A Welcome Return to Sanity and Balance

I feel completely out of whack. Didn't get as much done this week as a I should have--sets me up for a hard first and second week back. Hopefully I'll be productive during those weeks b/c I never end up getting any real work done after 5pm Friday thru Sunday it seems like. Glad I got to see my family, but ready for a return to reality.

When I get back it'll be...hittin' the books and hittin' the gym.

Did homework all day today...then cooked some freaky lookin' healthy "brownie pie" (there is no chocolate involved so I think this is false advertising)...then had coffee w/ Jace...now I'm going to go pass out. Tomorrow isn't going to be much more eventful. But it's restful being home. And productive. Not quite as good as the beach, but not a bad second.

Hope everyone is enjoying thier breaks. Can't wait to be back in Mad City w/ all my fun people! I miss you guys.

Katie

Dunn Bros. Post

If it ain't gonna happen, give it up for a second. Yeah, that's the moral of today. I was sitting at home trying to study econ and it wasn't gonna happen. So I lost an hour and took a shower and whatever and now I'm being a million times more productive. Don't let yourself think in straight lines...attack from a different angle if one isn't working. Okay, back to the books...

Doin' Econ

Mixin’ it up w/ a little Beatles and the Titanic Soundtrack. Throw in a little Sinatra and you’ve got a rockin’ good time.

So, we’re at dinner tonight killing time (b/c Alexey takes FOREVER to eat and the rest of use were done). We were playing this game where you go around and name something that fits w/in a category: ex. Fruits—apple, star fruit, etc….don’t ask, Alexey started it. Anyway, suddenly Alexeys decides we should switch to naming people from the Bible. So we start going around the circle:

Alexey: Eli
Drew: Ruth
Katie: Esther
Alexey: The disciples (ah…okay, all 12, huh?...yep)
Drew: Joshua
Katie: Hannah
Alexey: Bob

Okay, that was funny, but then Dad and I said, “As in, 1^st Bob, 2^nd Bob…”
Okay, doesn’t sound as funny now…but it was, I swear!

“I tell you what” is a complete sentence in Texas…yeah, cool.

Okay...back to studying Econ now...chapters and chapters before I stop...

Bus Post--Only 5 days after the fact or so

Yeah, so I’m on the bus. And I have been. For the last 2.5 hours. And I’m sick. Not a great combination. I love how ppl think they’re going to be all productive on the bus and write essays and read books and take notes and junk. Okay, maybe the whole reading a book thing is feasible, but the rest of it shows an obvious inaccuracy in memory. Anyone who has ever been on a bus hallucinates about how much space they’ll have the next time they’re on one. In case any of you were wondering how much space that is, picture this. Take a refrigerator box. Now cut it into quarters long-ways. That’s how much space you have. Or picture the room you have in a small lecture hall in the Humanities building. Now subtract three inches on both sides. That’s about how much space you have. Suffice to say, it’s not fun. Oh, and they’re showing crappy movies (Harold and Kumar’s Trip to White Castle). So my St. Patrick’s Day is sucking big time so far, but that’s okay—I get to see my people tonight (yay for cute little brothers—yes, Drew I mean you too).

Okay so I’m listening to this song…and it just struck me that the lyrics are funny.

Do I love you? Yeah, you could say that…

There’s more to it than that, but if you think about it…some girl asks him “Do you love me?” and he’s like “Hmm…yeah…you could say that.” Not exactly an enthusiastic response. “Do you think this carpet it maroon?” “Hmm…yeah…you could say that.”

So excited for being home w/ real stores. I’m definitely buying a Blackhawk and a Restless Heart CD. And lots of veggies at the store while my parents are paying for them. Red peppers are expensive! Sad state of affairs, guys. I like vegetables. Like, really like them. I had raw broccoli the other day and couldn’t figure out why I hadn’t realized it was so good before. I think maybe we’re growing up b/c suddenly I’m eating things like vegetables and grape-nuts cereal and fruit and drinking straight coffee. Crazy.

So I’m thinking about jealously. Not sure if I posted this before (sorry if I did). I know I mentioned it to Ben and some people. So when your girlfriend goes off to the library to study with some guy from her Calc class, you get a little jealous, right? You feel a little threatened. But if you think about it from a statistical perspective, that’s absolutely ridiculous. Okay, think about yourself. Now think about all the members of the opposite sex that you know. Now think of the number of those people that you would ever even think about dating. Now w/in that number think of the number who you’ll probably ever end up dating. Okay, so people your significant other randomly knows aren’t really threats unless you just can’t trust your significant other or they’re/you’re not happy in the relationship you’re already in. There are two exceptions, of course. If the person you’re girlfriend is going to the library with is, say, Matt Damon—yeah, you should be afraid. The other exception is past significant others—if your girlfriend is studying w/ her ex, you’re perfectly justified in feeling a little jealous and insecure—but you’re ultimately just going to have to trust her. So anyway, that’s what I was thinking. Aren’t you glad you just wasted five minutes in my mind?

Also thinking about how subjective things are. I can look out the window of the bus right now and see some of the same things I’d see looking out a window in Colorado, but I’ll think they’re more beautiful, unique, and exotic when I see them this summer b/c I’ll be in the frame of mind of having this grand adventure. I wonder if that works the same way w/ guys. I can meet great guys here in Madison…I wonder if I’d think the same guy was even better if I met him in CO? I bet I would. It’s like meeting people at camp or over Spring Break—they always seem better b/c you’re in a different state of mind. Don’t tell me you can’t think of someone you’ve flirted w/ at camp/on vacation that you wouldn’t spend time w/ at home in a normal setting.

Anyway, I’m going to stop now and try to pass out for the remainder of my unpleasant trip.

Stargazing

Don't you love when the night is all clear and the stars really bright? And it's the perfect temperature out? Well, tonight is one of those nights. I'm going outside to walk around and find a good place to stare off into space (literally). Of course, I don't know any of the constellations except the basic ones (I can USUALLY find the big dipper...and orion's belt...and the north star...and the moon, lol). So...another thing to add to my list:

--Be able to look at the night sky and know what I'm seeing (aka know some constellations...isn't the universe cool?)

A Slow Sunday Night

A few additions to my list of things I want to do:
--Learn to take a compliment
--Lean to say no when I really should and yes when I really can
--Learn to keep in touch w/ ppl/friends from far away (I suck at this right now!)
--Learn to be still
--Learn to really listen
--Learn to look outside myself
--Grow in my faith in Christ--beyond my childlike faith dependant on outside observers and reinforcements to an inner gut-deep relationship w/ God--that he'd dwell in my MIND as well as my heart--that he'd be there in my everyday decisions, not just when I'm in crisis
--Never forget the value of good friends and pointless fun
--Don't dismiss the idea that some of my friends aren't Christians, but grieve for them that they don't know the love of God--especially those who need love the most
--Pray more
--Enjoy the short-term things even if they don't have long-term benefits

Okay...so some of those are less things you do than states of mind to achieve, but that's what was on my heart tonight.