Helloooo. I just got a bit tipsy on Macalester’s bill. Apparently it was the Alumni Fund’s bill. Also I ate many small things as dinner on Macalester’s bill. I think maybe that contributed to the tipsiness. I felt like a bit of a pig going back for three plates’ worth, but they were very small plates.

By “just” I actually mean “over two hours ago”. This is ridiculous. I have no tolerance anymore. That’s what being 21 does. What I really just did was come home from the campus center with Emily and Orlando, where I talked to my native speaker for linguistics on just a little bit of alcohol. I don’t think she cared, but if she thinks I’m weird, I blame Macalester and the senior gift fund.

I need a wolf eliminator and I don’t know how to find one. I could order one online, but I think I need someone to put it on for me, and I don’t know what kind to get. Brass? There are people who say you can use a mute but that seems like maybe not the effect I want. Also most information I can find is about cellos. Hmph. Help. My violin needs tweaking.

I thought I’d just randomly share my opinion of Tom Delay: I don’t think he believes in democracy, I don’t think he believes in voting, I don’t think he believes in American people choosing their own government or governers. How many ways can I say this? I don’t get where he gets off acting self-righteous about anything, especially charges made against him about campaign finance, since, lest I repeat myself, I don’t think he believes in democracy. I think he’s un-American if ever anything was (although torture probably has him beat), and approaching evil (once again, ditto). I think he has done something horrible to the state of Texas, and has insulted Texas voters and their government, all things I’m very fond of, and, from a Texan representing his state, I think that’s really reprehensible. I don’t think he has respect for his position and his government and the people he represents or he wouldn’t have GERRYMANDERED HIS STATE through a disgusting process involving extra congressional sessions, sending the opposition in flight to other states, and obtuse ignorance of actual issues that Texans care about.

(Obviously, he is not the only person to blame for that. He’s just my favorite target.)

And, on an important side note, there ARE many Republicans who I don’t think are evil or anti-democracy. Not that the two go hand in hand. I’ll get off my soap box now.

Grace is breaking out the Christmas music. Also the tree. She got a fake one from Target. Am v. excited. She also got these really great Christmas cards, which makes me think I should go get some too, although mine will always pale in comparison to Laurel’s lovely hand-crafted ones.

I have questions about Ryan Adams’ Chicago. Is it supposed to be the name of this person he was in love with? What kind of name is Chicago? I mean, Austin makes a little sense, but Chicago? And who is the girl he meets?

Am back from Wisconsin and my parents are gone. Wednesday seems like a week ago. On our drive back here yesterday morning there was unforeseen snow fallage, so we passed a few accidents, and my dad got mad at people driving slow.

Yesterday was a record day at the store (by many dollars), with all three of us earning $100 gift certificates. It’s a sign from God that I need to get more shoes. Now I have to decide which ones. I wanted black boots but they might not be worth the free money since they cost more than $100. I trust you will await my decision in suspense.

Today, I think Emily’s and my plan to go to two movies for the price of one has been thwarted because the two movies we want to see are not playing at any of the same theaters.

Also my books finally came from Milkweed. Yippee. I don’t really know when I will be up for reading them.

Saw HP tonight. Was excellent. Didn’t want to exit Wizarding world to return to French-paper-revising world. However, this isn’t too bad, as soon will trade worlds again, this next time being Wednesdsay afternoon when I go to WI with and toward family. I should probably clean up all the empty diet coke cans lying around before my parents come over tomorrow night. Other cleaning would really just be unreasonably raising their expectations.

We’ve started Proust in French. This makes me feel smart. I think maybe my brother read him in English, not sure though, but if so, it’ll be one up on him. And all ups count very dearly.

Am contemplating buying another pair of Ugg boots, after inspiration by Lisa, and after giving my old ones that don’t fit to Grace. Surely I need something other than pink? Oh well, will wait till after Black Friday and see what’s left.

I took the bus to work for this first time in a long time today, and stuck my fare card in the dollar slot and lost it. The driver didn’t really point this out very well, but handed me a small orange form (it turns out so that I could get my card back) and wasn’t very nice about it, so I said never mind. Then somehow he forgot to open the doors to let me off so I gave him a dirty look. It wasn’t really the glowing fifteen minutes of my day.

I wonder if having a wolf (is that how you spell it?) on your instrument isn’t as bad if you play jazz. As it is, I think I have one somewhere between between the high C and C# on my G string. If I played in tune I’d probably know where it really was. It hasn’t been a problem until now, when I have to go a little sharp or flat to hit a high note in my piece. But I think maybe that half-failing, wavery, kind of gravelly sound wouldn’t sound so horrible if it were jazz.

My shoulders are still messed up but I think I’ll start playing again anyway.

Weekends are going too fast. I came home tonight exhausted and then had a beer and somehow that single one made me tipsy so that Latin vocab went really really slow (remembering words in a second language is harder when they don’t look that familiar in English).

I forgot that I really like Jonny Cash’s recording of Danny Boy.

The internet is back! It’s been gone since Thursday afternoon when my landlord came and confiscated it without explanation. I came home Thursday to a modemless house and freaked out just a little bit. I think he’s aware now how much he pissed us off, thanks to Grace’s gifts of communication.

This may delay my plans for the day, of hiding myself away in the library with a purty white library laptop.

It got freakishly cold while the internet was gone. Coincidence? Hmmm. It was back to normal yesterday, so, yes, probably. I checked one of the movies I have to see off my list last night (Walk the Line, it was pretty hot). Among the others are Rent, P&P, Shopgirl, and Harry Potter.

My parents will be here Tuesday night. I have to come up with some wonderful restaurants to take them to so that they don’t feel cheated by this vacation from the hole in which they live. (It’s not really such a bad hole. I’m kind of fond of it.)

Well, obviously a lot has happened in the two days since the internet was gone, since its coming back is the biggest news I have.

I had to cancel my lesson and skip orchestra today because my shoulders are acting up. Really it’s just the right one. I have a physical this week so I think I will mention it. I would like someone to just give me a shot of cortisone. In fact I’d like to be able to decide on more of my diagnoses and prescriptions. I think we used to joke in high school that I had a lot of really bizarre physical inadequacies, like minor scoliosis (although I think that’s fairly common) and random bouts of debilitating dizziness. Well, now I have new ones, and I’m beginning to hold it against the medical establishment that they can’t fix them.

The bank crisis is over (although I think it took them several hours longer than they said it would) and cost considerably less than I thought it would. Huzzah.

I’m almost done with my French application except for a few things like the aforementioned physical. Also I found something with a lot of Swahili words but that didn’t quite speak linguistics but I think I’m still okay. Before I found this ambiguous something, I went to the library the other day to look at our Swahili-English dictionary, only to find that since it’s designed purely for translation purposes, there was nothing about pronunciation. The bastards. I mean, really, it’s only common decency.

Something is banging around outside and it’s really starting to piss me off.

Well, this was pretty whiny. Apologies.

Earlier today someone videotaped my feet as I crossed an intersection. He asked me first, I think it was for local news or something, but I still felt really silly crossing the street with this guy pointing a camera at my feet. But I got kind of a kick out of it. And hey, at least I was wearing good shoes.