We interrupt this program to issue a retraction.

I'm single again. Decided I needed to get my priorities straightened out and stay focused on my work for now. Dennis is cool with it. In fact, he suggested that I mull it over. We're still friends and he's gonna move the furniture back to its original position. He hurt himself too much with the temporary arrangement, anyway.
So I welcome myself back to the land of sanity! Or at least my personal brand of sanity...

Ride it out...

Hello, lovelies!
The hurricane came and went. Didn't do any major damage here, but I'll tell you guys how it went.
At lunchtime the wind was starting to pick up a little and the rain turned from mist to a steady shower. Sustained force, but not too strong, and not much gusting. By 5 there were sheets of rain and stronger wind. Low-lying areas were flooded, and some car windows had been broken out, whether by wind or flying debris. Still safe enough for people to be outside for short intervals of time. In fact, some guys were doing body-luge down the hills south of Barr Avenue. Dennis and I were watching from the 5th floor balcony with some of the other residents.
Shortly after that it got too windy to stay outside. The eye passed about 20 minutes from here, and we think the storm may have still been a category 1 hurricane when the strongest part hit our area.
After dark, tree branches were starting to break and take out power lines. We saw a few small explosions and some live wires dancing around near Suttle. Didn't regain power until early morning.
Classes and offices have been closed since noon yesterday and should reopen tomorrow morning. Cleanup crews are busy picking up branches around campus, particularly on the west side. There was one pane of glass blown loose in the first-year studio, so there are probably a lot of materials inside that need to be picked up, but again, no major damage.
Overall, it was less dangerous than tornadoes. The wind is pretty evenly spread, but the rain is worse. Plus this is much easier to prepare for than tornadoes.
So here's to Katrina for breaking all or most of the physical records!
Dennis is going to find some way to get back home this weekend to see if his house is still standing, or to help with the cleanup.
Hope everyone else managed to stay reasonably dry. If I hear any whining from Jackson, I'll say you should be beaten with a fish from the Gulf.

Drowning in a parking lot.

Got this in my inbox earlier tonight. Ethernet isn't working in my wing, so if the wireless craps out, I'm not gonna be informed. Technology can suck so bad!

Residents:

The National Weather Service has issued a Hurricane Advisory for the Starkville area beginning on Monday and extending into Tuesday. Hurricane Katrina, a Category 5 Hurricane is expected to make landfall along the Louisiana coast sometime Monday. The Starkville area is expected to be affected between Monday and Tuesday, with hurricane-force wind gusts beginning Monday night through the day on Tuesday as the hurricane moves into Mississippi. We are advising residents to take all necessary precautions in preparation for this storm:

-Please bring all outdoor items indoors by Monday. If high wind gusts are present, outdoor items can become dangerous if they are picked up and carried by wind.
-Please ensure you have flashlights, batteries, water, and ready-made food available in the event of power outages. Please avoid using candles during power outages because they are prohibited.
-If weather conditions become dangerous, please seek shelter indoors, away from windows.
-Use common sense when deciding whether or not to travel in hazardous conditions.
-Stay tuned to local and national weather updates. Remember, hurricanes can produce damaging wind, flooding, and tornados.
-Please remain indoors if debris or downed power lines are present.

If MSU announces closings, it will be posted on the MSU website, but no such announcement has been made at this time. Campus officials will meet on Monday to decide what steps are appropriate in preparation for this storm. Please check the MSU website periodically throughout the day tomorrow for any announcements.

See you guys once we've dried out. I plan to come up Friday night.

If you know, you know. If you don't, I'm not gonna tell you.

Hello, lovelies. Just checking in. They have granted us freedom from the charcoals for a while in studio. Now we get to make models! Woot! So that's what I'll be doing tonight.
I told Dennis I would plug one of our favorite shows to watch. Everyone needs to check out "Scrubs." Now!
Okay, I'm gonna throw on some studio clothes and head over there. Good night!

Everyone bring your box cutters Friday, just in case the lecture starts to run long.

Another $75 sunk in art supplies. I wound up going to the Campus Book Mart. Can't find the Chalet, and frankly, I don't think it really exists.
Hoolay for Friday! I think we're going to put the charcoals down for a little while and start working with cardboard today. It'll be nice to be clean again.
All my books are in for Studio. It's really fun to get packages of any sort down here.
Lost my wireless connection in my room yesterday, and also managed to lock myself out. Dork. Cost me $5 to get back in. :P
Somber note: Thomas Caudill died earlier this week. He graduated from JCM back in the spring.

