Weekend o' fun.

This was probably the best weekend I've had in quite some time. 

First: Thirsty Thursday, with some speech friends. Amazing.

Friday was spent doing a little reading, and taking an outrageously long nap. 

Saturday evening was the Norman Music Festival: 

And my down time was spent curled up with this lovely read: 

This book is hilarious.  I chose it over another more serious training book (which I will probably order later) because it was by far the most entertaining (which may not have been a very intelligent decision).  So far I've learned that I need to be decked out in synthetic fibers, head to toe.  Awesome. 

Also, you will notice that I'm labeling posts, so that I can go back and see where I am with my individual goals later. Yay.

The thing about goals.

I actually feel like I need to meet them.

Thus, I have registered for a half marathon. 

The Walt Disney World Half Marathon - January 9, 2010. 

This is going to be me: 

I've got some time. Thank goodness. 

And my super cool friend Sarah is joining me.  I'm excited!

Any other takers?  It's going to be fun! (If I'm not dead somewhere around mile 9).

By 2011. *Edited*

So there's this blog I read, and the girl who writes it made 25 goals she wanted to meet by the time she was 25. I thought it was rad, and want some goals of my own. 

So, my friends, here are 25 things I intend to accomplish before I turn 25 in 2011. (Some of them are a given, but what can I say, I like crossing things off lists)

1. Graduate from grad school. 

2. Find a job (preferably one that I like). 

3. Successfully knit something. Anything. (This consistently shows up on every goal list I write, but never gets accomplished because my anal retentive side doesn't let me live with the inevitable mistakes). 

4. Move out of Oklahoma...preferably to D.C.  

5. Run a half marathon.  (This one is going to take some serious effort). 

6. Learn to hem my own pants. 

7. A trip abroad. (I'm not picky - Peru, Cambodia, Prague reunion, I don't care). I'm so antsy, I might even settle for a decent trip to Canada.  I've been in one place for far too long.

8. Find a hummus recipe I actually like. 

9. Stop drinking soda. Or at least limit it a great deal (one per week, perhaps?).

10. Have my own real live Christmas tree, with my own ornaments on it. 

11. Get arms like Michelle Obama's.  

12. Drink more water. Which will hopefully help with #9.

13. Go apple picking. 

14. Wear more dresses. This will require number 4 to take place first, as the winds here are a little too risky for much dress-wearing.

15. Floss my teeth (most) every night. 

16. Finish a NY Times crossword puzzle.  Probably a Monday edition.  And definitely in pencil.

17. Eat one meal a week that is a total freebie, calorie-wise (a.k.a. learn to relax, a little).

18. Be more genuinely kind, and loving. Again, some serious work needed.

19. Read three David Sedaris books.  Can you believe I haven't read any? I know, I know, it's criminal.

20. Act more like a 20-something and less like a 90-year-old grandmother. 

21. Get my wisdom teeth out (apparently it's a bigger ordeal after 25). 

22. See more live music. Actually, seeing any live music would be more than I do at present.

23. Watch less TV. (I would say no TV, but I actually want to accomplish these things...).

24. Give more compliments.

25. Spend 10 minutes a day in quiet contemplation (baby steps here, people). 

So there you have it.  And lest you think I'm going to post this and forget all about it, I am currently printing it out and taping it to my bathroom mirror, so that's not an option.  I might even laminate it while I'm meeting my other laminating needs tomorrow.  So there.

*No one noticed that I forgot a number 24. I just added one, because I really can count, I promise.

Whatever you call senioritis in grad school...

I've got it.  Really bad. 

My tests are over until finals, but I still have mucho work to do on three projects, and then studying for finals, of course.  But my intense motivation that I have had nearly the whole semester seems to have left me a little prematurely.  Perhaps it's the beautiful weather, or maybe the fact that I can't spend another hour in the library without going insane.  Who knows. 

Alas, this slackerish-ness has spread to the blog as well.  Nothing exciting has happened, I can assure you.  

But here's what made me happy today: 

Great book.  Great family. Too adorable for words. 

And, in case you need to waste some of your own time...I've been spending some quality procrastination time on this blog.  I'll admit, I read the whole thing the other day.  They just seem super fun.  And make me even more certain that I would like to live in D.C. for a spell. 

Defiled, and I don't even mind.

Throughout my life, including my undergraduate work, I was not a fan of marking up my books. For one thing, I usually spent an ungodly amount of money on the thing (if it was a textbook), but also...there was just something I loved about a book without any markings, totally perfect, like new. 

If I ever did feel the need to highlight (only with a yellow highlighter), there was always a moment before the first mark was made in the book, when I knew it would be defiled forever...and I would pause, before marking whatever it was I found to be THAT important. 

Yeah. These days, anal retentive Christie seems to have bid adieu.  I laughed today as I turned to a page in my neuroanatomy book and found this: 

And in my Motor Speech Disorders book, more of the same:

These books are the ones I will be living with (literally, eating and maybe even sleeping with) until my Tuesday midterm.  I'm in hermit mode.