20 Whole Days!

Christina just posted about her planned trip to Mexico over the break. I am so psyched for her to go to Mexico and jealous too. Mexico is warm, Seattle is well cold at the moment. And by cold, I mean freezing as hell, okay not hell... you know what I mean. It is so cold that they broke the previous low record temperature this morning, hitting a shivering in your boots temp of 19 degrees. Jealous is an understatement.

Christina was lamenting the fact that she can't believe she will be in Mexico in 5 days.... that somehow it seems so near and far at the same time. I can't believe Thursday night I will be in Seattle. 80 hours from now I will be home.

But this also means that in less than 72 hours Christina will be leaving me. What am I going to do without my Christina for 20 whole days. 20 days... I don't think I've been more than 20 hours without seeing her all semester... okay it is probably more like 72, but 20 whole days....

"Not Me!" Monday

I was so not deliriously tired today that in addition to waking up late, I did also not take 2 naps today. I need to study, not nap. I can sleep when finals are over in four days! So it was not me that couldn't keep my eyes open.

In my tiredness, I did not put on two different shoes yesterday and walk around in them until my roommate pointed it out. Because I most definatly had the energy of the energizer bunny I, even after she pointed it out, did not kept wearing two different shoes until they naturally got discarded under my desk.

On that note, I did not wear my pajamas to breakfast on Thursday and I did not proceed to continue wearing them all day long, through an all nighter in the library, and into Friday morning. It was also not past 2:00 in the afternoon on Thursday that I realized that I never put a bra on that morning and on Friday I was still not, not wearing one under my sweatshirt.

When I finally went to leave the library on Friday morning, I did not have to go looking for my shoes. I did not have to look on at least two different floors for them, since I couldn't remember when I had actually last wore them. That was not me walking around the pretty disgusting library without shoes or socks on because I would never walk outside into the torrential downpour and become soaked to my shins in water.

My sleep deprivation did not cause me to take off my socks, earlier tonight and throw them in the trash instead of the dirty clothes basket a foot away. What would compel me to throw away socks? Huh?

I so did not have only one meal today, supplimented by a very, very small apple, a bag of half popped popcorn, and a cup of tea. That is completely not healthy. I am not secretly delighted that I seem to be losing a little weight on this unintentional Finals Diet.

I should be taking care of myself, not starving myself.... so I do not count the little successes in life, like the fact that I had two whole meals yesterday as sucesses. Eating two meals is so not considered healthy eathing.

It is completely not-pathetic that we were kicked out of the cafeteria on a Saturday night, because they were closing. Again, being kicked out of the cafeteria on Saturday night is NOT pathetic.

We did not spend almost two hours procrastinating in the cafeteria. While there the three of us did not get into a Trix fight. We were so not the three girls laughing over who could get the most Trix cereal pieces into the others coffee. We are not three, and we do not play with or throw our food. Afterwards, I did not proceed to drink the coffee anyways that would be discusting.

Speaking of playing with food... tonight, I did not take two oranges from the cafeteria and proceed to juggle them all the way back to my room. I did not find amusement in that at all, that would just be sad. Sad, yes, and funny

Mr. B, Mr. H, and Mr. X

In friendship one creates words and nicknames for things. For instance the word "tropple" has entered our lexicon. It means when you catch yourself from falling flat on your face, most likely a result of tripping over the uneven bricks of Georgetown's sidewalks. At least once daily, Christina or I tropple, and the thing about troppling is you have to admit it. You are not allowed to deny it, but since you only troppled and not tripped it is somehow okay to admit. Christina and I were walking back from grabbing coffee when a girl walking towards us totally troppled. Without thinking Christina called "TROPPLE" reather loudly and out of respect looked away. I on the other hand cracked up laughing! Yes, I am a bad person.

Lately, we have been referring to the men in our life as Mr. B, Mr. H, and Mr. X even though they all have perfectly useable names. We like to think it is in the way that Carrie Bradshaw always referred to John James Preston as Mr. Big. Mr. B and Mr. H hold so much potential. Mr. X, well neither of us want to think of him ever again. Mr. X stands for Mr. eX-boyfriend.

