Life keeps on moving forward...

It's already above room temperature outside and it's 9 AM. I hate hot weather and it's been hot and humid for the past month or so. Why am I moving to Florida where it will be hotter and more humid? Hurm. I must be insane.

So the roommate search is going alright. I've had probably around 20 people respond. Half of those have been women and I'm really looking for a guy to room with. I think it could just get a bit too awkward living with a female--for both of us involved. Out of those 10 guys, about half of them seem kinda creepy/scary and the other half seem to be not too bad. I'd like to get this nailed down as soon as possible; since I'm in Atlanta, however, it's really hard to show people around the place and such. I'm not sure how I'm going to remedy this exactly yet. We'll see.

But yes, things are going well with the home. There was a minor setback yesterday, but really it's not a big deal. The old owners installed a washer and dryer in a very innovative way out on the deck (it's not as redneck as it sounds, I promise.) Anyway, apparently it's against the Condo Association Rules. (I can't find where in the documentation that it breaks a rule, but whatever.) Anyway, they were pressure washing the outside and they noticed the washer/dryer unit and ordered them to remove it. Essentially we're either going to just put it back after I buy the unit or install it somewhere inside. Either way, I want my washer & dryer! *shakes fist* The old occupant wants to stay an extra week after closing though, so she's going to pay me rent for a week. Horray! Extra money!

Only two weeks and three days til closing! Very exciting.
After that there's just one week until Vacation.
And after vacation it's time for a road trip with Maggie to/from Iowa.

I need to hang out with people more. Time is running out!

I went to Becca's wedding last weekend. It's awesome that she's married. And kinda strange. She's the closest friend of mine to get married. It was great getting to hang out with the Freshman year Gang, though. It's been ages since we've all been together.

It seems it's always the crazy times...

Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

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I got my grades today for my last semester of my undergraduate career. It's pretty much incredible. I'm getting excited about graduating and moving on. I'm not sure it all has set in yet what that really means, but we'll see.

I never really realised how incredibly hard it is to find a good apartment/condo in a college town. I didn't think that there are going to be tons of places out there that are overcharging for what they offer and don't do upkeep because they know it's for college students that won't care. Hopefully it'll work out...things generally do. I've noticed that things are hard and difficult, but with some extra effort and some faith things seem to work out really well.

I also am apparently going to get a graduation present from Maggie today and another tomorrow. I'm very curious to see how this comes out since I have no idea what it is and she's being quite secretive.

dis, est-ce que tu dors?

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So...I'm bored.

I've got six more days of nothing to do but pack until I attend my graduation ceremony. I really need to find something productive to do with my time other than watching movies and sleeping. That's all I seem to be doing nowadays.

Check out my deviantArt gallery for some new photos: http://matteo49.deviantart.com

dis, est-ce que tu dors?
si oui, est-ce que tu rêves aussi?
sinon pourquoi tu dors?

--"Oui, non, ou encore?" Louise Attaque

Countdown: T-9 days and counting.

Halloween 2004 - Clara Bowl - Berry College

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So here we are. I'm sitting here at my desk writing this blog entry just after finishing my final class of my undergraduate career. That's it. No more lectures or note-taking or final exams for me at Berry College. I'm done. I'M DONE!

Man, that feels good.

Granted, I still have to write two more pages of my thesis and run over it all a few times to check for grammar/spelling/dumb mistakes. That's the problem when you write a paper in a foreign language...there are only so many people who can check it for you. Anyway, that's due in approximately twenty-seven hours. That's really all I have left to do, though. Then it's smooth sailing until I graduate on Saturday 5 May.

Wow. It's been a crazy four years: Hippie roommate, new best friends, nerd ball, late night pool, wine and cheese nights, Kufunninupuhs, outdoor movies, treks up to mountain campus, the gallons of coffee, the 'free' lucky charms in d-hall, learning how to follow and break the rules, sleeping on the roof of the chapel, sneaking into buildings, yarning buildings, sophomore pranks, 'coffee' parties, the Irish Pub, the Alley, Racquetball, the double-late-nighter for ESOL, crazy professors, crazy bosses, crazy friends, friends getting engaged, friends getting married, New Jersey, Connecticut, Nebraska, Chattanooga, New York, Seattle, Walla Walla, Paris, Nice, Strasbourg, Benalla, Melbourne, Sydney, Hamilton, Euroa, Spokane, Cheney, Tybee Island, New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, Saint Petersburg, Bangor, Bar Harbor, Boston, Newport, Allentown, Calais, Toronto, Detroit, Saint Andrews, LAX, PHX, ATL, CDG, IAD, GEG, MEL, SYD, TPA, DTW, SLC, late-night talks, late-night walks, swimming in the reservoir, birthday cookouts, end-of-year dinners, anger, frustration, exams, love, friendship, and so much more. All of that embodies parts of my four years here.

