A Post for the Sake of Posting

So that you don't expect much from this post, I'm going to admit right off the bat that the only reason I'm writing is because I haven't for a week and my sense of friendly sibling competition kicks in every time my much more prolific younger brother posts. Now, I would argue that I have many more excuses for not writing than he does, and even now I will probably regret (but not until tomorrow) that I'm choosing to give in to the pressure instead of making headway into my reading for class on Monday. But so be it. Some things in life are important.

One of my problems with blogging is that I tend to think my life is fairly mundane to everyone but me (and sometimes even to me). My mom seems to disagree, but then, since she's the one who usually gets the brunt of my emotional breakdowns, she has a very skewed sense of the amount of drama (or at least the dramatic lack of drama) in my life. I don't know what this post will prove, but here it is.

AMY'S TOP TEN SIGNIFICANT LIFE EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 1, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER

1. On Wednesday, Lost Season 3 premiered on ABC at 9:00. Alas, I do not have a television. I do, however, have an iPod and an iMac and iTunes, and at some point in the future maybe I will realize that it's just cheaper to shell out for a television than to try to do all my (very minimal) television viewing for $1.99 a pop. But it just seems silly to buy a television for the sole purpose of watching one show that I accidentally managed to get myeslf hoooked on. Especially when I'm already avoiding more justifiably essential purchases like clothing and haircuts and even books nowadays. I recognize, of course, that it is even sillier to pay for network television shows that are available on television for free...

2. I failed to receive my semi-weekly paycheck for the third week in a row. Apparently the payroll office is backed up, but this is starting to get ridiculous. Fortunately, I am on a monthly payroll as well for part of my stipend. This meant that I got paid for the first time in six weeks last Friday, and with the rent check (which it's my turn to pay this month) and tithing and a trip to the grocery store (and *cough*anituneseasonpassforlost*cough*), I am now officially out of money until this second paycheck for my hourly work finally comes in. I really expected it to come today. The plus side, though, is that by the time my paperwork finally does go through I will have accumulated enough hours that the paycheck itself will be fairly substantial. Lest my parents worry, I'm not really in trouble, partly because I expect them to pick up my grocery bill next weekend when they're in town...but also because this is an off month for car insurance payements, and next month I won't have to pay rent, and soon I will finally be participating in a medical study that will pay be $800 if I complete it. Which brings me to...

3. I finally got scheduled to participate in the running study I talked about, like, a year ago. My participation got postponed first because of a pending injury, and then because of a real injury, and then for another six months because of a communication failure on one end (not mine). But yesterday the person in charge finally called me and I was available when she called, and I am now all scheduled for the month of November. I'll write about it when it happens, and I am anxiously awaiting the day when I find out which group I am assigned to. Although I'm hoping for the control group (who wouldn't?), it is more likely that I will get to spend 10 days either sleep-deprived or running-deprived or both. Very exciting.

4. I taught class and led a discussion on student behavior. I was very grateful that this class is in discussion format, because I don't feel qualified to actually teach about student behavior. I have ideas from my teaching, and I have ideas from what I've seen and read and talked about, but there's no good answer to the questions that most of my students have. They know there are no good answers, but I still feel bad that I can't give them any. However, I love teaching this class. It's a lot of fun to work with the same group of students that I worked with last semester because we've now developed a rapport. I'll miss them next semester when they go off to do their student teaching and I go with next year's cohort.

5. I just got an unexpected check for $16. Right now. As I was typing. Woo-hoo!

6. I had several very vivid dreams. I go through phases with dreams. I will not really remember my dreams for a long time, and then suddenly I will remember them every night, for several nights in a row. Nothing this week topped my recent nuclear-explosion-in-Detroit dream (which was so vivid and scary that I wrote it down in my journal, and later told it to my sister in great detail, just to get it off my mind). But it's been an interesting dream week.

7. I went to Institute. I'm very proud of myself because I have gone to Institute three out of the four weeks that we've met so far. I think there are a few contributing factors - the fact that I actually taught Institute over the summer and now have a vested interest in the program (or at least a sense of guilt about not having a vested interest in the program), the fact that I have class right beforehand and usually get out late, which means I arrive at Institute 15-20 minutes late and don't have to sit for a full hour and a half, and the fact that the subject matter and the teacher's presentation of the subject matter is relatively interesting. I do miss the student participation, though.

8. I did my hair. Every single day. Blow drying, straightening and curling, applying sticky substances, the whole nine yards. I also wore (minimal) eye make-up every day, something I normally only do on Sundays or for major social events. You'd think I had a boy to impress, but really it's just because I was making a lot of field visits and had to actually look professional, and because a friend gave me a makeover last Friday and I am going through that brief period of enthusiasm I go through every time a girlfriend attempts to convert me to the wonderful world of spending an hour in front of the mirror every morning beautifying. I will never fully convert, of course, but it's kind of fun to spare a few extra minutes every once in awhile.

9. I successfully rid myself of three loaves of pumpkin bread. One loaf was intentional, because I was assigned to bring food to my Monday class. The other two came along with the recipe, which is a very good recipe but makes a lot of bread. I like pumpkin bread, but I can't eat a whole loaf, and especially not two whole loaves, by myself. Fortunately, almost anyone will let you be their friend if you offer food. It appears that I have at least three friends.

10. I published one rambling blog post. Maybe some people will read it, too.