*Zonk*

Dave: I know that I could never be gay--my gag reflex kicks in even when I brush my teeth.
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How does this happen?!

Quotelicious

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Mary: The tickets were $45 apiece, not to mention gas, and I think he must've paid around $60 for dinner. After all that, I guess he should've gotten sex out of it or something.
Me: Oh my God.
Mary: Hey, he doesn't get it free anymore!

Sunday with a sleep eye

I think I should recap the weekend, for it was an awesome one after all.

Thursday Jillian, Tim and I went out to see Fun with Dick and Jane, then afterwards Jillian and I hung out at her place until Jeebs got out of work (Best Buy is about five minutes away). Meeting her dog was an interesting experience: he didn't pee on me when I pet him! Such a novel concept. Colby has conditioned me so well.

Friday I got out of work and went on a double date with Jillian and her boyfriend Chris, who is a student at Northern Michigan University. His hockey team was playing the Broncos that night, so we all went to the game. I felt a little bad for him... I don't think he was expecting our fans to be so brutal. ^_^ It was the first time I'd met him though and he seemed very very nice. We ended up creaming Northern, and that was very very nice too. :D

Saturday Dave and Chuck had invited Mike to go target shooting with them, so he and I got up early and drove over to Battle Creek. The boys left with their guns and Kate and I hit the mall. We actually spent most of our shopping time in the jewelry stores drooling into the cases and trying on engagement rings (hey, it's always fun). We went to the mall movie theater and saw Nanny McPhee, which I was unsure about beforehand but ended up liking quite a bit by the end. We went back to Dave's house just in time to eat some dinner, then played pool (they have a pool table! *jealous*), and laughed for hours. Mike and I finally made it back home a little before midnight.

What I really love about Dave and Chuck (something that Mike brought to my attention) is that they've known each other their whole lives, yet when Mike started to hang out with them they treated him as if he'd been there all along as well. What's even more surprising about the situation is that because we're with people who do the same exact things we do, he and I don't need to hold hands the whole time, or constantly be near one another. The need for protection doesn't exist, and the whole social routine has relaxed. It's hard to explain what I mean here, but it's even harder to explain what it means to me. I just love it, and I hope I never have to revert back to the past again.

For today, anatomy, anatomy, and more anatomy. Happy Sunday. :)

There's Nothing Like Pharmacy Humor

Today at the pharmacy...

Nancy: Oh good! I'm glad you're here. Can you show me one of our Trojan Magnum condoms?
Me: Sure. *Gets one*
Nancy: Oh wow. So that's what the extra large ones look like.
Me: Yep.
Nancy: These must be for guys with big heads.

Excerpt from OneNote

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"He has created a place within me where he remains constantly, even in these moments when I feel alone and lost and sad… and it is in this place that only he can hurt me."

--Me (July 2005)

More Randomness--just in case you didn't get enough

Your Birthdate: July 5

Well now you know. Write it in your calenders bitches, only 162 shopping days left.

Hotdog Queen

If Mike didn't exist I would find this guy and marry him. Why you ask? Pfft, like I'd tell you. Mwaha.

My ab-roller makes my shoulders hurt. I take this as a sign that I'm doing it completely wrong, but perhaps I just have a killer torso and noodle arms--that wouldn't surprise me at all.

I love Tums. How dumb is that? They're so much like candy I could eat the whole bottle if I were starving. In fact, I'd eat the Tums for nourishment long before I'd eat the Ramen. Loooooong before.

That is all. Pippy-pip!

What Moves You?

" When the broken hearts are mended and the many tears are dried, you learn. When you're over the old boyfriends and girlfriends and you realize you can live without your frist love, you learn. You see that the world doesn't just end because you think it will, and that sometimes growing up means letting go. You learn what real love is, and you begin to see that one friend who really cares about you is better than a hundred friends who don't. You learn you can be strong, take each day step-by-step, and survive every sad moment. So feel the pain, cry the tears, go out and experience life. But when you're at the end of your rope and you're ready to jump off that ledge, remember that heartache fades, pain subsides, and though life seems at times too tough to handle, it's also too precious a gift to waste. So keep living, never give up, and remember: you learn. "
---------------Compliments of Paperheart (aka Becky)

I had a dream last night that I got my letter back from Ferris which said I'd been accepted. I think it was probably the best dream I've had in a long time.... but then I woke up and it was a friggin' dream. So I got up and ate a doughnut.

Friggin'.

In many ways I can't wait to go to pharmacy school. All the Ferris students that come through Sindecuse tell me that it's the hardest thing they've ever done (though more than worth it), but just the thought of getting it started and someday getting my degree (*gasp!* there's an end to school?) is such a powerful desire in me. I feel sometimes as if my life is just sitting on go, waiting for all this to get over with. My engines are revving and I'm ready to peel away, but it's just not time for the race to start yet. WMU has been a mere middlestone to where I'm supposed to be, though I understand what my purpose has been in coming here. Now I'm on the verge of achieving a dream every advisor has told me I will fall short of. But if I fail I'll try again, and again, and agian, because I just don't know how to quit this. I've never known how to quit what I love.

