I have lots of dirt under my fingernails.  Yesterday I harvested at the Farm and today I planted flowers at an elementary school with UBC. It was fun.  It made me want a yard to plant flowers in.  If you have a yard,  you should take advantage of this nice weather and go plant some flowers soon.

Happy Diadeloso!

Diadeloso is Baylor's "Day of the Bear." It's a tradition whence class is canceled and general merriment ensues. Basically.  That is why I am not in class right now.  I have plans to go hiking in Cameron Park, but it may rain.  So that's a bummer.  I printed out a trail map and everything.

So another idea for the summer is to take a/some studio art class/es at Baylor. I don't actually need anymore, but it would be fun. And I actually know a lot of people staying in Waco for the first half of the summer. I don't know. We'll see.

It's easy to just give up on yourself. To taste rejection a few times, and then just throw in the towel. Freshmen year here I rushed and that didn't turn out like I planned. A couple weeks later I tried out for a choir and was turned down (I don't know what I was thinking. I do not have a choir voice and I can't read music). At that point I thought to myself, "Well, maybe this is a sign. Nothing is sticking here, so maybe I'm just not supposed to be at Baylor." But my friends were sticking, UBC was sticking, I didn't really want to go anywhere else, and I just banished the thought from my mind.
Last semester I spent my time stretching my wings and pushing my boundaries and taking adventures and I left Italy feeling like I could do anything. This semester I'm feeling significantly less invincible and realizing not everyone wants me. I talked to Tinsley about it this morning. She applied for a position in an organization she's apart of that she didn't get and, while putting on mascara, we pondered the tendency we, as people, have of tasting a hint of rejection and from that deciding that we will always fail and should just give up. But we don't think that about other people. I know that she's not a failure and she knows that I'm not a failure, so really we're just being illogical about ourselves.

That goes for you too. You're not a failure.

Ok, I'm at the SUB right now and there are ants crawling all around my computer so I think I will leave soon. It's freaking me out. And this post is long enough. I also understand the tendency in people to mentally check out when they see a really long blog post, because I do that myself.

So I'll check out now instead.

So I went camping last night with strangers (see last post). It was enjoyable--nothing too exciting. It was rather chill and now I want to go backpacking for reals. We hiked for about two hours yesterday, set up camp, had dinner, chatted around a flashlight (fires were not welcome). went to sleep, woke up (obviously, I mean, here I am), hiked for about thirty minutes, and then we were out. I was not even gone twenty-four hours. I want to go backpacking for a week. As part of our final for our class, we have to plan a backpacking trip to a United States national park. Maybe I'll actually take mine. Wanna come?

Now I'm at Common Grounds at on awkward table that I never sit at. It's rather crowded here; I guess people are getting all their work done before a new week starts. I didn't actually buy a drink, so maybe I should feel bad about taking up a table. I don't really.

16

I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

So I didn't get that internship at the Kimbell this summer. Major bummer. So of course now I'm questioning my whole course in life. Yadda yadda yadda--normal college-student stresses and fears and general questioning of everything. I won't bore you with that. I'm looking into the World Hunger Farm now. There's possibly a spot this summer for a live-in volunteer, they say. I'm going there tomorrow so we'll see how that works out, if that's even what I want to do. Gerg. I don't know exactly what "gerg" means, but it feels right.

I've recently gotten into the Indigo Girls. I know I'm about ten years too late, but I'm ok with it. Today I learned the song "Closer to Fine" on the guitar. Now I will drive my roommates crazy with it. And they will love it. Love it I say!

And here's a picture from the aforementioned outdoor service, taken whilst we were picnicing afterwards. (You can click on it for a closer look.)


This weekend I get to go camping with strangers. I'm in a Backpacking class but I going camping with a different section of said class. So I'm not actually looking forward to it, though I'll probably end up enjoying myself, because I like outside. Maybe I'll come back with a new bestie. Or enemy. Probably just a bunch of new acquaintances. Think of all the new people I'll get to say hi to on campus!

What do you guys think I should do this summer?

Although Italian made a shocking come-back, hermit has won out on my poll. Today I will give some thought as to what my next poll will be. Stay-tuned!

Today is a beautiful day and I am once again at Common Grounds. I'm sitting outside today though, which is nice. Most of today I have been outside, actually. UBC's church service this morning was outside at a little park near the suspension bridge (if you're familiar with Waco. Well, it was there whether you're familiar with Waco or not. That reminds me of the comedian Dimitri Martin, "I went into a clothes store and a lady came up to me and said, 'If you need anything, I’m Jill'. I thought, 'Wow, that's amazing! I've never met anyone with a conditional identity before. Who are you if I don't need anything?'”). UBC encouraged everyone to ride their bikes there and bring lunch and a blanket; I did both of those things. And frisbees were involved. It was a wonderful way to start a Sunday. Then I rode my bike here and have been working since. I've gotten a lot done.

My roommates and I have this tradition that every Sunday night we get blizzards at Dairy Queen. It is convenient because we live within walking distance of a Diary Queen and so some of our blizzard-guilt is alleviated by the fact that we walked there and back. We are also usually joined by various guest stars, meaning other friends or siblings. It's something we all look forward too--the ice cream and each other. I'm looking forward to it right now.

(A little black bug was just crawling on my computer screen and I thought it was my mouse arrow and that I was going crazy.)

It's such a beautiful day and I have such a lot to do, but here I am writing in my blog. I'm at Common Grounds--I know, very unlike me (sarcasm). I rode my bike here since it is such a pretty day, it was a little hard though because my backpack was so heavy (thanks to the weight of this laptop I am typing on). Today, I can taste summer, so I having a hard time becoming motivated to work on school. I do other things instead like work out or ride my bike to Common Grounds or write in my blog. Stuff like that. I can also taste summer in my Arnold Palmer, which is a drink here--a combination of iced tea and lemonade. Oh, also, I watched Scream 1 and 2 last night. I usually watch the Screams at some point every summer (I have the box set) ergo I am in summer mode.

Now I'll take a creepy picture of myself. You can see what my new haircut looks like unstyled. (I'm not obsessed with myself, I promise.) I had to not look like I was posing for a picture because I am in a public place. It would be cool if I could take a picture with my laptop pointing out, so then I could take creepy pictures of other people. Steve Jobs should work on that.
I'll have to give him a call. Ol' Stevie.

