is another girls' room across the hall... yeah, kinda weird to have them right there, but watcha gonna do?


I hope that everyone is doing well. I will be out of school in less than ONE WEEK! aaahhh! See you, Auntie Kathy, in SIX days! Good luck to everyone in this final push towards Spring Break! Ciao

-a

February 17th...

Hello!
I hope that all of you are doing well and that you are successfully getting through this dreadful month of February. I, personally, hate the month of February. When Mom used to say "Allison, when I get older, I'm going to go to Florida for the entire month of February" I used to think, "come ON, Mom. It's just a MONTH!" But now, I am in total agreement. You finally get through January, and you THINK that you have finally gotten to the point where spring can... spring, and February pops up to remind you "Hey! Just kidding! Two more months of winter to go!" Gah- February. Plus, February contains one of the most potentially-bad days of the year: Valentine's Day. I must admit, though, this Valentine's Day was enjoyable. I received several thoughtful letters in the mail (thanks, Auntie Donna!) and a lot of my friends here gave me some cute Valentines. Plus, I had a great box of candy that my Dad had gotten me in Brown County when he and the family were here to visit me that I could indulge in. I ended up watching movies (chick flicks, of course!) with my friend, Jess and eating an amazing amount of sweets. It was a good day.
As just mentioned, my family came to visit me last weekend! Aaah- it was so great! I hadn't realized how much I had missed them. We walked all around Bloomington and ate at some great restaurants. One that we ate in, "The University Club" was equipped with a TV for us to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Nat and I ordered s'mores off the of the dessert menu and wondered how they were going to pull that one off. They brought out a little cup with a cotton ball at the bottom of it soaked in rubbing alcohol. They lit it on fire so that Nat and I had a mini bonfire at our table to roast our marshmellows! Mom called it a "great party idea!" Marshmellow roasting party, anyone? We played Cranium in my room (I'm starting a "Cranium Club" in my dorm. I wonder how many people will catch onto it....). That was, without a doubt, the best moment of the entire visit. Just sitting around with them on my floor like we ysed to at home- ahh! It was great. We had a great day trip to Brown County's Nashville too! I had been there earlier in the fall and thought that the family would love it. We walked all around and did some shopping (that's where Dad picked up my chocolate :) and we had a nice little brunch at "The Hob Knob." I tried to get a picture of it on here, but it wouldn't work for some reason or another. We had a nice day together.


Here's a picture of Brown County- We got caught in some snow!


Here are some cute shops that were in Nashville. For some reason, leather shops were VERY popular...



Other than the recent visit from the family, nothing else is new. I'm still trying to keep all of the tremendous work under control. It's funny, I don't remember being nearly this busy last semester... I'm trying, successfully, to get over this "pre-pneumonia" that I had a couple of weeks ago as well. The days are seeming to fly by, though. That's a good thing. Right now, my latest count down is to- Spring Break! Woohoo! Trophie and I are going to Chicago for the first half of our Spring Breaks. We are so excited!! If anyone has any suggestions about things that they think we ought to see- I'm all ears! We have some plans (we are going to see "Wicked"!! I am SO excited about that!), but I'm sure that some of you know Chi-town a LOT better than I do. Bring on Spring Break!
Also, one other great thing that has been evident in my life lately- great mail! I have had such a great flow of mail lately. Not only am i receiving wonderful letters and notes (I cannot BEGIN to tell you all how much they mean to me. Letters really, REALLY do brighten my entire day instantly. Sorry to sound so cheesy. I hope that i can return the favors of your letters as much as I can!), but the fund-raising support for my trip to Zambia has started to come in! So far, I have $330.00! Wow! That's so great! This trip to Zambua means more to me than words can express. Everything that I am doing from now until school is out (May 4th, baby!) is going towards that trip. I think that it is going to change my life- the way that I view the world and also my own, individual life. I know that it is going to be a life-changing experience. NO DOUBT about it. The support means so much to me- thank you for all of you that have sent in mail to me, and for those of you who haven't (not to sound greedy or too forward), but please do! I need all of the support I can get- helping the Zambian people on this trip will be well worth it.
Well, thats about all for me. I hope that all is going well for everyone. I can't wait to see everyone! Kara's musical- March 10th! Hope to hear from you soon- love to all. Try to get through February all right. :) Ciao!

