back to the *new* reality

These past few weeks have been somewhat hectic for me with school and then Spring Break 2010. Which is not as much fun, by the way, when you're in graduate school and 25 years old. Don't worry, I still managed to get some fun time in, but I felt slightly guilty having a week off in the middle of March. Now I'm back in Auburn and busier than ever. Which is why I'm blogging and not writing one of my three cussing papers due on Thursday. Priorities are set!

Anyway, my first part of spring break was spent in Crystal River, Fl with some friends from Auburn. That's right, you heard me. I have friends! I don't know why it took so long for these people here to realize how great I am, but I digress. Crystal River. Interesting place. The main attraction is the ever elusive sea creature, the manatee. Boy, those cussers are ugly. We got to go kayaking with them swimming (if you can call if that) underneath our boats, which was cool.

Anyway, I don't know why the font changes on me like that, but I'll just ride with it. Roll with it. Rock with it.

My apologies for that.

Crystal River is definitely in auto-centric retiree haven. The most interesting part of the trip was the three elderly people protesting outside a rental office about the rent increases. I wanted to join them, but I didn't have a fanny pack, a white hair-do, or a wonderfully, shaky hand written sign. I probably could have obtained all three if I wanted to, but the manatee beckoned. But how sad is that? Elderly protesting...I felt for them. They didn't get their cost of living increase this year with Social Security, but their landlord still increased the rent. I'm sure he is in just as much financial trouble, but it's still sad. No one is safe from this recession! Is it safe to call it a depression or are we all just avoiding that word?! I don't claim to know one lick of economics, so I should probably move on.

I rode to Charleston with the professor I work for, Carla, which was great. I hate driving and she drives a stick-shift diesel VW (aka good gas mileage), so it worked out well. We started the trip out having to fill-up her tank since she had only done this once since owning the vehicle. She bought it in August. It's March. She is my hero. We got all the way to Charleston and the back up to Orangeburg before having to fill-up again! How cussing awesome is that?! I did have to help her fill-up since she does it with such infrequency. That was funny. The car ride was one of the most fun times of the trip. We laughed the whole way. She laughs pretty hard at me and I don't know if it's because I am an idiot compared to her Ph.D from MIT or because she thinks I'm funny. I'll just continue to live in ignorance of which one it is. We were also mistaken for lesbians twice on the trip (to our knowledge, I guess it could've been more). Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I'd rather that not happen. Well, now that I think about it, I actually don't care. It was just funny.

One interesting thing we talked about on the ride was her experience living in a gated, suburban community. One day her neighbor said to her, "I'm having company over so don't be alarmed if you see strange cars." She was like, "what the cuss, I don't notice cars to begin with. Is that what they notice?!". Isn't it funny that the man warned her of strange cars and not strange people? That just goes to show how conditioned we are as an auto-centric country. We design our communities to facilitate cars and not people, so it made total sense in this man's eyes to warn her of strange vehicles. Sad state of affairs if you ask me.

Well, I must get back to my prestigious studies. I also have a favor to ask. My dear grandfather is in the hospital. He's hopefully getting out today, but I don't know yet. He has to live forever, so please pray he's ok.

Thanks.

bye.