At first I thought about mentioning how sad it was that hardly anyone updates their xangas anymore, but then I remembered that when I first started blogging, I did it for myself, not necessarily so that others could read it. So I feel better about typing into the void...

These past few months, and especially the weeks since school started, have been really tough on me. I won't go into a lot of detail, but the level of stress I was at finally got so high that I was actually having physical symptoms of it (beyond the usual twitchy-eye). I really don't want to go into it... it was nothing huge, and it's getting better, so don't worry too much about me. But it freaked me out, and I decided that I needed to get away and relax. So Daniel and I took a quick mini-vacation to St. Louis this weekend, and it really helped my stress levels, at least temporarily. So that's good.

Anyway.

I'm taking a real Spanish class now, and even though I think what we're talking about in class (pronunciations, introducing ourselves, the alphabet) is below my level of Spanish skill, it's still doing me a lot of good to hear the instructor (a native Spanish speaker) speak the language. Plus, it's fun. And, since it's non-credit, it's cheap! Well, comparatively speaking.

I just typed a long paragraph on the subject of cat poop and how Truffles produces too much of it and leaves it in the wrong places, but I deleted it. You are welcome.

I'm trying to think of good things to talk about, but it has really been a dismal few months. I'm sorry. It will get better, though. It always does! :)

Well, I'm back into running after a wicked blister sidelined me for nearly a week. I'm still pretty excited about it (the running, not the blister), especially now that I finally tracked down my new shoes! Long story short... the driver blamed it on an incorrect address on the box (the address was correct) and the apartment complex they were accidentally delivered to left two messages at MY apartment office (which they apparently never checked). I love my actual apartment, but every time we have to deal with the office... well, suffice it to say that it's never a pleasant experience.

Aunt Alicia's new house is going to be fantastic! Wait until you see it (except Mama, who has already seen it and thus doesn't have to wait). I'm really excited about helping her paint. I'm even excited about removing the wallpaper.

I made deviled eggs! It was my first time. I still haven't tasted them. I've never had a deviled egg, or even a boiled egg, for that matter. It just sounds kind of disgusting. But Daniel likes them, and we had some eggs that were going to go bad if we didn't use them in the next few days, so I cooked up a batch.

My summer has been uneventful, which has been entirely on purpose. So it's been a success!

It's 10:00 a.m., and I've been up for three hours. That's very out of character for me, especially since I don't have any classes right now and my work schedule is flexible enough to allow me to sleep in. But lest you worry about me, I do have a reason for being up. It's a stupid, lame reason, but it's a reason nonetheless. My bathtub has a crack in it, and it's leaking into the apartment below. Maintenance came by yesterday to check on it, but they didn't have the tools to fix it, so they said that the tub people would be by today (and yes, they did call them the "tub people"). Alas, like all maintenance-related visits, they didn't know when. So I got up early to sit and wait for them.

I went to clean the tub last night so that we wouldn't look like total slobs, and I noticed that although there is only one crack causing the leak, there are a bunch more small cracks that will probably develop into large, leaky cracks eventually. What this means, I assume, is that they'll have to replace the tub. Which means a long, loud process that will probably take days and will leave the bathroom dirty, dusty, and full of the memory of plumber's butt. I am not amused. I'm hoping that if the tub does need to be replaced, we can convince them to just patch it for now and do the full replacement when we move out in October. I'm sure there will be a liability-related reason why they can't do that, but I'm hopeful. I mean, it's not like that's our only place to bathe. We have a shower in the other bathroom that is perfectly fine.

The running is going well still. We ran for three minutes at a time last night! That sounds really wimpy, I know, especially because one of my xanga friends wrote about a run that was "only" nine miles, but for a former couch potato, it's a big deal. YOU try not exercising regularly for 24 years and then getting up and running for 3 minutes at a time. It will kick your butt.

Speaking of fitness, Aunt Alicia has committed to going to the gym with me three times a week from now on! And by "committed to," I of course mean, "been nagged to the point of insanity and gave in to, sort of." You should cheer for her and encourage her, because she's being Nancy Negative about it. But it's for her own good, and she'll thank us one day. Yay for Aunt Alicia! You can do it!