Do you know the smell of 'sugar cookies' or other yummy baked goods, as captured by candles?  Quite yummy, right?  Well, last night I found a cafe that has captured that in their Chai!!  If you're in Minneapolis, and would like that experience, stop by UNCOMMON GROUNDS.  It's very dimly lit in their, too, if that's what you like sometimes; and some of the seats are really comfy!  (I want to bring you, Aaron!!  I think it'd be fun.)

eleven o'clock finds me jamming on the computer!!  I'm in the public lab, and someone left their handcrafted work w/ instructions: 'PLAY IT LOUD!' which I'm doing- I'm terrible w/ names (of people/songs) but I can remember tunes quite well (even if I don't get all the lyrics well).  This song is:   hang on, it's one that I've enjoyed the tune to for years, but have always only heard key words- - grr!  It's 'Hook' by Blues Traveler.  It seems like he's just making fun of those of us who enjoy a song w/o knowing what it's really saying- sigh . . . serves me right- I just need a break from this etymology paper.  I thought I'd be further by now- where has the time gone?  The minutes are dripping over the edge.

that's by Shakespeare

I'll start off my not taking credit for the following: the info was provided by the Oxford English Dictionary online http://dictionary.oed.com" title="http://dictionary.oed.com" target="_blank"http://dictionary.oed.com - you can get a word of the day, with etymology (history/evolvement) of it.  Since 'snow' is a main theme of this page, I'd like to define it a little.  (oh, and I'm working on an etymology paper on 'team,' and need a break)

* The partially frozen vapour of the atmosphere falling in flakes characterized by their whiteness and lightness; the fall of these flakes, or the layer formed by them on the surface of the ground. It is recorded as early as the first century, according to the Oxford . .

* With adjs. of colour, denoting snow tinged by various foreign substances, or the alga, etc., to which the colouring is due. (that's where I'm getting at w/ this page- and if you've ever been around snow towards spring, when there's just patches of snow that's left, there is always an interesting clutter of things it has collected over the months)

* Spots that appear as a flickering mass filling a television or radar screen, caused by interference or a low signal-to-noise ratio.

* slang (orig. U.S.). Cocaine; occas. heroin or morphine

Here are some suffixes to add to snow- see what comes up!  The list online was way longer: -flurry, -glare, -light, -squall, gallery, glasses, -shed, spectacles;  -blown, -born, -bound, -choked, -cooled, -dazed, -drowned, -fed; -bearded, -blanketed, -coloured, -suited; -rub, -clear, -deep, -fair, -soft, etc.

some to ponder: *snow-cripple, a tree injured by the weight or pressure of snow; *snow job slang (orig. U.S.), a concerted attempt at flattery, deception, or persuasion; *snowpack U.S., lying snow that is compressed and hardened by its own weight; *snow-worm, a worm frequenting or living among the snow

a dead word: snow-blossom, a snowflake.  Who's up for resurrecting it?  "One of my favorite crafts as a kid was making paper snow-blossoms."

Aaron’s in Seville.  He was on his way when he called last night- (he takes such good care of me!) and his group’s watching a bullfight this weekend.  He told me they kill the bull.  This, I did not know.  it must be a big adrenaline rush- but I don’t see how death can be satisfying in real life- in movies, when a person is seemingly evil to the core, it can be gratifying- but that’s not a real person, and someone brought the bull up to be that mean- - it’s not like it chose to- and I know bulls aren’t people, and I know we eat cows, so you may ask what difference we make in how we kill them, well, I don’t know- I guess all are just bred to die . . .

It took a few days, but here's a pic of my superboyfriend, as I promised.

Have you or someone you love ever been attacked by a gorilla?  If not, then it's quite possible that Aaron or one of his buddies is around you- - he moves so fast protecting people, that I had to use a special camera and I had to go back frame-by-frame to find him- and even then, he was blurry because he's moving so fast!! You might have guessed by the background, but yes, he currently is in Spain.