-a

4th week of second semester

hello!
how is everyone doing? finally back in the groove of school/work from christmas? i know that im not...
last semester, when i would be able to sit and read the paper everyday, i never thought anything of it. now, i am lucky if i have time to stop and read the front headlines of one paper! aahhh! i dont remember being this busy last semester! the teachers waste NO time getting back into the swing of things, and more!
have you ever been in a situation where you need the feedback/approval of someone, even though you dont even want them to be involved with anything that you are doing? hm... that didnt come out very clear, let me explain: i just got back from english discussion class (which i HATE every week. but, today, the teacher tried to make some lame comparison between a sandwhich and a correctly-written paragraph, so at least we got sandwhiches :) and i got my first paper back from him. his comments were so rough! i mean, yes, he is just telling me what i can do to become the better writer, and i appreciate that. i do! but, sometimes i feel that a teacher's comments dont really help that much, that sometimes all they are doing is pointing out the things that we did wrong, as opposed to the things that we need to "work on." i dont know if that makes sense- basically, this is me trying to write out my frustration. at least he cant grade me on my blog entries! take THAT prof. johnston.
other than school, school, school (that darned media class is SO much work- time management is key), i havent been up to too much lately. last weekend (as in, a few day ago), i went downtown to a local theatre (i actually played there when i was in "soul revue," the funk band, last semester) to watch the bloomington PRIDE festival. now THAT was interesting. im pretty much "gayed" out. 5 and a half hours of condensed media was PLENTY for me, let me tell you.
this coming weekend, there is a chocolate festival at the bloomington convention center. now THAT is something that i am looking forward to putting my time into! im told that the way it goes is, you pay for the ticket to get in, and then you get to explore 4 floors of chocolate displays! and by displays, i mean eating booths! yum! how easy- a flat fee for as much time as i want in a chocolate house? its seems like some kind of willie wonka dream or something...
im getting over a cold-like sickness that i had last week. it was pretty bad for a few days there (had to miss fencing- i was bummed. we have a footwork test tomorrow- hope it goes well!), but after living on sudafed and not doing much but laying around and watching movies last weekend (oo- what a bummer, right?) i am feeling back on top. the tissue box is becoming a little less of an extension of my body these days... :)
the weekend after this one coming up (as in, the weekend of february 11th <--- yay! finally, we are to february! let the winter pass on- let the end of school come my way!), my family will be coming to visit me! yay! we will try to get basketball tickets (can you believe that they are already all sold out, except for random single seats? i guess it just goes to show how popular basketball really is here at IU. i still dont get it....), by scapling, and if not- we can just hang out! i cant wait. after they leave (*sniff*), i will only have 2 more weekends in february and then it will be march will lead to spring break and my birthday! yay! my birthday this year, actually, is the last day of spring break- im so happy that i will be able to spend my birthday at home! also....
although i dont have all of the specifics of the trip yet, trophie and i will be going to chicago for the first few days of our spring break! yay! (she, actually, has two weeks for spring break, the dog.) i cant wait! even though its just for a few days, i think that it will be great for both of us- its weird not seeing her everyday! im used to seeing her every single school day since 1st grade! aahh!

so, there you go! there is a brief overview of everything that i will be doing for the next few weeks. of course, every free moment i have will be devoted to schoolwork (unfortunately) and sleeping. the weather these days is pretty blah. once in awhile, we will get treated with some kind of beautiful day of 55 degrees, but other than that, its about 35-45 and possibly sunny, but mostly cloudy. 'tis the season, i suppose.
hope that all is well with everyone. hope to see some of my family in cinci when i got back for the very beginning of my spring break to see kara's musical (yay!), thanks for driving me back, auntie kathy. keep up the good work (GOOD work?) with school, and lets all hope for spring together! ciao

-a

my classes....

