I have become acquainted with another facet of UT culture: parking lot stalking. Today I was walking to the parking garage after lunch, and I noticed that there was a truck driving very slowly behind me. I was starting to get a little weirded out, thinking I was about to be mugged or something, when the guy rolls down his window and yells, "Hey, are you leaving?" When I said yes, he asks, "Can I like, follow you to your car?" Haha. That's how bad the parking is here; we've been reduced to stalking just to find a spot. Good grief.

Wow, I just read not too long ago that Katrina is a category 5 storm now, and that all of New Orleans is being evacuated. It makes my heart hurt to think of all those people having to leave everything behind and wonder what will be left when they get back. How scary and how sad. It's so weird because I remember when I was younger how I loved reading about natural disasters, and I was fascinated by hurricanes. Hurricane Camille, one of the strongest hurricanes in US history, was particularly interesting to me, and now that I am thinking about it, I almost feel guilty for finding such wonder in such a destructive force. I think Katrina is close in scale to Camille, and Camille killed hundreds of people.

It's times like this when I am reminded of my responsibility as a Christian to pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ (even if I've never met them), as well as for the lost. May we all be reminded of that.

So last night I decided to go home this weekend because I wasn't sure I'd have another chance to do so, and here I am! I got home around 7:30, and I've just been chilling with the parentals. Just like old times. (I have no life.)

On the way here it was POURING down rain, and it was so bad at one point that I had to pull over. But then suddenly in the middle of the downpour, these brilliant shafts of light broke through the clouds, and it was so beautiful I literally gasped. And then I thought about how much that's like our Christian walk. Sometimes the sky seems cloudy and dark, and we can't see the sun, but then we'll get just enough of a glimmer to remind us that it's always there. Even when we can't see it, the sun is always looking down on us. The same goes for God; at times it may seem as though the way is unknown and hidden, or even that God Himself is nowhere to be found, but always He is right there, just behind the clouds.

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn or settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139: 7-10

Okay, I totally have to finish some homework before my class, so just a quick little anecdote about yesterday that will show you all how completely dorky I am (just in case you weren't already aware of that). The first class I went to was the freshman comp. class I'll be observing, and there's about 24 students in there. Kristin (my mentor) went through the syllabus, introduced me and I said a few words like "Hello" and "I'm excited about the semester." (I'm so profound.) So then she was talking to them about writing assignments down in their planner, and there were lots of blank looks. So she asks if anyone actually has a planner, and only one girl did! We were both aghast, like "Oh my goodness, how do you live without a planner" because apparently we're both anal schedule freaks, and the girl who had hers said she didn't really even use it. So I said (and I don't know why, even now), "Oh, you should totally use it. You can get different color pens to write with, and it's so fun!" She just looked at me like I'd sprouted a third ear. Haha. What am I, two years old? Oh well, guess you had to be there. (I do however stand by the fact that writing in different colors makes everything more fun.)

And before I go I just want to say that I am SO excited about my Old English class I can't even aptly describe it. That's all. :)

I know you've all been dying to know how my first day of classes went, so allow me to ease your pain. Even though I arrived on campus around 9 am, there were no parking spots to be found close to the building all of my classes are in, so I had to park about a mile away and walk up many a hill to get to my destination. That is the one thing I could do without at UT: hills. You just can't escape them. The campus is really pretty, though, and I will say that it's refreshing to be on a campus that actually looks like a "college" because I always thought Union didn't, with the exception of the Jennings. (But I love Union, so I overlooked it's lack of aesthetic beauty.)

Anyway, I had two classes today: Intro to Research at 10:10 and Contemporary Criticism at 11:10, and they met in the same room, which was nice. I know people in both classes and after reviewing the syllabi, I think I can handle the coursework. (I don't, however, know how I'm going to lug around the 10-pound Norton Anthology for my crit. class. And speaking of Norton, those guys are rolling in the money. I need to work for them.) I really like the professor for my criticism class; as a way of introducion we each had to say our name and then make some sort of recommendation, like for a book or movie or something else we felt everyone needed to experience. I thought that was a fun way of breaking the ice and getting to know a little bit about people's tastes, and I also got some good recommendations of things to check out. I recommended that everyone watch the movie Wit with Emma Thompson (you should, it's amazing) and read any of the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde (English majors especially will love his books, and incidentally, he was recommended to me by the same professor who wrote the article about marriage that I linked last week). And the professor even seemed interested in Fforde and wrote down his name and said he would check him out, so I felt cool. (Don't worry, I know I'm not actually cool; it just felt like it.)