I want to teach English to those who want to learn!  and I'd like to start in January or February.  Can anybody help me?  Obviously, according to this picture, I have superpowers that make my portfolio worth reading.  Unfortunately, if you're interested in hiring my friend here (although he also has super-senses- notice how he is aware of danger, even being in a different country than me!), he is a silent business partner- I'm the only one actually for hire.

now that the weekend's wrapping up, welcome back to the regular work week, or school week (if 'regular' is possible!)

I saw Hook the other night at school on the patio, and it was as great as ever!

went to the zoo today w/ brothers and sisters (by school, not birth) and it was great- Como Zoo, aka the free zoo in Como Park- is a great place to go- especially on a warm, breezy day like today!

my roommate's having a tough time (being at school/away from home) --- and i only saw her tonight- she was gone all weekend- so keep that in your prayers

talked w/ Aaron a little today- his update http://brilliancerevealed .blogspot.com" title="http://brilliancerevealed .blogspot.com" target="_blank"http://brilliancerevealed .blo... is fantastic.  I hope to talk w/ him longer soon!

oh- did i even mention my whole 'parents in New Orleans during Hurricane Ivan' thing?  yeah, well, they were- on vacation- and everything closed down (hello, board games), but they were fine and are home safely now.

I'm more level today- after thinking/praying/talking- I'm fine, and all the craziness that's gone on recently is OK.  Thanks, Hope.

yikes! i guess the site will be down in 10 minutes- let see if I can beat it!

I'd like to say there's been a big, important reason why i haven't updated the last few days- maybe there is.

my days are all confused- but i do know it's Wednesday at this point (OK, Thursday in Spain).  Monday I signed up to do a medical study- I'll take various forms of a pill to treat migraines (never had a migraine in my life) and I presented my poster, which went well- I found all the theological stuff I needed; Tuesday I had classes all day and felt like i had way more than I could do; today's my mom's birthday, and she and my dad are on vacation down in New Orleans, stuck in their hotel 'cause the rest of the city's closed down because of Hurricane Ivan and my beloved book I've been going to see regularly at the U has been checked out- by someone else!! and it's been raining the last few days- last night it was warm and I went to a baseball game w/ some friends and had fun- tonight it was chilly and windy and I'm still wet- I enjoyed it, but need to change soon, or i might get sick, and then that would mess a lot of things up, like thi supcoming medical study! (the most fun part about Monday was that I have a prominent pulse of my aorta- the physician got a kick out of that!)

I worked at the Metrodome today for the first time.  I was nervous because I felt conned into selling credit cards.  It seems like most of the people just wanted the fisherman hat or beach towel.  In my 8-hour shift, I helped sign 115 people up.  Sometimes it sounds like a lot, and sometimes a little, but I'll say this: I was never bored.  There was so much going on!  I was getting overwhelmed sometimes, with people people people moving so much! But when someone was standing there calmly in front of me, my world was at rest.  I still don't feel comfortable promoting something I don't endorse.  I just prayed that the people who signed up have the wisdom to cut up the card or know how to use it responsibly!

I have never seen so many people in purple in my life!  It's neat to see people really supporting someone/something.  It was even NEATER to see couples come in hand-in-hand w/ opposing jerseys on!  Who says a marriage w/ different views on sports/politics can't work?  Hurray teamwork!!

Sometimes I felt isolated, because for half the time, I worked in a booth by myself.  Other times, I felt suffocated, sometimes uncomfortable (my co-worker hit on me), soemtimes really happy . . . the joys of working!

So, people aren't that scary, most are nice and smile back at you, and everyone's crazy (if you've ever seen how some people dress/act at football games or other sports events, you'll know what I mean!).