i realized that i didnt REALLY talk about my classes this semester: my classes are pretty good- i have a few that i REALLY like and a few that are just OK, i suppose. i am taking an english class because it fufills i think about 3 requirements that i need, just in that one class. i dont really like it yet, but, oh well! nothing i can do about it. im taking psychology- good so far but the teacher is kinda boring. hopefully the material itself will keep it interesting for me. im taking a media class (THIS is where the big work-load is coming from) but im also taking the honors component to the class as well. so, the class itself is SO much work, then i have ALL of the honors stuff to do for it too! yay! now for the great classes- im taking a class called "homer sapiens." yes, homer. its a class that studies animation and the simpsons in our culture! its SO cool and the teacher is SOOO awesome. the first day we met him, he told us NEVER to call him "mr." or "professor" or anything because he felt that if he needed to be addressed with some kind of verbal elevation above everyone else, that he wasnt doing his job. how cool is THAT? we cuss and fight and shove in that class- its so great. AND, last but DEF not least- im taking fencing! its so great.
how did everyone's exams go? i suppose you will be hearing about how they went soon- i hope that you did well!
this weekend has been COMPLETELY crazy. and, when i say crazy, i do NOT mean in the good way- i mean in the IM SWAMPED WITH HOMEWORK way. i swear, if all of the school weeks are like this, i dont know what im going to do! so much reading....
guess what comes today at about 4:45? MY FRIDGE AND MICROWAVE!!! yay! my room will finally be complete! im so excited.
see everyone in march! try to suck it up through this HORRIBLE (i am HATING it) weather. love all of you- ciao

-a

im baaack!

hey everyone!
sorry that this was so long overdue. lots have happened since my last entry. i had exams which mostly went all right. i had my first panic attack during my math one, but somehe brought my grade up from a 52% to a 76% from the exam- hmm... i guess those 4, 8-hour studying days, back-to-back really paid off.... anyway, that week was very hectic but all in all it finally went by.
then, back at home for break (WOOHOO!), i continues my job at GAP. (which, for anyone who didnt know, i had gotten over my thanksgiving break.) it was enjoyable at some times, i do admit. the people there were all VERY nice and helpful, bt somehow, folding the same stacks of clothes for 8 hours a day starting to get boring. imagine that! so, as much as i put up with it over christmas break, i am hesitant to continue it over summer break. hopefully, if everything goes as planned, i will get a job at a camp in westerville called "camp mary-orton" (spelled something like that) that is only a day camp, except for one evening a week where the kids and counselors sleep overnight. it pays pretty well (so im told), and it would be outside all day, which i have never considered work. hope that works out!
break was pretty great overall. seeing all of my friends was great as usual, but christmas really topped it all off. i hadnt seen some of my family members in months and months and seeing them over christmas-time was great. everyone from my dad's side- i missed you all so much! thank you all for a great christmas break. over the break, i successfully saw a MILLIONE movies, a million being: brokeback mountain (see it! i know you will love it), memoirs of a geisha (same- you will love it. although, if you have read the book, as i have, prepare for a lesser story. still not bad, though), harry potter (3 times!), the family stone, and one more that i am forgetting at this time, but i know that i saw one more. i saw almost every single person that i had hoped to see and more- the benefit of living in a small town! i was driven back to IU by a crazy girl from deleware. i swear, the spedometer never dipped below 85 more than twice. but, hey, thats OK with me, i guess- the faster out of the car with her, the better?
today, i discovered a couple of new restaurants that i think i will come to love. i was on my way back from walking WAY across campus to a teeny tiny bookstire that, of course, was the only location for some books that i needed to get, and i walked past a little catering shop that is also an international market. i ended up eating it a VERy quaint turkish cafe. half of it is carpeted with low tables where one has to take of his/her shoes and sit on cushions. the food was excellent and all of the people who worked there were extremely personable and outwardly very kind. i cant wait to go back there- i think that i am going to make it a place where they know my name. kind of like the indiana version of pe-king. (a local chinese place in grandview, for all of you who arent familiar with it.)
classes have been pretty good so far. i have always been one to like "the first day of school" which, in college, is more like "the first WEEK of school," so everything so far has been fun. its after all of the new stuff wears off that it starts to be a drag, you know? haha. psych is a great class so far, although, the teacher is a bit mental. my english professor practically does stand-up comedy while he is teaching. (today, i laughed so hard, i cried- that was nice.) my SIMPSONS class today was awesome- enough said. i officially start actual fencing on thursday and i cant wait for that.
hope all if going well for everyone out there and hope to talk to each of you soon! until then, i will be busy with school. ciao!

-a