the little things!

Whoa ... I won this contest over at I AM FUEL, YOU ARE FRIENDS (which is a rockin' music blog, by the way), and I'm getting a copy of the soundtrack for the new Bob Dylan biopic, I'm Not There. Excuse the linking and all, but essentially, I won myself a CD of Dylan covers, and I'm thrilled. Dude ... I never win anything ... right?

Along with that, bare: the album is releasing tomorrow! (See previous posts.) Thrilled yet again. :) It's all well and good ... except I have no idea how much it costs.

And, to top it all off, I'm trying to work on a draft of a paper, to review tomorrow and to turn in on Thursday. I also have a test. So I'm going to see the professor. And I have to plan Bible Study, and I want to check up with people, and I need to study, and, Christ, it feels like there's just no time in the day for all the things I need to do.

Halloween's on Wednesday and I'm leading Bible Study. I have a test and a paper due the next day, so all work and no play makes Amy a dull girl ... but perhaps a smidge more successful. Wish me luck!

now and then

Last year, I was in Barcelona, hanging out with Irene.


This year, I was cooped up in San Diego, hoping to God that we weren't going to burn.

Needless to say, I'm very much alive, but due to the fire, we canceled an entire week of class. We're now behind, and it was both a relief and a stress. Now, I've got a ton of stuff due this coming week, so it's just go-go-go for me. Can't win 'em all.

Oh, and if that weren't depressing enough, "American kids, dumber than dirt"?

I really do need to make more time for blogging. :) I enjoy it so.

flashback

San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John the Lateran)

Almost a year ago, I wrote this in my LJ:

All right, so I've been a slack at posting. We still don't have internet at the residence, so I'm using the internet at the study center. Talk about a pain in the butt. To that end, if you call me on Skype, I'll get it on my cell phone? So call away people, but let's keep it short, because my phone credits always run out fast.

Okay, so life has been crazy. Not too much drama, I suppose, but I have found that I tend toward one roommate more than the other. It's natural, I know, and this situation pales in comparison to freshman year at UCSD, so really, I feel like I'm doing well. I haven't been sleeping well, though, and everything that makes me stress out gives me a nervous stomach and I can't eat. Gah, I just need to get over these nerves. Right in the middle of my stay. Honestly!

That brings me to another thing. We have passed the halfway point. It's hard to believe that we have less than two months left, and it's equally hard to believe that over two months have passed. It's more surreal than anything else, and I'll miss Rome when I come home, but I don't think it's the love of my life. It's just not quite me, but hey, I'm working on it. There are days when I wish the world around me would stop ... but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Anyway, midterms were this week. I had two yesterday, and there's one more tomorrow night. Then it's off to the soup kitchen. Thursday morning, I have a group oral exam in Italian, and then I'm done.

So ... the exciting part! Thursday evening, I depart for Barcelona! I'm staying for three nights with Irene, then on Sunday evening I depart for Budapest. In Budapest, I'm staying through until November 2, then it's off to Berlin for the last leg, then back home to Rome on the 5th. At ... oooh ... 7 in the morning. That will suck. Other than that, I'm relieved to have a break from Rome, as lovely as it is. I'm just so stressed right now, and I feel like I'm doing all right, but I just want to push myself harder, and I feel like I'm at the point of breaking. I know I can't break, and I know I just have to hold on and breathe, but there are those moments when I feel like I'm suffocating. Those moments pass, though, and I'm just back to being me.

Life is crazy. End of story.

looking forward

- bare: the album (buy it here on October 30)


- being done with the first round of papers/exams
- pie night with my bible study
- ballroom dance on sunday

Multimedia message

Autumn in La Jolla

awake and alive

From this summer, we went out for sangria ... and lollipops, apparently.

So, what have I been up to besides diggin' on that new Andy Samberg/Adam Levine track? I've been in school, that's what. Between work, school, and extracurriculars, I feel like I barely have any time, and for that time, I save my knitting. That said, my classes are pretty challenging, but I can handle them. This quarter (10 weeks, baby!) brings me Distributed Cognition, Neurology/Neuroanatomy, Intro to Int'l Relations, and Nationalism & Ethnic Conflict. A pretty full plate, with some papers, some tests, and a pinch of stress. Hopefully, I can continue to be productive and kick some ass with this stuff, but I guess I'll have to see.

Today, I've got a speed reading & comprehension class back at school. I'm hoping it will improve my skills for that grad school push a year or so from now. By no means will I be able to read all the material in grad school, but the more I can fit in and the more I can understand, the better my chances of success are. Apparently, yes, I am preparing myself for success, or so says my sister.

As for plans for this blog, I'm hoping to put together some thematic mixes ... especially for holidays, but seeing as that is a long way off, I have time to plan. I also have time to eat a good breakfast this morning. What a thought! I suppose I had better jump on that.

pick-me-up

Butter-pecan thighs, anyone?