Thanks so much for all of the sympathy. I've really enjoyed hearing so many comments of "sorry you're sick, hope you feel better." For the record, I am not running myself into the ground. I am not in the opera this year to prevent more of the crashing and burning that I've done before, nor have I taken on any additional opera roles for Waco Lyric and Opera scenes. I have also been eating like crazy -- and part of what makes me so upset about having the flue is in one evening, I have managed to lose all the weight I worked so hard to gain. So. Thanks again. Remind me to be similarly encouraging when you aren't feeling well.

Sick again. Lovely. At least with a cold you can sit back and thoroughly enjoy the break. Not so with the flu, or the stomach bug, or whatever the heck decided to show its ugly little head last night. I was sitting at rehearsal, and all of a sudden, I didn't feel so well. I made it home, and then proceeded to lose what little I ate that day. 36 times. At least I think it was 36. I kind of lost count at about 6 this morning. Anyway -- I'm currently managing to keep down sprite, water, broth, and saltines. I feel terrible!

I finally saw Chicago. .......eh. It was really well done. Good acting, Great marionette scene...still can't say I'm crazy about the show. But it was well done. I loved the juxtaposition! And that's all I can say about that...

Hello everyone. My life is wonderfully in order! I have this weeks bread baking, enough leftovers for lunch for the week...my groceries bought, my homework almost done, and my house is clean. Time for the rug to get pulled out from under me! Isn't that usually the case when life seems to be in order? Well bring it! At least my house is clean!

Score! I finished a cross stitch of "The Lord's Prayer" that I've been working on forever -- chronological time, about four years. It's my "backstage" project, but I've not had much time backstage in the last three productions, so it's been sitting around in a tupperware. Anyway, Its done and soaking!

Score two! My house has stayed clean since wednesday night. What is that -- 5 days! New record for me! Of course, it helps that I've been sick and had nothing better to do than sit around my house. anyway! We'll see how long that lasts. I'm trying to become a model housekeeper this semester (stop snickering Jeff!).

The world is not brighter. My nose is still running. I've watched more movies today that I did the entirety of last semester I'm sure (with the exception of my marathon sewing sprees). I've run out of things to watch. I spent all day today wrapped in an afghan with my feet on a heater...drinking enough orange juice to turn my teeth yellow. Yummy. I've started lacing it with grapefruit and pineapple juice just for some variation. And I pulled out a few cans of brothy sorts of soup that I thought I'd never again have the stomach for after eating so much of them last semester. Anyway -- the three day weekend couldn't have come at a better time. I have three full days to have a wonderful time feeling miserable. Being sick is really the only time one can have guilt free leisure. And I intend to enjoy it!

I'b sick. By nose is puddling on the floor. And some horrible person did a hit and run on by car while I was in Dallas this ebening. So there's by fabulous day for you. yay. I'b hoping the world will be brighter when I wake up tomorrow

Alright everyone! Introducing....MY AMERICAN POP MUSIC ASSIGNMENT!

To the tune of: There's a hole in the bucket.

I have no money, dear daddy, dear daddy/I have no money, dear daddy, no money!

Get a job, get a job, dear Rachel, dear Rachel/get a job, get a job, dear Rachel, a job!

But where shall I work, dear daddy, dear daddy/But where shall I work, dear daddy but where?

At an office, an office, dear Rachel dear Rachel/at an office, at an office, dear Rachel, and office.

I have class, have class, dear daddy, dear daddy/I've class, I've class, dear daddy, have class

Work after, work after, dear Rachel, dear Rachel/work after, work after dear Rachel, work after.

But I practice, I practice, dear Daddy, dear Daddy/ I practice I practice, dear Daddy, I practice!

Work evenings, work evenings dear Rachel dear Rachel/Work evenings, work evenings, dear Rachel, work then!

Rehearsals, rehearsals, dear daddy, dear daddy/ Rehearsals, rehearsals, dear daddy, rehearsals!

Then NIGHTS, then nights, dear Rachel, dear Rachel/then Nights then nights, dear Rachel, then nights!

Homework, homework, dear daddy dear daddy/Homework, homework, dear daddy, homework!

Then Weekends, then Weekends, dear Rachel dear Rachel/ then weekends, then weekends, dear Rachel weekends!

Tours! and concerts! and operas dear daddy/ Tours and concerts and operas -- now what?

Walk first street, walk first street, dear Rachel, dear Rachel/ Walk first street, walk first street, dear Rachel, try there!

But how shall I get there, dear daddy, dear daddy/but how shall I get there, dear daddy, but how?

In the car, the car, dear Rachel, dear Rachel/ In the car, the car, dear Rachel, the car

But my car has no gas, dear daddy, dear daddy/ but my car has no gas, dear daddy, no gas!

Then buy some, then buy some, dear Rachel, dear Rachel/ then buy some, then buy some, dear Rachel, buy some!

But I HAVE NO MONEY! dear daddy, dear daddy/ but I have no money,dear daddy no money!