Later that afternoon I met with the dean of the department to talk about the MA and to make sure I understood all of the requirements and such. She's really excited that I'm interested in medieval lit because the English department received a $3 million grant from NEH to develop a medieval institute, and they're doing some really exciting things with the program. I'm going to a meeting/lunch on Friday that's going to give an overview of the institute's goals and programs for the year, and I'm looking forward to learning more about it. The more I'm at UT the more I know it's where God intends for me to be right now, and that's such a good feeling. She also talked to me about the thesis and exam options, but I won't bore you with that stuff. Suffice it to say that while originally I planned to write a thesis (about 60 pages), I'm now considering sitting for the exam instead. We'll see. I don't have to decide until late in the spring. The crazy thing about a master's is that it's so fast that you barely have a chance to catch your breath before it's over. If I were to write a thesis, by the spring I'd need to have an idea of what I'm going to write about and find my thesis director and committee. I feel like I'll be done with it all before I've had a chance for it all to sink in!

I'll end with a line from one of Bethany Dillon's new songs: "Leave behind your busy life; all you have is who you are." True words, indeed. (Please check out Bethany Dillon. She really is amazing. Her lyrics are fabulous, her voice is surprisingly mature for a 17-year-old, and she loves the Lord. What more do you want?)

Currently reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (again). The link wouldn't work.

Today was the last round of meetings! You know it's bad if I'm actually looking forward to classes just so I won't have to go to any more meetings! Today was the big departmental meeting, which basically consisted of a bunch of announcements and introductions of all the new people, including the new MA's. We all had to stand up, and I felt weird and awkward and young. But after that meeting about six of us went to eat at Moe's for lunch because we had a 2 hour break before our next meeting, and it was really fun! We just hung out and talked and had a good time, and I'm looking forward to having classes with some of them.

Later in the afternoon the department had a reception for all of the new students to meet the faculty. Unfortunately, there were way more new students than faculty there, so it was a little disappointing. I had been hoping to meet several members of the medieval faculty, but only one was there. I did get to talk to several professors, and they all seemed very approachable and knowledgeable; they just weren't in my field.

There was one strange encounter, though. Towards the end of the reception I decided to get up from the table I was at and see if there was anyone else I could meet. I pretty much almost ran right into a professor not two feet from the table, so I introduced myself. We then had the most awkward conversation I have ever been apart of. I was standing there trying to talk to him, and the whole time I was thinking, "Man, I stink at making conversation" because it was such a weird "non-conversation." After that less than successful attempt at meeting someone new, I sat back down. Right after that one of the second years that I absolutely love came over and whispered, "I just want you to know that you were so brave to talk to Dr. ______. I've had a class with him and he's brilliant and great in class, but it is impossible to have a normal conversation with him. I never know how to talk to him. When I saw you going up to him I was like, 'Oh no, not him!'" We both giggled and I felt immensely relieved at the fact that maybe I wasn't as socially awkward as that conversation made me feel.

I really think I am going to have a great year. (And as much as I want to appear an optimist, even as I typed that I was thinking, "I sure hope I don't turn out to be wrong." I'm definitely not an optimist, no matter how hard I try.)

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19

Today I finally got to meet my mentor! I was getting a little concerned because as of Friday night I still hadn't heard from her, but she emailed me Sat. morning. She apologized for not being available and told me she's getting married Sept. 3 and just got back from spending a month in Spain, so I'll excuse her. She seems really really nice and fun (her syllabus is actually entertaining to read), so I'm looking forward to observing her class and learning from her. And she's really open to whatever I want to do regarding teaching--whether it be a lot or a little--so I'm thankful I seem to have a mentor who is flexible and kind. A definite blessing. I can't wait to see how the experience turns out!

