the colder it is outside, the hotter i am when i get inside after biking home.
strangely, it also makes me have to pee worse when i get home too.
go figure.

ok. i like him a lot.
we talked about beaver christmas last night.
he's going to try to get the time off.

so, i'm dating a younger man.
it's going well so far.
i met him online.
we talked and texted for like 3 weeks, and
i've seen him every night since last tuesday.
i kind of like him.
he sent me flowers before our first date.
i could get used to this.

bacon, eggs and fried potatoes for breakfast.
went to where the wild things are. excellent.
shaved my legs & deep conditioned my hair.
painted my fingernails. we'll see how long it lasts.
now, i'm watching svu on netflix and hanging out.
i like quiet, sunshiny days.

there have been snowflakes hanging in the air for the past few days. i would love a little snow on the ground. 
my preparations are in order: i bought elf on ebay, it's shipping; stocked up on tea and hot chocolate; and have cozy fleece blankets distributed throughout my apartment. i also have candles (pretend fireplaces) and new mittens. so, i'm not saying i want full blown winter, but i'd be interested in a taste. 

plus, mandei got snow and she doesn't even like it. not fair.

plague 4
muriel  0

dear bemidji,

thank you for the fun and combats.
thank you also for the plague...
the real one that mandei and i had.
i wish it was sunny so i could lay in my lawn chair wrapped in a blanket.
instead, i'll just snot all over my apartment. pretty, i know.
i had fun...but now i'm not.
i want to blame you, but i can't.

sincerely,
muriel

i decided that not cooking supper was worth biking to subway. who am i kidding--8 blocks isn't even a sacrifice. and it was way faster than anything i could or would have cooked. and it was moderately healthy.

i hate that it's dark out when i get up. and that it will be for the next five months.

update: so far, so good.
except i'm really sneezy.
i feel like that's unrelated, but you never know.

hypothetically, let's say that i made hamburger helper with milk that expired today. and i ate it. and then i dumped out the milk and it was sort of silty at the bottom. will i die?

i had a better day today than i've had in a long time.
the thing is, it wasn't that much different from any of the other days i've been having.
i just feel like things are getting better.
my boss is impressed with me. and we came up with a way better thesis project than the one i've been avoiding for 8 months.
i bought a used futon from a professor--one that i get to pick up one night this week.
i talked to a few friends...stuff like that.
it was just a good day. and it was blissfully cool out.
drinking hot tea in bed with the windows open.
i really like living alone. especially on nights like these.

tonight i decided to do laundry, so i changed out of the dirty clothes i was wearing into sweats and a tank top, and went to see if the washers (which are around the corner) were free. i stepped out of my apartment, closed the door, and realized immediately that it was locked. i didn't have my keys. or phone. or shoes. or even a bra. classy, i know. so, i sat in the entry way for a couple of minutes until a nice man came home and called maintenance for me. and then i waited another 30 minutes for the guy to show up.

i'm notorious for locking myself out. or leaving my keys. or losing my keys.

i'm making a spare set. this is ridiculous.

i have a pretty strict rule of no caffeine after 4pm.

Tonight, I let my mom buy me an iced coffee for supper. Possibly the best/worst decision I've ever made.

I've done my dishes, am in the process of doing laundry and rearranging my room, and finishing some icky unpacking and box removal that i've been avoiding for the past two weekends. I'm also rocking out and already cupid shuffled all over the place.

I'm a sticky mess, and I'm not likely to fall asleep before like 1am, but holy cow am I getting stuff done!!

(Posting is part of a cool down effort after spinning my bed around in my room--way harder than i would have guessed.)

Back to work.

 because i've been at the epicenter of entertainment (st. cloud) for the past two years, i forgot how depressing it can be when you live on the outskirts of civilization, reading about what people are doing for fun. 

ok. i'm not depressed, really. more like jealous.
i'm supposed to be in "class," but I'm waiting until they get to the movie portion to show up. I mean, it's in the next room, so I can listen at the same time, haha.

bah. i'm bored and tired and over-caffeinated. 

more later. :)

 I've Run Across This A Couple Times In The Past Couple Of Days...Where Someone Capitalizes The First Letter Of Every Word In Everything That They Write. It's Obnoxious. Both To Read And Type. It Is Much Easier To Just Do It The Right Way.

Makes Me Angry.

reasons i haven't posted:
i haven't had internet access at home
it's still my first month at work (trying not to get in trouble for wasting time)
i haven't had anything to say
i live alone

idk. now i have the internet, so my biggest reason is out the dizzy. here i am.
yesterday my dad brought me a real bed, so that's neat.
almost fell off my bike into oncoming traffic yesterday. instead took a chunk out of my ankle with my pedal. hurts.

i've started eating nuts.

yesterday i got a rack mounted on the back of my bike, and then i mounted a crate. now i have a trunk for hauling cargo! this is helpful in transporting even a few groceries and makes buying jugs of juice or soda more easily possible (they take up a whole backpack.) i also bought a watch. and i would like to recommend pocketknife ownership to everyone. it's the best tool i've ever bought.

this morning i pedaled all the way to target. if i did the math right that's like 50 blocks. exact opposite end of town. now i'm across the street at the mall food court where i could get my hands on some crappy chinese food and wireless internet in one shot. i'm calling to get internet installed tomorrow. i cannot go on like this.

i think i'm going to go try to buy a book or something to do...so i can go home and be lazy. call me. i'm bored.

 i love my new apartment. 

i wish it had a bed. or a regular-sized blanket.

maybe i'm just being picky.

i just bought myself a red pocket knife. it goes with my new sporty image. it's not even a little one. it's big enough to cut stuff--like apples. i'm pretty sure apple cutting will be its primary use.

i also bought a one-strap backpack, mostly because target didn't have bike racks and i needed something to haul stuff home in. target is a long haul on a bike. especially over the stupid columbia overpass. i wanted to give up, but didn't. so, now i have a sporty little backpack and a pocket knife that matches my killer ride. i also bought a water bottle in silver with a bird and tree to complete the sporty ensemble.

now i'm a hot mess, and i think i'll shower.