I harvested yesterday at the World Hunger Farm. The spinach was out of control!! Some of the leaves were bigger than my hand. It's yummy spinach too, my roommates and I bought some of it over a month ago and are still eating on it. Yum

I cut my hair today.

I took a picture of it for you on my laptop. I felt silly posing for it though because Claire and Rach are here too, and that is why I'm laughing . . . because they were laughing at me (or with me, I suppose, since I was obviously laughing too). I didn't mean for the hair cut to turn out some Katie Holmes-y
but oh well. I enjoy having my neck and shoulders free of hair. It's something relatively new for me. It's freeing.

I enjoy change.

I have been feeling very satisfied lately.

But enough about that. Happy Birthday Bailey!

Way to be born. Way to live through two whole decades! I hope your next decade is astounding. You're within your third decade now!


That's all I had to say.

Yesterday was a really good day, so I'm having high hopes about today. Class was normal, and afterwards I met some girls from UBC at Common Grounds. We've decided to start a new group called "Intra" that would be involved with meeting the needs of UBCers. I feel like, at UBC we do a lot of discussion about theology and social action and community service and have fun groups (like I went to a new UBC Yoga group last night) but we don't really talk a lot about each other. I want UBC to be more than just another activity people are involved in, but a family. A place people can find support. So we going to start some sort of prayer request system via Intra and contact people who want to be contacted or to talk to someone or whatever. I'm supposed to make an announcement about at Church on Sunday. Scary.

So that's a new fun idea in my mind. I also went to a lecture on campus yesterday by Wilma Mankiller, former chief of the Cherokee Nation. She talked about the changing roles of indigenous women and leadership of women in general. It was interesting. She's an amazing woman. She has been awarded 18 honorary doctorates (soon to be 19), among many other awards and honors she has received.

So that was cool. I also went to that UBC Yoga group, like I mentioned. It was fun doing Yoga at church. At first I felt like I was at a church sleepover or naptime group as we moved all the furniture out of the backside and laid out our mats and took off our shoes. It was neat.

And now I have a new day on my hands. And a new month! We'll see what happens.

And Bailey turns 20 tomorrow!

I just saw the movie Stop-Loss. It was so good. It was heavy and sad, but so good. I think Tim Cogshell of Box Office Magazine put it well when he said, "The film manages to walk a line that is not antiwar in the main, but is distinctly pro-soldier, and thus takes pains to speak to the plight of the American serviceperson." Ol' Timmy, he always knows what's what.

I think it's interesting hermit is winning in my poll. I guess I have some loner friends. I, for one, chose to be an owl. Then I could fly, people. Fly I'm feeling kind of like a hermit right now though. I'm sitting in my room on a Saturday night. I can hear a party going on next door. As we were returning home from the aforementioned movie, we saw some girls leaving in high heels and little else. Their night was just begining while mine is in the process of ending.


[I have a confession. I don't actually hear a party going on next door, I just thought that would add dramatic effect. Sometimes I do hear parties though. And I little while ago I heard a person talking loudly, if that counts for anything.]

I'm feeling a bit under the weather. This is unfortunate because I'm supposed to go camping tonight with my Backpacking class. I honestly don't see that happening. It was hard enough sleeping last night in my bed, I can't imagine sleeping in a tent like this. Ug. Bleh. Achoo. So right now I'm drinking hot tea and watching Chicago. (Pop Six Squish Uh-uh Cicero Lipschitz . . . that's the song on right now)

Dang. Being sick is annoying. I want to just go to sleep and wake up when I'm better.

I want to do this or this maybe.

edit:
fyi: the words "this" and "this" are links.

I'm at Common Grounds.  It's really loud and hoppin here.  And Robin Hood is playing on mute in the next room.  I'm kind of studying for my Mythology test on Thursday.  Thursday is so far away.  Here's a picture of me taken right before I wrote this sentence, making a Jim face.

That's how much studying I'm getting done; I'm taking pictures of myself on my Photo Booth.    I'm really ok with it though. I'm not too concerned about the test, whether I should be or not. I'm usually not that concerned about tests, and that has worked so far. I think what messes people up is when they get too stressed about things and psych themselves out. Also, not studying would mess people up.  

So I'm back on Facebook and I'm back on meat.  I'm a little more normal.  I had Babe's chicken tonight at Echo and it was sooo good.  Mm mm.  As was the creamed corn.  I still want to eat less meat though, than I did before.  I can think of more reasons to not eat meat than to eat it and  I would rather err on the side of not eating meat than eating meat.  If nothing else, I tend to eat healthier in general when I'm not eating meat.  So why not become a full-fledged vegetarian?  Perhaps I will someday.  I just don't really feel like it right now.  Truth be told I just don't want to be accused of copying my vegetarian  roommates, Tins and Rach.   It's a lame reason, but whatever.

I caught up with some old friends tonight.  My old gang from Sunnydale--Buffy, Xander, Willow, Dawn, the usual.  They're doing well, still saving the world.  Buffy still impresses me--how she can do all those high kicks and acrobatics in tight leather pants.  Remember when I was Buffy?

I've noticed something this semester.  Everyday after class I come back to my apartment, fling my backpack aside, slump down on the couch, and don't know what to do with myself.  It's like--I've been looking forward to this moment all day, this moment when class is over, and once is comes upon me, I don't know what to do with it. I haven't looked past that moment.  I'm going through that right now.  I got out of class at five and came home to an empty apartment. I don't even know what I've been doing with myself this past hour, but nothing of note.  I've been going since eight this morning and it feels very uncomfortable to just stop.  But my brain and body are tired, so I don't want to start anything, so I'm just left feeling unsatisfied whatever I do or don't do.  I think this is called boredom.

I finished The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan yesterday. I read it for my Women in American Society Class and I have a book report over it due Wednesday. It was a really enlightening book. I only have the intro paragraph of my paper written, but I'll quote myself and say, "Reading the book was not only an interesting lesson in the history of American culture, but also was helpful to read as a woman myself."

Without going all into it, I'll just tell you one of the biggest things I took from the book. My future makes me kind of anxious. Like, I don't know what my life will be after graduation--Grad school? If so, studying what? Peace Corps? Teach ForAmerica? Working? Some sort of other crazy adventure? The uncertainty is kind of scary. But Ms. Friedan encouraged me that such anxiety shouldn't be run away from. That's what most women did in mid 20th century (the book was published in the early 60s). Following their interests and passions--whether it be in art, business, writing, medicine--meant much risk and uncertainty, and it was much easier and safer to just retreat back into a home and tend to clean floors and healthy children.   