I also had a meeting about tutoring in the writing center that was pretty straightforward and a tiny bit boring, but it was stuff I needed to know. I find out my schedule either tomorrow or Wed., so then I'll know how much "free" time I will have. I am hesitant to say it, but I really don't think my schedule's going to be all that bad this semester. My classes each day start around 10 am and end by at least 12:25, so that's great, and then I'll be tutoring 5 hours a week, and that's it. The plan is to arrive on campus by 8 every day so I can work a couple hours before classes and then work in the afternoons so I won't have a ton of work left to do in the evening, but we'll see how that goes. I'm a horrible person when it comes to getting up early, and it's even worse if I know I don't actually have to be somewhere until hours later! Of course, the parking situation at UT is so bad that perhaps that will be another motivator for getting to school early. Or maybe I'll just become an expert at parallel parking...

I've been reading these verses the past few days and pondering them:

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26

I turn to these verses whenever I am feeling alone or abandoned, and they are such comfort for me, and a gentle reminder of the fact that it is God alone who should hold my affections, capture my attention, awaken my soul, and consume my thoughts. Yet I am also reminded of God's decree in Genesis: "It is not good for man to be alone." How do you find the balance between depending solely on God while also longing for human companionship? And I don't mean purely romantic companionship (although I certainly am not opposed to that, either!), but just genuine friendship. So often I find myself placing my friends above God. Like yesterday when I really felt the need to pour my heart out to someone, the first person I called was a friend, and it was only later that I sought the Lord about it. Why is He not my first thought in trouble? Why do I only come crawling to Him when I have exhausted other options? And why does He keep picking me back up and giving me the grace to stand? I don't know, but my heart rejoices in His mercy and I can only pray that I will learn to seek His face first and the approval and love of others, second.

I miss my parents. :( If any of you see them, give them a hug for me.

I've decided I love Knoxville. There's everything I need here, and it's just so pretty (if you overlook all the construction, at least). There seem to be more trees somehow, although it could just be that I'm seeing everything through fresh eyes. My apartment complex has lots of trees, though, so that's wonderful. I love going outside when the wind is blowing and hearing the song the branches sing as they dance in the breeze. It's so poetic.

I don't think I told you about my latest friend. (If I did, I'm terribly sorry.) Her name is McKay's, and she sells used books, cds, dvds, etc. She is huge and has just about anything you can conceive of. Today I bought two books (The Secret Life of Bees and a Middle English anthology) for $6.56. That is a successful shopping venture, in my humble opinion. (Union students, it's a shame there's not one in Jackson because they have all those big fat Norton anthologies for dirt cheap.) I could spend all day in McKay's. It's a book lover's dream.

So is Barnes and Noble, who also saw me today, as I had a 15% off coupon to use. I bought the Chronicles of Narnia there and Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. I've read the former but not the latter. Did you know that the movie version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is coming out in December? I saw a preview for it recently, and it looks amazing. I'm super excited! If I find a link to the trailer, I'll post it on here for any other Narnia aficionados.

Now I'm off to make some phone calls! Adios!

Today was my final day of orientation, and it was university-wide, with grad. assistants from all the departments. Even though we were supposed to stay until 3, most of the first years ended up leaving after the free (not so good) lunch, since all of the afternoon sessions related to teaching, and we don't teach until next year. This year, I'm responsible for tutoring in the writing center five hours a week, and assisting a lecturer with one of her freshman comp. classes. We were all assigned mentors whose classes we'll observe every time they meet (yay), but mine has yet to email me back, so I'm hoping maybe she's just out of town or something because if not it doesn't exactly bode well for things to come. I'm looking forward to the experience, though, because it will give me a chance to see close up how things work, and I'll get to do some grading and other stuff. Grading should be interesting because I think I'll be one of two types: either I'll be really hard on everyone and mark every error in their papers, or I'll feel bad for giving low grades and be lenient. Hopefully I will learn to strike some sort of balance between the two, and I'm sure with practice I will. I'm just glad that the instructor makes the final decision on the grade, so if I gave some student a grade they didn't want and the instructor agreed with me, the student couldn't get mad at me for it. It's always nice to have someone else taking responsbility for things, and I may as well enjoy it while I can.

Tonight David and Elizabeth and I went to eat at this Mexican place called Agave Azul, and even though I ended up pretty much hating my dish, it was a neat place. Then we roamed around West Town Mall, which is really nice and large and has this maze-like feel to it. You can spend hours in there. Tomorrow we're going up to campus to get our computers configured for UT's wireless, since I have tried to access the wireless network on my own to no avail. I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday and it already feels like the weekend since I don't have to get up at 7:30 but can sleep in! Yippy! Hope you're all having a good week! Holla, my peeps. (Daniel, I'm running out of ghetto sayings.)

