Susie's Leaning Tower of Chocolate for 2002 September

I love having church at 9AM. I feel so much more productive. Kyra has been in bed almost the entire day, I hope she's feeling ok. I read a lot after church, and took a nap, went for a walk with Julie and we sang with Carrie's keyboard. I went to get set apart for a calling I got called to six weeks ago, and instead, they gave me a new calling which I am excited about. I suspect, from what John was saying about the leadership meeting yesterday, that my roommates had a role in recommending me for this calling, but I'm ok with it.

Tomorrow Julie and I are going tubing with a bunch of people from the ward. I've never been tubing before- it's going to be fun!

Well, tubing was an adventure. We actually ended up renting a raft which none of us could maneuver very well. We had several incidents with tree branches during which we screamed like girls, got scraped, squished into the bottom of the boat, and jumped off. Actually, Heather was the only one to jump off, but it was either that or lose an eye. It was really funny to see nine girls hiding in the boat rather than just paddling to get away from the dang tree.

Tonight we are, apparently, having 213 over to dinner. mmm, food. Three hours on the Provo River made me pretty hungry.

School starts tomorrow. We're all at least as excited as we are dreading it. Breaks are nice but somewhat boring. I am a little worried about my schedule working out, especially since I'm going to be attending two sections of the same class until IS hires me (I don't want to have a 9AM class if I don't have to).

Emily is in my ward now. She went on the rafting trip today and we spoke in Romanian a little. About not having enough money to go back to Romania. At dinner someone asked me if I had lived in France and then Chris (Carrie's... friend) and I had a conversation about the few good things about Paris. Carrie has a keyboard. You'd think I'd be ok at keyboarding after doing it so much in the Iasi Branch, but apparently, it's not so. However, it's nice to fool around on once in a while.

We're getting ready for an early night (and an early morning tomorrow since I have to go find add cards and figure out my scholarship and other such long-line-waiting-in activities). I'm really excited for all my new classes and hopefully a new job.

Bleh. My schedule is a mess. Hopefully tomorrow I can get the correct things added and dropped (that shouldn't be a problem). The problem lies with the job I don't have to plan a schedule around. How annoying.

This is hilarious. Nathan and I went to ColdStone tonight, it was really yummy and I needed some ice cream. Also, Michelle came over to see me, yay! I gave her the postcard Doinita sent for her and she felt so special. It was really cute.

Lots of quotes from our new apartment. Don't have the papers so I'll just type what I remember... Julie: I feel like an ostrich... Julie, pretending to attend the dance class she accidentally signed up for: My name is Julio, and I am a man... Susie (Kyra thought this was hilarious): It's a good thing we moved our beds the way they are, because I'm not about to get outta bed to wake you up. I can just roll over and kick you in the head...

The other day I picked up (and read) a book called StarGirl, by Jerry Spinelli, which was sitting on our kitchen table. It was really cute, I recommend it for light reading (it took me less than two hours, and I was talking the whole time).

More Quotes... Kyra: I seriously don't know how it's possible to go through toilet paper that fast. Either someone is using too much or they are drinking way too much water... Julie: I'm going to make a hot dog. Do you want to watch me make one?... Shawna: Julie and I are tight like unto a soapdish (see Ether 2:17 and also this)... Julie: You know what's better than kisses? Well, I've never been kissed, but truffles... Carrie, on her almost-boyfriend: Yeah, he's pretty tall. I look like a keychain hanging out of his pocket... David: Yeah, he's 26 and he spends all day over at his parents' house. Susie: No wonder he's not married yet... Carrie: Our kitchen is disgusting! If cleanliness is next to godliness, we're all going straight to hell... Tom, Kristen's almost-fiance: I was really sad when I realized words don't rhyme in sign-language... We also had a lot of quotes about how Carrie didn't want to take a shower today.

In English 315 I met a girl who just got back from Romania and worked at Section 2 (for my unique thing I said I had a broken bone in my skull and then I had to explain that). My 487 (research and evaluation) professor wouldn't sign my add card! I'm supposed to "make a case" to the department chair (a case as in I need it to graduate). Grr. I really am going to die this semester. The world religions class I went to today was better than yesterdays. The professor sounds like Sean Connery. What am I going to do!!!!!????

