Who would've thought? My gnome, your dwarf ...

In light of the recent story involving Dennis and the chicken patty, I bring you this little slice of pathetic geekery (on both our parts, sadly).
He rejoined the World of Warcraft crew yesterday, so we spent last night creating new characters and doing low-level quests together. Toss in some flirting via the game's emote commands and it was the closest thing to a date we've had all summer. Yeah ...
In other news, first term is over and second term starts Monday. Woo.
I think that's pretty much it.

Again with the poo!

Hey people.
Know what really sucks? When you're looking for something you want, but you can't find it ... and you find something you really didn't want instead.
Aren't mouse infestations fun?

I'm gonna slap you so hard that your unborn children will come out well-behaved.

Good evening, People of the World.
Hoolay for steady employment! I've been training at the Stonebridge location all week, and I've finally been promoted from laundry purgatory to laundry limbo. I won't call it laundry heaven, because apparently it can get kinda boring at the University/Highland location if it's a slow day. But hey, they have cable and air conditioning. No worries. Oh, and Katie gave me a couple of uniform shirts when I went to man the counter this morning.
So yeah, after I got off work I met my mom at Target to buy my sister a birthday present (16, God help us) ... and I got a few shirts and a hair straightener.
Then we went home and I watched the USA/Italy World Cup match. The things I do to please Dennis ... :P
And then at 4 I went to help my cousin pick out a wedding dress and look at bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dresses (and Aunt Lois even tried on a couple of mother-of-the-bride dresses ... we could tell which one she really liked, verreh nice). I personally love everything we picked out, so if anyone wants to see pictures, they're conveniently located in one of my favorites folders. Under "Wedding Stuff."
So yeah, still a little high from the estrogen cloud that followed me home from the store.
La dee da ...
That's about it, I think.

... And then the clouds parted ...

You'll all be relieved that I finally have a job. Walked into Polo Cleaners today around 1:15, didn't leave until after 6:30. They took it very seriously when I said I could start work "immediately." Anyway, just thought you'd like to know (even if it just means you're glad I'm not complaining about being unemployed anymore :P).
Later!

We've also packed a bag lunch and some mittens.

Okay. Here's my art appreciation project. Graphite on Strathmore, 18 x 24 inches.

Don't you love being right?

Hello, my almost-completely-baked comrades!
Alas, I am still without a job, and I plan on leaving for Starkville in just over two months. But I've got yet another application active. This time, it's the jewelry counter in Macy's (ooooooooooooooooh ... ). Apparently the position has been open for a while, so perhaps ... *crosses fingers*
La dee da ...
As I predicted two weeks ago, Dennis's toothache has returned. Am I omniscient? No, I just have good common sense.
Mel.
I'm bored.
I think I'm gonna grab some Italian ice and be a bum for a while.
Byebye.

How to cheat at dominoes: 1. Buy a glass table ...

Meh. So I didn't get the Victoria's Secret job.
So I'm gonna be slightly depressed until one of the other eleven applications turns something up.
Come on, Target! Or Kohls! Or really, anyone who will actually hire me NOW.
Mel.
Good night.

May I join you as you do the interview dance?

Woot!
Got a call earlier tonight from Victoria's Secret. :D
Interview tomorrow afternoon.
*crosses fingers and does laundry*
...
What? I've gotta look good!

"We should get our boyfriends together for a playdate."

*yawn*
Hello, all. I'm up at this ungodly hour getting ready to go to class. Woo.
Still waiting to hear from any of the (twelve!! I'm up to twelve!) applications I've turned in so far. Job hunting sucks many, many things.
Erm ... Dennis is supposed to go to the dentist today to fix his tooth. If I find out otherwise ... Well, he's probably safe ... For now. But I'm pretty sure an "I told you" moment wouldn't be far behind.
Also, woo for Heather being alive! Or maybe I'm just hallucinating, and I spent three hours talking to myself at Starbucks ...
*shrug*
Anyhoo, gotta get some notebook paper ... or something ... and finish getting ready for class.

If you hadn't taken it into the mud bath with you, your gun wouldn't get clogged.

Still waiting to hear back from ANYONE about getting a job. Since my last update, I've put in at Hobby Lobby, American Eagle, and Victoria's Secret. So ... just sitting around ... waiting ...
That's five so far.
Somebody ... PLEASE hire me!
In other news, I'm currently on square #4 out of 24 of the Dennis Barter Birthday Project 2006. At this rate, I'll not only meet my deadline, but I'll also have time to make a few other things to sell via Etsy. Google it. Be happy my crafty friends.
But that's about it. Adri has already recounted the weekend trip to Memphis, Greg's recital, and Drew's visit to J-town, so it's not necessary for me to repeat it.
That's about it.
Good night.

How come I've never heard of this place before?