PS I'm not listening to Bethany Dillon's Imagination album right this moment, but it just came out Tuesday and I love it. It's only $10 at Target, too.

The English grad program has fun people in it! I have yet to have one awkward moment, and there are a few people with whom I've really clicked. It's been good so far, although yesterday we had to go to a workshop about "writing at the graduate level," something that actually scares me to pieces, but one of the professors leading it just rambled on and on about formalism and postmodernism (if you don't know what those words mean, don't worry; I really don't either!) and how you should basically just write to the professor's ideas. I was sitting there thinking that was the dumbest thing I've heard because if you just write what you think the professor wants, how will you ever find your own voice or even say anything remotely intelligent, and fortunately for me, the professor who spoke after this guy was great and she pretty much contradicted everything he said. I was hoping there would be some kind of fight, but no such luck. I still don't really know how to write at the graduate level, though, which is unfortunate, but I suppose getting my first paper back with red all over it will clue me in very quickly. That's really the only thing I'm truly concerned about (well that and being destitute). I'm terrified of having to write a paper and not doing a good job on it and flunking out of grad school, but all of the second years have been saying there's an infinitesimally small chance of that happening since UT would look bad if all their students flunked out, so I just need to take a chill pill. (That really applies to every area of my life. I tend to be somewhat uptight.)

Anyway, all this rambling just to say that so far I'm enjoying my time on campus even though it's hot and there are hills everywhere. The English department has a separate computer lab with computers that have free printing (it's like 4 cents everywhere else I think), so that's awesome. I think I'm going to be in for quite an adventure this year, and I'm so jazzed about it! Peace out, homies. (I'm going to keep using phrases like that just because I know Daniel hates it.)

And we meet again! After getting about 2 hours of sleep last night because I was sooo nervous and anxious about today, here today is and it's not so bad! (In case you're wondering what's so significant about today, it's when I started the orientation that all the new grad. students and lecturers have to attend all week, and I was really tied up in knots about having to meet all these people.) It's still a bit overwhelming, as there are a lot of first years like myself, but everyone seems to be friendly and the older grad students who are leading the stuff today are really fun. We've had a lot of down time, which I didn't expect, so tomorrow I am definitely bringing my laptop to make use of the lovely wireless network.

It's all a little surreal, actually. I still can't quite believe that I'm a grad student. It seems strange somehow. And yet next week I start classes, and I am incredibly excited about that. It'll be great to be learning stuff on a regular basis and reading and getting to know people better and all that nerdy stuff that I just love about school. Yay!

Elizabeth moves in today, and I must say that I couldn't be happier. This past week that I've been by myself has made me enormously thankful to God that He provided a roommate for me (and a really great one, at that) so I wouldn't have to live by myself. This weekend was so dull even the fuzz on my carpet was fascinating in comparison. I ended up watching all 3 of the LOTR movies that I bought for a grand total of $15 at this awesome used bookstore called McKay's that I wish everyone could go to because it is amazing and is my new best friend. I forgot how good they are, really, since it's been so long since I've seen them.

Anyway, I've got to head off to the next seminar. Woohoo. Hopefully now that I'm on campus I'll be updating more often and commenting more often too! Until then, word to your mother! (Hehe.)

Okay, so I'm going to attempt to write this post without it being eaten up by cyberspace. I'm sitting in Panera, this yummy restaurant that Memphis is apparently deprived of, and they have free wireless. Yay for that! Unfortunately, I'm an odd creature, and I didn't feel right just ordering a coke and sitting here using their internet, so I ate dinner here. Still, it was delicious, and now I'm typing away on my own computer to my heart's content. Isn't it weird how other keyboards feel foreign when you're used to typing on your own? Or maybe that's just me...

