I'm Friends with a Genius

So I just received wonderful, wonderful news that my german exchange partner won this amazing oportunity. She was selected from 140 other students all over Germany to be eligible to win this huge national scholarship. You can't apply for it, but have to be recommended by certain institutions, like your high school if it's the highest level of education (gymnasium). But Lara wasn't only chosen out of the mediocre pond water of her school, but by the Academy that hosted 140 exceptionally gifted students last summer, Lara of course being one of then. I am so amazed and proud of her. Especially because it was all secrets and confusion when she found out and there's so much pressure on young people to succeed academically and now she has the chance to interview for this amazingly prestigious scholarship and that is so fantastic. It's genius! She's a genius! And she's moving to holland, on a side note. Congratulations, Lara, you deserve it.

Be Happy! It's New Year's!

So things have calmed down a tad. I am enjoying my last day of freedom before classes start, wow, tomorrow. I didn't quite realize it was that close. So I've enjoyed my weeks of relaxing--haha, yeah right. I mean working. But it's been nice. I have been cleaning my room, as I usually do when I want to do something productive but my procrastination monster rears up. Yesterday, instead of working on an assignment that is due Friday, I spent two hours ripping CDs onto my computer and typing in the songs titles since the computer doesn't recognize them. Important work yes, but damn that procrastination. I wrote today a short story about a dress that attacks my main character, based roughly on my New Years working at the restaurant. I got dressed up in blue satin and the house gave champagne to the staff that was still there at 12, which was nice of them. I also had some tequila shots out of rammiquins, the little dishes used for serving sides of horseradish, with the kitchen staff. Though I would have preferred to host the New Years party at my place again, or at been with my friends at midnight, it was still fun. I had to drag one of the younger girls away from polishing the cutlery so she would hang out with us in the kitchen and enjoy the last few minutes before the hour struck. Afterwards, at Dustin's, we ate lots of biscotti and quiche, drank a lot of coffee with Frangelico, and watched a lot of Grey's Anatomy until 6 o'clock. I'm fond of this year already. Be Happy! It's New Year's!!

The Hand

So that merry time is coming, where stress-levels reach Everest heights and exams loom. I now only have two exams left, but the one on Monday will be tough. I simply, literally, did not do any of the reading for the course throughout the entire term. That's hundread of pages to scan in the next five days, and I am going to both work places today, so it's really just thursday through sunday. Bless you, the fourteenth, when all this crap will be over. It doesn't help that I am working all the time, though it's nice that the restaurant likes me well enough to rely on me and extra cash is good, but I worked about 46 hours last week and between two jobs I haven't had a day completely off work in three weeks. The two-ton Hand of Doom is pressing down on me, slowly, inescapably.

Happy (?) Hostess

So I had my first shift hostessing last night. It was kind of an emergency hostessing, because the other girl was sick and my manager called me three hours before my shift. Of course, I didn't have any shoes so I had to run (well, speed walk like hell) downtown and buy some that bruise my toes but look nice and don't fall off. Anyway, the night was a little stressful because of the reservation system on the computer, but taking peoples's coats isn't exactly difficult. I found it most interesting how people treated me differently because I was dressed up instead of in boring foodrunner garb. One man, as I was taking his coat, took off his bowler hat and put it on my head. (Oh ha ha, funny. Or not.) When it was crowded, another guy slipped his arm around my waist to ask me in my ear where the bathroom was, and later a guy did the same thing, smelling my hair, before asking me to get his coat. None of it was overtly sexual or anything terribly insulting, but, um, what are you doing? I'm more annoyed thinking about it now than when it happened, because they let me go right away and then I went on the next guest. And I don't particularly like being called sweetie by strangers.
But that was only three people out of over a hundred that I met that night, and other than that I liked chatting to people and sincerely wishing them a great evening, especially because so many people who come in are here for a special occasion. It makes me happier to constantly be in a good mood for the guests. One of the guys that works there caught me laughing to myself over something and told me that I was a very happy person. But, I'm sure one of these days I'll go to the restaurant ready to strangle someone and then, smiling might not cut it.

Hallowe'en

Erica is valiantly defending herself, Jess is ready to beat someone to a pulp, and Danica has fangs. Man I really love posting pictures. They make my blog look so much more colorful and intriguing.

My Nephew No. 1

Here's a picture I took of my oldest nephew at his third birthday party. He's such a funny kid and I love him to shreds.

The Tyler Stitch

Right now I am avoiding writing my due share of my Nanonovel, but I should update this thing once in a while, I suppose. I think I am obsessed with lists. I updated the "Movies" list on here and I started to get an almost maniacal urge to keep bolding, and bolding, and bolding more, and do more things so I could cross more things off, and go keep reading my book, so I can cross that one of my list of books to read, and I am containing myself. Listening to The Park by Feist to calm my nerves. Bought a black sweater to unravel and make into a scarf for a friend. Yesterday a couple of friends came over and we had a mini-crochet party in my basement. Then my friend who showed me to crochet once last year took a closer a look at my crocheting. I was almost done my third crocheted scarf ever, just putting a border on. She couldn't understand my I had such a hard time counting my stitches, and I couldn't understand how she could crochet just by dipping her needle around, without pulling some of the loops over with your fingers. Turns out I've been crocheting wrong this whole time! I made up this hybrid of knitting and crocheting that makes a very tight crochet weave. Basically I pull the needle around an extra loop than I needed to which made the weave thicker and imposible to do without using your fingers. No wonder. While yes, it will be a bit easier now that I know how to actually, crochet, I'm rather proud that I made up a new stitch. I hereby call it the Tyler, after my godmother, whose scarf I was making at the time.

P.S. It's my 19 and 3/4 birthday today.