I Hope You Don't Mind That I Put Down These Words...

Okay, special coloring book picture to the first person that sends me back an email saying where today's title comes from.

Other than that, good morning!!! I hope you've had as fun as a week as I have. It's just been packed with ways to avoid studying. Let's see: we've been skating, we've watched movies, we've spent hours at Alley Kat, we've painted pictures and we've taken an exam.

The first one on that list is obvious. The girls and I went back to skating on Wednesday nights, but I tell you what. That rink has grown. Last week the floor was full with older couples. We're talking 60's here folks. It was somewhat entertaining, as well as unnerving.

The second one is almost as obvious as the first, really. Really, there's not a lot else to do around here but study, play games, and watch movies. I think I've seen four in the last week, but I can't be sure that it wasn't more than that. I still have about 2 or 3 on my list that I have yet to see. And holy cow, a door alarm just went off for one of the entrances. That was a wakening moment, let me tell you. Don't worry, it's nothing big. The doors have timers on them, so when they're open too long, they go off with loud, annoying sirens up here at the front desk. That alarm has been going off all semester because the wind keeps the door open too long.

Anyway, third item was Alley Kat. See, I've been trying to get back into my more involved study habits, which requires the use of a large table, something that my room is lacking. So last week I roped about 8 people into going with me to Alley Kat a few times. While they played Uno, Skipbo and Risk (Fish lost, Donovan got second, and Bria won) I studied Chem and Stats. I like to think it's helped me, but alas, not as much as I'd hoped. Skipping ahead to the fifth item, I had an exam last night. I've already figured out my grade and I got an 80. It was a toughy, though. Oh well.

Back to the fourth item on the floor: painting. I'll have to send the picture when I get it off Rachel's camera, but Monday night Bria, Rachel and I went to the art studio. While Bria tried to do her homework, Rachel and I worked our artistic magic on an old canvas. The end result was rather unique, if I say so myself. Rachel painted a very beautiful woman while I painted my patient cartoon alter-ego in blue. The final piece was something I don't think I'll forget for some time.

Oh! To add an item in that isn't on the list! My brother got a new puppy! She's a black/brown lab that has a white spot on her chest. She's the cutest thing yet. And Missy (Tom's kitty) love to play together. Oh! And I would like to take credit for naming her. Okay, maybe Crystal had a say in it too... but either way, the dog is named what I thought was the best name. Her name is Bailey, a name that Crystal and I both came up with before we even had talked together on the matter. And the funny thing is, Bailey responded to her name right away. I guess it was just meant to be.

Because I generally find attachments annoying, that and I'm lazy, the following link is of Bailey and Missy. If the link don't work, blame Tom.

//www.halfbyte.net/temp/bailey/

Peace, Love, and I So Want To Be In Bed Right Now,
Tar

Zoos, Karate, and FMA

This email is probably not going to be up to my normal level of awesomeness, but I'm going to try. As most of you know, last week was Spring Break, so I didn't have to get up at 2 in the morning to go to work. This morning I did. I'm feeling that week off, really, I am.

Okay, to swing this one off I wanna let you guys know what I did my last day in Florida. You're going to think I'm a crazy out of control college kid when I tell you this, but stick with me here. I went to the.... Zoo! Heh. That's right folks, I went to the zoo. And I tell you what, those rhinos know how to party!

Ryan, Nanny Vassie, and Nell (Vassie's soul sister) went with me to the wonder that is the Brevard County Zoo on last Thursday. We took many a pictures, but sadly, they are all on Nanny Vassie's camera. If any of you haven't been to a zoo in the last 5 years or so, I highly recommend packing up the kids (who cares if they're teenagers) and spending an early morning at the zoo. I recommend eating before you go, cause zoo food is pricey. But yes, we had a great time. The rhinos were fighting when we got there, and pretty much all the animals were awake. So yeah, the zoo: a cheap entertainment.

Okay, according to my title, now I should talk about karate. Why, you ask? Because Donovan is in karate, and I'm stupid enough to actually spar with him. These last few days I've been trying in vain to kick, punch and basically evade that which is Donovan's crazy skills. Oh, don't worry, it's all in good fun and we never get hurt. If nothing else, everyone gets a huge laugh out of him trying to take me down with formal karate while I fight just plain dirty. What can I say, I'm my daddy's girl.

Okay, last thing on the list is FMA. Now I know most of you have no idea what that is, and probably won't care after I tell you, but FMA is FullMetal Alchemist, an anime Donovan and I have been watching. I just wanted to announce that not only did we finish the series on Monday, but we also watched the movie last night, meaning that we're completely done with it. Now what am I supposed to watch every evening? Anyone, suggestions?

Alright, I need to go finish my DS homework, not to mention the Chem I've been letting pile up the last two weeks... ahh.. college.

Peace, Love, and We've Got Snow!!
Tar

P.S.- Ha, snow is cooler than sunshine. Literally.

