What a Weekend!

Pride. Little sleep. Work. More work.

While staying at the 90s until 2:30am on Saturday when I had to work from 10-6 on Sunday probably wasn't the best idea, I had such a good time that it was worth the lack of sleep today.

The 9 miles I walked this weekend didn't help.

Anywho, bedtime. I am exhausted.

I love Pride.

Family and Walking

I had a fun weekend. Saturday, I spent the day at my Dad's house for a family barbeque. My dad, his wife, his mother-in-law, his two brothers and sister, my brother and I were all there. It's the first time in a loooong time that my dad has been friendly with his younger brother. They've been at odds for over a decade, so it was a really big step for my dad to invite him over. They all had brats, and my aunt made sure to buy Boca burgers for me. Yummy!

Sunday, I went to the MN AIDS Walk at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis. I raised $180 dollars for the event, which was $30 more than I raised last year! I went with two freshman at Olaf, and met up with my roommate and his friends there. It was a lot of fun, but now my calves are hella sore.

After, my roommate and I showered (separately), took a looong nap (simultaneously in the same room), then went out to eat (together). We went to Chapati. It was SO good. I love Indian food. I ordered Chana Masala and Alu (whatevertheindianwordforpeais), and some garlic naan. Delicious. It was bittersweet, however, as this was our last roomie dinner. He's moving out this week, and then will be leaving to Cambodia and Vietnam for 2 months. I shall miss him. Anyway, we went for ice cream after, then went home to do homework. I finished my 15 page paper around 3 in the morning, and finished putting in citations today before class.

Only 1 class left, and then 2 final papers and 2 final tests and I'm done! And the two tests are a week from Tuesday. I will have so much free time. Awesome!

Day of Reason

So... I am pleased with today. I got up, and helped a 3rd grader with the attention span of a gnat and the shyness of a mouse finish her test even though she had 15 minutes less than the other kids to work on it. : ) Granted, she rounded 4,187 to 4,298, but hey, she finished and got a lot of other questions right! She could only round to the 10s place. After that, she was just really confused.

After work, Brigit, Tom, Zak and Tanner came to pick me up and we went to the state capitol in St. Paul. Brigit and I were asked to speak on behalf of SANRA (St. Olaf Society for Atheism, Non-Religion and Agnosticism) for the Day of Reason. The Day of Reason is a response to the Day of Prayer, the nation-wide government call for all citizens to pray (so much for the first amendment, eh?)

In any case, I've never given a non-school speech, let alone a speech at the capitol. It was pretty cool. : )

Since then, I've been working on my PSCI presentation for tomorrow about how gas relations have affected the political relationship of Ukraine and Russia. I should have picked a different topic... At least there's a lot of information on the subject. Just look at the wikipedia page for "Ukraine Russia Energy Relations."

Also, I finally managed to get my computer to restore to default factory settings without overheating. I'm in the process of waiting to use it. It is Vista, after all. Can't wait for a new computer.

Also, there's a girl in the elementary school whose name is Abcde. Pronounced Absidy. Is this a common name? Or was this an ironic parent? It's a pretty-sounding name, though. Also, I work with a woman named Usa (Ooh-sah). I wonder if it was wishful thinking on her parents part, or if she changed her name. Or I suppose it could be a common Thai name, but I doubt it. Reminds me of that comic with Ruthie in it who has a friend called Nosmo King.

Relay for Life

This weekend, I participated in Relay for Life, a nationwide fundraising event sponsored by the American Cancer Association. I raised $50, but others I know raised $2,000+ Crazy!

Anyway, Relay lasts 12 hours, but I was only there for 3. Basically, you raise money, and your team walks for 12 hours. The first lap is walked by cancer survivors and their caregivers, and then everyone else joined in. I made a few luminaries for cancer victims and survivors I know, and then I just walked. They had different kinds of entertainment, such as musical performances and dancers. Aside from little girls dancing like women, it was an enjoyable day. Really windy, but enjoyable. I somehow managed to get a blister on top of my big toe, though. I don't really know how that happens. lol.

In any case, I am now raising money for the Minnesota AIDS Walk. If you want to help prevent HIV/AIDS and support research for a cure, or at least easier, cheaper medicine then go here and donate: http://community.mnaidsproject.org/netcommunity/catey

Thanks!