My scheduling problems are somewhat lessening. I am now registered for two horrible classes (Advanced Writing in the Social Sciences and Assessment in Therapeutic Recreation), and two fun ones (Flexibility and Program Management with Dr. Palmer who is SO FUNNY!) and I have to still register for one even horribler one (Research and Evaluation-- I still don't know if they're going to let me in!!!) and one AWESOME one (Outdoor Therapeutic Recreation Skills, and my add card is signed).

I am sooo excited for this last class. We had our one and only lecture today (and it was 50% dodgeball) and our other classes are as follows: Ropes Course, Water Skiing, Wheelchair Sports Night (with Paraolympic athletes who are going to kick our trash), Sled Hockey, Spelunking (!!!), Therapeutic Riding, and Skiing. Then we turn in a four page paper. Is this the coolest class or what??? And there's not even a fee!!! YAY!!!! Of course, all this stuff is done with adaptive recreation equipment, except for spelunking when we pretend to be behavior disordered youth (real stretch of the imagination). I'm so excited!

Of course the rest of my classes pretty much suck. I found an alternative (there's only one) if I can't get into Research and Evaluation, but it's Public Management and Finance, which doesn't appeal any more. I get to go water skiing on my birthday!!

Well I couldn't get into my research class, so that required a bit more rearranging, but my public finance administration (what the heck is that???) professor was way nice, and now I just have to weasel my way into a different English section. *whew* My flexibility class was pretty fun. Lots of stretching.

Today I saw a million people on-campus, including Heather Mitchell, Shelley and her sister and Tara (Cami's twin sister and another old roommate), with baby and husband in tow.

Also, KIRIN!!! yay! She came over, back from Italy and looking way hot, and we had girl talk and then made peanut butter Hershey kiss cookies with Nate. Nate: Hai la mine, kisses!

Today I saw Kelinda, and I got to look at Tara's Section 2 pictures from this summer! The kids are so cute, and I found out that two of my kids got moved downstairs (a way good thing). A lot of the kids, including my little headbonker, look a lot happier than they did when I was there, which is excellent. Yay! I was going to go swimming today, but it's rainy. Oh yeah, still not in an acceptable English class, but I have a couple options *bleh*

It's 700 and I haven't been exactly productive today. I got up at 9 which is really early considering what time I went to bed, and we cleaned the apartment. I did a few things but not really enough to account for it being 700. I just got back from Sara's friend's house; they have an adorable little kitty and it was nice little walk. I think I'm hanging out with Shelley and Nate tonight but who knows what we're going to be doing.

Susie is pretending to be on a cooking show while cooking Pasta Roni. Kyra: They don't really make things out of boxes on cooking shows... In my defense, I was only pretending to be on a cooking show because two people were staring at me... Sara's brother: There is a definite lack of testosterone here at BYU.

Had a good night sitting around doing pretty much nothing. I am sooo tired from my lack of sleep last night, but hopefully I will be able to sleep better tonight. Except that I have to get up early for church- starting next week I'll have to get up even earlier to go to ward council before church. Bleh.

President Wilde, in Sacrament Meeting: I could easily tell this was a ward for fun. Most of us wear shoes like these (holds up his shoe) to church. But your Bishop is wearing sandals...

Today I got set apart as the co-chair for the Temple and Family History Council. Yay! I get to teach a Family History class once a month or so, and go to ward council at 8AM every Sunday. I'm really excited. There's a CES fireside tonight, yay I love Pres. Faust.

Today I saw Brother Nelson while wandering through the throng of students on the few open walkways. I hadn't seen him since he came to visit us in Romania. Then, while I was waiting for my Public Finance class to start, I looked up and saw Dave Matkin talking to a professor who looked vaguely familiar. Five minutes later Dave came back in to say hi and asked if I knew that professor. I said he looked familiar and he said he used to work for the distric attorney or something in Bakersfield. Then I remembered that it was President Rodriguez, who once called me to ask permission to use a letter I wrote President Speirs in Stake Conference. Interesting. We had a quote about it, Kirin: See? And you thought you were going to be excommunicated.