Spring will come, and I'll get the letter. And no matter what it says, I already have everything I need to do what needs to be done. I do this for me, for my parents, for you, and for the future that keeps me trying everyday. And if love is what motivates me to stretch to my greatest potential, then I dare someone to laugh at that. Afterall... what moves you?

Quote of the Day

Cindy: Amy just loves you. She thinks you're God you know.
Mom: Yeah well, can she pay God a little bit more?
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Parakeets, Best Friends, and My Knitting Mentor

!!PHOTOS!! I know, I know. It's becoming routine. Deal. :-P

The birds' wings have grown back finally (the last time I clipped them was last spring), which means Mike now has several new ways to torture them. His favorite is taking them into the hallway, shutting all the doors, and seeing if they can make it back to their cage. They've actually gotten quite good at it. But I always feel slightly insulted whenever Napoleon tries to fly out the sliding glass doors. I mean I laugh when he smacks into the glass, but geez, I treat him like gold why would he want to escape? I blame this on Jeeber.

I love my Anatomy and Biochem classes so far. Biochem takes everything I've learned in science and combines it, and suddenly everything makes sense. I realize why I had to memorize the 20 amino acids, and why I studied all those organic structures of molecules. There was a purpose--and here it is. In fact, over the course of the past year, I've really come to appreciate science more in general. A lot of it has to do with my professors, a lot of it has to do with my job, but I think most I owe to Shruti. She offered me a glimpse (through a microscope, if you will ^_^) that I hadn't been able to see clearly before.

I'm pretty sure I'd like to go to Chicago for spring break. No solid plans yet, but Beth and I have discussed it quite a bit and I think it would be a lot of fun. I've only seen the art museum there before and there's so much more to see. Not to mention I miss Beth and Matt like crazy--and for some reason this feeling has been intensified greatly since she called me to tell me they were engaged. Suddenly I've been reminded of double dating, deep-dish pizza, fireworks, shopping for baby clothes (for the babies we don't have), and roasting hot dogs over a campfire. I think back to the first time the two of them met Mike, and how everything just clicked--like he was the final piece to a perfect puzzle. And recently, for the very first time, it has occured to me that she will always be in my life.

I miss my mom a lot too. I've been knitting this scarf and every time I pick up my needles I think about her. She's taught me most of the great things I've ever learned, and I hate the distance. There's always been a raging war between distance and I--though I've begun to win the battles more and more. Perhaps by the time I go to pharmacy school (and if Mike has to move away for a good teaching job), it won't even be that difficult to cope anymore. But at this point, I still severely doubt that.

For now though, it's time to enjoy the weekend. :)

Lab Woes

What could possibly be worse than Biochem Lab? If you guessed nothing, you win the prize!!

Yep, first day of biochem lab was today. Obviously. We have to work in partners, which I happen to like when it comes to labs because the experiment gets done loads faster that way. But naturally our TA picked random partners for us to work with--none of that pick-your-friend nonsense. *sigh* Apparently receiveing an education at WMU must be expensive as well as unsocial.

Anyway, my lab partner had the stomach flu so she did absolutely nothing constructive except write down the results I got by myself, all while running periodically out of the room to puke every five or ten minutes. I did feel really bad for her, and she kept apologizing over and over. But man, it's just my luck.

The All-knowing Jeeber brought a random WMU fact to my attention yesterday: at the time of its establishment (in 1903), the cost of one semester worth of tuition was.... drumroll please.... three dollars. Yes three. Multiply that by about 4,000 and you almost get what I have to pay today. Talk about inflation.

Sometimes it occurs to me that perhaps I need to think about the future less often. It would, of course, be stupid to never think of it, but this whole paranoia that I won't get into pharmacy school next year and then I'll have to wait another year to get in which would mean five more years of school instead of four and I'd be twenty-six before I even got out of college and moved into a house and got married and.... well, you see what I mean. I stress over it, and then I start to doubt my own abilities to cope. I did my best with the pharmacy school thing. I studied hard for the PCAT and took it. My GPA is good. My application was turned in weeks and weeks ahead of time. If I don't get in I'll try again.

But the bottom line is I need to stop thinking about this crap. I need to just enjoy myself (while keeping up the good work of course) and go with the flow. I've made it through difficult situations before, and I've gotten up each time I've fallen. Besides, if I worry over not getting it, or losing it, then before I know it it will be gone.

It's time to enjoy it--in the here and now.

And From Two Became One...

The weekend was good--I got to relax and spend some quality time with good friends. I could get used to three days instead of two, but all good things must come to an end.

One of my best friends (Beth) called me tonight to tell me that her boyfriend, Matt, asked her to marry him today. I could hear her smile even miles away through the sound of her voice, and I was so happy for her. I felt myself undergo a series of different emotions that I find difficult to explain--from surprised, to happy, to envious. It will be quite a while before I'm anywhere near the point in my life when marriage will be appropriate. So many years of school left; so much to do before it could happen. Had it been a different time I would've married Mike a year ago... but it's not a different time. It's this time, and because it is, it will just have to wait, no matter how sure I am of my choice. Finding someone you want to grow old with isn't something I'm in any mind to screw up by jumping in before I'm ready to swim. I know I want Mike, but I have him, and for now this is all I could ever need. Life is full of baby steps--we'll have plenty of opportunities to take the leap.

