I really wanted to blog last night, but I've been cutting back on soda, which means I had terrible headaches all afternoon that progressed into the evening. I mean, I know drinking 3 or 4 cans plus a 44 oz sipper a day isn't healthy. So I'm cutting back, painful as it is. When I went to Hy-Vee the other night to pick up some more lean cuisines, I got some V-8 drink because it was on sale and I've always been curious about it. It's really not that exciting, and I'll probably be slow to drink it. I've really never liked juiced much, except apple juice. Speaking of apples, I don't really like those much either. The prepackaged kind in the BMP were great because they came sliced already, and if you're going to eat an apple, you've got to eat it sliced. And with peanut butter. Mom sent along an apple slicer to the apt. Either she doesn't eat many apples, or she doesn't have an issue slicing them herself. Regardless, I'm trying to eat most of an apple every day in the morning with my Special K because supposedly they have more caffeine or something than coffee even and so this way I eliminate that trip to starbucks or DDP.

Managerial Accounting got out at 7:30 last night. The teacher said something in a joking manner about going out, I think in an attempt to get people to like her. Because if you're not going to teach us anything, I mean, you might as well try and get on our good sides another way. My class is mostly guys that all know each other, and evidently know people in the other sections, too, so they were joking about how the other kids have to stay late and actually learn the material. I went in to talk to the other teacher before class, as an annoying girl from my section was leaving. He let her switch over. And, he let another girl, who happens to be a smart ass, also in my Macro class, switch in. Anyway, I go in and ask and he said No. That too many people were starting to and the classes weren't even. So I ask him if he's telling me if i had gotten there 15 minutes earlier and asked before Annoying Girl I'd be in. And he said he just didn't know. So I told him it was clear there were some serious issues going on with this class and it's not fair to the people in my section. I mean, I'm clearly concerned about my learning here. He told me to go to my section and if it's that big of a problem to write the dean. Since he was so rude, I'd rather still have Inappropriately Dressed Moron for a teacher, plus, this way Annoying Girl and Smart Ass from Macro are gone.

Since class got out so early, I decided to walk to the public library, which is approximately three blocks from my apartment. When I got there, I went to the check out desk to see if I was eligible to get a library card. The old man behind the counter was very nice and he told me that I was, but I needed proof of my address. I was sad because I don't really get mail, unless it's addressed to occupant, which is no good. So I filled out a library post card which they would send to me, and then I could bring it it. And then I went home.

And as I was walking a long I thought to myself "maybe, just maybe, the lt. sent me a note today." I hadn't gotten one yet, but I made a remark last week about how I never got any mail at the apt and he had said there was something he could do about it. And Thursday was the usual ETA when I resided in Burge.

So I check the mailbox. And I had a card. This was an especially great card because it was in fact a Christmas card about "Have a great Christmas and I hope you have a good new year too" so he crossed out christmas and wrote week and substituted new year with weekend. Priceless.

It was only 8:15, and the library doesn't close until 9, so I went back. And I got my card. And chatted with the old man a little bit more. We talked about names because I had to explain how people called me Charlie because of my middle name, proven by m DL, but that I wanted Kristen on the card so that it would match all the others and the old man told a story about how when he was younger he knew a guy on the baseball team who was called Dewey because it was his last name and thats all he ever knew him as except when they grew and went to get jobs the kid started being called by his first name and that actually, the old man used to be called something else too, but in IC no one knew, even the other library helper, because he started going by his rightful name. They loved me. I can already tell.

They had a great music and dvd and video section, probably better than the BPL. I like the ICPL better already just because the helpers were more friendly than the those at the BPL. Probably the BPL people just aren't as friendly because I never pay my fines. I'm sure they're real nice ladies. Otherwise why would you volunteer at the library? Well, maybe to do community service they were sentenced for breaking the law. Hmm. That could explain a lot of things.

So music. I checked out George Strait's "Fifty" because he is easily in my top 5 country favs, so how could you go wrong with 50 number one hits? I got Dierks Bently because he has a song out that I like. And for variety I got The Beatles. My friends would be proud. I could really do some of my Theta friends proud and get OAR, but I don't think I like them, because of their name. And Mary, I got a Joni Mitchell CD, for you. And because you check out the original cases, not like the kind at the BPL, so it looks like the box from the one in Love Actually.

I got Catcher in the Rye to reread, because amazingly enough, I don't have my own copy. Then, I looked for some books by the guy who I taped at Prairie Lights on Wednesday, but his only written two, and one just released, so were out. His name is Matthew Pearl and the books are The Dante Club and The Poe Shadow, just to throw that out there. Then I remember I'd wanted to read Atlas Shrugged, but the only Ayn Rand they had in was The Fountainhead, and I'm not interested. Even though it's what Robbie the waiter recommends to Baby in Dirty Dancing when she goes to ask for money for Penny's abortion. He wants it back because it has notes in the margins. And then Baby dumps a pitcher of water on him. Anyway, I'm at the library, running low on time, and so I think Jodi Picoult. And I didn't see any. I think this library does have a much smaller book selection than the BMP. Then again, I was thinking of authors off the top of my head, so I didn't look anything up on a database. It ended up that I turned a corner to a shelf that happend to be the "c" section and the book Prey happened to catch my eye. We started it on tape on the way back from KC, but never finished it. So that's what I got.

I looked for books on CD, too, and have considered running with one, but a) I don't know if it will work and b) I don't know if I'll like it and c) they didn't have anything good.

When the old man checked me out (no pun intended) he told me that I had a nice smile, that the shape of my mouth is good. and i laughed. He wasn't hitting on me, like, he was older than Dad, even. But the old man said no, really, and he's allowed to compliment people because he's not some 20 year old kid trying to pick up girls. so i said it'd probably be okay for a 20 year old kid to tell me i have a nice smile. yeah; those library helpers love me.

So leave me some titles to check out when I go back next week. I'm at work now, waiting for a program to encode, but it's almost done. Then I'm home for the weekend. go figure :)

TTYL. miss ya, mary.