One Day in the Life of Stefanie

I had an idea this morning, and I'm going to try it out. Today, I will do a blog (written throughout the day, but posted at the end) of my day. I guess one of the points of this is to get yall some more pictures, but another is that I know that some of you really are interested in my day-to-day habits. Where do I walk? How late do I sleep? (9:36 this morning, because someone called me.) So here it is. A photojournalistic experience of my day.

(I have a very odd feeling that this will either be a dreadfully dull or possibly successful blog. I suddenly realize that I may be a really boring person...)

The morning began early for a Tuesday. Sometime around 7:30 (maybe?) I was woken up by the pounding angry rain and what sounded like hail hitting my window. I remember thinking "I don't want to walk to class in that," before rolling over and falling asleep again.

Then I woke up again at 8:15 when Abby opened the door and went outside for something. (I later learned she was taking out the trash.) And then again at 8:30 when my alarm went off. And I finally gave up at sleeping at 9:36, when someone from UTSA called and (I think) asked me if I wanted to participate in something next semester. I tried to sound awake as I could while saying, "I'm sorry, I'm transferring to UT in the fall," before tossing my phone to the end of my bed and picking my computer up off the floor to check my emails.


By that time I had completely forgotten about the rain. Mostly because it looked like this outside:


The only evidence of it was this little puddle in the shade...



I played piano a bit. (I'm perfecting Bella's Lullaby right now. I am glad I already memorized it, since I left the sheet music at home after spring break.)


I got dressed. (Tshirt and jeans, as per usual.)


I shut the open windows. (It was nice to get the cool morning air into the apartment this morning.)


And then I made my way to class.

Along the way, I found more evidence of rain (Those puddles were definitely NOT there yesterday).

I passed through the parking garage...


I passed the construction on the way past the science building. (They're rebuilding or remodeling the financial aid office or something.)



I took a photo of the flags that always look so pretty against the blue sky.

I passed through the Sombrilla,


and I got to my class. Today, the professor is wearing a green shirt and hat ensemble. I have a blurry picture to illustrate. (That is what he does when he is opening all of the 10 different powerpoints he uses to teach.)


We talked about nuclear waste and the history of nuclear energy today in Geology. Somehow, I think the topic is less interesting than rocks, but then again it's an important subject and a lot of debate is going on about it now.

Spent the fifteen minutes before my history reading through my notes. Had a test in History class today. And then I spent 20 minutes actually taking the test. (Needless to say, it wasn't a very LONG test.) It was all about the country after Washington's presidency and up until Jackson's presidency. After the test (it was easy-peasy) I walked home.

Along the way, I saw about two square feet of bluebonnet-covered grass, and it made me happy. That little patch is my little patch of home.


When I got home, I grabbed my purse and went to Target, where Brandlyn called me and where I also picked up a copy of the next Charlaine Harris book. (It's been out for a while, but it just came out in paperback today. I knew that if I started reading the hardback copy, I'd have to buy it.)

I took a 2 hour nap in preparation of a long night and made pasta for dinner. I played runescape for a while (Look at my mad screenshot skills!) (And as an aside? Duncan, if you notice my skills, I officially have pwned you in the face.)


It is now the end of the day (well, 11:00) and I've been writing this blog for almost twelve hours now. It's not the end of MY day, in any case, because my day is going to last a lot longer. I usually stay up really late anyway, but tomorrow morning there is a constellation session at 4:30am and I plan on being up before the sun rises! I'm going to set my alarm for Dark o'clock in case I fall asleep, but if I don't I have a date with my coffee maker at Dark o'clock anyway.

Believe it or not, I learned something today while toting around my lovely red camera (that I still love... Thanks, Mike!) and really taking a look at where I am and what I do every day. I don't do a lot every day, but I do lead a good life.

I have all sorts of things to do between now and 4:30 in the morning, but for now? Blog done. Hope you enjoyed my day as much as I did!

On Time-Sucks, Articles, and Books...