They've turned the water off at my apartment complex. I woke this morning, amazed that I had enough time for a semi-leisurely breakfast. I made eggs, fresh bread with honey, and a banana sliced up. As I was sitting down to enjoy it, I heard the suspicious sound of a backhoe in reverse. Then I remembered the notice on the door saying "January 15th the water will be shut off to fix some pipes. We do not know what time the pipes will be turned off, nor when they will be turned on again. We apologise for the inconvenience."

So I threw my food in the microwave (nothing worse than rubbery eggs -- McDonalds would do well to learn this) and ran to the bathroom realizing that without water, not only couldn't I shower -- but I coudln't wash my face or brush my teeth either....unless by some miracle I had some water left in my teapot.

There was enough time for a shower, it turned out...but I had visions of getting halfway through and then.....a splutter and that's it. And I would be forced to go to my first class with hair saturated in dandruff shampoo...or worse, with one leg shaved, and the other resembling a wildabeast. Alls well that ends well. I did get my shower in. But I put the stopped in the tub to conserve as much water as I could just-in-case. And I can report that my hair decided to humor me today! Yay! For once! Anyway....I'm off to clean one more room of my apartment and do the rest of my homework.

By the way -- bravi to all who commented on the last blog! That's what comments are supposed to look like! Thanks all for making my day, or the first part of the week rather!

One question for you all: Do I look like a terrorist?

Every time I go to an airport they feel the need to search me. Today they searched my bags three times, and pulled me aside for a wand test before they let me on the plane. What gives?

I'm home! I'll fill you all in later. But I have no food in my fridge, and not a notebook to my name to begin classes tomorrow. I'll blog when I have a moment.

While I'm running errands everyone go buy the book "Catch me if you Can" (currenly it has a movie based on it starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hanks). It's very good! Read it!

I fly out tonight. Woohoo. I don't get a shower until three weeks from never because of my back to back flights!

My last day home. My last full day at home for likely a year. Or maybe not. So I'm enjoying it -- I'm putting as much HGTV decorating ideas into my head as I possibly can so when I get home (Waco) I can make my apartment a peaceful (or whimsical) place to live. I have lots of ideas of how to "design on a dime" and many others to figure out how to take something from "trash to treasure." And I'm actually starting to talk like them...

On a less pleasant note, it turns out that the guy I hit this summer is probably going to sue me. Let me remind anyone who's listening that my car was totalled in the wreck, and I ended up with a lovely case of whiplash...he ended up with........a bent tailpipe. That's what happens when a mitsubishi takes on a minivan. It loses. But this being in California, Mr. Mohammed is now going to take advantage of our wonderful legal system, and soak me for all he's worth. I shouldn't be suprised. The man was a (insert bad word here) when I hit him. I had a car that would barely run, and he went off on me for half an hour in front of the policeman as I sobbed in the front seat. The cop felt so bad he didn't even give me a ticket. Anyway...I'll keep you posted. Right now I could use a good book and a hot bath.

I did nothing today! It was wonderful. Actually, i did lots. I walked my dog and coincidentaly several of the neighbor's dogs as well. We live in the boonies, so the dogs roam free. They're nice dogs. They have coffee club every morning. This evening I came home from picking up allison from school Peetie was outside, and my dad opened the front door and called "Melody! Peetie's here to see you." And off Mel and Peetie went. Well it was peetie that met me this morning as I went for a walk. And Melody couldn't very well let me walk another dog, so she limped along behind. And then as we walked around another corner, two more dogs joined our entourage. I looked like the Pied Piper by the end of my walk. And I made a new friend. A black and white large dog that came and said hi and walked me home. Very nice of him!

The bobbin ran out first....

You know you've been sewing too long when....

1. You measure progress by the stack of empty pepsi cans

2. You begin looking for excuses to cut something out so you don't have to sew any longer, but are still technically "making progress"

3. You amuse yourself by betting what will run out first, the top thread or the bobbin.

4. Re-threading the machine is "fun"

5. You kidnap your sister, and throw on a movie to bribe her into cutting out hexagons for you for you....claiming it as a "sisterly bonding experience."

Mother and I came up with a new solution to the aforementioned dilemma. Why not have an on/off switch for the whole thing. That's way, when you're 12 and just DYING to have one, you can have a couple of test runs...establish that it does work...and then TURN IT OFF UNTIL YOU NEED IT! That's my thought...any genetic engineers out there? Start working on it.

Any guys who happen to read my blog should skip this entry. Are they gone? Ok. I think it's poor planning on somebody's part to make us capable of bearing children years before we actually will (with some exceptions -- like most of my highschool class who I've seen walking around Goodwill with not only babies, but toddlers, and even children). As we speak I'm taking a pit stop on my way to find a heating pad and some Midol. And a pepsi. And hopefully some chocolate -- and don't tell me that caffeine is bad for me. I don't care. And we have some pop that's been in the garage and is just shy of frozen -- the best way to drink it! Anyway. Think about it. Most of us were blessed with all of this at, what 12? 13? And most of us won't need this particular function until we're what? 27?30? Notice we have anywhere between 15 and 20 years of wasted effort. Anyway -- I'd love to rant more, but my lower back is protesting having to sit in a straight back chair. I'm going to go lay in front of the fire and moan....ciao!