I was white before I decided to become an architect.

More charcoal drawing yesterday. Some people were fortunate enough to have cameras, so they just took pictures of their subjects and used the zoom feature. Yarr. I was outside from 1-ish to nearly 4. Then it was time to take a break from that confounded wall and do some laundry. It costs $1.50 to dry your clothes here! Insanity!
Anyway. Did that, finished my reading for English, email, supper, bla bla bla...
Went back to the studio to finish shading and highlighting. Must've been there for at least 2 and a half hours. Fortunately Dennis dropped by to see what this crazy profession is all about. Finally finished the sketches and almost died trying to pin them up. My life is an exciting adventure.
Then I just had to go watch Ghostbusters 'til 1 this morning. *sigh* I should know better, especially when I have a class at 8.
Anyway, that's what's been going on. Miss you people!

Thank you, tree, for offering a little relief from the heat. Wait, why am I talking to a tree?

Too hot!!!
I passed out in my room not long after I got back from supper. How I managed to eat food, I may never know.
Anyway, physics this morning went well. The professor seems like a decent fellow. Didn't assign twelve hours' worth of work over the weekend or anything. I did... Wait, I know I did something for the four hours between that and studio...
Probably doesn't matter...
I was alive, I had lunch, I went to studio. They made us go out in the heat to draw. And they laughed, I know it! But I have my desk and most of my supplies, so whee.
And I get to draw for about a billion hours this weekend. :P I'll go shopping when it starts to get hot. Need food...
Don't know if I'll keep the same meal plan next semester. The food's good, but I'm not entirely convinced I'm saving all that much money. Not a particularly big person here.
Enough of this.

I have escaped from the Chicken. Now all I have to worry about are chemical engineers.

Hello, lovelies. Went to class this morning. My English prof seems okay. Not too spacey or anything. And we were fortunate enough to be moved closer to civilization sometime this afternoon. From now on (barring any further adjustments) I'll be on the Quad.
And that was all the academic progress for today. While I was standing in the bookstore, waiting for materials that don't exist, another guy comes up, starts chatting with me, and invites me for coffee at the bakery. I don't drink coffee, but I did accept a cookie. This one's a couple of years older than we are, tall, and likes to cook. He also had a bunch of Family Guy episodes on his PC. Chemistry guy, but not really the scrawny lab type.
So continues my conquest.
Anyway, physics and architectural design tomorrow. With about four hours of dead time in between. College is weird.

Muskadine Ripple. Kinda like strawberry...

Woo and yay! Classes start in the morning! And I now know where the poultry science building is. Basically, I get off the bus at the first stop on Sorority Row and scurry across the street like a squirrel. The bus driver was nice.
Also, Adri called today. *waves to Adri* It was nice to hear someone who wasn't related to me for a change. Hope you like it at Mercer!
They had an ice cream social at the honors dorm tonight. I saw a couple of the guys from the architecture department and met one who is majoring in chemistry. He was amazed out of his mind when I didn't react negatively to the word "chemistry."
The sororities seem to be having some sort of party ... thing. It looks like a freakin' beauty contest, minus the sashes.
Oh, yeah. I also met a guy this morning who lives in my dorm. He's pretty cool. However, he's in ROTC and has to get up for drills at the baseball field at 5:30 every morning. I envy not his schedule. Not bad looking, kinda athletic. It's all good. If nothing else, I can have a friend who doubles as a bodyguard.

Happy things

At noon every day, they play a song on the bell tower. Until yesterday, I haven't been able to identify what it was. But yesterday, they were playing Bridge over Troubled Water. Simon and Garfunkel!!!
I've figured out the meal plan system. Walk in, they put $4.50 into your MoneyMate account, and go eat. If your meal costs less than $4.50, you have extra for later!
There is a William Shakespeare action figure in the bookstore. Complete with quill and parchment. I must get that. Too happy.
3
]:=:P Moose!
3

Quickly! Before my connection tanks!

Hi. Well, I met this guy yesterday. Kinda quirky, but nice. He'll go in the same bin as Winston. Yeah.
I almost cried when I bought my books today. Nearly $300 for English and Physics. And I have to come back for some more Thursday. It hurts.
Anyway, I've been battling the wireless connection in the student union since about 7. Very happy when they have it hooked up in my dorm. :P
Meal plan is working, so that's a plus! :) And I met my Resident Advisor today. Also nice. Lives right across the hall.
Well, just checking in. Hope everyone is well, and not going out of their minds.
Good night!