I'm back in my bedroom in Waco, about to go to church. It has been a really good week. I'm rather sunburned at the moment, but it is worth it. It feels like more than a week has gone by since I was last in class, it feels like it has been a month. I've done so much. I helped my mom with the shower, I went to Oklahoma, I played guitar in public for the first time, I went to the beach, Rob and Caroline are now engaged, and now here I am, back at one of my homes. Good times. And I'm so excited to have Caroline as part of my family. I wish I could have been there. And next weekend I'll be home again and so can see the ring and hear the story. And, you know, celebrate Jesus' love for all of humanity.

And that is Rachael, Linh, and myself in front of the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi.

I'm about to begin phase two of my Spring Break. Today some of my friends and myself are roadtripping down to Port Aransas for a couple days of fun in the sun. Even though tomorrow there isn't supposed to be much sun, the rest of the days are supposed to be beautiful. And even though our condo will have free wifi, I'm not bringing my computer, so you probably won't be hearing from me these next couple of days. Of course, I'll have my phone so if you need me, you can call me.

Buon viaggio! (that's me wishing myself a good journey in Italian)

Today I had an adventure. Will, Bailey, Amanda, and myself roadtripped to the Arbuckle Mountains region of southern Oklahoma for a day away. We ate a grand American feast at a little roadside diner,

got slobbered on by camels and llamas,

got into some trouble with the law,

and saw some beautiful waterfalls.


I deem it a successful getaway.
(That last picture is little and faraway. You can click on it to blow it up. I look disheveled because I had to run from where the camera was on a stump to my position in the photo in ten seconds. Just so you know.)

I'm sitting at my home in good ol' Colleyville, TX (uh oh, you know where I live now. But I guess I've mentioned Waco many times and am still alive. I'll be ok). It's the long anticipated break of Spring, even though it's not Spring yet, we'll let that slide (am I supposed to capitalize seasons? I'm never sure). Today is the long awaited shower of the weddings, which sounds dangerous. I just imagine wedding presents pouring down from the sky--you need to watch your eyes for those box corners.

I have this grand dream of finishing Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique this week, which I have to write a book report for next Wednesday. I never read as much on breaks as I plan to, though. I also would rather watch a movie or sit around with friends or sleep. Those are all valid pursuits on the break of spring, I think. But I have two hundred more pages I must read. We'll see how that goes.

I know I've mentioned this before, but I really like volunteering at World Hunger Farm. Yesterday I sorted and cleaned lettuce and other miscellaneous produce. Because of the rain and snow, the vegetables that had been harvested were really muddy. I know it doesn't sound very exciting, and it wasn't really exciting, but I enjoyed it. I guess because it's just so different from my normal day acitivities. And to see food come from the ground to my plate is really neat. I think if my plans don't work out this summer, if I don't get an internship, then I want to be a live-in volunteer there. Live-ins live there (obviously) in exchange for 20 hours of work per week. I think how it works is that they work on the farm until about lunch time and then have the rest of the time free. And weekends are free as well, unless you have weekend duty. I would learn lots of cool stuff--like how to milk goats and about vegetables and chickens and rabbits and cooking and living off the land.

So that's an idea.

So I know I already wrote today, but I'm here again. Consider it making up for lost time; I haven't written a lot in the past few weeks. And I haven't had a "I'm sitting at Common Grounds" post in awhile, and I figured it was about time. So . .

I'm sitting here at Common Grounds, enjoying a mug of hot Vanilla Almond tea, seasoned with milk and honey. It feels perfect for a day like today. Its rainy and cold and a bit dreadful, depending on your frame of reference. If your frame of reference is the inside of a cozy coffee shop with a cup of tea at your side, then it's not dreadful at all. Astronomy was rather pointless this morning. The professor wasn't there, and instead the TA lectured on the topic of his choice, which was the history of rockets. Meanwhile, I practiced writing, and then doodling, with my left hand. It was enthralling, to say the least.

It's also fun being here because I always run into people. The coffee shop is right off Baylor campus and so us Baylor students are its predominant customers. There are always people here studying or chatting or having DTRs; every once and awhile you'll find someone napping.

I've been recently listening to a lot of Fiona Apple. She's good angry, empowering girl music. Not that I'm an angry girl, but sometimes I pretend to be.

Ok, I'll for real study or something now.

I have a headache. I've had it since I woke up this morning. My first thought today was "Ouch, my head hurts." That does not bode well for the rest of my day.

Last night, Baylor played A&M in Men's Basketball here in Waco. It was quite the event. Everybody went. I thought about going, but the only reason I considered going was because everyone else was, so for that reason, I refused to go. So Linh and I decided to be countercultural and went to see a movie instead, "The Other Boleyn Girl." The movie did not impress me, but apparently the game wasn't very impressive either. We lost. So last night all Baylor students were disappointed. Linh and I because of the movie, and the rest of us on the outcome of the game.

I just remembered Lost is tonight. My day is looking up.

I had two tests yesterday. One was Political Science which was fine, and the other was Backpacking which took ten minutes. Now I'm just biding time until Spring Break. Well I do have a midterm paper for my Yoga class. It's supposed to be 232 words, which is about a paragraph, basically. I asked why 232 words, and not 230 or 250 or some pretty round number, and he said there was a reason, but he wouldn't tell us. I bet there is no reason.

Spring Break is next week. Can you believe it? Me neither. Next thing you know tomorrow I'll be graduating.

I'm usually in my 3D Design class right now, but instead I'm at the SUB (student union building) writing to you. Class was canceled. I skipped said class last Friday, so I hung around the sculpture room anyway and caught up. My professor is going to think I'm awesome. I burned my finger though. We're starting a new project that involves torches and metal rods, and I kept picking up my metal rods where I had just torched it. My left pointer finger is really mad at me right now. It kind of hurts to type. But I type on because that is how much I love you guys. I'm actually starting to like this class as well. It used to just be a hastle, but I like working with my hands,I'm finding. Even when I torch them.

I'll go read about feminism now.