Because it is Write That Damned Article Day in my world, I am finding plenty of other things to do. Like cleaning my room, kitchen, bathroom, entire apartment... it's just one of those things where, if I know I have time to wiggle about and I don't have to crack down right now, I will inevitably find other things to do until it is absolutely crunch time. Like dishes. And laundry. And, um, blogging... It's not that I don't love to write, it's just a habit that I need to learn how to break.

After this blog, I WILL write my article. It's about a group on campus who works to promote awareness of welfare of animals. I spent about an hour and a half typing up the five-page transcript for the article this morning. It was about a 26 minute interview. I estimate that for every minute of conversation, it takes me about three minutes to type it up. Maybe someday I'll have a worker-monkey to do that for me...

So earlier this week, I realized something: I have a lot of music that has become Time-Suck music. You know, where you put on a CD that you know so well that you hear about fifteen seconds of each track, and before you know it, the whole CD is finished and suddenly that 45 minutes or an hour that you have spent listening to that music has passed you without you noticing? I have a lot of that music: Here's a few of the CDs that are my personal Time-Sucks.

1. Phobia, Breaking Benjamin
2. Lead Sails and a Paper Anchor, Atreyu
3. Duncan Sheik, Duncan Sheik
4. Twilight soundtrack, Carter Burwell
5. August Rush soundtrack, Various Artists

I have many more, but those are the ones that come to mind. I listened to the August Rush soundtrack about five times the other night when I was trying to work on homework, and realized at the end of it that many hours had passed and I was sitting in the dark. Can't tell you how many times I've done that before.

On Fridays, I make it a point to really enjoy my afternoon and do the things that I've been thinking about doing all week, like watching TV, a movie, reading a book, or writing. I always find time to do what I want to during the week, but Friday afternoons are mine. I bought the Twilight DVD the other day and have watched it three times (Obsessive? Moi?) and have since been seized with the desire to reread the books, which (surprisingly) I have only read once before. I read the first two about three years ago when we had an extended 5-day weekend due to snow and ice, and the third and fourth ones as they were released. But I've never gone back and reread them since. So I plucked it off my shelf yesterday around 4ish and spent the afternoon being Time-Sucked by the book until I got to chapter 17 around midnight and realized: Holy carp, I am on page three-hundred-something and should probably go to bed.

After I write my article, I will probably go and read more of it. I have a problem though: I have books one, two and four. Three is somewhere floating around the house in Austin, or was loaned to someone... or something like that. In any case, I will have to do something when I inevitably come to book three and don't have it.

Well, it's article time. I'm going to put on one of those five CDs and let the time suck me away. Probably the Twilight CD, since it hasn't got words... and because I'm in a Twilight-y mood today.

Leftovers

I have a few things that don't really fit into other blogs, so here they are right now!

Tonight, I'm cooking the Moroccan Beef dish for some friends because I have been threatening to all year and just haven't gotten to it. I made a lot of it so that we can still have leftovers. (Yay, leftovers!) So far, it tastes good. We'll see at the end of the hour and a half of stewing.


And here is one of my gramma's christmas presents to me, sitting on my stove. (haha!)


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This evening I pulled up to my apartment and realized that every single car in our little area is either white, silver, or black. Isn't that hilarious?


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Abby went to Beorne (pronounced 'Ber-nee', in case you're like me and tried to pronounce it phonetically) and walked along Main Street and sat in some big chairs in a little garden shop. BIG chairs.

To Mom, On Her Wedding Day

Mama,

Today you're getting married again. I honestly don't know what that's like (well, obviously) but I can guess that it's a whole bunch of happiness mixed with a whole bundle of nerves with a side of let's-get-this-over-with-ititiveness, and all I can say to that is that you shouldn't be nervous or anything like that. Just happy. You're marrying a wonderful guy who, even though he's got three kids of his own, has taken Dunc and me under his wing too, without even hesitating.


But it's not about me and Dunc, it's about you. He makes you so, so happy and I love to seeing you happy. You have this smile that just lights up your beautiful blue eyes. You're a happy woman, and Mike just compliments you in so many ways.


