I didn't want to go to class anyway

Last week I was sitting in my kitchen talking to my friend and fellow senior about the last year of school. Really doesn't seem neccessary at this point. I vaguely remember saying I didn't want to finish this year. Apparently someone took me a little too seriously.

Every semester since coming to WSU I've received a scholarship that pays for most of school. Every semester this scholarship comes in right before the school deadline, so every semester I get a nasty email threatening to cancel my registration unless I pay in full. So I send back a polite email saying my scholarship is coming in, they can check my records, and then I will gladly pay the balance once all that is settled. Every semester the scholarship shows up, I pay, I go to class.
End of story.

Last week I got the nasty, threatening email. Last week I responded politely promising the scholarship was going to show up. Have I mentioned that we do this every semester?

Apparently this year something changed. I have a suspicion school started even earlier this fall, and my scholarship goes by a set calendar. I'm pretty sure WSU moved up their deadline, cause I got an even nastier email this afternoon.

Hi, this email is to inform you that you are nolonger a student at WSU. Your registration has been cancelled and you nolonger have to pay for your classes, as you aren't enrolled and will not graduate. You can, however, pay $500 for that laptop you never wanted since you already owned one. Yes, we are sending this email out 30 minutes before the business office closes so there is very little chance you will be able to do anything about this until after work and class and various appointments tomorrow. Have a good day.

WSU account services and I are going to have a little chat tomorrow. I'm going in armed with printed emails and documentation of said scholarship. And a little red-head fury. This might not be pretty. Be forewarned, account services.

The Fourth Tenor

It turned out to be a dark, chilly evening. My house was quiet and I was sleepy and pensive. This combination is perfect for cuddling under blankets in sweatpants with an eclectic collection of opera on itunes with my leather bound journal and a lot of blank pages in front of me.

Even better with a soy latte, but I hope to be asleep soon. Journaling is always therapeutic for me, and there's been a lot on my mind about my future as of late. But the opera got the better of me tonight.

Andrea Bocelli made me cry. This man is amazing. If nothing else, just listen to Canto Della Terra once. If it doesn't touch your soul, please, carry on with your life as usual. But give the blind tuscan a chance. He was once called "the most beautiful voice in the world", and I believe it. According to my sources at itunes, Andrea was a disciple of Pavarotti and I don't know what else you could ask for from an Italian tenor.

I may be partial to tenors 'cause my Daddy is a tenor and he sang a lot of Pavarotti and John Denver in his pickup truck when I was little. I also happen to be partial to Italian because I once sang an Italian aria, and all the best things come from Italy. Espresso, leather shoes, opera. And now Andrea Bocelli.

Here we are again

Tomorrow is the first day of class. My last first day of class, presumably. With this comes a variety of thoughts and feelings which are about to be puked up onto paper (or screen, in this case) for anyone who cares to read. Or maybe it's just for myself.
Don't be offended, it's not your blog.

Thought 1: my god I can't wait to be done with school.

Thought 2: holy crap what am I going to do with my life next year?

Thought 7: these 13 credits better all be slacker classes.

Thought 19: I probably won't go to class anyway.

Thought 6: I need to figure out my Spring semester internship.

Thought 4: good thing atleast one of my prof's is a regular at my coffee shop, I can bribe her with her 16oz skinny mocha with whip.

Thought 10: Working at 5:30am is going to get really old about 3 weeks into school.

Thought 22: I'm so sick of this town.

Thought 82: I'm almost ready to move back home to take advantage of that it's-still-okay-to-mooch-off-the-rents stage of life for a while longer.

Thought 54: I need to enjoy this last year of no real responsibilities or occupations.

Thought 3: I never want a real career.

Thought 72: Becoming an activist and waiting tables on the side to pay a couple bills sounds very appealing.

Thought 8: School starting = fall = colder weather coming. Move south ASAP.

Thought 15: There goes all my free time.

Thought 68: What's the best way to avoid all the drama this school year (returning students) are guaranteed to bring?

Thought 87: I have no books for this semester. I wonder if that will be a problem?

Thought 87.5: How did I ever end up on the Dean's list?

Thought 63: I really really hate class. Don't go.

But really, for as much as I don't enjoy school, there is something special about fall. It's nice to have a little more life in this town, even if the freshman are obnoxious. The rain is peaceful when you don't have to walk too far in it. The leaves are going to change and the bluffs will be beautiful. It makes me want to send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils.

Oh Freshmen

It's been said that you can get college students to do anything if you promise them a free t-shirt. My life is a pretty good example of that. I love free t-shirts. I also really like free food. This tempting combination led to me signing up to be on the Welcome Crew for incoming freshmen.

