no rain today.

today was the first day that it hasn't rained since i've been back to greenville. could that be a sign that things are going to look up? i sure hope so.

on other fronts:
1. i am slightly disappointed for no particular reason.
2. i'm considering starting my reading for classes (and for this point in the semester that is odd for me).
3. i'm failing slightly on the anti greenville relationship thing. actually i'm doing much better than i anticipated on most fronts, but am doing worse than i'd hoped for on one front in particular.
4. julianne and i are watching season 2 of veronica mars and we are half way through the season after only 3 days. i love that show.

i have nothing interesting to say here that hasn't already been said.
- corrie

up and down.

my emotions about being back at school are currently all over the place. one hour i'm feeling great and having a good time and then the next i'm frustrated and sick of a lot of it. what's bothering me? let me tell you.

well, i'm sick of greenville and relationships and how everyone feels the need to discuss them. i mean seriously. i've been here just a few days and i've already had multiple conversations with multiple people about a number of relationship issues. who broke up with who over the summer (actually a large number). who got married over the summer (another large number). "this is how i fell about this guy" blah blah blah. it's all so lame. bear in mind that it's not like i don't have conversations of similar topics with friends at home, i do, but they aren't the same. it really actually makes me sick. my solution? avoid it at all costs. maybe not all costs, but i'm going to make an attempt to remove myself from those conversations and/or direct them in other directions. the women of greenville do not need to be talking about these things so much! it's a waste of time. (note: i believe that it is also an issue for the guys based on a brief conversation i had with someone earlier.)

also, my whole living situation is up and down. i think that it's getting better and then it gets worse and i'm just not sure how to handle the whole thing. we have so much stuff in our room. that is the main issue at the moment. stuff and no where to put it. i'd like to think that i'm not contributing to this dilemma however i did bring a couple of large items (like a chair and bean back) but they are community items. shoving three girls into this room may have been a bad idea. and speaking of the three girls in here, i'm worried that things aren't going to go so smoothly with that. i'm feeling certain ways, and feeling bad about that, but then something will happen that makes me feel the same first feeling again. it's a vicious cycle.

all of these feelings typically come to a head right before i'm about to go to bed. so then i go to bed in an irritated mood. i don't think it's exactly healthy for to have these feelings every night for the last 4 nights, and for how many more to come.

i don't know if you could call me homesick because i don't mind being in this location, but i miss how things are at home. the midwest is just so different and people have so many different perceptions about things.

i wanted something different and here i am.
- corrie

home sweet home?

well, i've made it to greenville, all safe and sound. my first day here has been interesting that's for sure. between getting our room settled and trying to see old friends, i feel like i've been all over the place, but have actually not been anywhere.

my feelings have changed greatly throughout the day. earlier i was happy to finally be here (after a whole summer of not wanting to come back), but was nervous about how we were going to get the room settled. then i changed from being happy about how the room was coming and excited about seeing everyone, and getting back in the swing of things. now i'm more in between. i like our room but i'm nervous about the setup of the house and house dynamics. like i was brushing my teeth in the bathroom and thinking "i'm going to be using this bathroom for the next 9 months. can i make it in here that long?" i'm going to have to. and i'm a little sad cause a lot of my friends live in other places and i'm afraid that i'm going to get left out and dropped out of getting called more than normal (which i have to say happens on a somewhat regular basis when i'm here). it's just going to be an adjustment. i think it'll be made easier when my other roommate arrives. as i was driving around town today i was just thinking how much nicer it would be if she was here.

also, i decided that since i'm in such a funny mood i needed a template that would make me happy. this one does. it's bright and cheery and i suppose you could say it reminds me of spring or being home or something to that nature.

i can't wait to be totally settled here and easy going about things like i like to be. i need to listen to some happy music.

lost in a sea of change.
- corrie

on the road again. part 2.

here i am sitting in the mark motor hotel in weatherford, oklahoma and i'm feeling considerably better than last night at this time. last night i was so incredibly tired i honestly couldn't see straight. today was a much shorter day, and a much easier drive. i was planning on putting some pictures up from the last couple of days, but i really don't feel like it. check all of them out on my flickr page. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/yellowmoonlite)

am i there yet?
- corrie

on the road again. part 1.

here i am sitting in gallup, nm and my whole body is shaking from tiredness and coffee and hunger. i still don't like driving through east arizona and new mexico. i can't wait to get to st. louis. i wish we'd gone the other way (I-70). i'll put some pictures from today up later.