You both love beaches, you both love your kids, and you both love each other. (Especially the beach one. I won't be surprised if you just stay there forever.) I can only hope to find someone so wonderful someday.


I wish I could be there with you, but not because I want to just lie on the beach all day, (Okay, that's a part of it) or because I want a new pretty dress (okay, that's a part of it too), or because I want to skip a week of school (Geez, don't drag it out of me!), but really? It's because I only wish I could be there when the most important woman in my life gets married.


I love you, Mom. You're going to be the most beautiful thing on that beach today. So rock the dress and those sexy little sandals and have a glass of champagne (or a margarita, I'm not picky) for me.

Love, Steffi

Let's go for a hike!

After an entire semester of avoiding direct sunlight, Abby and I have finally been getting out of the apartment! Stuff like sleeping by the pool and walking to campus to eat dinner... But yesterday was so gorgeous that we decided that we'd go on a short hike.

We went to a place called Eisenhower Park, which is about 15 minutes away from our apartment. It was a nice place with both paved and unpaved trails. We walked about two miles and were out there for about an hour or so. It was fun to get out of the apartment and just walk around and be outside in the air for a while.



There was a small lookout tower at the end of our trail where I took the pictures. It was apparently built by the Optimist Club. (Optimist club? I am an optimist club.)



That's a limestone quarry. They're everywhere around here.

We had a good day and plan to go back there again sometime! We're thinking maybe once a week, weather permitting, just to get out of the house.

Photos

I promised yall photos from this evening, and photos I shall deliver!

We got to the club around midnight and stayed until around 2 in the morning, at which point we decided that slushies at Sonic would be a GREAT idea! It's half past three right now and I'm tired, but still quite jazzed from the dancing. Here are some of them!

Long Day

Today will be a long day, but perhaps in a good way. I'm sitting in my Geology class (Professor is already here... 10 minutes before class is scheduled to start, and not 5 minutes after! That's different. Blue hat today. Some kind of orange or yellow writing on it.)

I did that thing yesterday where I ignore all of the work that is due Friday because I assume that I have no social life (which is a good assumption. I don't exactly get out much... which I plan to change.) and I can totally do my homework tomorrow night. Except I woke up this morning and remembered that today is Thursday and I'm going to a party tonight so I have to do the work before that. Oh well. Party starts at 10... and goes on into the morning from there. I wonder how I will be able to drag myself out of bed in the morning at all. Maybe I will... maybe I won't. I have an A in both my morning classes; I can afford to sleep through them every once and a while.

Yesterday was bizarre. I got up and went to my French class - SHOCK it was canceled. She's never canceled before (As an aside, I can never spell 'canceled' right on the first go. I always think it has two l's. It's just one of those words) - and so I used the time free from French class (as some of you may have noted on my Twitter?) to study French. Looking back... I could have been doing my other homework, but oh well. I needed to do my French work, too.

And then I went to English class, where I have perfected the art of irritating the teacher by playing word games in my notebook AND managing to actively participate in class. (I play that game where you take a word and try to make as many other words from the letters in the original as possible. It's in the Statesman, but I don't know what it's called. I usually just use random words I spot in books.) And later in the day, I dutifully went to my Astronomy class (much as I really, really wanted a nap) and SHOCK... that class was canceled too! (<- I just spelled it wrong again.) So I went home, watched TV, took a nap (Yay!) and enjoyed my evening.

So today's schedule is not nearly as much fun as yesterday's: Geology class (12:30), history class (2:00), Paisano meeting (4:00), Homework (5ish-? I'm going to my friend's to get ready. She's going to do my makeup.), Party (10-?). Notice, that there's no nap in there.

I am actually really looking forward to the party. It's my friend's 19th birthday and we're going out clubbing. A lot of people are coming down from Austin for it and I'm looking foward to dancing and having fun. I went shopping the other day and found an adorable dress that's a dark kind of slate blue... and it's a dress-up-dress-down dress and so I'll be able to wear it again. It's cute enough that I want to, anyway. That's $30 spent well.

