Nothing too much has been happening, I have been working like mad crazy. Really only the last 3 days, but I've logged in 32 hours and $400 and I only need a little over $100 more to make the ol' tuition payment by next Thursday. Yay! And if I make mucho MORE then I will have it to spend on things like Cassidy (birthday) and me and everything fun and good.

Christmas was good. Got a bathrobe from the parents, the promise of a PSP from Kallen once he's been working the job a little longer, and a cool Northface hat from Ben& Cortni. Ben gave Cortni a puppy for Christmas, Rumple, a yellow lab purebred, complete with papers. He's a cute little guy, 11.5 weeks and still quite soft. He's going to be huge though, and their landlord is not geeked about it.

Other than that, I've got nothin'. Peace out!

I hadn't actually posted in awhile now, and figured if I was going to advertise this thing on facebook, I ought to at least occassionally update it! There isn't much new with me. Today is Monday, I have an exam tomorrow (5 days prior to Christmas), 3 exams Wednesday (4 days prior to Christmas), hopefully will pick up a double at Kentwood Friday's on Thursday (because as of this moment, I have $42 and no presents bought), Stevie's wedding Friday, hopefully another double Saturday (pending it's open), and Christmas on Sunday. *breathe*

Classes are very thin right now...I'm just not into them. "Over" them might be the correct term. My cells class is driving me to thoughts of mass killing. If I studied 1/3 as hard for any other class I have ever taken in my life, and probably will ever take in undergrad as I have for this class, I would easily be 4.0ing college. Instead, I'll be lucky if I actually pass it. The class started with 80 people, at the drop date was down to 27, and maybe half of us will actually get a C or better. The professor is so unreal I don't have a description.

MS meds will begin as soon as I get the starter kit in the mail, have confirmed that my neuro has gotten my bloodwork results (which I still have a bruise from, a week later - you'd think I'd know which arm gives well by now), and have called the pharmecutical (spelling?) company and arranged the injection classes. I'm glad to be getting this going, but the whole thing is kind of making me nervous. Anxious is a better word. The neuro said that there is a 20%ish chance that my body won't take to the medicine and will instead develop antibodies to it, which means I will have to go on the Copaxane which is daily, and requires refridgeration - both sucky. It's the only one of the 4 that isn't an Interferon (basically, that isn't virus-derived). The development of antibody just annoys the piss right out of me...fuckin body. Because it doesn't already develop more antibody than it needs to, you know? It's not already attacking my myelinated axons or anything. Grr.

But Liv and I have further discussed Oakland! That is an exciting prospect. I will be right in the middle of a lot of neurological research, and next door to a host of amazing neurologists. Also on the medical front, I'm going to volunteer in the surgical waiting room at Spectrum this Winter/Spring - that way I can get my name around there, and kind of see how the inner workings go. Plus, when it will look good on transfer and job apps, and make me feel like I'm being helpful and productive! Yay!

That's really all I've got.

So tonight Liv took the night off of work to go with me to an MS forum in Southfield. For the record, I didn't really know where Southfield was in relation to "Detroit" ("Detroit" to me is anything East of Canada, West of Ann Arbor, North of Ohio, and South of Flint). So I googled the address and mapquested directions. Just prior to leaving we double checked the address. After being held up just outside of Lansing (after already leaving a wee bit late) because of 3 accidents and some sketchy driving conditions, we approached the end of our directions about 20 minutes after the start time of the conference. The end of our directions, incidentally, were literally at the dead-end of an alley leading into a GM plant in an actual downtown-Detroit ghetto. So we pull into a Walgreens for mascara and directions, and the manager tells me that the hotel we're supposed to be at is still another 25-30 minutes away and that he can't tell us exactly where to go, but at least how to get to the area so we can stop at a gas station. We decide that, since we're not going to be there until the program is more than half over, we're just going to skip it.