I called the Health Center to make an appointment to get my head checked out. When there were no acceptable appointments within the next two days the lady asked if I wanted to go to Urgent Care. I said "My head has been hurting for six months, I think I'll be ok."

I just sent a resume to one of my Provo School District contacts for a job with her after-school program. She's the first person I've gotten ahold of who's hiring. I think I have a pretty good chance except that I don't speak Spanish.

For RMYL 223R we are going to the ropes course. It's all cold, wet, and rainy outside, but apparently we're going anyway. Yay!

Went to the Health Center today. Saw Stacy, who assures me I will be recieving an invitation shortly. After looking at my x-rays, the doctor said there was no question my sinus was damaged but he doesn't think that's what's causing my headaches. I don't care, as long as it goes away.

Bought another book I couldn't afford today. grr to textbooks.

Last night was the infamous Fall Fling. I went with Julie and Nathan and we later met up with Kyra and her friend David. We didn't actually do anything, but I had fun just wandering around talking.

Slept in today for the first time in a few weeks. Mostly we are sitting around doing homework and cleaning checks, same as every Saturday. The drugs the doctor gave me on Thursday are making me sick, hyper and shaky.

Today I got two boxes from my mommy filled with presents! yay! 21 presents for my 21st birthday but I can't open them until Wednesday. After much shaking and prodding, Kyra hid them away from me. Carrie, Kyra and Julie are all piled into my bed (I have a feather bed, I think that's the attraction). Carrie: No, the attraction is completely between us.

My Financial Management Professor: I'm sorry if any of your parents are actively involved in the fight against flouride... So you now know I'm a flaming liberal; I'm for flouride and I'm for public schools.

I have a job interview at Provost Elementary tomorrow. I sure hope I get it. I returned one of my textbooks today because I realized that by the time I bought the book we were already supposed to have read half of it (the only half we have to read at all). Waste of $70, I thought, and then returned it.

Sandra Day O'Conner is speaking at our Forum next week. This week it's the Dance Department, rather unimpressive on our 9-inch TV screen.

Job interview went very well. She called Melanie, my boss at Sunset View, who said she'd have rehired me. That sounded like good news. I won't know for at least a few days but I think I have an excellent chance at this job.

There has been talk of going to Ben and Jerry's to get a Ver-monster for a yayforsusiebeingborn party. Yay! I love ice cream! I really wish tomorrow weren't going to be such a long long day. I need a nap.

We (me and my roommates) are singing in church on October 13. We're singing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" in English, Romanian, French, Spanish and ASL. It's going to be awesome.

We are all sick from eating so much ice cream. We ate the whoooole thing with six people. It was really fun. I love my roommates. I am about to turn 21 in one minute. yay! Tomorrow is going to be a super long day. I will be on campus from 9-2 and then I have my rec class from 4-930 or so. bleh. oh well! happy birthday to me!

I have had a great 21st birthday. *swats at a fruit fly* I got to ride a horse (it was a lot scarier than I expected it to be). I got kisses (the chocolate kind, much to my roommates' dismay I'm sure). I got lots of cool and useful stuff from my mommy. I got a "Christmas tree". I got The Te of Piglet in the mail from Rachel, who also called me (yay!). I did not get: a long enough nap; enough hugs; enough human interaction; warm enough at any point during the entire day.

I am now going to snuggle into my bed with my Book of Mormon and my piglet pillow and remember to pray for, among other things, the death of the fruit flies in our house and no quiz on the 471 readings I haven't done.

Financial Management Prof.: There's not a whole lot of avacado pleasure seeping out... Imitating a Mastercard commercial: Bombs, a few lives, some planes here and there: $200 Billion. Life without Saddam Hussein: priceless.

Julie, on my "birthday present": We can't cancel now! We already paid!

All of my birthday cards have animals on them; do you think that means something?

- Somehow, I just noticed that I have an assignment due in my 1000 class. I turned my computer on to do it, but the last one took me an hour and I'd get a better grade turning it in late than writing it in 10 minutes. Plus I didn't exactly do the reading.