Another day, another round of job-hunting. Which led me to the West Tennessee Career Center. Magical land of employment. Certainly makes my previous methods of looking for jobs seem silly and poorly thought out.
So yeah, I went in, filled out a little paperwork, and told them what kind of job I was trying to find. And the nice cubicle lady wrote a reference for me on a little card that I'm supposed to give someone at BancorpSouth Thursday morning. Whee, interview! Hopefully my background in math will make up for my lack of cash register experience.
And if I don't get a response from that within a few days, I've still got my Hobby Lobby application. The girl said they could use some extra help right now. So I'd better have some luck somewhere.
Also, Dennis had better be having computer problems (*coughJohnscreweditupcough*). I haven't heard from him since Sunday afternoon, so I'm gonna be in a less than pleasant mood with him if I find out otherwise.
Yarr.

Updates and shameless plugs

And we're back in J-town. Woo.
Monday I go register for summer classes, which will also determine whether or not I can get a job and what hours I'd be available for said employment. I'm hoping to get a spot at Pier 1. *crosses fingers*
So yeah, my dad came down to State yesterday to help me move all my stuff out. And Dennis helped carry the heavy stuff and get it loaded into the storage unit. Apparently he behaved himself reasonably well ...
It's gonna be interesting. Dennis has issued an open invite for everyone we hung out with at State to come visit on weekends, and he said he'd come visit whenever he doesn't have to work. Fortunately, *here comes the plug* ...
We've both got Skype now. A combination of instant messenger and phone. Free calls to other people who have Skype, so if your fingers are especially sore or otherwise unreliable (you know, those days when you can't type), or if you just want to hear a particular someone's voice, just plug in a microphone and off you go ...
Also has video options available. Check it out. And then ask for my Skype name, because ... well, I hope you're just getting it to make me happy ... ;)
Hokay, leaving to shower and continue unloading the cars.

We have GWC comment splog ...

Done with exams! Whee!
And I got my third research paper back. B. What a surprise. But hey, it's better than a B-.
So here we go, STUFF I LEARNED AT COLLEGE: PART 1.
1. 8 a.m. is a b*tch.
2. If you can complain about a grade higher than a C, you're in good shape.
3. The quarter circle at the back of first year studio is a very comfortable place to nap.
4. Refund checks can buy a lot of groceries.
5. The honors program is useless.
6. Make good contacts - one to help you with class, one to help you move heavy things and fix your car, one to share your guy/girl troubles, one who can cook, one to fix your computer, and a boyfriend/girlfriend (or at least someone who will go buy you food and medicine if you're sick), for example.
7. Clean your room whenever you have a chance.
8. Set three alarms on test days.
9. Always check the forecast before leaving your room.
10. Beer, taquila, salvia, and Waffle House don't mix well (be a designated driver).
11. Private rooms are good.
12. Automatic locks are bad.
13. The fire alarm will go off at an ungodly hour before an important test or exam.
14. Most professors are understanding of students' need for caffeine.
15. Proper daily preparation for November to March: shower, underwear, pants, light top, sweater, coat, gloves, hat, scarf, backpack, hot chocolate/coffee, keys, depart.
16. There is no cow level.
17. Night classes have a big impact on your social life.
18. Someone will go to the hospital during studio hours.
19. Buy economy size laundry products.
20. Always have quarters and small bills handy.

I could keep going, but I figured that would start to get boring ...

Smooth as a velvet child

Whew, it's been a weekend ...
Friday night/Saurday morning was spent with the crew at Brit's apartment, then Waffle House. Slept until noonish Saturday, played WoW, and then got called in to babysit Mr. Pathetic. Just so you all have a fair warning, booze, salvia, and Waffle House (although delicious) does not mix well. At all. Don't do it.
So I got some Chik-fil-a for the two of us, then hung around for a while watching TV. I knew Dennis was feeling better when he decided it was a good time to go to the grocery store for snacks. And then he ate them. And we watched a Sean Connery movie. Always fun.
Went home sometime between midnight and one Sunday morning and decided it was a good time to jump on WoW again. A little before four I'm thinking it's about time to crash, so I get to a stopping point, contemplate taking a shower, decide against it, put on some pajamas and curl up in bed. Less than three minutes later I hear one of the sounds you really don't want to hear at 4:15 a.m. That's right, the fire alarms went off. Spent the next hour outside in the rain (it was unusually cold for May, too) because my keys weren't in my purse. Otherwise I'd so crash in my car.
So 5:15 rolls around and we're allowed back inside. Sleepy time.
Several hours later ...
*ring tone indicating that someone from State is calling me*
*stumbles over to phone*
It's Joseph. Wanting to know if I was with Dennis because he needed to talk to him about cooking out. No, Joseph, I just got up.
*looks at clock*
12:27
Hmm ...
Eventually I make myself presentable enough to go outside. Fun activities today.
Help Dennis jumpstart his car. Twice.
Go to Walgreens and the grocery store. Mmm ... ground beef. Cookin' out on the pigmy grill. Pigmy? Pygmie? ... Very, very small ...
After supper I watched Dennis play some video games, then a movie. I know, so predictable. Whatcha gonna do?
I will get around to asking whether he thinks we can keep something going once we leave (eventually). I mean, he did ask if I'd be able to come over before Thursday. That's gotta be a good sign, right?
*shrug*
Good night, children.

