Pick my box.

-Your mother is my father.

-Guess who broke up?

-I will set you ablaze.

-Woof.

-You know when you say that you're actually insulting yourself.

-And I say, 'Sally you need a break, let Bob pick up the kids from soccer practice.'

-You guys can stay, I'm just going to go.

-Have you ever seen a bald eagle?

-We are siamese...

-See what I mean, Sam?

peanut butter toasties are like heaven on earth...

...which would explain why I'm out of peanut butter and bread. Today's been a lovely day except for that nagging pain that comes once a month. I soooo didn't want to get out of bed this morning.

Not much going on here, just reading a little bit of this and a little bit of that (like academic journals on neuro science that are over my head and nutritional tidbits, also looking at a couple accident reports I have to read for one of my classes, but the reports are like 300 pages and I'm really hoping he's not expecting us to read all of it, so I emailed him and am waiting for a reply). I'm going to try to study for a bit, stop by home and get something to eat because I'm hungry and then I have a volunteering meeting later. I'm all pumped up for some reason and I didn't even jog today. When I woke up this morning I thought about jogging and then I laughed.

My New Hero

Hyde Park is lovely

Currently on a high from a nice little jog through Hyde Park. I went three miles but my time was so terrible I didn't even bother to check it, but I feel good. I love the endorphins I get after a run, they get me all pumped. The run was nice, I didn't feel too winded, surprisingly, but it was colder than I anticipated. After I take a quick shower I think I'm going to dedicate some time for studying. I started "Steels: Microstructure & Properties" yesterday and its pretty bad-*ss, so, I might read a little more of that and of course, my pride and joy, "Solidification".

And my Challenge = FAIL. I was tired or reading last night and I caved and watched, "Law & Order: SVU". What can I say it's my weak spot? Not sure how to proceed, I feel so...so...so...defeated. I'll wait for my wounds to heal and I'll try again.


Current obsessions:

-The Weepies, still
-Overall and complete health
-The fact that I can't sit in a hot bath and read a book, boo
-Missing the pleasant view of corn fields

The more things change the more things stay the same

Today my insomniac ways were the cause of me being late for "History of Medicine", shame on me. On a positive note, I'm to 18 hours of being television free, and the challenge presses on.

So in class today our professor was describing a case in the late 19th century about a woman who was surgically sterlized because she was deemed "feeble minded". Apparently such an operation was legal for medics in the United States (shocking!) and the Scandinavian countries. It's such a violation of the basic human rights that I find it appalling. Then it got me thinking about the lack of humanity in the world today. Exploitation, starvation, trafficking, and the devaluing of individuals, but as Rene Debos would say, as long as there are young rebels in our midst there is hope. So, I am hopeful.

Current obsessions:

-The Weepies, still

A lazy Sunday

Yesterday I spent most of my day at Body & Soul which is an inspiring place for those with HIV/AIDS or are closely affected by it. It's a place where they can go for therapy, assistance, and support. I've been trying to volunteer there for months, but it's been a slow process and I hopefully I'll be working there soon. After a day of training I realize how misunderstood HIV is and how hard it is for them, but it is encouraging that they have a place like Body & Soul. The atmosphere there is so positive and lively and I look forward to being a part of it.

NEW CHALLENGE:

One of my many addictions is.....television. So, I will attempt to refrain from watching it and I'm going to try my best to go as long as I can without it. It degrades the mind and turns it to mush. Boo. Right now is a really important time for my mind and I need to get it into shape. Anyone who has the same problem can feel free to join in. :)

Currently obsessed with:

-The Weepies, I keep listening to their musics, over and over, but the lyrics are soooo good and so inspiring

-Biomaterials, not so much obsessed at trying to learn it all

Other than that there is not much new to report. I suppose I should be out an about exploring the world, but I do what I can. I was so exhausted from yesterday I didn't have it in me to do much today.

All the things I haven't told you and the reason I didn't see you for Christmas

It's 3 AM and we just had a fire alarm. Seriously? I suppose I would have been more upset if I actually was sleeping. Yes, I am such a night owl. I suppose it's in my blood, a few of my siblings have the same gene.