It feels good to do things for other people. I baked cupcakes tonight for a friend's birthday (I know, I'm so domestic) and we're going to deliver to him later tonight. It was therapeutic-the mixing, the baking, the icing, the sprinkling, the arranging on a plate. It made the things weighing on my mind feel a little lighter. It was my first time to make cupcakes, and they turned out quite yummy. Not that it was very hard--I just followed the directions on the box. It created quite a mess though. It's red velvet cake and it now looks like I've killed someone in the kitchen--there are splotches everywhere, and my hands have an eerie red tent (excuse me, Will I mean tint) now.

Oh, the last batch is done cooling. Now to attend to more icing.

"Feminist" is such a loaded word. It makes a lot of people uncomfortable. It brings to mind man-hating, bra-burning, possibly-gay, women. Kind of the way the word "Christian" makes some people uncomfortable. They think of judgmental, money-hungry, smooth-talking, televangelists. In reality, that is not what Christianity is about, and in reality, feminism isn't about hating men or destroying perfectly good underwear. It's about equality. It's about giving everyone a chance. I'm a feminist, and chances are you are too. Do you think both genders should have the same opportunities to participate and be leaders in society? To vote? To be CEOs? To coach sports? To be president? To take care of the home? To teach a third grade class? To tell jokes? To preach? I think most of you believe women to be capable of doing any of the above. Not to say all women are capable of doing everything, like not all men are capable of everything. The issue shouldn't be on gender, the issue should be on ability.

Sorry to get on a soapbox, it just bugs me that Feminism is often talked about with such disdain--"femininazis" and what have you. It's just about equality. What's so scary about equality? And equality is not the same as sameness. Men and women are different, that's pretty obvious, but they should still be equals. It's not about turning men into women or women into men, but about appreciating each person's unique perspective and abilities, and learning from each other.

Hm, that's not what I signed on to write a post about at all. I was going to talk about how pretty today was and how I didn't go to church this morning because I slept, but then went to the park instead, Bible and journal in tow. And I was going to tell you the fun fact that Waco's Cameron Park is the second largest part in the US within city limits, the first being Central Park in New York City. And I was going to tell you how I inadvertently sat down in the middle of a disc-golf course at the aforementioned park and had frisbees flying over my head for a good portion of the time I was there, accompanied by rowdy, swearing men. I was going to say it was distracting, but entertaining.

But I didn't talk about any of that. Instead I rattled on about feminism. Professor Mueller would be proud.

Ho hum, my week is almost done. Not much has happened in my life of note. Just tests and reading and eating and sleeping. Weeks are going by faster now. It's a happy and sad thing. I don't really have much to say this week. Instead, here's a cute picture of Rach and I taken at Claire's aforementioned birthday party. A picture is worth a thousand words right?

I like how Rach's arm pushing on mine make me look somewhat toned.

Speaking of that, I'm going to work out.

No, I want to write something interesting.

I learned yesterday in my Women in American Society class that a man's high school diploma is worth as much as a woman's bachelor's degree. In other words, a man with a high school diploma, on average, earns as much as a woman with a bachelor's degree. My professor, who is a woman with a Ph.D., said that when Baylor first offered her a job, she found out that she was offered $1000 less than a man who was offered the same job. She confronted the powers-that-be about it and their response was they offered her less because her husband had a job. "But what about me?" was her response, "this is about me, not my husband." Eventually she got her way.

Isn't that crazy though? Two guys in that class chuckled when they heard that, about the earning power of a man's diploma versus a woman's BA. Some of my guy friends like to joke about it too, how it's worth more to be a man. I kind of laugh along, but really,I don't thinks it's funny. I'm working hard here, as are my girlfriends. We deserve just as much as anything our guy friends would earn. It's not a joke, it's our future.

Grr.

Today is such a dreary day. It put me in a dreary state of mind, but that's what working out, oatmeal raisin cookies, and roommates are for. The roommates also help with the rent.

Today is a big game day for Baylor Men's Basketball. We have a rematch against Texas. Tickets for the general public sold out even before student tickets went on sale yesterday. Student tickets went on sale at 11:30 and Rachael, Linh and I got there at 11 to stand in line. There was already quite a line formed. At least this time I wasn't alone in standing in line. A couple Fridays ago I went by myself to "quickly" pick up tickets for the Oklahoma game and ended up standing in line in the rainy cold for an hour.

What's interesting is that the Lady Bears are ranked higher than the Men, yet it's the Men's games that sell out, the only loyal fans for the Lady Bear's being local alumni. Word on the street is that men's basketball is more fast-paced and therefore more fun to watch. Well I have a ticket for the Women's game tomorrow afternoon and I'lll see if that is an accurate statement.

Ok, so it's not D Day, it's V Day (or almost anyway). I don't actually dislike the holiday, it's just fun to pretend I do. Like on our calendar, Rachael put a big heart on February 14th which I promptly wrote "Poop Day" in. I thought it was pretty clever. Being cynical is just so much more entertaining.

But really, it can be a good day. And it doesn't have to be about romantic love, it could be about love for humanity in general--love for your nieghbors. In that spirit, I've baked cookies for the people on my little hallway that I will anonymously place in front of their doors tomorrow morning (don't tell them). I'm putting a plate of cookies in front of our own door as well, so they will be none the wiser. I've also included a little note on the cookies. It says "Merry Singles Awareness Day! I hope it's sweeet" (get it? the cookies are sweet?) and then one of the six following quotes:

Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species. ~W. Somerset Maugham, A Writer's Notebook, 1949

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Forget love - I'd rather fall in chocolate! ~Sandra J. Dykes

Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense. ~Mark Overby


Love - a wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker. ~Author Unknown

A bell is no bell 'til you ring it,
A song is no song 'til you sing it,
 And love in your heart
 Wasn’t put there to stay -
Love isn’t love
'Til you give it away.
~Oscar Hammerstein

I think that's pretty clever as well, and I hope to make someone smile. And to make myself smile, before I go and take my Classical Mythology test. I've been baking cookies, writing cute little notes and writing about it in my blog instead of studying. Oops.

My roommate Claire's birthday is tomorrow (as is my half birthday) and so last night we celebrated. We threw a superhero party. It was pretty sweet. I think the most fun part was getting ready for it, though.

Claire, the lady of the hour, was a Ninja Turtle, Raphael to be specific.

I was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Here I am vanquishing Claire.