So I've become a library junkie. I've been to the library every day this week to use the internet there, which makes me feel weird because I have myself convinced that soon they're going to tell me to stop coming every single day and mooching off them. Which is absurd because I doubt they even notice. Although, it is a very small library, so I wouldn't put it past them to notice. I checked out some books the other day just so it wouldn't look like I'd just come in to use the Internet. I think I have an overdeveloped sense of guilt or something. And it was hard to find 2 books to check out, too. I think the library must have about 1,000 volumes, at the most. I have more books in my possession than they do. (Well, almost.) It's a travesty, really.

As for my unpacking, I pretty much finished that yesterday, which is way ahead of my "schedule." (Once I take the boxes to the dumpster, Elizabeth, you're room will be ready and waiting for you, so hurry up and get here; you don't want the room to feel neglected.) I was going to go to the pool today, but I felt weird going by myself, so I chickened out and took a nap instead. Pretty much all I've done today is sleep, actually. It was kind of nice, and I figure I better build up a nice surplus of sleep so that when classes start and I'm feeling sleep-deprived, I can look back on this week with fondness and wistfulness. I've also watched almost my complete Gilmore Girls collection since Sunday, so that's kept me busy, and eventually I'm going to have to do my laundry. I hate doing laundry, especially in a public laundry room. Yuck.

Yesterday I also visited UT and got my ID card made and obtained my parking permit. Guess how much the permit cost? (If you read my keywords for today then you should be able to guess.) That's right, $155!!! It's got to be unethical to charge that much just for a piece of pavement. Seriously, think about all the permits they have to sell. There's over 20,000 students at UT, and a large chunk of that number must drive and have to buy a permit. Good grief.

Let's see, my last keyword. Oh yes, boredom. Well, I think it's obvious that I'm bored, so I don't know what else to say about that, except I'm ready for classes and a routine, and some contact with people (besides the ones at the McDonald's drive-thru). However, I'm not so much looking forward to meeting all the new people I'm going to meet next week at training. I'm terrible with small talk and with meeting new people in general. That's when my introversion is most apparent. But I know that out of all the grad students I'm going to meet, there's going to be at least one that I'll connect with and hopefully be able to talk to in a way that goes beyond "So, where are you from?" Here's hoping.

Oh, I am soooo mad! I had typed up this long, slightly amusing entry and clicked save, and instead cyberspace stole it! Ughhh. And I only have 15 minutes left on this library computer, so I can't type the whole thing over, which is sad for both me and you, but more so for you I suppose, since instead of my original, somewhat interesting entry, you get this. Sigh.

I will leave you with these keywords until tomorrow: library junkie, $155, unpacking, and boredom.

And for those of you who have my number, for the love--please call me!!! I'm bored out of my skull.

Wow, it feels so great to be typing on a computer again!! Thanks for all the love that was left on my xanga, and congrats to Stef for correctly guessing the song I was referring to in my survey. (Stef, I knew you'd get it!) We made it to Knoxville last Thursday, unloaded everything (or rather, my dad unloaded everything while I tried to find places to put it), and then on Friday we headed to Gatlinburg for the weekend. We stayed in this very secluded little cabin in the foothills, and it was lovely. We ate lots of good food (anyone been to the Apple Barn or Old Mill before? Yummy!) and we took some scenic drives around the mountains and shopped at the Tanger outlet mall. (Anyone who comes to visit me: I promise we will go there because it's fabulous!) Then on Sunday, my parents dropped me off at my apartment where tears were shed and hugs given and then I was left to face the emptiness that is my apartment until Elizabeth arrives a week from now.

Never one to sit around and mope (okay so that's a lie, but in this case I didn't), I went exploring. I quickly met up with the mothership, Barnes and Noble, which is a mere 5-8 minutes from my apartment, and good times were had. I then met up with my best friend Target, and she also provided me with much enjoyment. I also met a new friend named Cold Stone Creamery, and I think we'll be seeing a lot more of each other. I then returned to my crib (haha, I'm so not ghetto) and unpacked a little. (Julie L., you were so kind to think of my having to unpack. It is truly heinous, to borrow one of Lynnette's words.) I have decided to pace myself in my unpacking, since I have all week with nothing else to do, so if I finish it all in one fell swoop, what will I do then? I'll just spend money, which is in short supply right now.