It has a grid. I have to follow the grid.

So I just got in from a 2 a.m. Waffle House run.
And it's time to go to sleep.

Breaking up less than a month after getting engaged is kind of a bad thing ...

In case anyone didn't know that already.
So yesterday was the last day of class. Got my sixth test and my lab grade back in physics. As long as I don't bomb on the exam I'm in good shape. Started cleaning out my desk at the studio. Dennis came to help me move my chair and drawing surface into the storage unit, but when we got there my lock was gone. I allegedly put it on the wrong door (I didn't) so it got cut off. Which was annoying and put me in a bad mood. But of course, Dennis doesn't like having Angry Meredith around, so he jumped in right away to bring Not-Angry Meredith back.
Which brings us to a downer. This time last month he was all psyched about getting an apartment and whatnot, and now we're facing the reality that he's not going to be able to come back to Starkville. Not even sure if he will come back after his suspension is over.
We've gotten too close to just say, "Well, it's been fun. Hope you find someone nice." Yeah, long distance relationships are tough, but they're not impossible. And I'm willing to deal with that if he is. We're still close enough that I can come down for a weekend or something occasionally, or he can come up if he has some time off of work.
I'm gonna go hit the Ben and Jerry's again ...

Generally speaking, it's okay to eat fluffy pink blobs.

Semester project: done. Physics test: done. English paper: ... I'll let you know about that one ...
So I'm finally done and my fingers can start healing. I think I may have introduced some pastel into my bloodstream via a few papercuts I received while blending the other day ... Meh. Pin-ups were today. I think I got what I wanted - interest, but not quite enough to send me to jury.
Dennis has pretty much determined that skipping classes early this semester has doomed him to academic suspension. The bad kind. The kind where you can't take classes anywhere - not even a community college - for a year. There's a GIANT "I told you so" wrapped up in there somewhere ...
And yes, I can say "I told you so" ... I've only skipped one class this semester.
But yeah, I'll be working on my English paper this weekend. Hopefully I'll do better than a B- this time. I hate comp. I can do literature, I just hate writing useless papers about how family/feminism/race is portrayed/confronted in a certain set of literary works.
Next time on "Meredith Updates Everyone on Her Life" ...
Will Dennis get to stay in Starkville?
Will Meredith finish her research paper with time to spare?
Will there be a professor fight in juries?
And why was there a pair of fingernail clippers in the washing machine?

Tickle torture - great for building strong abs.

I have food again! :D
And I have my housing assignment for next year. Same room, lovelies! Which means I'll already know the fun little quirks that come with it. Like how maintenance can't fix the toilet or the A/C to function quite right, and that I should turn on the fan after sunset and the A/C after noon. Otherwise it's unbearable in here.
So anyway, about half an hour after I get back from dropping off the lease on a storage unit and getting groceries, Dennis calls me asking if I wanted to go to Wal-Mart. Translation: "I'm low on gas and I'd like to know if you would take me to Wal-Mart." And being the nice person I am (plus the fact that he's really pathetic when he needs food), I say okay.
Of course, during this little outing he starts talking about how sketchy his grades are looking (again - that's what happens when you skip class), even though he's been doing a lot better since midterms. And how he hopes he gets to stay so he can change his major in the fall, and even if he doesn't get to come back, that he'll stick around (already has an apartment for about a year, so why not?) and work.
... The Dance of the Sugarplumb Fairies is playing outside ... weird ...
Whatever. Depending on how his day goes today, I might get invited to share some of his Chili's gift card for supper. Lava cake. Yesh, lovelies ...
Anyway, stuff and junk. I should be packed up and back in J-town sometime around the 12th of next month. It's time to go screw around at the studio.

Lemming

Ganked from Adri, who ganked it from someone else. I hope I actually see what hatches this time, I did this before, and when the egg hatched, all I could see was "Image hosted by Angelfire." :P

"HEY! NO SEX IN MY KITCHEN, YOU TWO!"

And we're back. Crunch time in the land of the bulldog, especially at Giles Hall. I must say, however, that my food supply is looking pretty weak right now, so tomorrow I've got to get some groceries after Concept and Form. Dennis is fine, besides being low on food, too. We had a long conversation the other night about chinchillas and microbiology. Basically, he wants to get one and major in the other. So anyhoo, that's what's going on. Oh, so exciting.