We are a little upset. We need coffee. We decide to just go to Josh's for awhile. Me, being the Direction Master at this point, am quite sure Josh lives on the corner of Orchard Lake Road and 12 Mile. There are several coffee shops on Orchard Lake Road. We realize that we're going the wrong way on OLR, turn around and find a coffee shop. We approach 12 mile on OLR, and turn onto it, and decide we shouldn't have turned. So we turn around, and get going back that direction. Then decide we should have gone the OTHER direction, back the way we originally came. Do it, and realize that can't possibly be right, because there is 696, and last time we came, 696 was NOT 14 feet from his front door, and it hadn't taken magic to stumble upon said front door, which at this time was definitely nowhere to be seen. A text message says that he's actually on the corner of OLR and 8 Mile. After passing his drive only once, we finally get there...front walking out of Geoff's apartment to walking into Josh's, there was a time span of almost exactly 4 hours.

Absolutely ridiculous. Now here I am, really quite tired but a little wired. I haven't been sleeping well lately...I'm not sure if I should blame it on the steroids or not, because they shouldn't really still be affecting me, but then I don't know how to explain why my heart races for long periods of time (it started doing it Day 2 of the 'roids), or why I am still having terrible times sleeping (which is a side-effect). Perhaps I'm stressed. What am I stressed about?

1. Jeff is talking to me again, and there are a few things I need to say to him before I can resume any normality with him. I told him that I would write him a letter, and had planned to do it 3 weeks ago, but I have so far only rough-drafted part of it and have trouble making time to give the completed project any substantial thought.

2. My neurology appointment is in 11 days, and it will be very shortly after that when I begin my medication. That's like...less than a month until I'm giving myself injections every other day for a long, long time. And I'm not sure what to expect with the medication. I would like to think that it will be pleasant and fix things, and blah blah blah...reality says that I will probably not feel that great for a little while after starting them. I can deal with not feeling well, I've been there, I am just worried that it will be discouraging. Beat on the ol' psyche a little. Possibly something that I will grow weary of rather quickly. Again, something I can deal with...and I'm sure it will come a lot easier once I'm actually going through with it, and not just thinking about it a lot. I have a tendency to over-think things.

3. I need to get a new car. I am also about a month away from actually being able to drive for the first real period of time in...a whole lot of months. Aside from a few weeks in the fall (when the Beretta was out of commission so I didn't do much driving anywa), I haven't driven in forEVER. I'm lightly looking into doing the car-loan thing, but I don't think I'll be able to get one with reasonable payments without a co-signer. And since the parents are trying to get a loan on the house, they won't be able to sign on it...and they might have to be on the title so that it can be on their insurance! I need to educate myself on that car insurance stuff, perhaps that would decrease the stress/over-thinking load I bring upon myself sometimes.

4. I want to transfer this fall, but I'm only going part time next semester in order to allow myself a little room to adjust to the medication. Which means I'm not taking all of the classes that I was anticipating prior to applying places. Even if I go in the summer semester to make up for it, I have to apply by February or April, and that makes me nervous. What if all 4 places reject me? I'm expecting one of them to (NYU), and ColoState probably will too...but what will I do if GVSU tells me to piss off again? I'm only applying there as a safety net in case I decide I really want to stay in Grand Rapids. Can my scholarly self-esteem take a hit like that? And if Oakland says no...

I guess those are my biggins right now. I dig Josh, and I should probably do something about that soon...but I pretty much have no nerve, so who knows. Not being able to drive puts a damper on liking a guy 2.5 hours away from home, too. Oh yeah, and I have to start working more hours because Christmas is THIS MONTH and I have purchased one present. And it's for someone that I don't even really need to buy one for. Dang. As pessimistic as this entire rant has sounded, I'm actually in pretty high spirits! The weekend should turn out nicely...possibly a wrestling tournament on Saturday (where I can get some studying done), Karen's having people over that night for pudding wrestling (made possible by yours truly just this morning when I found a place online that would deliver an inflatable pool by Saturday morning), and study group on Sunday night!

PLUS, last weekend LeeAnn busted out with some MS-hope bracelets for all of us that she had ordered online (*she bought them because she loves myself and her moms best friend who is also afflicted, and she is the most perfect Twin and totally doesn't have the money for it but did it anyway), and Liv definitely requested a night off of work to drive to and sit through a conference on MS that was an hour and a half (in good weather) away from her dwelling. When I add those things to the ever-growing list of Amazing Ways My Friends Support Me, I seriously can't be upset.

Maybe it's just the forthcoming exams...