Jenny, Tins, and Rach were Charlie's Angels (Jenny was Drew Barrymore, Tins was Cameron Diaz, and Rach was Lucy Lu)

This picture is funny because Melissa and I thought it was supposed to be a silly picture, but apparently it was supposed to be a pretty picture (Melissa was Just-Got-Back-From-A-Wedding Girl). So now it looks like I'm killing Melissa behind the rest of my roommates' backs. Heh heh.



Some people were lame and came as themselves, saying they were "Super Kim" or some such nonsense.

Good times.

Are you aware of Pandora Radio? It's pretty sweet. You tell it an artist you like, and then it develops a radio station for you with artists and songs of that same style. You then can bookmark certain songs or artists you discover if you want to remember them to buy or listen to them later. I had been told about this website before but had not experienced it until this morning. I was studying for my Mythology class and was going over the story of Pandora and her box and thought, "Oh yeah, Pandora, let's check that out," and I did. My Ani Difranco radio station has made for good studying music. Then my computer almost ran out of battery and I took that as I sign that I should take a break from studying and write in my blog. And as a sign that I should plug it in.

The weather has been beautiful, no? Yesterday I went to World Hunger Farm and worked in the garden for a couple hours. It was therapeutic. Going there is a good punctuation to my week. It's one of the few times in the week that I'm not doing something for myself--like going to class or studying or working or eating or buying groceries. I'm doing stuff for the Earth. And there are cool people there. I hoed with a girl who was visiting the farm and works at an organic farm in Pennsylvania. Before that she was a trail blazer in Maine--she made trails. Cool, huh? And there were two new kids at the farm, as in baby goats, that were precious.

Today, in my Women in American Society Class, we had a special visitor. One of the students brought her kindergarden-aged daughter in because she was sick and so not at school. She was a precious, well-behaved girl, who coughed and colored throughout the whole three hour class. Now I'm losing my voice. Interesting coincidence . .

Today is the first day of Lent (which I pondered in my last post). I had an omelette for lunch, sans meat, though ham sounded very tantalizing.

Have I told you I have class on Wednesdays from 8-5? Because I do. Ok, so I have a two hour break 11-1, but that's still a lot of time to be in class-mode. So Wednesdays I feel like all I do is go to class, study, and sometimes work-out. It's not bad, it's just kind of exhausting. Bleh. I'm way tired right now and it is way before my bedtime.

You've probably heard that women live longer than men-on average 7 to 9 years longer. But interestingly, women tend to marry older guys-on average 3 years older. So, at the least, a women is assured at least 10 years of widow-dom under that system. That's kind of silly of our society. In the the Hopi tribe, women marry men about 14 years younger than them, which sounds crazy to us, but works out just dandy for them. My Women in American Society professor suggested we should start talking to ninth grade boys. Could be promising.

I like how at the end of my last post I ended with a question to my public. We'll do that again. What do you think of ninth grade boys??

I told you I'd tell you how going toWorld Hunger Farm went on Friday. Well here I go. First I ate lunch with some of the live-in volunteers and a group visiting from A&M. It was a tad awkward, because like I said, I kind of just showed up, but it was cool nonetheless. We had food all grown on the farm--some sort of rabbit stew, cornbread, sweet potatoes (I think), and kale. Then I joined in on the A&M group's tour of the farm. It is a really neat place, and it was a beautiful day. Then I peeled some pecan shells. I don't know the correct term. Cracked pecan shells? Che-ev. And that was all I did that day. I'm going to go back next Friday and hopefully the next and for the rest of the semester. Sweet stuff.

In other news, I've decided to give up meat for Lent. Two of my roommates are vegetarians, so they will help me out. Why meat? I'm not really sure. I just want to challenge myself I guess, and see what being a vegetarian would be like. I haven't decided if I will eat fish or not. Both of my vegetarian roommates eat fish, so really they are pescatarians. I don't eat fish much anyway so perhaps that won't be an issue. I have taken a liking to sushi though . . but Lent isn't really about what I like. It's about the opposite kind of--it's giving up what I like. I like my cousin Rob's take on Lent. It's not really the thing that I'm giving up that's the big deal, it's being conscious of the season and anticipating the coming of Easter. Last year I gave up sweets. The year before I gave up sodas and Collins' cookies (it's a dining hall that had delicious cookies). This year during Lent I will also keep of Facebook as I have been doing. I think I'll get back on after Easter. We'll see.

What do you guys thing about Lent?

I have a headache. Grrrr. And I don't have Advil because the only time I think of buying some sort of painkiller is when I am in pain, like now, but when I am in pain, like now, I don't feel like going out and buying medicine. So I'll complain and growl instead. Grrrr.


On Fridays I get out of class at 11. Holla. It's awesome. And today, at 12:30, I'm going to the World Hunger Farm. I've mentioned before wanting to volunteer there this semester instead of getting a job, and so today I will embark on that endeavor. They eat lunch there at 12:30 all together, so today I was invited to come and partake and meet everyone. I'm kind of nervous. I've never gone there by myself. So I'm just going to walk up and be like, "Hey guys, you said I could eat lunch with you . . .?" Apparently they are all really nice and welcoming people. I don't see how you can't be, working at a place called "World Hunger Farm." I'll let you know how it goes.

I had a dream last night that I was back in Florence. It was a very real dream. I remember looking out the window of our apartment (in the dream) and thinking,
"Ok Laura, you're only here a few days. You better make the most of it."
But then I thought, "But I'm not in Florence. I"m home. This isn't real."
But then I thought, "Yes you are! Look around you!"
And I went back and for like that for a little while. It was weird, like I knew I was dreaming, but didn't. The strangest part was this morning, I put on a skirt I haven't worn that much since I've been home, and when reached in the pocket I found a five euro bill. Five euro! I wish I could walk down the street with that and get a pastry and cappuccino like I would every morning in Florence.

But isn't that weird?

"The Kenya of today is almost unrecognizable to the Kenya that until recently was celebrated as one of the most stable and promising countries on the African continent. On Sunday night, local television stations showed menacing young men brandishing machetes and iron bars at road blocks along one of the country’s busiest highways. The men hurled rocks at buses, with one large bus run off the road, as police officers stood by. . . Kenyan newspapers reflected the gloom on Sunday.
'For the umpteenth time, we again ask President Kibaki and Orange Democratic Movement leader Mr. Raila Odinga to work for peace, truth and justice,' said an editorial in The Sunday Standard. 'Kenya has bled enough.'"