Speaking of money, I did visit the neighborhood Verizon store and purchased a phone and a new plan, so if you've got Verizon, tell me and we can talk for free! I had to wait for about thirty minutes before I even got to talk to anyone, but it had to be done, so I did it. I think the moment that I saw my new number with the 865 area code is when it hit me that I'm actually here and not in Memphis, and that this is, for all intents and purposes, my home now. Huh. Not sure how I feel about it overall, although I will say the construction is a pain and I hate not knowing where anything is, but that can be cured with time and a little more exploration. I am ready to meet some people and start classes and have a routine. I hate this aimless, in-between-ness. More often than not when I am faced with large spans of unscheduled time, I end up wasting it, and I don't want to do that. And why is that, really? When I am busy there are always things to do, lists to complete, goals to be accomplished, but when I have nothing to do, I don't do any of that stuff. So weird. But I have made some goals for myself this week:

1. Read that darn theory book I was going to read a month ago.
2. Finish buying all the little odds and ends I need.
3. Have all my belongings unpacked and organized (or at least out of Elizabeth's room by the time she moves in, haha).
4. Find the shortest route to UT and get my parking tag and ID card.
5. Watch every movie I own.

Okay, so the last one is just for kicks, but if I get bored enough I just may be forced to do it. I don't know how many movies I have, but it's at least 50, so I doubt I'll actually get that far, what with all the other stuff I'm totally going to accomplish this week, right? Riiight. Anyway, the library computer is informing me that I only have 30 minutes left, and I have some other web-related business to attend to, so I will end this. I don't know that I'll be able to comment on anyone's sites today, but don't feel slighted and know that I will soon. Happy Monday!

Currently Watching: The Shawshank Redemption. (I actually watched it for the first time last night, and it was amazing. I just cried and cried at the end. I highly recommend it, although I'm probably the only person who hasn't seen it since it's 11 years old and all.)

Well, the truck is loaded and stuffed to the brim, and I think I'm all set to go! According to my mom, we're leaving at 7 am "on the nose, that means no rushing around or running late." My parents are helping me move thank goodness or I'd have to make 80 gazillion trips to get everything moved. And then after we unpack all my stuff, we are leaving on Friday to spend the weekend in Gatlinburg in a little cabin my dad reserved. It will be so nice to just relax and hang out with my parents and not have to think about moving. I'm so tired of thinking about what I need to buy and where I'm going to put it and on and on and on. I hate moving!

I don't know when I'll next update since we'll be gone the whole weekend, but now that I got my wireless card to work, by next week I'll be frequenting Panera Bread quite often to take advantage of their free wireless. Don't worry--I will not let my xanga die! I hope all of you have a wonderful rest of the week, and those of you I tagged, (and anyone else who wants to for that matter) don't forget to post your answers! I now leave you with yet another scintillating survey!

1. PICK ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
-I have one scar on my knee that I got when I ran into a parked truck while riding my bike. Fun times.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
-A whole lot of nothing. I'm taking a lot of it to Knoxville.

3. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO:
-Anything Christian that's not twangy, rock, alternative, classical, jazz, pretty much anything but rap i can't understand and country

4. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
-Sometime around dinnertime. No wonder I'm always hungry.

5. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
-To be loved and accepted.

6. WHAT DO YOU MISS AT TIMES?
-Union, my friends Emily and Marya, and swings.

13. WHAT KIND OF HAIR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX
- I don't like long hair, but anything else is fine with me. I do like wavy, slightly messy hair, though.

14. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF BEING PROPOSED TO?
- In front of a large crowd or in a restaurant. Or maybe at a park or on top of the Eiffel Tower. (Right, Erin, riiight.)

15. DO YOU LIKE ----?
- Actually, I really love ?????

16. WHAT ARE YOUR FIVE FAVORITE MOVIES?
1. You've Got Mail 2. Pride and Prejudice 3. Sense and Sensibility 4. About a Boy 5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

17. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF GOING FOR YOUR HONEYMOON?
- Italy, no ifs ands or buts about it!

18. WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU MADE MAD?
- Probably my parents. I don't really know.

19. DO YOU SPEAK A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE?
- Un poco espanol. (I forgot the keystroke that puts the little tilde over the n.)

20. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT SOMEONE EVER GAVE YOU (OF THE OPPOSITE SEX WHO WASN'T RELATED TO YOU)?
- Hmm, I don't remember. David used to draw pictures of houses during church and give them to me. He learned a lot from the sermons, haha.

21. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE SINGER(s)?
- Bethany Dillon, Nichole Nordeman, Josh Groban, Jack Johnson

22. FAVORITE BAND(s)?
- Caedmon's Call, Coldplay, Keane, Switchfoot, Relient K

23. WHAT KIND OF BOOKS DO YOU LIKE TO READ?
- I love historical fiction and mysteries, as well as the occasional chic lit. Biographies are also fun. And anything by C. S. Lewis.

24. FAVORITE DESSERT:
- Carrot cake. Or something with Oreos.

25. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR COFFEE?
- In a frapuccino. Haha.

26. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PHRASE?
- Rats!

27. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING:
- Well in a way we're all going to be leaving, so I probably would. I'm weak in matters of the heart.

28. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU?
- Tell them you love them, duh! Or I'd write them a card or give them a gift because that's my love language.

29. BLONDES, REDHEADS OR BRUNETTES ?
- Brunettes definitely.

30. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL OFTEN?
- 867-5309 (Name the girl who has that number!)

31. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST?
- People who don't use their turn signals and people who are fake.

32. HAVE YOU EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
- Of course.

33. WHO IS YOUR CURRENT CRUSH?
- Well if you must know...Christian Bale

34. WHAT IS YOUR WORST FEAR?
- Being rejected by someone I love.

35. SAY SOMETHING TO SOMEONE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN/TALKED TO IN A WHILE:
-Dawn, I miss you!

36. HAVE YOU EVER SAID "I LOVE YOU" AND NOT MEANT IT?
-I hope not, but probably.

37. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS SURVEY
- chatting on AIM

38. What were you doing last night at midnight?
- chatting on AIM (wow, that's kind of sad, but before that I seriously hadn't been on in ages)

I've been tagged!

THE RULES:
List five songs that you are currently loving. It doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now.

Post these instructions, the artist, and the song in your blog (Xanga) along with your five songs. Then tag five other people to see what they're listening to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only 5? This is hard. Okay, lemme see...

1. "Why" by Bethany Dillon
2. "Addicted" by Kelly Clarkson
3. "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet (I never get tired of this song, I don't know why.)
4. "Someday" by The Afters
5. "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers (Has this been my background song yet? If not, I need to put it on here because I absolutely love it!)

I tag: Elizabeth, Stef, Steven, Eddie, and David (maybe that will make him update!)

Well, today I have been super productive! I got up at 8 again (yuck!) and started packing. I have now packed all of my clothes and pretty much everything else I am taking to Knoxville, with the exception of stuff I still need to use until Thursday. This is probably the saddest packing experience I've ever had because I don't know when I'll actually be living at home again for more than a few weeks over Christmas, and so I've been packing up all of my childhood books (I have like 20 books by Lucy Maude Montgomery, among other things).

It all seems very final. Last night my dad was helping me move some boxes, and he said, "You know, this makes me really sad. You're really going away." At the time I just kind of laughed and said, "Oh, don't be sad!" but now I'm kind of sad. This is different than when I went to Union because it was only an hour away and I came home at least every month. Now I'm moving across the state, I'll probably only be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I think I'll be staying in Knoxville for the summer, too. This chapter of my life is ending, and a new one is beginning. (That's so cliched, but it really fits.) I just hope I like how the story turns out...

Today was weird because I didn't have to go to work and I wasn't out of town. But I did have to get up early (or 8 am, which I suppose isn't that early) to go to the eye doctor. For the first time since I can remember, my vision did not get worse! Very exciting news since if it did keep getting worse, I'd be blind by the time I'm 30! Then I had lunch with my sweet friend Laura at McAlister's, and then I went home and pretended to pack for a few hours until my mom came home and really made me start packing.

So far I have all of my books packed up, all of my movies, and some of the contents of my dresser, but only a few clothes. I did do 5 loads of laundry, though, so I wasn't completely unproductive. Tomorrow's agenda includes packing the remainder of my clothes, closing out my bank account and opening a new one (they don't have my bank in Knoxville, which is a bummer because everything on my account is free right now), and running some errands. I have random odds and ends to buy. And this is officially the most boring post ever, so I'm shutting up now. I don't know why I have nothing inspirational or thought-provoking to say. Oh well, we can't be geniuses all the time, right?