Is that the bell tower or an ice cream truck?

Hello from the lobby of the student union! I have phone service in my room, but I don't know the number, or even how to dial out of the campus. :P
Anyway, just wanted to say hi and be oh, so happy that I managed to install the weird software from the university's tech website.
Nothing too major has happened, besides the fire alarm in Ruby being pulled when I was out for supper last night. And if anyone wants to see a movie, Sahara is pretty good. Not too much heavy stuff, but a lot of explosions and gunfire.
All for now. Must get my parking decal today. :)
Byebye!

...And now listen, little child, to the safety rail.

Well, wrapping things up before I have to dismantle my computering arrangements for "tha move" tomorrow morning. It's a verb. "Computering."
Adri - I know you probably can't read this from wherever you are, but whenever you can, e-mail me. Also, despite all the random crap I'm taking to school, most of it fits in my car. It's a little freaky...
Heather - The lavender likes sunlight. And it needs a little bit of water every day until it's about two inches tall. Then you can skip a day in between. Don't kill Beth because she's a suspected emo-kid, and if you have any girly complaints in certain other areas, you know where to find me.
Jenn - Have fun in New Orleans. And by fun, I mean things that make you happy, not horrified. Also, find me sometime in Mississippi. Starkville is actually northeast of Jackson... Yeah, I lied earlier.
Miki - Would it help if I told you the fish forgave me for my barbaric behavior last night? No? Good, because I haven't talked to it... Anyway, I'll be surrounded by lots and lots of land. Cows and chickens are not good sporting animals.
Whit - I'm totally with you on Memphis in May... Unless it's during exams. If that's the case, I'm gonna cry. Anyway, have fun!
The Guys - Don't kill each other. I mean it.
Now, I have some little odds and ends that need to go somewhere, and about a zillion songs to load onto the ipod. Enough typing...

I'm way too giggly. What have they put in my drink?

Well, three days and I'll be moving into Ruby Hall. I was actually away from my computer for most of the day yesterday - laundry, packing, fun stuff like that. I thought I was going to completely lose it last night. Squirt went into destructo mode around my seedlings, and I ran around the house trying to find my money and my keys so I could meet Heather at Starbucks. Two perks about dorm life: no toddlers, and there's only a 13' by 20' space where you could possibly put all of your stuff. Way better than trying to remember which room you left something in.
Yeah, so in true Heather-and-Meredith form, we drank some tea and a happy green beverage in the back of her truck in the parking lot until everything except Wal-Mart and Perkins was closed. And then we watched some random thing about Anna Nicole Smith back at Heather's house...
Weird.

I hope to see you guys before I leave! More packing today. :P

Does everyone have their plastic Jesus?

Sorry for the ripping-off-ness, Heather, but since Adri is heading out in the morning, it seemed an appropriate title.
Right, so today was my last Sunday as a full-time resident of J-town. I got to say goodbye to a bunch of the crew from the Warehouse this morning. The Poes got back in town last night, and Becca brought me an Oxford t-shirt. And then she gave me a packet of oatmeal. Supposedly to get me off on the right foot as far as hair-growing is concerned. Straightened (as I discovered this afternoon), it now reaches the bottom of my shouler blades. About the length I'm aiming for when it's curly. So yeah, I'm also well on my way to being able to afford the happy bass pack.

We successfully surprised Adri. There must've been at least a dozen of us piled into her living room when she came home. Lots of reminiscing, including past plays and choral events, all of the science classes with Heather and Whit, and having the "flaming bags of poo" explained in eighth grade. To top it off, the power went out a little before sundown, so those of us remaining sat around in the dark sharing "warm and fuzzies." A very fitting adieu, I think. And then Grant and I were blinded by the chandelier when the power came back. Ouch.

So Adri, have fun, and I hope you have most of what you need, because it would suck to get down there and realize you forgot something essential.
*Hugs*

"Bracelet-gasm" doesn't quite roll off the tongue, but that's what I have.