I'm working on a poster (fun!!) for my Intro Religions class, and some parts are easier than others!!  We're comparing exclusivism, inclusivism, pluralism, and universalism.  I'm familiar w/ the terms, and know the definitions, etc., of all, but I'm having a hard time looking for in-depth stuff on the internet.  I've found interesting things, such as a ba hai (sorry i slaughtered that) Indian who was really slamming the American 'exclusivists.'  So, there are some pretty in-depth dissertations and such out there, but not what I need- like who are some key people??  hmm . . . besides just the work of finding the info, it is pretty interesting!

Does anyone/everyone get into heaven?  Is there hell?  Does it really matter what I believe?  Is it all relative?

(or cheaply)

with the start of the new school year, and the absence of my parents' full kitchen comes the common dilema: what will I eat?  I am part of a meal plan here, 10 meals a week.  not bad.  I figure that way, if I'm out of town or something, I can eat more often on the days that I am here.  No wasted meals.  this doesn't lead to an especially full stomach most of the time, though.  In addition to half-price appetizers after 9 or 10 a many restaurants, I have found other ways.  For example, $9 gave my roommate and I 10 taco sandwiches (total) w/ red grapes.  2 sandwiches were average for a 'meal.'   while some basic things, such as bread, cheese, and meat don't go on that huge of a sale, how much more do you pay going out to eat?  Now, if you want to talk about the social benefits of going out, remember that I live in the dorms.  it's almost always a social experience!  Farmers market is another good way to go.  Fruit's such a healthy way to tide over between meals!

All this seems really obvious, though exciting to me, so I'll stop.

except this: life ('meals') don't have to be reduced to Ramen noodles and candy!  There is a better way to go, and it can be easy, fun, fast, and worth it! (it took about a minute or two in the grilled-cheese maker for 2 sandwiches)  Take care of yourself.

I need to make some changes- not through surgery per se, but my attitude, and happiness, and what I share w/ others, to say the least.  How hard can it be to be more supportive of others?  and to find the right people to open up to?

I started by thanking the wind and shadows, but they're made by God, so I have to give him the credit.  It's a hot day out- in the 90s, and I walked about a half hour to get to the U of M, and the only thing that kept me from dripping w/ sweat were the wind and shadows.  Mostly from tall bukldings, not trees, except on campus, but no big clilmbing trees (sorry, Aaron.)

I finally caved in and got my textbooks.  One that I didn't, I read at the U, and really enjoyed the comfy chair, being in a different place . . .

So, thank-you God for a break!

So, the computer tried to eat my floppy.  NOthing new in this computer lab, but it's a brand-new disk, and I thought I'd fare better.  I was just going to paste some stuff I'd written yesterday.  Since so many people overload the internet system at the beginning of the school year, I guess it messes up the connection.

I was writing about good and bad thigns yesterday.  It all turned out OK.  I was missing Aaron and Amber, and pouting- not having much to do (the library closed early)- but I ended up going downtown w/ Hope, and that was good.  It was warm out- in the 80s- even at 8/9 at night.  It's supposed to be hotter today.

Homework has swung pretty hard at me.  I'm taking a British Lit. class, and she expects us to read almost 3,000 pages by the end of the semester- wait- I take that back- she wants us to read each section 3 times each so we can really understand it- make that closer to 10,000 pages!! The Bible isn't nearly that long, and I can't get through it in a year, let alone a semester!  I have a feeling I'll live, though.

I still haven't bought any books- I'm still look at alternatives.

I had breakfast this morning!  Hashbrowns, oatmeal, tapioca pudding, blueberry yogurt, apple juice . . . mmmm!  Breakfast is great!  I'm ready for lunch soon, though.

I was also having a hard time yesterday because I'm graduating soon, yet I'm less sure and probably prepared for the 'real world' than these young guys here. (at least it feels like that)- - and I know when I compare, it always ends up bad - but it's so hard not to do!  I have chapel, lunch, dinner, and a meeting tonight (meeting other girls on my floor!)

Hope you take a walk outside, wherever you are. Enjoy!