Reaching the Limit

Today I did something I have not done yet in grad school: I dropped a class. I was supposed to give a presentation on a book today, along with having about 300 pages of Bleak House read, and it just wasn't going to happen. I've been working like crazy trying to catch up since I got mono, and I'm worn out. I've gotten very little sleep this week, I'm tired all the time, and I'm so stressed out that yesterday I felt like I was going to be sick. This is NOT conducive to a full recovery from mono. When I first came back to school, I debated dropping it, but I decided to try and stick it out. I did okay at first, but it seemed like the minute I finished one thing, something else was waiting to be done. It's like I couldn't breathe. Then last night around 2 am when I was trying to finish my presentation, I just sort of lost it. After talking to my dear friend Emily (my fabulous maid of honor), I decided that my mental and physical health is more important than trying to prove to myself that I can catch up on two weeks' worth of Dickens novels. When I think about it, the one thing that was keeping me from dropping it earlier is pride. I didn't want my professor to think of me as a quitter, and I didn't want to think of myself as one, either. But you know what? In ten years will I even care about this class I dropped? I probably won't care about it in one year. The important thing is for me to know my limits and forget about any concerns I have about what people will think of me. I've reached my limit. It's time to rest.

The silver lining to all of this? When I got back from campus today I checked the mail, and I had a package from Stephen! He sent me the 6th season of Gilmore Girls on DVD! He really is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. Girls, wait for your prince. He'll come when you least expect it.

The Things My Mom Says

My mom called me earlier, and I was stressing out about this book presentation I have to give tomorrow (and about the 5 bazillion other things I have to do), and she said, "Erin, stop stressing. Your goal now is GET OUT, GET MARRIED!" Works for me!

Yippie!

Gilmore Girls premiere is TONIGHT! And what makes it even more exciting than usual is that Stephen is now caught up on the entire series, so he can share my greatest TV love with me! He really is the best fiancé ever. I just hope the premiere isn't disappointing. I'm sure it's going to be a little sad, but as long as it's good, I can handle some sadness.

In other news, my mom is meeting with some photographers this week, so let's hope I will soon have a wedding photographer! That's the last major detail I need to take care of, and the sooner it's done, the better I will feel about it. I think it will actually hit me that I'm getting married when my wedding dress comes in (which will be several more weeks, I believe). I can't wait!

Just Though You'd Want to Know

I am listening to the 70s station on Rhapsody, and "Copacabana" just came on. It gave me quite the giggle.

I bought this supposedly lavender-scented auto air freshener at Wal-Mart, and instead of smelling like lavender, it smells like men's cologne. I'm actually okay with that.

I have entirely too much work to catch up on.

I am itching to wear a sweater. Fall is here, and I need to wear sweaters!

I cannot wait for the SEVENTH season premiere of Gilmore Girls!!!!

I am reading this book called City of Dreadful Delight: Narratives of Sexual Danger in Late-Victorian London. For school. It's about Jack the Ripper. How cool is that?

Today's School Lesson

Today in my medieval readings course I learned that if you want to sell a house quickly, you should bury St. Joseph upside down in your front yard. Who knew that he was the patron saint of real estate? I'm so glad I'm getting my master's so I can learn this incredibly valuable information. (In case you're wondering, this lesson had nothing whatsoever to do with the reading.)

EDIT: Gilmore Girls gossip below! Do NOT read if you don't want to know about events that take place in the season premiere (which is NEXT Tuesday, yay!)!!!








The following is from my favorite TV scooper, Michael Ausiello, as found in his TV Guide column, Ask Ausiello:


Question: At the risk of angering the Gilmore Girls masses, I like Christopher. Is he actually going to get his chance with Lorelai this time around?— Libby
Ausiello: Cover your eyes, L/L fans. (Yes, he is.) David Sutcliffe was very cagey about the rekindling of Lorelai-Christopher, but I did manage to get him to confirm rumors that they'll be jetting off to Paris for a romantic rendezvous during November sweeps. But, unfortunately for Sutcliffe, they won't be going to the real Paris. He says there was a "30-second conversation" about doing a location shoot in France, but saner (i.e., budget-conscious) minds prevailed, and now "Paris is on the backlot of Universal." BTW, Sutcliffe's no dummy: He knows the majority of Gilmore fans loathe his character. "It's a 70/30 split," he ventures. "I do have my fans, but I have my detractors as well."