Craziness.

Who knows what the next four years will be like....

So I'm twenty-two...now what?

So, picking up from where I left off, my birthday was not super awesome...but it's not because of any particular person. It's mainly because of all of this busy work-so-much-because-you-want-to-graduate life. I wasn't able to plan a fun thing for everyone to come hang out...we just all gathered and did some stuff...it was very low-key...but nice. I had to work most of the day though...it really didn't feel very birthday-ish. It did get better as the day went on, though.

Michael did come up and he and I went out to eat at Provino's (where you get a free birthday meal!) where we talked about all sorts of things like future plans, Maggie, my trip to Washington, Kathryn, his upcoming marriage, and a whole bunch of other stuff. It really was awesome getting to hang out with him for more than just a few minutes in passing (which rarely happens as it is). He's definitely someone I'm going to miss dearly when I move to Florida.

We came back and made some sangria and hung out with Drew, Nicole, and Jenni. It was an overall fun evening. Becca came over later but she couldn't stay long...turns out she didn't even remember it was my birthday until halfway through us talking.

I also am really growing fond of Nicole and Drew. I really didn't get to know Nicole until about a year or so ago and I've known Drew since nearly the first day of school but I've really gotten to know him better recently. They also are going to be sorely missed. It looks like they'll be off in Mississippi for a few years.

Anyway, this past week has been full of work and in the few moments that I do have a break I am either sleeping or cleaning. Since I've gotten back from Washington and after going home for Easter I've tried to be cleaner and healthier...so far it's been going alright, but it takes a lot of effort. It's just nice to come home to a clean appartment and to have something healthy to eat instead of nuking something in the microwave and eating it while watching reruns of The Office.

Anyway, I'm almost done with school. Two weeks of actual school left and then just some final touch ups and a few days of relaxation and packing and I'm home free. It feels wonderful to have accomplished something like graduating from college. I've only got a two-page paper, a thesis (10ish pages left), one final exam, and an oral defense of my thesis. And they are all well-spaced out. Also only two more days of student teaching. Horray! It's very exciting. :D:D:D My kids don't want me to leave, but I'm ready to be gone. I'll miss the kids, but I'm tired of the stress.

So yeah, also Maggie got into Miami. Yay. I know she's excited--if not for Miami, just to know where she is going and what she is doing and where God is putting her next year. Too bad she won't be down in this region til about August. Boo. Oh well.

Weekend Blues

So, I'm home for Easter. It's good to be home with family. Unfortunately, it's also kinda crazy being home with family. Since both me and my brother are not living at home anymore because we both go to college, when we're all together my dad and my brother seem to get at each other's throats. It's just an interesting combination of personalities between those two. So, I'm basically just sitting around listening to them argue with each other about things. I want to chalk it up to teenage angst or something...but he just turned nineteen; I would think that he'd be out of that phase by this point in his life. Ah well.

I also was supposed to go watch TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, for those who had a sad childhood without everyone's favourite metamorphisized karate-kicking teen-angst testudines) but it fell through. I'm going to get to watch it on Tuesday though as a sort of "after-birthday" thing with a couple of friends. I've got so much work for this up-coming week too. I really just want to sit back and relax after that wonderful trip in Washington...I really forgot all about school. But now, I've got three weeks to write a thesis on the evolution of the French language; finish off my portfolio that's due Monday (THANK GOD IT WILL BE OVER!); and a Psychology project due 8 days after that that I haven't even thought of starting.

Also, I'm starting to look for a place to live in Gainesville. It's crazy. I think sometime in May I'm going to head down to G'ville to find a condo or something. I'm excited. :D

Also, it's been super cold this weekend here. Seriously, and it's beautiful in Washington where I just left. I think bad weather is following me around or something....Although, it was beautiful and not rainy in Seattle...I guess maybe "opposite of normal" weather follows me around. It even dusted with snow last night. Craziness. Isn't this the first week of April??? Oi.