Yet I can't help sometimes but look at him and realize what I've found in him. It's a feeling only I can ever truly understand.

More Visuals!

Another update to my photo page! This one significantly larger than the last. Most of them are completely random and were taken over the course of the last year and a half. Some just crack me up, and a few others bring back very, very fond memories. You can check them out by using the Flickrbadge on the right side of the screen--have a look!

Not much else to report. This week has turned out remarkably well. I'm liking all my classes, I'm getting lots of hours at work, and there's still plenty of time for me and the things (and people) I love. I'm finally learning to roll with the punches and not get lost in the drama of it all. Life is far too short to not enjoy.

Not to mention tomorrow is Friday--kick ass.

Molecules and the Abdominal Cavity

-----------Quote of the Day:
Stapleton: "By the time this semester is over you will have an intimate relationship with molecules."

Lord. Isn't the relationship I have with them now good enough?

I had the last of my new classes today. My schedule is actually pretty well organized: Mon/Wed/Fri are nothing but science (Anatomy and Biochemistry w/labs), and T/Thr is everything else (Women's Studies and Religions of the World). I guess I've been in college long enough to admit that I'm noticing a pattern in my own learning preferences. For instance, I enjoyed my science classes significantly more than I did my gen. eds. I guess part of it has to do with my major being science and me wanting to deal with it for the rest of my life, but another big part is that gen. eds just scare the crap out of me.

Yes yes, you heard me right. I tremble at the thought.

I'd rather have a science professor stand in front of me and tell me all the horrible words I'll have to memorize, all the endless chapters I'll have to read, and all the sleepless nights I'll spend studying... then have to deal with a gen. ed. Why? Because I'm not afraid of science classes anymore. I know I have to work my ass off. I know most of my free time will be spent reading a book I paid way too much money for. I'm ready.

Gen. ed. courses are different. You have to write a load of papers, give oral presentations, take dozens of annoying quizzes, and worst of all.... group projects. I don't think there's anything in the world I dread more than group projects. If I were more like the average person I might see the good in them--after all, group projects mean more people to divide the work up. But my problem is that I always end up stuck with people who don't know how to work. Or who, at the very least, don't know how to do quality work. Work that might get them higher than a C. I just don't handle very well the thought of other people participating in the grade I will eventually get in a class. *shudder*

That aside, I think I'll enjoy this semester. Or at least until the homework starts. For now though, I'm going to be completely lazy and eat chicken wings. Mmm.

"Sindecuse Pharmacy, this is Amanda"

Today was my first day back at work. The pharmacy was without my co-worker Mike and I for the past two and a half weeks, and needless to say, it was hectic. Without the two of us to pick up a lot of the gruntwork the others don't have time for, things started to pile up. Although I'm secretly glad that our true worth was revealed in our absence, I sure as hell didn't miss answering the damn phone. I was touched by my superiors' excitement to have us back though...

"The students are back! We don't have to sort through our own tash anymore!"

Ah yes, it's so very good to be needed.

* * * * *

Ask the child why it is born;
Ask the flower why it blossoms;
Ask the sun why it shines.

I love you because I must love you.

~George Upton

Where are we going? And why am I in this handbasket?

Quote of the Day--
Katie: "Aww, they like each other! They can shoot targets while we make wedding notebooks!"
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<--Another photo upload--only a few this time. Here's (of course) an example of the goodness... (Anyone catch the double meaning? Anyone? Good. Mwhahaha)

I had a great time with Kate, Dave, and several of their friends tonight. It's a fun group and we fit together so nicely. When the boys exchanged phone numbers I thought Katie and Kate were going to pee. And I've missed laughing that hard--it's healing.

Christmas and New Years were both wonderful. It was very good to see my family and I got several opportunities to hang out with old high school friends. In fact, I'd have to say without a doubt that this was the most enjoyable break from school I've had yet. Being separated from Mike isn't even that bad anymore--we've done it so many times now that I feel like a pro. Distance makes the heart grow fonder after all; the same is true with my family. I still miss them.

I think I've made some very good New Years resolutions. 2005 had it's ups and downs, but I've got a feeling '06 will be even better. And to cap off the last Saturday night before the semester begins, I think War of the Worlds is in order. :)

O man I'm crackin' up already

Geez, no internet for two weeks... so behind!! Actually no, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. When one is without evolved technology, one rediscovers that kick-ass social life that one has. Who knew? Christmas break OMG!!! So many times I heard something hilarious that I just couldn't stand but quote in here, but of course I couldn't. O what a world. I'd love to devulge my great winter break adventures, but alas, I've got way better things to do. Like um, catch up on Jeeber.

Ketchup on Jeeber. *giggles* No I'm totally kidding. But maybe mustard.

Until later, pippy-pip and all that wot!!