i need to eat and stop shaking.
- corrie

starting goodbyes.

i'm feeling a little down at the moment. i've only got one more full day in ventura before i leave for illinois, and in typical fashion i have hardly anything ready. i've gone through my clothes, and some of the tubs that i brought back at the beginning of summer, and i don't feel like there's a whole lot left to do. then i think about it. and i begin to realize that i've got stuff all over our house that i need (or want). i mean, i've seriously got stuff everywhere. it sorta makes me sick thinking about all the crap i've got.

yesterday i went down to jimi's tattoo and body piercing in port hueneme and got a tattoo. it was an interesting experience for sure. i'd called to make an appointment a couple of days before, so we didn't have to wait as long as other people who had just shown up, but we still waited a good 40 minutes before i got in. once i got into the room i was only in there for seriously five minutes. it took basically no time cause it was so small and so simple. just a single thick line. and yes it hurt but it wasn't actually too bad. since he only had to do one pass on it. i'm sure that if i'd wanted it thicker it would have hurt more. all in all i'm really pleased with it. also, the reactions that i've gotten from friends who have seen it has been really positive, and while i don't care what they think entirely, it just makes me feel better. i was really surprised at how many people knew about it when i got to church this morning. i'd only told 5 people that i was going to get it done (along with posting it on here, but hardly anyone reads this so i doubt they found out from here), and yet there were at least 10 people this morning who asked to see it. they all run in the same crowd so i knew who they found out from. i'd also told my parents before getting it done, and i think that helped a lot, and they really appreciated it. i know that now that i've shown it to people, almost the entire church will know by next sunday. funny how quickly things travel at church. i've decided to show some people (mostly if they ask), but not go flashing it around to everyone. of course due to a comment someone made at youth group tonight (thanks josh) pretty much all of the middle schoolers know now, and i'm a little nervous about what their parents are going to think after the kids go home and tell them about it. i know some won't approve, and some probably won't care. good thing i'm gone next week though.

tonight i had to say goodbye to my middle schoolers, which was a little sad (especially a couple of them). we had a really good time tonight though. we played game cube, marco polo (on land), ate some bbq grub, played mafia, and had a talk that wrapped up our summer talk series (all for one). i think what i'm going to miss the most about them is their humor. some of them are just so witty.

also this evening i had to say goodbye (for now) to one of my best friends, laura. we met at starbucks and got some coffee (my new drink is a soy latte). we sat and talked for almost an hour and it was great. we've had a number of conversations this summer (a good majority of them within the last week), and i'm REALLY going to miss that. i suppose that i'll just have to call her. it's never the same over the phone, but it's better than nothing.

i need to get packing or be doing something productive. here goes.

feeling sad about having to leave.
- corrie

i am currently.

nervous about everything. and when i say everything, i mean basically everything. give me two weeks (or a hole to live in) and i should be fine.

filled with nerves.
- corrie

no idea.

how in the world did i use to babysit 6 kids at one time? i don't know anymore. i even did 7 once, and that was a real stretch. tonight i babysat only 4 kids, and am totally exhausted, and it really made me wonder how i did it with 6 for so long. i mean, i babysat for that bible study and those six kids for well over a year, and it was hardly as difficult as it was tonight.

i'm now watching the end of eulogy in an attempt to unwind a bit before going to bed and doing more babysitting tomorrow.

- corrie

break.

i had a nice little break from everything this weekend when i took a trip up to SLO to visit my good pal laura. i had begun to get rather burned out on everything down here and the timing for this trip was perfect. i was out of communication with most things (some on purpose and some were circumstancial) and it was nice.

some highlights from the trip.
1. i got to hang out with laura.
2. i got to see my former pastor (laura's boss) and his wife.
3. i got to learn more about a really cool organization called Lifewater. (see their link to the right)
4. i got some pretty sweet clothes after a successful shopping adventure.

notes on where i currently am.
i leave for greenville in one week. (one week from now i will be in gallup, nm in some hotel)
i still have basically everything to do before i leave.
i work basically all day tomorrow.
i think i'm going to get a tatoo this weekend.

i will now leave you with this. yesterday in slo laura and i went to linnea's for some coffee. what we left with was what i would like to call the best iced vanilla latte i've EVER HAD. it was amazing. so i took a picture.
- corrie

decidedly better.

i know i only posted my last blog a few minutes (hour plus already?) ago, but i'm feeling already better and have a few things i'd like to say.