Ahhh! I'm going to be so sad watching the premiere.

For a LOT more scoop, visit spoilerfix.com. (The site also has spoilers for other shows, like LOST and Grey's Anatomy.)

Save Me from the Monotony!

If I read one more paper that begins with "In today's society," I'm going to throw something.

P.S.  I can't seem to figure out how to put the actual video on here, but if you want to see a music video that features great feats on treadmills, go here.

Breakthrough in Weight Loss

Want to lose 8 pounds in two weeks? Get mono!


P.S. Guess what sweet, wonderful man bought me season 2 of LOST?

On the Mend?

I think I feel better today than I have since I started feeling sick. My temperature was almost normal, the vomiting seems to have stopped, which is a miracle, and I was actually able to drive myself to the doctor. I had to take a nap when I got home, but still, these are major developments. I had to get more blood drawn, which is lots of fun, but the doctor thinks that my liver enzymes are going back down, and it looks like my jaundice is about gone. Plus, she said it would be fine for me to go back to class on Monday as long as I feel like it, so lots of good news today! Hopefully I can keep my energy up when I drive back this weekend. I'm not looking forward to that one bit, but I'll manage. Thanks to all of you who have been praying and have left such sweet comments. I really appreciate it, and please keep praying. The doctor says the fatigue can last long after the other symptoms have faded, so I have to be careful.

Anywho, enough about my sickness. Thanks again to all of you!!

Blah

Not only do I have mono, I have jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, whatever that means. Oh, and I throw up. Every day. It's great. All I know is I have to stop taking the medicine until I go back to the doctor on Wednesday to see about my liver, and the medicine actually helped the throbbing pain in my head. So much for that.

Shoot me now, please.

So this whole mono thing? It kind of sucks. I cannot wait for the day that I do not have alternate times of sweating profusely and shivering uncontrollably and can actually walk around without wanting to fall down. Blah.

What makes it even more stressful is that I had my students submit their work online for Friday and today, and it takes forEVER to go through all their emails and check their work and stuff. Plus, I haven't gotten any reading done because reading for more than 10 minutes makes my head want to explode.

If a country was wanting to unleash a biological weapon, they should use mono. (Not that I'm condoning biological warfare, of course.)

My students are going to be blogging this semester as well, in a class blog on Blogger. I'm rather excited about it, although I don't think all of them are thrilled with the idea. I bet they will love it at the end of the semester, though!

That's all for now. I'm still alive, so that's a plus.

P.S. Why do they keep changing the text editor thingy?

Medical Update

I just returned from a 4-hour visit to the emergency room, and it's official: I have mono. When my fever peaked at 102.5 today, I decided it was a good idea to make an emergency trip. My parents are on their way up to take care of me, and I've got a Vicodin prescription, so hopefully that will help me sleep and ease the pain I feel in my muscles. I've been ordered to stay off campus for at least a week, so I'm not sure what to do about teaching my classes. I'm already stressed about being behind, so please pray for me, both that I will get better quickly and that I won't stress about stuff that's out of my control.

I doubt I'll be updating much, but know I'll be with you in spirit.

The Crocodile Hunter is dead. He was stung in the heart by a stingray. I never watched his show, and I thought he was kind of a nut, but still, that's a sad (and strange) way to go. His poor wife and children.

In completely unrelated news, this is the fifth day I've had a fever. The smallest bit of physical exertion completely wears me out. My throat hurts, my body aches, and I'm pretty much miserable. And now it's even sadder because Stephen left this morning. I really really hope I don't have mono.

I'm still sick. Fortunately, Stephen is a good caretaker. I'm sure he would rather be doing other things than taking care of a sick girl, but that comes with the territory.

P.S. Has anyone had mono? If so, what were your symptoms?