I am so glad that this week she has flat out told him she doesn't want him to be a part of her life. He has put her through hell and now is guilt tripping her into getting back together. The crazy thing is they never officially dated and she hasn't even talked to him since September; in fact in her mind it has been over since before she went to study abroad in Spain. He just needs to get over it and learn to use English grammar in the process.

Mr. H on the other hand is sugar, spice, and everything nice. He makes Christina happy and even with the lack of sleep, she has been glowing lately! Not that it really matters, but I approve AND I even had a hand in getting them together. hehehe...

Sex, Cookies, and Not Me Monday

Surprisingly, this has been a good last week. I mean, there has been drama, but whose life (especially mine) doesn't.



While leaving the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the White House on Thursday, me and two of my bestesty girlfriends were not having a conversation about "intimate" relationships. I did not say, "I don't know what everyone's problem in the US is about sex, I mean they lose their virgintiy in Europe at like 14." As I say this, I suddenly realize where I was. I was so most definately not in a crowd of people that had stopped waiting to cross at the light. I did not meet the eye of a mom with her 12-13 year old daughter, and I so did not get a death glare.

I am really quiet in groups of people. I think I have always been shy, but when I am around friends and family I talk a mile a minute and pretty loudly too. I really get into it and I like that about myself, even if I am talking about sex.

My friend Cynthia did not proceed to point out that this is becoming a habit for me. Because a couple months ago we were not at Tombs, and I was not recounting my one and only conversation about sex with my parents. I was not saying, "I was like 15 and we were sitting at a traffic light and I don't remember how it came up, but my Mom asks, 'You know he puts it in you, right?'" Well I must not have been a little loud because the next thing I know people at the table next to us do not stop talking and do not all turn to look at me. Great. Great. Great. This mean I am now the girl who talks really loudly about sex in public.

My friend Christina made yummy, homemade enchiladas for dinner last night and I brought the desert. Well I actually made desert there.... I had to stop at Safeway to get cookie dough and was talking on the phone being passed around my family who were gathered at my house themselves partaking in a cookie making extravaganza. I was not so caught up in my conversation and not dropping the box I was carrying and getting all the buttons right on the debit-card swippy machine (why are there so many steps to those, btw?) that I so did not, not realize that one of my best friends was standing in line in front of me. It was so totally not until the guy handed me the receipt and I turned to leave that I realized she was standing right there and had been the entire time. ooops!

Well those were the big mea culpa's this week. But I am not without my small faults. Finally, I have not had three of these cookies for breakfast (I am justifying it by drinking a glass of OJ), they are not super easy, and fast, and they are so not delectably amazing. I did not get these off a blog I read... no not this blog right here.

I am am so not admiting that I posted this Not Me Monday over on my China Travel blog and it did not take me 10 minutes to realize it.

On another note I don't know what to do about a paper. I emailed my professor on Saturday morning about changing my paper topic, but he didn't get back to me. So I made an executive decision and took my paper in another direction. Well he emailed me this morning and pretty much told me not to change it. The probelem is that it is 50% of my grade... yes 50% OF MY GRADE! so off I go to figure out what to do.

Good news...

...I've bought my ticket home for Christmas... I will actually leave on the 18th and will be home by 7pm... I can't wait.

...And my best friend is moving into my dorm next semester. INTO MY DORM. Oh goodness, we will never get anything done. I am sure there will be many late night chats next semester...

"Not Me!" Monday

It's once again time for MckMama's "Not Me!" Mondays....




No this is not my 49th post, this number does not equate to the number of posts I wrote while in China. No this does not feel monumental in the slightest!

I did not have to accept a urn with ashes in it, while babysitting on Friday night. That would be just weird... really, really, really creepy actually. So no, it was not me that signed for it. And I do not hate, hate, hate the word ashes. I have not hated it my entire life, and I did not detest the song "Ring around the rosie" as a child because "ashes. ashes. we all fall down." It so has nothing to do with my name.