That hurts my heart.

I went to a concert last night at Waco Hall. It was headlined by Matt Wertz and opened by John McLaughlin. I had never heard of either, and John blew me away. Matt was alright--good, but nothing memborable for me. John made me melt. It was just him and a grand piano on the stage. I bought a CD. Here's a sample for you; it's him playing "Indiana."

So dreamy! He's married though. His loss.

In other news, I went to my first American sporting event since I have been back. Today I watch the Men's Basketball team play OU. We were beat 77 to 71, and my heart hurts a little. It was so much fun though. I forgot how enjoyable it is to go to stuff like that. To yell and scream and cheer and sing the fight song. You really feel like apart of something

I don't know where these last few days have gone. I guess that's what taking 18 hours will do to you--it takes away your time. It's actually starting to feel a little more like 18 hours. I'm still on top of things, but there are more things to be on top of now.

This is what happens when one leaves a tea kettle on the stove for an indeterminate amount of time

For future reference.

And this is what happens when our apartment is visited by a sugar glider named Peetree

Don't I have cute friends?

(Since I've given up Facebook, you can be expecting a lot more posts from me. More free time and all.)

I just got great news! My two hour 8 o'clock tomorrow morning is canceled. Woohoo! I feel like I've gotten a new lease on life. And the interview for Buffalo Wild Wings went well today, and I got the job, but I don't think I want it anymore. I think I want to use my free time instead to volunteer at the World Hunger Farm. That feels more right to me. The extra cash would have been nice, but I would have had to take out my nose ring and close at 2 am (when I have 8 am classes the next morning) and I just don't think it's worth it. Hmph.

I had been debating the decision in my mind--whether or not I wanted to take the job--and then just now (I'm at Common Grounds) a guy complimented me on my nose ring (and my hair cut and my shoes) and I took that as I sign I should keep my nose ring in and not work there. Hmph.

Happy MLK Day! It has been quite a dreary day here in Wacko Waco. It's cold and wet; the kind of wet where you feel like a pansy for using an umbrella, but get moist when you don't. It's misty.

This morning I was bored and so decided to become informed. I Wikipedia-ed some of the presidential candidates. I was sitting in the living room whilst roommates around me were studying. I think I started to annoy them with my random facts and questions. "Did you know Obama was born in Honolulu, lived in Indonesia, and his father is Kenyan?" "McCain was a POW in Vietnam and now can't lift his arms over his head! And he wasn't bad looking back in the day." "Why do people hate Hilary Clinton so much?" None of us really knew the answer to that question. I mean, all of the candidates have those who are for and against them, but a lot of people have especially negative feelings towards that woman. Why? This isn't rhetorical.

Politics were discussed again tonight at the kitchen table amongst Jenny, Tinsley, and myself. We didn't talk about the election per-say, but just went through the list of hot topics and gave our two cents: abortion, gay marriage, the environment, immigration, captial punishment. It was fun. We didn't always have congruent views, but we didn't fight about it. We just said, "Hm. Ok." and moved on.

Something that annoys me is when my peers say they probably won't vote in the upcoming election because they aren't informed enough, like it's beyond their control. Just become informed! It's not that hard. When people say that, they're basically saying they are lazy bums. What I did this morning wasn't difficult. And tonight I was perusing CNN's website and found a helpful page where they spell out for you what each candidate thinks about the big issues. You lazy people should check it out.

In other news, this time tomorrow I may be a server at Buffalo Wild Wings. I'll let you know how it goes.

Big news: I've deactivated my Facebook account. I know, quite counter-cultural of me. I haven't gone of the deep end, I just didn't want to spend countless amounts of time learning about people I don't even know. And people I do know. And having people I don't know be able to learn about me. Now I'm much more mysterious. Except I have a blog.

Molly and a bunch of other people who will soon be gone are here for the weekend. It's nice how you can just pick up with people where you've left off. That you don't have to fill them in on every detail of your life in order to feel close to them again. You know? You know.

Today has been full of people and catching up with them. As soon as I got out of class I had lunch with my cousin Rob, then a couple hours later I had coffee with my long lost friends Sandy and Jiye, during which I ran into my long lost roommate Molly. They're not lost anymore, I found them. I chatted with them for a couple hours, and then met up with a couple other long lost friends for dinner at Food For Thought. I found so many people today! And now my throat is kind of dry from all the talking. Phew. It's been fun though. I definitely have become quite the extrovert since high school. I just got back from dinner and am already getting bored and wanting to hang out with more people. What is going on with me?! It's probably living with six girls last year and then nine last semester--I've just gotten used to constantly having people around me. Now there are five of us, which feels like nothing.

And I'm taking eighteen hours, which you'd think would keep me rather busy, but really, I'm having a lack of things to do. I feel like I must be doing something wrong, because right now I have no homework. I could read a little Ovid for my Classical Mythology class on Tuesday, but I have all the time in the world to do that. Oh well. Life is hard like that sometimes. I'm sure I'm jinxing myself and will have five papers to write next week. Bring it on, universe.

Tis now the morning of my second day of classes. The nice thing about having an 8 o'clock yesterday is that now my 9:30 on Tuesdays/Thursdays seems so late. I'm already ready already, when yesterday I was scrambling to be ready.

Yesterday was a good day, though I had my doubts at the beginning. It just felt so strange to be back on campus. I had been looking forward to it, but everything was just the same. There are a couple new statues, and a lot more Sperry's, but everything else is the same. The people look the same and they all speak English. What barbarians. (On the topic of Sperry's Top Siders--it's interesting what becomes in fashion. Sperry's are boating shoes.) But it turned out well. I'm interested in most of my classes. They are . . .

3D Design
Political Science
Backpacking
Classical Mythology
Astronomy
Rest and Relaxation
Women in American Society
I know, no Art History classes. That hurts my heart a little. Melissa, my Art History roommate, is taking an Art History class, and I will probably be jealous of her all semester. Oh well. But something crazy is that I have classes with three of my four roommates. That never happens! Design with Mel, Poli Sci with Rach, and Astronomy and its lab with Tins. That makes going to class a little happier. And with my backpacking class, we get to go on a backpacking trip later on in the semester. That's pretty sweet. And I was the only girl in the class who has had backpacking experience. Yes, I am that cool.

Geez, it's still not even nine. What am I going to do with my life?!

