The Sunday before last Sunday: Didn't do much, except study, cook beef stir fry, and watch classic rock videos while making vocab flashcards.

Monday: Went to work with Kate, caught a ride home with Jeff, and had my Andrew reunion -- he looked defferent! It felt like we hadn't seen each other in FOREVER. Lots to catch up on -- the Phish festival sounded CRAZY... stuck in traffic, only moving 3 miles in over 24 hours, catching a ride with locals to the festival site finally, the mud that sucked off sandals and shoes, the farewell concerts... Sooo glad I didn't attempt that one!

Tuesday: In the evening D. Becky & Louis visited and we had yummy sushi from the food court at Porter exchange. We ate at home -- it was so fun! And we even had little dipping dishes which we borrowed from Kory. Watched "Things I Hate About You" (GREAT show) and 10 Things I Hate About You (gotta love modern Shakespeare adaptations featuring Julia Stiles).

Weds: Watched 6 Feet Under, bought excessive amounts of candy at the dollar store, etc.

Thursday: We took a trip to Jon & Jen's in the evening for dinner and Andrew's continued moving out process. Watched some of the women's gymnastics (so exciting to watch, but I feel like a bum watching them flip around in the air while I sit on my ass eating) and make, you guessed it, more flashcards. Got home rather late...

Friday: Something was up with the weather. Rumors of a tornado (what?) on Route 2, traveling hurricanes... yeah. Got out of work early so I could sit and do flashcards while waiting for Andrew. On a trip to the ATM while waiting, I saw a very large bird in the shallow rivulet by Clocktower Place... It was at least 2 feet tall, skinny, gray, with blue accents around the face. Thin, long beak and long skinny legs. Curious bird. It was hailing for awhile after we got home that night. Reverberating thunder and lightning flashes. After it all calmed down we went on our first papasan adventure. Andrew's butterfly chair was less than satisfactory so he opted to join me in the papasan hunts. He got the comfiest chair EVER ... broken in corduroy papasan chair with footstool. We searched all over the mall for tools and twine. Ended up getting rope at Target instead. We tied the thing to the roof of the car. Got a few strange looks.

Saturday: Second papasan adventure. Got my purple papasan used for $50. Have since gotten a footstool for $5. Must cover the stained cushion. We went on an insane shopping trip in the rain -- Home Depot for tools, all over creation for my dorm rug at Building 19, and all this in flash floods from the insane dumping of rain we were getting. ARGH! Stop already!! It's not freaking January anymore!! Anyways, I got a 4 foot by 6 foot green rug for like, $14, and a pack of two gel pens for only 78 cents. Yes, Building 19 is the place to go. In the evening we watched Kill Bill 2. Not as many great fight scenes, but thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless.

Sunday: Errands and then we were on our way up to Rockport. Had a horrible stressful time finding a place to park, but had an instant euphoria upon hitting the beach. Really gorgeous -- all blue skies and nice sand. Much nicer crowd than the "free" beaches... this one was only accessible by pay parking lots and hotels (ie, no anger management problem fathers with little boys that spit on the beach among crowds of people). Swam around in the ocean, but the waves were soon overpowering... back in Oregon people don't often go swimming in the beach (or at least not in places where I've been at the beach!! Windy, cool temperatures, and strong waves). After swallowing a mouthful of the supersaturated salt water and getting swept up with the waves, I had had enough. I like the ocean and the waves and all, but when it turns into mother nature doing some extreme splashing you in the face manuevers, it's time to call it quits. I enjoyed it for awhile, but soon my shivering and fear of big waves forced me out of the water. Couldn't stop shivering till we left! Watched Andrew "floundering" about in the water. It was pretty funny... got some great action shots of him being dragged into the waves and flopping about. Wandered around in Rockport afterwards, and after much restaurant hunting Andrew found "Fresh Ketch." At first I was a little skeptical of the homemade signs and tiny restaurant-front, but after we went in I was sold. A small intimate setting, made out of an old house. We had a corner nook with two windows looking out to sea. By some trick of directions we were actually facing west -- the sun setting behind hills and reflecting on the water. Creative menu and well prepared -- the most romantic thing ever. Also bought some taffy after watching it being pulled and cut into chunks by the candy machines.

We managed to get home at a decent hour -- weird going back to work after such fun.