Christina and I absolutely did not take a study break and visit Georgetown Cupcakes tonight. We did not spend $3.03 each on a sugary concoction that we had to wait in line for a half hour for. The were definalty, so not worth every minute of the wait. We did not order a dozen to take with us to our friend's parents for Thanksgiving. We so didn't order an additional half dozen, because we knew we would be too tempted to eat them on the eight hour car ride there. And while ordering online I did not find overwhelming joy in playing with my mouse and making lots of swirling cupcakes.... come on you know you want to check it out.

No the back wheel and seat were not stollen off my bike this week. Nobody would do that, because that is mean and petty. Literally. I did not have to file a police report and I am not going to have to replace them out of pocket. No, it does not make me feel sad at the circumstances of despiration this person must have been in, to need my seat and wheel so badly, because stelling is just plain wrong. And I did not tear up when the six year old I was babysitting this weekend asked with heartfelt sincerity "why would someone stell your stuff?"

I did not lose a ring this week that was a gift given to me by my Aunt whom I adore. I did not look in the library, the tombs, cafeteria, etc... for the ring and come up empty. I did not proceed to find it sitting on my desk Saturday night. It was not just sitting there and had been all along, because my roomate really did not find it. I asked.

I did not 5 minutes later realize that I had lost my GoCard. A piece of plastic that lets me into the dorm, into the library, oh yeah, and feeds me. I did not look everywhere for it. I did not finally figure that I must have thrown it out with the trash I had dumped the night before. I did not get an email on Sunday evening 24 hours later that the Faculty-in-Resident's wife found it. I did not breathe a huge sigh of relief.

No I am not just having "one of those weeks." No I did not slam my numb fingers into the door last night and I did not almost pass out in the elevator when I realized these was blood gushing everywhere. Seriously, it has not been "one of those weeks."

I was not kicked out of the library earlier tonight, because I didn't have my GoCard. No, I didn't whine to the security guard in the process. Whining is for babies and surely I am not a baby. I did not trudge back to the dorm to get my GoCard from the Faculty-in-Resident's apartment. It is absolutely not 3:30 in the morning and I am definately not back in the library, writing this.

Speaking of late nights, no I did not pull 3 all nighters this last week. One would be acceptable, two on the line of crazy... so three... surely not me. The amount of time I slept saturday night did not equate to the amount of sleep I had had in the last seven days. That would be really bad.

So I am totally not going to head to my room and go to bed now... night all!


And for anyone who stops by to read via MckMama, would you please take a moment to watch one of the two videos here about my friend Sergent Rodney Spears. Then if you pray, pray for this family. If not would you consider making a blood donation in his name? It has taken over 40 units of blood to keep him alive... would you consider helping your fellow mankind at this time of Thanksgiving?

Ashley is...