1. i miss things that our current society seems to be moving away from. like bars of soap. i miss bars of soap.

2. i think that i want to get a tattoo. if i do get one i know what i want, i'm just a bit of a chicken.

- corrie

currently.

i'm in a weird mood. i have a ton of things that i want to say, but i just don't feel like i could convey them in the proper way at this time. maybe another day. here is a brief blurb on those things, which is all i really feel like putting out there at the moment.

i got the new hellogoodbye album today. so far so good. ("touchdown turnaround i never see you around, anywhere or anymore, you are what i'm looking for") when i got it i put it in my truck and rolled down the windows and turned it up and basically screamed along to the songs that i knew (or the parts that i knew that is). that was good times.

i leave in under 2 weeks to go back to school and i've got super mixed feelings about that. tonight i really wanted to just get away and be somewhere on my own, but i'm not entirely sure school is that place. i'm sure that once i get there and get going i'll be fine, i just hate getting to that point.

i wrote the check for fall tuition tonight and something about it felt really weird. and it's a exorbitant amount of money just to learn things that i may or may not need. (some of my classes i'm sure would fall in the not category but are required to get my degree.)

i haven't even left and i'm already missing people. (or am i missing the idea of them?)

next summer can't come soon enough.

went to a dodger game this week. that was fun. but made more tiring considering that i had to drive and it was with a bunch of middle school age kids.

i saw my grandma and grandpa and cousin this week for the first time since just after christmas. that was really nice. i always enjoy seeing them.

last night was the full moon, and that always makes me smile.

went to the fair today. good times, good food.

i think that's all.
i'm feeling a little lost.
hope i find my way soon.

done.

today was my official last day working for underwood family farms this summer, and i'm happy it's over. sure it was great, and i learned some more about fruits and vegetables, but it was hard work. i'm not entirely sure that i'd trade it for more classes, especially with my crazy upcoming semester, but at least i don't have to stand through all my classes. it was also a little weird cause there are some people that i see every weekend that i probably won't see again. all in all it's been a good time and some more great experience dealing with the public, for better or worse in some cases.

a highlight from my last day. i was minding my own business checking people out when i see this guy come in. he looks really familiar, and i immediately think that he's an actor. i think about it more and realize that he could just be someone i see around often. so he and his wife come through my line and get a ton of stuff. i tell them all about our place out in moorpark and they are really excited cause it's closer for them than somis, and such. so they leave, and after they're gone i look at their credit card receipt for a name. i don't recognize it but when i got home i searched it on imdb.com (the best website for movie/tv information anywhere) and sure enough he was on it! he's a character actor who i've seen in lots of different tv shows and various movies. it was just pretty cool that i could somewhat place him, and then be correct. he's not the first celebrity that i've waited on but it's interesting each time none the less.

in other exciting news, i have this whole next week off! that's not to say that i don't have it already booked up, but it's nice anyway.

relaxation rules!
- corrie

wacky talents.

okay, so i'm housesitting in a lovely home with two beautiful dogs. they've also got this wonderful tv (huge!) and tivo. i was watching the american office when a recording thing came up so i switched to the channel. it was set to record america's got talent. i've never had the desire to watch this show, and yet somehow here i am watching it. they just had their wacky talents segment and my absolute favorite one (of the four) was the two young girls (early teens probably) who performed "take me out to the ball game." but not only did they get on stage in front of all of america to perform this song but they performed it half singing and, get this, half burping. it was awesome! my jaw was on the floor and i totally loved it. when they got up and were explaining their talent to regis (whom i can't stand) i was actually hoping that they'd do it by making farting noises with their armpits. i was a little disappointed that it wasn't armpit farts, but the burps were fantastic. ugh. now cirque du soleil is performing and it's lame. the primary acrobat looks like she's from t.a.t.u.

people continue to amaze me in hilarious ways.
- corrie

moon light.

i love the moon. i have for a number of years now, and i continue to find it more and more beautiful all the time. my favorite time is when it's full and it's light fills everything, but i'm not typically picky. as long as i can see it i'm good. tonight on our drive back from santa barbara (we picked up my dad) the moon was reflecting on the ocean and was magnificent. i would have enjoyed it more if i were not driving, but the glipmses of it that i caught were fantastic. that's all i wanted to say.