Turns out the majority of my friends do not find the free t-shirt idea as undeniably fantastic as I do. They thought I was crazy. My sceptical roommate went so far to suggest that I didn't seem the welcome crew type. Not that I was a mean person, per say, just not the bubbly welcome-to-campus-we're-so-excited-you're-here type. I said I could be when I wanted to be. I just usually don't want to be. But there was a free t-shirt involved, guys.

So yesterday we started the 8 hours of freshmen, freshmen's parents, freshmen's little siblings, and carloads and carloads of really pink dorm decorations streaming into town from every direction. I wound up being traffic control infront of the main girl's dorm. I have never seen so much hot pink in one place at a time. It was a little sickening. I could also direct you to West Campus in my sleep. No, the direction you're heading would be East. Turn around and find Broadway. And for God's sake, stop turning into the one-way at the exit.

But I got to wear a fluorescent yellow vest. It was sexy, you would have liked it. And I had a walkie-talkie, which made me feel pretty important. And don't forget the free t-shirt.

So I was pretty much a pro at the traffic control thing. Once in a while I helped move boxes upstairs. The elevator lines got pretty long (who builds a dorm with 13 floors? really, guys?) so I had some overly-eager girls hauling boxes up the stairs to the 7th and 10th floors. Good for them, but I only lasted a few trips up that many flights of stairs, and then returned to my true calling as traffic control.

I did have some interesting conversation with parents. Parents who were sad but excited to send off their only child to college, parents who wished all the kids were out of the house, parents who were nice and parents who yelled alot. Parents who brought three cars or rented U-hauls for all their kid's crap. The night before all this excitement I was remembering my own freshman move-in day. Granted it was a different school in a different state in a different universe, but I could remember how scary and crazy it all was. I found myself getting nervous for the freshmen. And then I had parents asking me about school and my experience. And if I was a sophomore. Nope, I'm a senior this year. Yes, I am graduating in the spring.

Wait, what?

Holy cow. Let's not think about that. I think I'll go back out to the street corner and point cars to Broadway and explain how to get to Target and show them where to park. Unloading only here, folks. I think I'll keep standing out here for 4 more hours and get really sunburnt so the next morning when I wake up my face will be more red than my hair. Awesome.

Did I mention I got a free t-shirt for all this excitement?

I Left my Heart....

It's back, folks, and it's bad. Maybe it has something to do with moving 6 times in 10 years, maybe it's inherited from a Dad who really loves roadtrips, or maybe I just always want to be somewhere I'm not, but I've got the travel bug.

It's not like I haven't gone anywhere in awhile. In March I was in Nashville, May was Seattle, June was Spain, and tomorrow I'm headed off to Chicago. Sidetrips like Duluth last week and Madison next month hardly count, though I suppose an amateur might consider them roadtrips.

Where I really want to go is San Francisco. I search for cheap flights every couple weeks and it doesn't help that they aren't too expensive next month. I went once in 2004 and and went back in 2008, and I've never recovered. It's true what they say. I left my heart there. I love everything about the City. The diversity, the history, the cultures, the pacific coast, the bridge, the trolley cars, the hippies and hipsters and homeless people, the art scene, the hills, Philz coffee, the activists, the stories, and all the social movements that stem from this city. It's incredible. Throw in a couple hundred songs about the city, burn a cd and get in your car. Let's go.

A week in my life

Isn't summer glorious? The sunshine, the free time, the reunions and sunny drives. The only reason I'm looking forward to fall and school is the fact that other people will actually reside in Winona and not just be here for a few days at a time.

Let me take a moment to fill you in on the last ten days of my life:

The day after we returned from the cabin retreat my family got some new family pictures taken. Aren't we fabulous?

We figured the most recent family photos were all centered around lovey-dovey couples in poofy white dresses and tuxes. Even those are dated and God knows I'm not about to create that cause for celebration anytime soon. Thanks, Jorgen, for putting up with my family for the evening and taking some great photos.

Two days after my weekend at the cabin I jumped in the car with my two favorite travel buddies and headed up to Duluth to meet up with two more of my favorite people.

Let me introduce you to the Library Club!

Five best friends from highschool, some from long before, (six when Cindy can get off work and join us) who live miles apart but still have way too much fun when we get together. We've changed quite a bit since we used to escape to the church library to talk and cry and be typical highschoolers, but I swear we love eachother more every time we get together.

This particular reunion involved picnics, exploring the shore of Lake Superior, illegal bonfires, Scary Mary, movies, and ending up on the wrong side of the fence.

And what would a Library Club reunion be without Scattergories?

Thursday launched three days of wedding prep/celebration. Beth and I have been best friends since middle school and college roomies for two years. Her wedding was gorgeous and so was she. I didn't take many pictures since I had other responsibilities that day, but it was lots of fun. Congrats you two!

Lots of hairspray and bobby pins have served me well for the last two days, but I'm starting to feel like I have dreds, so I think it's about time to wash these curls right outa my hair.