I never had this problem before, but this week I have been turning my alarm off when Kyra's goes off. Today she even told me to turn it back on and it was off when I woke up. Turning my paper in late means extra stairs. Grr.

Laurie: Would I be here holding you in my arms if I didn't love you?

Julie and I have been singing annoying songs for the past couple days (most recently, you are my sunshine and the sun'll come out tomorrow). Yay for belting.

Mark: Morning is relative, it's when you wake up that matters.

Sleep, sleep, clean, homework, clean, homework. I've only been up an hour and a half, but I've done so much!

Julie, while I was helping revise her paper: I love when you read outloud; it sounds so much more stupid... Carrie, who recently started working at Ben and Jerry's: I've had an increase in my sugar intake. I think it's affecting my sanity.

My roommates have begun to call me "mom." Last night I listed off to Nathan all of the mom-ish things I had done. It was quite a list. I love it. I've got the cutest girls to live with. I've also got to get up and go to ward council at 800. bleh.

We went to dinner at Jacinto's today, for my birthday. It was really yummy. I am having a great day =) We're setting off a fruitfly bomb in our apartment while we're at church so who knows when I'll get to come back home. I am also going to Jon and Sharon's with Nathan and Shelley. yay! Eclair cake!

- I finally found a topic for my Empirical Report, the first draft of which is due tomorrow. Yes, I could have started earlier, but Julie was on my computer all night doing her essay at the last minute. Seriously all night, poor girl. Good thing we are such understanding roommates. Kristen was also up late planning material for the freshmen English class she teaches, and then slept through the class. Kyra also slept through a class today, and Carrie is sick.

We're quite a mess over here. I'd say we all need to just go back to bed, but we've all already done that.

- It started off pretty poorly with a parking ticket. Then I spent my entire English class making charts for my empirical report only to have Word crash, and what I could salvage refuse to save on my disk. Then I was late to my next class because I'd been trying to recover my assignment.

My day started looking up with a good quiz score, a nap, and four hours of wheelchair sports. Quad rugby is the awesomest! Now I get to spend time with Nate, yay!

- Yay! I finally got a job. At the Cannon Center. A small step up from the Morris Center. I'm a cook! yay!

I also ran into Becca Not-Mitchell-Anymore in the JKHB and talked with her for a while. It was fun to be all girl-gossipy. I'm sad because I look cute today and I'm not going to see Nathan.

Today was a great day. I was fairly unproductive for a large part of it, but I got to see Nathan. I ran into him on campus and we also got to hang out this evening. Tomorrow: homework, real food, cleaning, to bed early. Right now: as much sleep as possible.

- Good day. Really tired. Really long day tomorrow. I have ward council at 8 and I am working a five hour shift immediately after church. And it's Fast Sunday. bleh

- My first day of work was pretty good. My job is fairly fun and, as long as I don't get stuck doing the same thing for more than half an hour, easy. (My hands started cramping after 45 minutes of slicing pot roast.) I like that I get to wear an apron, and there are substituting opportunities so I can earn enough money to pay my own bills (eventually).

Things are going well on the Temple and Family History Council. Our temple prep class started yesterday; it was well attended, and the part of church I was most awake for. We are geting all of our projects off to a good start.

- First thing today was a presentation in my English class. I gave a short lesson on parentheses, elipses, and brackets and then handed out candy. I'm usually late to my 1100 class anyway, but today I ran into Becky Not-Schmidt-Anymore and her husband Nate; Laurel (177) and her sister; John; and someone else I forgot.

My friend Alessandra came up to me after our programming class and asked if I'd gotten her email and did I want to do our budget reading assignment with her and Kirsten, because it's like 600 pages. No, I think I'm going to go home. No, Susie, it really is 600 pages. It really is 600 pages. The three of us spent an hour trying to decipher the professor's questions and then trying to answer them. Unbelievably, we are more than halfway done. I can't imagine trying to do that on my own.

I am now prepared to do all of the assignments I have due within the next week. We don't have Finance this week, so that gives me lots of extra time. I am all movtivated to use it wisely (after my nap). First I must eat french fries to counteract the Hershey's kisses I just had for lunch. *college students*