And all through the loft
Roommates were unpacking
And one just coughed [It was Claire]
Boxes were thrown in the hall without care
Next to old things and new things and ones that we share.

That's enough of that.

It's the eve of a new semester. I start tomorrow at eight with 3-D Design, a class I dropped last spring; so I'm not really looking forward to that. At least I can get it over with early.

Going to UBC this morning was really nice. I've missed it. And seeing a bunch of people I hadn't seen in awhile was cool. It's always kind of awkward to see people at first, because I don't really know what to say. There's just so much that we've missed in each other's lives, it's hard to know where to start.

"How are you?!"
"Good! How are you? How was Italy?"
"Great! I really enjoyed it. I'm happy to be back though."

And that's when the conversation starts to peter out. But oh well, it's still nice to see them.

I'm all unpacked now and comfortable. Everyone is back, including people who will soon be gone. It will be interesting to see how this semester turns out. It always is.

I'm back in Wacko Waco, surrounding by boxes and pink walls. The pink is not really my color, but I'm making it my color. I haven't gotten very far in the unpacking progress. The most unpacked-space is my back corner, pictured below in a picture taken moments ago by the photo booth on this computer. It's from the vantage point of my bed.

I got here at about 1, but didn't open a box until around nine (I'm not quite sure why I decided to write out nine but not 1. Hm). I've been busy catching up. Rach, Tins, and Mel are here; all that our little family is missing is Claire (her name is already only one syllable). It felt funny to be here at first, but now it feels really good. I'm happy to be back in this silly town. I feel like I'm just visiting. I'm happy I have many months yet to go.

I think I'm about to turn into a pumpkin or something. I soon as it became 11:30 I began to feel a little sleepy, and I have been getting progessively more tired as I get closer to midnight.

I'll close this post now, before then, so that it won't get posted on the wrong day. I hate that.

Something I've learned this evening is that not many girls work out at Lifetime at night. I went there tonight at around eight and very much felt that. There were plenty of us around the cardio machines, but when I looked around whilst doing weights, I felt rather alone in representing my gender. And exposed.

Sometimes, when I work out and it's really hard and I need to motivate myself, I say, "Laura, it's called working out for a reason. It's not called easy out. It's supposed to be hard." That's just a little something for ya. I enjoy motivating people, including myself.

People say that two subjects you should avoid talking about are religion and politics. They ignite passions. Well, here at the Carmack table (which is where I'm sitting right now, as a matter of fact), that is pretty much all we talk about, I've noticed. Well, I wouldn't so much say we, because I'm usually more on the listening side of things; I absorb. Especially the later, what with it being election season and all. I feel pitifully uninformed when it comes to that. But I become more informed by absorbing.

I don't see how these politicians get any sleep. They're always talking on TV.

There's a cute little baby in the house now, my first-cousin-once-removed Caroline (not to be confused with "Sweet Caroline" under my "friends" list. "Sweet Caroline" is a bit older). She's not so much a little baby anymore actually; she just celebrated her first birthday. She's up and walking all over the place now (you can see her mommy's blog by clicking on "The Huffmans" link). And today is my mommy's birthday! Happy Birthday mi madre! Buon compleanno!

This time next week I will be in class. I was excited about that until I looked at my schedule yesterday. That made me not so excited about it. I'm taking eighteen hours. We'll see how that goes.

One Tree Hill has gotten crazy. I'll catch an episode on the Soap channel every now and then. In the one I'm watching right now there is a guy trying to kill Brooke and Peyton--it's like a slasher movie. They escaped the murderer just in time to go to prom. The last episode I watched had Lucas being visited by his dead uncle who showed him what his life would be like if he was more selfish. What happened to the simpler days when you just had two half brothers battling on the basketball court, one of whom married the other's best friend when they were sixteen? Those days were much less complicated. High school is hard.

So now I've applied to the Shelburn Museum in Vermont, the Kimball in Fort Worth, and then next on my list is The Fort Worth Modern. I'm pulling for the Modern, but the Kimbell would be cool too. Vermont is far away and scarey, but maybe that's why I should do that one. We'll see what happens.

Oh snap! Lucas just found out who killed his uncle! And Brooke and Peyton are at Prom and all bloody. Gross. Just in time for Brooke to be crowned prom queen!

I hear people say sometimes that their life isn't interesting, like it's beyond their control. It frustrates me when people say that. For one, of course your life doesn't seem interesting to you, you see it everyday, and something you see everyday inevitably becomes uninteresting. For two--it's your life. It's as interesting as you make it. And you don't need to do something crazy like live in Italy to do it, that's something I've learned this semester. Things are as interesting as you are interested in them. I came across many people who were uninterested in living in Italy, who were bored and complainers and couldn't wait to go home. I wanted to slap them, but that's not what this is about. What I'm trying to say is that you are in control of you.

I was watching the America's Next Top Model marathon on VH1 this morning, and became bored. I wanted to be outside and walk around. So I did. I drove to Parr Park, journal in tow, and spent some time outside. It was a good idea. Today is beautiful. When I first got there a little white dog with no owner in sight followed me around. A man jogging asked me what kind of dog he was, and I said I don't know, he's not mine. Then the man jogged after the dog and said, "Snickers! Snickers?!" Apparently he suspected it was his neighbor's dog, but the dog didn't respond to Snickers and so the man gave up. I didn't see the dog again until 45 minutes later when I was leaving and I saw another man run up to "Snickers" and say, "Snickers!" with relief in his voice. He was the aforementioned neighbor and it was his dog. It's felt funny, like I was on a TV show or something, the way it happened that this dog framed my time at the park. When I got there he was a mystery, and when I left, the mystery was solved.

I thought about this whole "interesting" thing while I was at the park, about how going there made my day more interesting.

A song by Kimya Dawson (I found her on the Juno soundtrack)comes to mind (it's also one of her songs that is quoted above)

The flower said "I wish I was a tree"
The tree said "I wish I could be
a different kind of tree"
The cat wished that it was a bee
The turtle wished that it could fly
really high into the sky
Over rooftops and then dive
deep into the sea

And in the sea there is a fish
A fish that has a secret wish
A wish to be a big cactus
with a pink flower on it
And the flower would be its offering of love
To the desert
and the deserts so dry and lonely
That the creatures all appreciate the effort


And the rattlesnake said "I wish I had hands
So I could hug you like a man"
And then the cactus said "but don't you understand?
My skin is covered with sharp spikes
That'll stab you like a thousand knives
A hug would be nice but hug my flower with your eyes"
Till the flower said "I wish I was a tree"

Happy New Year. (The song is called Tree Hugger, by the way. And the song quoted in my heading is called Loose Lips)

My brother got me a CD for Christmas. It's St. Vincent. I like her and you should too.