1. 9:29 - blogging from the 3rd and final presidential debate of the 2008 election season. Only 20 more days to the election. Doesn't it seem like it was just Iowa primary season?
2. 9:30 - not going to be appologetic for expressing her opinion in the following posts... if you don't like them, stop reading.
3. 9:32 - thinking that McCain looks like a turtle peaking out of his shell at the economy!
4. 9:34 - thinking that from McCain's statement about being proud of the people at his ralleys that he supports every right wing conservative nut job in the nation.
5. 9:36 - thinking McCain just made Obama's argument for him in calling Ayers a "washed up terrorist" isn't Ayers just that washed up. Additionally don't we all deserve a second chance in life.
6. 9:40 - thinking Obama's response to Ayers and Acorn was articulate and spun fantastically into an issue of working across the aisle. If you want to criticize me with my relationship to this man, then you are going to need to criticize your fellow republicans as well. Then he turned it into how this man will not be advising him in office, but he will depend on the experts in their fields, both those on either side of the aisle. Again, great well scripted answer.
7. 9:42 - loving Bob 'the Moderator' Schieffer for his question on why the candidates chose their VP,but Obama's answer is weak, but I am holding my breath for McCain's response. After Obama did not take the opportunity to opening criticize Palin, McCain has the gull to go after Biden, a man who has said he has been proud to have worked with McCain in the past. This may come back to haunt McCain, it showed his desperation.
8. 9:46 - saying Palin is NOT my role model and I am a woman!
9. 9:49 - wondering after McCain's arguement about Nuclear power being safe if McCain will invite power companies to build Nuclear Power Plants next to ever one of his how many houses! I sure as heck don't want one near where I live. Chernobyl anyone? It may be safe 99.99% of the time, but it is that .01 percent that scares the shit out of me.
10. 9:49 - if you hadn't realized it, I think I am going to vote Obama.
11. 9:50 - wondering why we need oil or nuclear power when we could depend on green energies. Obama, McCain, where are the fuel standards? where is the money for R & D?
12. 9:53 - curious what we are importing from Columbia... cocaine?
13. 9:56 - psyched the question is back on econ!!! Poor, Poor McCain, are you going to go hide back in your turtle shell?
14. 9:58 - OT - my absentee ballot came today. I am going to vote are you?
15. 10:04 - agreeing with Carol, is the 3rd Presidential Debate presented by Joe the Plumber''s Plumbing Business, from middle of nowhere, USA. Joe doesn't need the government's help any more, after all the references to him during the debate, he'll never need to advertise again. BTW, you can visit his website at www.joetheplumber.com, lol!
16. 10:05 - Does the average healthcare package cost 5,800 or 12,800 dollars, there is a big difference. And anyways if McCain is only giving american 5,000 doesn't that mean that 800 is coming out of our pockets. Apparently McCain can't add. Maybe he is a product of the American education system that he doesn't seem to want to fix.
17. 10:06 - OT- worried about the Dodgers, who are losing against the Phillies 5-0.
18. 10:08 - wondering which congressman planted a bomb in Congress as according to McCain it almost "exploded" back when they were looking at Supreme Court Nominees?
19. 10:11 - and has believed that it is not the governments place to legislate the abortion issue. End of issue. Period.
20. 10:13 - thinking you should go look at Christina's update on McCain being left-handed. Christina's comment, "Tina noticed that McCain is lefthanded, according to Ethiopian beliefs, he's evil"
21. 10:16 - pointing out the stupidity in the idea that you make abortion illegal and then not provide education on the consequences of having sex or their access to birth control and contreceptives. And does anyone want to point out that historically in America there has been a direct corelation between the legalization of abortion and lower crime rates. And anyways, people are going to have abortions anyways, its going to happen. So why don't we make it safe for all parties involved.
22. 10:18 - would take Obama's $4,000 college tax credit. Too bad it would be a year late. McCain how much will you give me? oh none? Really?!
23. 10:21 - saying that putting money into charter schools takes money out of public schools and I don't think we should give up on public schools for everyone. Charter schools drain resources and the best teachers. IMHO, the governement should pay off loans for students who go on to teach, and pay for or provide grants for master's program and professional development training.
24. 10:23 - OT - currenlty watching the debate from Leo's at the most amazing free dinner event. Thanks Georgetown, there is a reason that this school is one of the best government programs in the nation! Go Hoyas!
25. 10:25 - thinking the DC school district isn't an issue of charter schools but an issue of Socio-economic problems and disparities. Bad example McCain.
26. 10:27 - OT - loving her facebook feature on her Blackberry. This is really fun.
27. 10:29 - wondering if McCain voted to pass the DC budget, if so he voted for vouchers for schools. According to his argument he has been using against Obama voting for the bill is supporting... so McCain are you for or against voucher programs? Bills are complicated things, they are christmas trees that get weighed down. It is the cost of doing business, can't we just acknowledge it and move it.
28. 10:30 - finding the closing arguments to be dull in comparison to the debate. Obama's was articulate and I loved his promise at the end. Just found out, no teleprompters used, the candidate's relied on good old memorization baby!
29. 10:32 - thinking this was the best of the three debates, by far. So who do you think won?
30. 10:37 - we took a vote, 3-0 Obama wins. But then again we are educated liberal elites. Oh yeah and we are women, 2 of which are hispanic.... go figure?!
31. 10:39 - Hope you enjoyed this... and remember No matter who you vote for, Make sure you vote on November 4th. Good night and God Bless.