Dum-dum-DOM!!!!

So I know I usually send these out at crazy morning hours, but it's spring break, baby! I'm sending it out at crazy night hours now! Go me!!

Alrighty, this week we have the adventure of the ceiling fan, pi day, and of course, the river! For those of you who can't remember anything I say, I'm in Florida this week on spring break. That's right. I flew to Florida to cut lose on sand, surf and sun. Oh, and to visit my grandparents and cousins. (Anyone who knows me will know those two sentences should be flipped.)

So yeah, the great news is that Crystal has received an A+ from about everyone down here. That's right, she's passed the test Tom, stop worrying. For everyone that isn't in Florida (and cares), Tom's girlfriend Crystal can and DOES hold her own against the entire Thomas clan. We're talking Steve, Jeannie, Ryan, Joel, Ethan, Max, George, and Vassie. All at once. I know what you're thinking. No, she isn't a robot he built in his basement.

Which leads me into the adventure of the ceiling fan. Now anyone who knows Florida knows that it's summer year round. Don't let Vassie fool you, it's not as cold down here as you think. So when we all arrived and Tom found that the ceiling fan in his room didn't work, he was a bit worried about the night-time heat. After just one night, he decided he couldn't take it. So Papaw and him went to the hardware store (second time that day) and bought a ceiling fan. Did I mention that it was like 9pm when they got back? Oh, and that we had pretty much lived on the boat that day? Needless to say, we were all exhausted. Well, we all got to talking when they arrived with the fan, so they weren't even ready to install it until about, I dunno, 10:30pm. Alright, okay, so he and Crystal go upstairs to install it. They take down the old fan and Tom takes one look at the wires, sees them arc, and decides they should cut power to that room. No big deal, right? Well guess what! This crazy house has all of its upstairs wiring running through that one single ceiling fan!! Except, of course, the bathroom's. So after they cut the power up there, they try to work in the dark to put up a fan. In the ceiling. In the DARK. With power tools that stop working for them in the middle of it all. So let me put it this way: by about 11:45pm the entire household is upstairs holding lamps and various ceiling fan parts up for Tom who's balanced on a chair and is still trying to secure the main bracket. Papaw finally got the bracket in and then they finished installing the rest a bit after midnight. I know what you're thinking, why didn't some people (like me) just go to bed? Well, I dunno about you, but I need lights to get ready for bed. Especially when all my clothes are in a suitcase spread out on a bed, with my mom's stuff, in the darkest corner of the room. I'd like to report, though, that the fan works rather well and the lights have the ability to blind you like the sun.

Tom loved that fan by the end of the weekend, what with the ability for it to cool his charred skin. That's right, Tommy-boy fried. I can't pick on him too much, though, my nose looked like a tomato for an afternoon. But yes, he fried out on the water that first day. The second day, which was an adventure far too long and involved to write about anywhere but in a book, he remembered to wear some sunscreen. I will tell you this of the second day on the boat: Never, EVER let George Thomas pull you behind his boat while you are holding onto what can only be described as a queen size air mattress tied to it by a long rope. Tom and I learned this lesson the hard way. And while it pains me to let you see these pictures, it's easier than telling you all about it.

Okay, the first attachment is of Crystal and Tom getting onto the raft. Notice the smiles. Now, the second attachment is about 4 minutes later. That splash. Yeah, that's Crystal. See the body part in the middle of it? We think it's her foot. Don't get me wrong! We loved it! But it just goes to show you we're clinically insane because Ethan and his friends wouldn't even do it after two rounds. Tom and I did it about 4 or 5 times each.

The third attachment is the handsome Mr. Max, who couldn't participate in the fun because of a broken collarbone. He's fine, his shoulder just has a weird golf ball like bump of bone growing there right now.

The fourth attachment is Tom being utterly embarrassed at the family cook-out. He was really easy to push around because he was so nervous about the whole Crystal thing. She handled it all way better than him, though. I don't think she blushed nearly a quarter as much as Tom.

The last picture is of Crystal, the cutie. She's probably smiling so big because someone probably just made Tom turn pink again.

Props to Uncle Steve for shooting all of those wonderful pictures, give him a hand folks.

What was the last thing? Oh yeah, pi day! Well, as some of you might know, the math sign pi stands for the irrational number that starts with 3.14. And guess what yesterday's date was! 3/14. So, of course, we must celebrate all that is pi! And what better way than with pie! So last night I went out and got two pies (apple and cherry) and some ice cream, took them back to Steve and Jeannie's, and we celebrated all that is the wonder of pi! Now, normally I celebrate pi day at a Village Inn with Amy and that gang, but I sadly couldn't make it this year, being in Florida and all. So, I hope that they all had a wonderful pi day and celebrated it well!

Alright, folks. I have to send another email out tonight to a family I'm hoping to work for next semester, so I'll talk to you all later. I promise, next week's email will be on time (and probably shorter).