Lately, I've been busy with school, rugby, and friends. I've been finding myself quite happy here in the big city. But recently, I've realized that I need to focus more on my studies if I want to do well on my exams. So, I spent about six hours at the library this evening, I didn't get as much done as I wanted to, but it's a start.

Over Christmas break I visited Rome, Dublin, and Scotland where I finally was able to fulfill my yearning for adventure and excitement. And what an adventure it was. I found it to be one of the most exciting things I have ever done and hopefully it's just the beginning.

Here's a synopsis:

Before I departed for Rome, I had to pack my bag and make sure all my ducks were in a row because it was the first time I would be traveling around Europe and I was on my own. And as usual, I was pressed until the very last minute. Before I know it I am literally running back to Wilson at 4 AM so I can make my flight on time. In my defense, the website I need to print my boarding pass from was "malfunctioning"...for several hours and without my pass I was s.o.l. So, there I am sweating my ass off, at who knows what hour, and running around Hyde Park to get to my dorm as fast as possible. Yes, I said around Hyde Park, not through. You see, if I were able to go through Hyde Park I wouldn't be running because it's only a half an hour walk, but since it was past midnight I had to haul my ass all the way around the park, which was a good hour or so. It was possible to cut through the park, but at night that's a bit of a risky deal, if you don't want to get jumped, that is. So, I'm just jogging along and minding my own business when out of nowhere a fox appears. I jog past him and he jogs past me, and for a moment it was as if we were thinking the same thing, "WTF?" A fox randomly walking along the streets of London??? Some girl going for a jog in the middle of the night with her bookbag on??? Needless to say, it was an odd sight.

Fast forward, I'm sitting there waiting for the shuttle to the airport until I see it approaching and it just keeps on driving. I'm wondering what just happened and I start to panic. If I don't get to the airport on time, I'll miss my flight, and then I'll miss my other three flights, and I'll have to spend Christmas doing nothing and be all alone in London. I feel a lump in my throat and I am about to start crying. I tell myself to calm down. I start walking, no where in particular, I am just walking about and trying to figure out what to do, and I'm not sure at that point. Finally, I flag down a taxi. He can tell that I'm about to burst into tears and he offers to give me a ride to where I need to be to catch the shuttle. He drops me off, I pay him and thank him. Once I get on the shuttle I feel a huge surge of relief and I pass out until we get to the airport.


Somewhere over France on the plane ride to Rome as excitement ran through my veins


My first view of Italy and when I started to feel a little nervous


I made it from the airport to the city centre, okay I can do this


Yay, my hostel! In just a few hours time I would be crashed up in my assigned bed, I was exhausted at this point


The best pizza in the world!


This was my first day to roam around Rome and one of my favorite pictures from my trip


Don't be fooled, I froze my ass off this day, along with every other day


A beautiful view of Rome


Huge! Me, right outside the Pantheon


I was very excited by this, I totally did not know that this was a real beer.


Oh my gosh, I will never forget this! I was on the way to the Colosseum with a friend I met in our hostel and it was cold and rainy and the one day I didn't take my hat


I love this one, it was when I was just wandering around taking snap shots


This was a garden that totally creeped my shit out, nobody was around and I thought I was going to get murdered here, it was eerie but I was curious, needless to say, I didn't stay long.


This is reminiscent of the most romantic date I've ever had and an evening in Rome I'll never forget


Me out on a pub crawl in Dublin with my new found friend


Streets of Dublin before the dawn


When I first got to Edinburgh and was totally taken by it all


These baked potatoes were glorious


Street view


Traditional meal of haggis and beer, and it was lovely


Edinburgh was the home to some of the first skyscrapers


This makes me wish I was there, *tear*


One of the New Year's celebrations, a bunch of people with torches. Then we went to the top of a hill and lit stuff on fire, it was awesome


I got to hold a torch! I felt like it was 200 years ago and I was in a mob of angry townspeople


A night on the town with my amazing Aussie mates and it started snowing


The highlands I want to move to


See, it's like I belong here...now I just need a Scottish guy, hmmmm...


The word "beautiful" doesn't do it justice



A WWII monument which the Scottish people hold a great respect for


My heart broke a little when I had to leave