Heather said I needed to update. Okay.
Um, well, Thursday was the Grand Tour of J-town. That took about four hours, if you include snacking at Seasons. Heather and I shouldn't be turned loose near any vending establishments. We buy crap. Muchly. Seriously, I got three bracelets, a bargain 2-CD set (woo $5), and a Beatles decal. But now my right arm is one color short of being completely rastafarian. Someone get me one of the Livestrong ones?
Anyway, that was a trip.
Since I have almost nothing to do with my days (one week left before move-in) I had an opportunity to think up improbable scenarios for when class starts. My first one is English comp, held in the poultry science lab. Huh?
Anyway, what happens if something horribly horribly wrong happens while class is in session? Imagine an angry mob of chickens storming every office and lecture room in the building - angry fowl. And some kid in the back starts freaking out because of a traumatic experience he had as a small child. Blood and feathers everywhere, and for the next three weeks everything in the cafeteria is chicken-based, but you have to chew very carefully because there is shrapnel of various sorts in the chickens. And several desks and filing cabinets need to be replaced.
I seriously need something better to do with my time. :P

Nothing ever happens, but I update anyway.

Eh, some random bits and pieces from the past week or so.

Sitting in the waiting room at the dentist's office. My 13-year old jock brother comes in from getting his teeth cleaned and goes to browse through the magazines, looking for something to kill time while Michael is in the back. The best he could come up with on his own was Cosmo Girl. ... I direct his attention to something somewhat more masculine. Something with an article about survival in the woods.

I'm taking a few plants with me to MSU. Aloysius, the whatever-the-heck plant from calculus. And some lavender sprouts. I'm still starting some of them. Six were ready to pot today, which surprised me since they've only been out six or seven days. Blame Jenn if I go all herb-y.

Drew came up from Memphis and called a movie night Sunday. We had to pick Taylor up (*subliminal message - get your driver's license*) and swing by Blockbuster. Knowing us, we got the most random combination of movies. The Nightmare Before Christmas and Cool Hand Luke. As we were getting out of the car Taylor said something to the effect of "Oh dear, I've pulled a Jenn." *everyone looks at his bare feet*

Had breakfast this morning with the Mad Ac girls. Heather, you're not the only one who loves my happy new MASH shirt.

Done for now. I'm supposedly uploading some sketches tonight.

On the subject of manifestos...

I'm pretty sure my identity crisis is over. Actually, I think the 12 years I spent at USJ were my identity crisis! But to be a good lemming, here goes:
1. Western vs. Eastern. Both have their perks. The West focused on progress, the East reminds us of the benifits of simplicity and balance.
2. I have found no reason NOT to believe there is a God. Everything is too ordered and complex to have just happened, and belief in God provides hope that this isn't the only thing we get.
3. I'm not trying to fit into any type of mold. I like washers. I like numerous types of music. I do some artsy things. The natural world inspires me and makes me curious. I am a math nerd. Basically, I'm like potpourri.
4. Society is defined by the people in it. Some societies are luckier than others.
5. Whether we can see it or not, there is a balance to everything, no matter how badly we have managed to screw up. To rip off an old Greek proverb: Everything in moderation. It's a pretty good guideline for life.
6. Realists get a bad rap, but their views are far more practical than optimists or pessimists. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
7. For good mental and physical health, doing productive work is a must. One gains a sense of accomplishment while making provisions for a comfortable life.
8. Ambition is good. Without it, we would all be lying on the ground drooling. Obsession, however, is destructive, whether on a small or large scale.
9. From the time we are born, we are trained to expect instant gratification. HUNGRY! WET! NASTY! COLD! However practical this instinct was in infancy, it began to develop into something unnatural once we began using our "superior" brains and opposable thumbs for things other than pure survival.
10. For a full life, there are only a few necessary components. People - we are pack animals (or herd, depending on one's mental capacity) and do very poorly if we don't have regular contact with other people, preferrably friends and family. Goals - reasons go get off our butts and not be vegetables. These can be occupational, domestic, or physical. Recreation - something good for your blood pressure.
11. All forms of government are flawed. On paper they look good, but people are generally stupid and/or corrupt, so what was a good thing quickly turns to crap.
12. We all have responisibilities that should not be ignored, both to ourselves, people close to ourselves, and society as a whole. When we screw up, it generally causes somebody else to have (at minimum) another headache.
13. I hate politics. I forget which of my friends said it, but we have probably solved all the world's major problems over caffeine and sugar breaks. Elected officials and other dignitaries are paid massive sums of money to run the world, but they inevitably plunge us into economic turmoil and make the rest of the world mad at our policies.
14. If simple pleasures are so satisfying, why do we demand luxury?
15. Know what you believe, but examine other opinions with an objective mind. You could either learn something new and useful or reaffirm your own beliefs.

15...a good number. Heck, if you haven't noticed, I always aim for the middle. (Right between Heather's 10 and Miki's 20)