Sun, Sun, and Do I Have A Tan Or What!
Tar

Rainbows and Summer Plans

Now I bet none of you can figure out what I'm getting at when I say rainbows. And sadly, I don't have a picture of it. But I will tell you this for now: never give Beth and Rachel artistic freedom over your pants.

So how's your week been? Mine hasn't been half bad. It's been a bit rushed, considering I have to get everything done by tonight because I won't have time before I leave on Thursday. I have an exam this morning (oh joy) and I'm feeling those three hours of sleep. Went home for the weekend. Had another exam last Friday, another A. Um, yeah, I think that the little stuff in summary.

So as some of you might know, I have been applying for summer internships in the past month or so. I am happy to announce that I have been offered a 10 week research internship for the summer. The slight draw back is that it is in Carolette, NC. I am given a living fund, but it's still not as cool as if it had been in Melbourne or Colorado. Whether or not I take it depends on a few factors, one of those being exactly what I'll be researching.

Another factor is that I have been looking into a job as a live-in nanny for an 8 year old girl and her family. They want the person to start over the summer months, and it's a pretty good deal. They provide food, a room, private bathroom and did I mention that they have a really sweet house? The little girl is pretty cool, too. They're rather flexible to my schedule and I hope that it works out in the end. It's a very cheap way through live through college.

Ok, I have more homework to do and chores before seven, so I'm going to wrap this up with the story of the rainbow pants. Okay, so I have a pair of jeans that I got for about 5 bucks at Walmart. They aren't exactly white college girl pants, if you know what I mean. So I decided that I wanted to jazz up the pants a bit, which of course has to involve Beth and Rachel, our residence clothing painters. Well, long story short, after a few cans of spray paint, some very cool looking plastic, and some stencils, I now am the proud owner of rainbow pants. Oh yes, they look like rainbow pants. Yellow, red, orange, blue, black. Probably will never wear them, at least until that fateful day I'm completely out of clothes, so, yeah. That's the story of the rainbow pants.

Oh, I've also had a head cold all weekend, which is making this week all the more fun! But just think of it, though. Next week, I can sleep in, surf, swim, and generally enjoy home cooked meals.

Love, Peace, and Men In Black Is An Awesome Movie,
Tar

Ugh, Could I Be More Tired?

I think the title explains my current state of wakefulness. So, yeah, I'm not so sure how this here email is going to pan out.

I guess I can start with the past week's most eventful events:

Thursday: Donovan duct taped me to my hammock. The plus side of this was that I got the hammock all afternoon and he had to get up and change the shows we were watching. I think in the end I had a better afternoon because I was taped to the hammock.

Friday: Beth, Rachel, Tirrel, Donovan and I went out for a night on the town. Don't get too excited. We just walked around Old Town and then played chess in Alley Cat. We all decided we were too tired to continue at around 1am. Yeah, we're lame. Go us!

Saturday: My mommy visited me and introduced me to a new hamburger joint. Washington's, mmhmmm.. I highly recommend.

Monday: We made/got free Zen gardens! They're pretty ugly looking, but we figure if we get some shadow boxes instead of plastic trays, they'll look awesome.

I have a question to randomly put in: Who checks their mail at 5 in the morning? I mean really, these guys should be in bed. And then they tell me they're locked out of their room. Jeez! Where were they at 4 this morning?

Anyway, continuing. Monday I also ended up taking down the hammock. I know, I know, it's sad for everyone. The strings were rubbing against the loft and breaking because of the way we tied it. There was no way to rehang it without having the same issue, and that hammock means too much to me just to let it get ruined. So, I traded my loft bed for a floor bed, stuck the one I already had against it, and bam! King size bed, baby. I rotate an average of 90 degrees every night. It's great...

Um... as far as classes go, we won't discuss my last Stats exam grade. But I took another Chem exam last night (part of the reason I'm so tired) and I have two exams next week. And after that week, Spring Break baby! I'm so pumped for a week in Florida. I've been out swimsuit shopping with the gals, but no luck yet. I mean, I have suits but they're for lap swimming. Not hanging out on the boat and surfing. Yeah, I wanna go out surfing at least once, ye Floridans (Mainly Joel and Ryan). I land Thursday night and leave the next Friday, just to let you folks know.

Alright, I'm tired and my book and that movie aren't going to watch themselves, so I'll be off now. Sorry, no pictures (as you've probably already noticed). Also, Colorado Springs peeps, I'll be in town Saturday for your general amusement, and mine. I'm not sure yet if I'll have someone with me, but I'm trying to push Donovan into coming just so I have company on the drive. We'll see.

Peace, Love, and Naps,
Tar

P.S.- Totally forgot your last email Hamlar, but I'm pretty sure you've heard of Postal Service, Snow Patrol, The Faint, and The Shins, which are my newest (to me) rants. The Fray is big right now too, but I haven't heard them, so I don't know. Hope that helps!