If there are photos, I'll post some tomorrow.

Filler Blog

I am back in school in San Antonio, and, thankfully, the rest of my spring break was rather uneventful. I went to Dad's house for dinner, I had a movie night with Mom, I went to Target with Brandlyn, and I babysat for Rusty. All of these added up to make my spring break a lot better. And despite the fact it was freezing over the weekend (well, 40 degrees...), I got back alright. It rained pretty solidly for about three days, too. I can't remember the last time it rained... Last August it rained a bit.

I have a window again in my car, and as fun as it is to keep finding bits of broken glass stuck in the crevices of my seat, I think when I go home for Easter I'm going to break out a vacuum and do something about it.

Right now, I'm waiting for my Geology class to start. I've got a bag of peanuts (my current snack of choice) and a cheese stick in my bag (my other current snack of choice) to nibble on during class and I'm ready to start learning about whatever we're doing next. We've just finished doing minerals (like diamonds). I like this class. (I just looked around and noticed that, though we have 400 people enrolled for the class, something like 150 are here.)

Oh look, the professor just walked in. I swear, he wears a different hat every day. Today's is blue. He always comes into class five minutes late wearing an oversized button up shirt, baseball hat, and carrying a grande cup of some kind of Starbucks drink. I like his teaching style - it's really fun to listen to him lecture.

Well, even if class won't start for another fifteen minutes or so while he chats with his TA, I suppose I should open a word document and get ready to take notes. Or play solitaire for a bit... that's always an option.

Meet the new man of the house

Meet Marcel La Peche.


He's the new man in house. He cost $4 at PetSmart. Talk about bang for your buck and entertainment value.

He's kind of a red color with white fins and I think he is the handsomest man on the block... next to Topher of course! Tomorrow, I am going to move him into his real home, so he won't have to live in the little jar with the blue water forever.

Welcome, Marcel! Thank you for gracing our granite counters with your presence.

Shattered Glass and Fingerprints

Ten bucks you had a better Monday than I did.

The day started off pleasant enough. I had some cottage cheese and apple butter for breakfast (yum!) and then picked up a friend, dropped things off at Goodwill, the thrift shop, and half price books (I am $24 richer!) and then saw Watchmen (which, while a bit gory and gross at times, gave me a lot of food for thought. It's worth a watch.) and had some ice cream... and then...

BAM.


Glass everywhere. A distinct breeze through my car. Well shit.


Sometime between 3:30 and 7:15, my car was broken into an my GPS system stolen. Which sucks. I don't necessarily only mourn the loss of the GPS system, useful and nice as it was to have, I'm just so irritated with the inconvenience that whoever did this created.


I mean, I can handle a broken window... but come on. Only one window and a GPS system? You couldn't have stolen something else and made my irritation and frustration and 4 hour wait outside a movie theater a little more worth it?

We called the cops at about 7:20. Nobody was available to talk to me until 9:40. They called back at about 10:20 and said that they'd sent someone out, who didn't arrive until 11:00.


Finally, at 11pm, as I was preparing to leave in a huff of frustration and exhaustion, a policeman showed up and dusted my car for prints. (On the plus side, Officer Stefan - aside from the fact he's got an awesome name, only two letters away from being the best name ever - was really cute! Probably in his early 30s, though... Kerry-Lynn, I've found you a great husband!)


He found some really good prints (the ones on the far right) that were new and in a place that I honestly would never think to touch my car. He dusted a black powder all over the door and then took the tape off. They were nearly perfect. I hope they come back as whoever did it.

Now, at 12:20, I am exhausted but I have to go eat something. I've only eaten cottage cheese, ice cream, a soda or two, and some coffee today... I am starving! Hopefully they'll find who did it, or my GPS system, or even that they're sorry they made me wait for 4 hours... I don't know. I can't think straight with this lack of food...