Do all of the global warming fanatics not watch the news? Maybe they all live near the Equator or something? The Midwest has become an icebox, and I think that people from Kansas City, to St. Louis, to Springfield would laugh if you brought up the topic of global warming. Fortunately for us here in Charleston, we've been spared from the worst of it, but even just up in Springfield they're getting hit really hard. As you can see from this Weather.com map, the ice storm (indicated by the pink color) is a little too close for comfort. Springfield is right there in the middle of the map, and Charleston is down in the right corner. We didn't really get any freezing rain here today like we were supposed to, but it was really cold outside. Now the storm is on its way up to Chicago--where I'm going on Thursday! But supposedly it will hit the city tomorrow and then leave, so hopefully things will be cleared up by Thursday. Today all of my compadres and I went to lunch at Marty's--a bar just off of campus (the story about our long day is to follow), and they had CNN playing on the big screen there. A news story about Al Gore receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to make the public aware of environmental issues (aka making up the global warming phenomenon), and I totally started laughing. Problem was (my compadres are a very liberal bunch), I was the only one laughing. Everyone else was saying, "Oh, that's so cool." I was thinking to myself, "Ummm, hello, guys? Has there not been a freezing rain advisory for the past week? Have you all not been complaining about the uncharacteristically cold weather? Do you really think our world is about to melt into oblivion?" I didn't say any of those things, but I continued to laugh in mockery as they talked about Al Gore's award. Being out here in liberal world has only made me more conservative in my political views because many of the people I associate with are so freakishly liberal that it increases my desire NOT to be like them.
Anyway, enough about the weather. As you can see from the picture of Angie and me, we're still smiling--even though it is finals week and all is craziness. I went to school this morning at 8:40 a.m. and just got back at 10:45 p.m. We didn't have any classes or tests today, but we had to finish up a truck load of projects. We had to finish compiling a binder containing all of our exhibit plans and materials to use next semester when we actually assemble our corridors exhibit; we had to compile a binder containing all of our Tilford Dudley material; and we had to compile a binder containing all 83 of our house surveys (I thought we only had 70 house surveys, but after having to go through and reformat all of them, I learned that there were actually 83)! As we were compiling the house surveys, we realized that we had forgotten to make a survey form for one house on First Street, so Angie and I were given the assignment to go out and survey the house. As you can see, we had a fun time doing it--even though we kept getting hit by icicles falling out of trees. At lunch time, everyone decided they needed beer to help them through the rest of the day, and I needed food, so we went to Marty's bar, and I got a hamburger while everyone else got a hamburger and beer. We worked and worked all afternoon, and then everyone got a little disgruntled by Alisha.
I don't mean to gossip, but I just have to vent a little bit. Remember how Alisha can't say a sentence without the words "my boyfriend Matt" in it? Well, this has been grating on everyone's nerves a bit lately, and today was kind of the final straw. Catherine, Alisha, and I were supposed to reformat all of the house survey forms, so if there were 83 all together, that turns out to be 27.66666667 survey forms for each of us. Now, this was not an easy process because we had to add research sources, photographs, and standardize all of the wording, etc. Well, after working on it for about 15 minutes, Alisha said, "Well, I've got to go up to Champaign because it's Matt's and my one-and-a-half year anniversary, and we're going to a bar for dinner." We all just looked at her like, "You have GOT to be kidding." (This was at about 3:30 p.m.) She insisted that she must go and then left. We were SOOOO mad because of all the times of the semester when everyone needs to pull their own weight, this is that time!! So she was gone for the rest of the evening, and we all stayed until 10:45, and we were all mad at her--especially since she didn't tell us she was leaving until right before she left. We have a nice long "To Do" list for her to do tomorrow though. It's not like she's the only one who has other places she would like to be rather than at school. Laurie, Sarah, and I all have significant others who live relatively close by, and sure we'd like to hang out with them rather than do our work, but that's not an option. If I hear one more thing about "my boyfriend Matt" tomorrow, I just might lose it and have to smack Alisha with the house survey binder (which weighs about 25 pounds now). Sorry--enough venting, but I feel much better now after letting out all of my frustration :-)
Tonight we ordered pizza for dinner so we could just eat it there in the graduate lab while we were working. My body didn't know what to think during the weekend when it was given all of the REAL food (aka nutritious and delicious food) at Greg's house and the Stowell's house--because it's gotten so used to a steady diet of cereal, pizza, and Diet Coke (that's literally all I've had time for). I am really looking forward to having real food again over Christmas break (and thankfully I have some leftovers from Greg's meal that I can eat tomorrow and Wednesday).
Speaking of Christmas break, I am SOOOOO excited to come home on Thursday and see everybody!! I realize I've been gone from home for about seven-and-a-half months, which is way too long! There are several people here I will miss (Greg, Aly, Lincoln the Cat, the Stowells), but other than that, it will be wonderful to have a break from everyone and everything having to do with Charleston, Illinois. It will be especially fun to arrive home on Mom's birthday!
Well, I'm off to write a paper, dig through my stuff to find the library books I need to return, and find the books I need to study for Wednesday's tests. If I have time, I'll squeeze some sleep in there somewhere, but at this rate, that might not happen until Thursday night ;-)
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