I've decided I don't like plans. They're dumb. A hazy guide, an idea, is ok, but not plans. Plans are just arrogant.

And episodes of The Office never get old.

And here is a donkey and some friends on Christmas Eve.

Chicken and stuffing are a-cooking. We had a big yummy Christmas brunch and now are awaiting our big yummy Christmas dinner. I'm wearing a new Christmas watch and listening to my brother's new Christmas record player. Earlier I watched an episode of my new Christmas DVD set of the first series of The Office (the British version). It's a beautiful day but I've barely set a foot outside and now the sun is thinking about setting. Where do the days go? I only have a few left of 2007. I guess I should start thinking of a New Years Resolution.

Here's me and my Christmas mommy. With my haircut that makes me look like a business woman, apparently.

I deleted my link to Florence University of the Arts from my bookmarks. It's apart of my past night. I did it.

I'm home now and it feels good. It feels like I've only been gone a day. The unpacking I still have to do tells a different story though, but I have time for that. And I'm going to a yoga class at 11! I've so missed yoga, and just working-out in general. And my car Timmy, is having troubles, so a new car for me is in the works. And I played guitar last night for the first time since August. I haven't forgotten how. And I'm anxious to get back to Baylor, but that doesn't mean I don't love being here.

So that's my life at the moment.

I feel like I'm in some sort of limbo, this last day. I'm just waiting to leave.

Isabel left early yesterday morning

Jenny left yesterday at around 11.

Ady and Anna left early this morning.


Hannah left at noon.

Tomorrow morning, at the buttcrack of dawn, Vanessa, Whitney, and I will leave.

And Melissa is sticking around with her family until Monday.


WEIRD.

I finished finals today, and I think I did pretty well. Home is so close I can taste it. But I'm still here for two more whole days. That's weird. It's weird to be here without a purpose. I guess I do have some purposes--packing and cleaning. And I have some rolls of film left from my photography class. I want to walk around these next couple of days and take cool Florence pictures.

Melissa's sis is here visiting. It's fun walking around here and seeing things through her eyes-- fresh eyes. Makes me appreciate it before I leave it.

So I'll see you soon.

There is this infectious song that plays on the radio a lot here by a UK guy who goes by MIKA. It's such a fun song; you can't NOT be in a happy mood when you're listening to it. I remember paying for my groceries earlier this semester and it came on. I started dancing a little in line and the Italian cashier started dancing and singing along. It was a beautiful moment I dont know if he's popular in the US, but I just bought his CD and am in love with it. Here's the video of the aforementioned song.



He's just so fun! I want to be his friend.

What I'm going to miss most about this place isn't the art, it's not the beautiful churchs nor Tuscan landscape, not the wine, gelato, nor pasta, not the shoppping nor the traveling nor the catcalling Italian men, not the language nor the cappucini nor the pastries. It's my roommates. I'll miss this most.

And this.

And this.

And this

And this.




We're just really cool people.

I miss people wherever I go. Here, home, Baylor. And as I get older I'm just going to miss more people There will just be more people and more places and people and places and faces and memories. It's the beautiful burden we bear.

Today I visited Florence's Serial Killer Museum. *shivers* It seemed like a good idea at the time. In the museum, you learn about and see wax reproductions of the world's famous serial killers--Jack the Ripper, Ted Bundy, Charles Mason, John Wayne Gacy Jr, to name a few. It was intriquing and disturbing. I felt dirty afterwards, and suspicious of everyone.

I learned that the United States has had more serial killers than any other country in the world, by a land slide. Out of all recorded serial killers, 58% have been American. The runner up is Italy with %6. The rest are dispersed throughout a plethora of countries. It makes you wonder about us.

And did you know that Tuscany was the first country to outlaw the death penalty? Tuscany is the region of Italy where Florence is located, and was it's own county back in the day. They did so back the the 1700s. The anniversary of the ban of the death penalty was a few weeks ago actually. There were these people walking around dressed in 18th century garb, led by a guy that looked like an executioner, walking to the beat of some boys following, banging on drums. We were all perplexed at the time, but then learned the significance of the day.

So those are some fun facts for you.

But on a happier note, I finished my paper. Yay! I'm done with papers for this semester! Now all I have to do is study for and take finals.

My brain is about to ooze out of my ears. I've been working on this paper for too many hours. It's for my Renaissance Art class and is about the emergence of female nudes in Western art. I'm calling it, "The Renaissance Takes Off Her Clothes." I dig the title.

Since I've been studying Art History, I've become much more comfortable with nudity in general. It's all over the place here. And it's interesting to see the changing face of beauty, from the voluptuous women of Giorgione (to your right), to Kiera Knightley.

Maybe I should go walk around or something. My back is starting to hurt.

One and a half weeks, people.

I went to Italian Mass this morning at the Duomo (pictured to your left). Actually, it was not so much in the morning, more like the afternoon--it can be hard ro rouse up my roommates. It was my first time to go to a church service since I've been in Europe. I've never gone so long without attending church, but at the same time, I've never been in so many beautiful churches. Mass today was a cool experience. I didn't understand much of it, but following along in the program helped. And they had all the verses they were reading in English on page five. Next week we want to go to an English Mass in one of the other beautiful churches around Florence.

I've had fun this weekend being a tourist in Florence. I went to the Pitti Palace today by myself and wondered around the
opulent rooms and beautiful paintings. I went to the Uffizi Friday, and yesterday, I went souvenier shopping with Melissa and Vannessa (pictured to your right in the Piazza della Signoria, which I walk through at least once a day). It's been pretty chill.

And then I have one week left of actual classes, one week of finals, and then I'm finished. Egads.

In other news, we've already ruined are kitchen table from multiple people neglecting to use cutting boards, and our landlady has told us we are going to pay her for a new one, and so, like the free-spirited, Florentine art students we are, we've taken to decorating said table with colorful sharpies.

We plan on selling it on ebay and making making thousands of dollars to donate towards AIDs research or some such disease.

I believe this is the meaning of the phrase, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."