Why I am a packrat

So, I have this annoying habit where I never get rid of anything. I have pretty much every homework assignment and test from every class I've taken at OU, and some from high school. I'm trying to get rid of stuff, really. A couple weeks ago, I found a copy of my high school transcript and random pictures from magazines that I had cut out for a project in 10th grade and then never used. I threw away the pictures but kept the transcript. Really, it's amazing that there's not more stuff in my room than there is.

Anyway...my OU email finally got moved over to exchange. I've never used an email client program before, basically because I refused to use Outlook. However, now that I have a mac and now that I'm not on the old OU email, I decided to use Mail. Well, in the process of moving emails around and sorting them, I deleted quite a few things, including my "sent mail" folder which included 4.5 years of sent mail. This was less than a week ago and I have since wanted 2 things specifically that I normally wouldn't have deleted, but did, without thinking, in an effort to get rid of excess "stuff". I now feel completely justified for never deleting anything else, because you really never do know when you might need something from years ago.

For Andrea

Dear Andrea,
I dedicate this template to you and our mutual love of SIN.
That is all.
Sincerely,
Emily

p.s. if you'll notice the ad on the side for Traditions Square it says it's coming August 2005. I definitely started to make this template over 2 years ago. Wow. At least I finish what I start...sometimes.

A Tribute to Kitchen Comments

So, as previously stated, I've been going through old papers, stuff, etc. and I came across this gem of a Kitchen Comment. I'm pretty sure Andrea wrote this one:

Dear Dave - Do mine eyes deceive me? An under construction sign on the Cate pizza place? Oh joys! I am delighted to see that you are demolishing the abomination and returning our beloved c-store with its variety, convenience, fresh produce, convenience, cheap coffee, convenience, slushies, convenience, and ice cream! I'm glad food services realized that even the charm of the tuscan-esque fountain could not mask the essential grossness of the fare at the Crimson Crust nor the prison-like restrictiveness of the place with it's no carry-out policy. Charming though orange sponge-painted walls may be, they are no substitute for the walls of pre-packaged (and CONVENIENT!) delights at the c-store. I'm simply giddy to know that instead of pouring more money into the hopeless cause of improving that little wannabe-Italian hell hole, you've made the wise to decision to backtrack while you're still ahead and just do away with it. You're well rid of it, my good man. - Cheap coffee lover p.s. This online form is rubbish. it doesn't even give me an option to select crimson crust. Or perhaps you're erasing all traces, eh? Very wise.


I think it's time to get on with life. The Cate C-Store is no more, the Crimson Crust will remain and hopefully we can get the renovations completed so we will be able to offer you a bigger variety of pizza and pasta.

Ah, dorm life. I miss you just a smidge. Actually, I just miss my meal plan, that's all.

Semester 9

Yet another interesting semester has passed, my 9th one at OU, but my first as a grad student. The transition to grad school was a little tough, but, as with everything, it was fine once I adjusted. Not living on campus was a pretty huge change for me, but a good one. Here are some of my memories from this semester.

• Andrea DenHoed, Rhodes Scholar (my reaction: "are you serious? no, really?")
  
• Having a degree!
  
• Having a house!
• Having a car!
• The desk project (you guys should really visit university surplus)
  
• Trying to decorate my house
  
• Another Thanksgiving in Norman with Matt + Die Hard (when I really should have been writing a paper instead)
  
• River Church
  
• Community Group
  
• Happy Hour and Slushies at Classic 50s
  
• Bugging Holly almost every day
  
• Nickel Creek concert in Dallas (+ walking around with St. Francis)
  
• Tuesday lunch at the 2:8 House
  
• Not losing power during the ice storm
  
• Having Tuesday lunch at our house on Monday of finals week and a "study party" there too
  
• More Tootsie Rolls
  
• Candy Canes + power series
  
• Mooching my first meals at the caf from freshmen and RAs
  
• Really trying research for the first time
  
• Still hating research for the 3rd time
  
• The customary two weeks of crying that seem to come in the middle of every semester
  
• Physics....
  
• Not getting a "C" in physics this semester
  
• Pretending like I didn't have semester-long research papers to do for the first two-thirds of the semester and not doing homework every night of the week
  
• Having people from Project visit
  
• Having friends that aren't college students!
  
• Lots of procrastination by cleaning
  
• Rearranging the kitchen cabinets for Katie
  
• Emails from Dr. Morrison at weird times in the morning
  
• Having a life that didn't just involve school
  
• Roadtrip to Boulder, CO
• Watching shows like "America's Next Top Model" and "Beauty and the Geek" with Holly, Rita, and Cindy
  
• Studying at the honors dorm...and then getting to leave because I don't live there
  
• Watching The Office...and then a movie with Jon and Mike every Thursday
  
• The occasional walkies
• Giving people advice for grad school
  
• Playing Bang!
  

As always, additions to the list are welcome.

National Merit Essay

So, I'm going through old files on my computer to clean stuff up and I found this gem. This is the closing paragraph of my National Merit Essay, last revised September 16, 2002. I had a really great plan for my life:

Next year I plan to study the Classics and Business Management at college. Hopefully my high school experiences with clerical and organizational responsibilities will have prepared me for my course of study. During my undergraduate years I hope to spend a semester or two abroad in Australia. After graduating, I plan to go to law school and eventually practice in the area of estate planning.

Funny, I didn't do a single thing I wanted to do, nor do I really plan on it...

Die Hard

"It seemed like a good idea at the time"
-Bruce Willis, Live Free or Die Hard

What a great response to what happened.

papers

Rule of Thumb: if you have a paper to write, never, NEVER, start watching the first movie in a trilogy that you haven't seen during the weekend before your paper is due.

blog-o-sphere

I endorse this blog: http://www.naomi-lynn.blogspot.com/

Yay!