(no subject)

Funny how when I get emotionally stressed, my mood swings become much more pronounced. (Didn't I say something similar about a year ago?)

I was feeling like utter shit yesterday. For one thing, it was three days before my period, which means that I'm usually a hormonal wreck; for another, I'd been under a lot of emotional stress, which meant that I was an emotional wreck too. Ryan and I had planned to go see Metamorphoses (local theatre's most recent production), but he was an hour late getting here and had forgotten his wallet, and (due to some problems with my new check card and being out of regular checks) I had no way to get money out to pay for tickets. In addition, I was headachey and incredibly grumpy, and probably not much fun to be around. Work was hell (and considering how undemanding my job is, that's saying something), and life in general seemed pretty insurmountable.

However, once I'd gotten off work and taken some Tylenol and a nap, I felt a bit better. Ian invited Ryan and I over for the clamsauce dinner he owed me; it ended up being scallops instead of clams, but still quite good. And for the record, Covey Run 2000 Chardonnay is actually pretty decent (and I'm not a big white wine drinker).

Today was decent, if not great. Feelings of betterness continued through the day (I actually got some work done, woo!) and acting class wasn't too scary - we were mostly doing intellectual stuff, which (of course) is a bit less scary than actual hands-on type things. Also, thanks to my mother, I was able to buy an awesome surround-sound 5 speaker set (four small speakers + subwoofer), which has much better sound than my laptop speakers. Admittedly, I only have a 2-channel soundcard, so it's not like having speakers in the back of the room makes that much of a difference, but it looks cool, dammit. Plus it's easier to hear from my bed or whatever.

And this evening, I discovered the joys of Karaoke Night over at Marlintini's. In honor of the life lessons I'm currently working on, I sang Irene Cara's "What a Feeling" (I actually got a personal thank you from the DJ for picking a different-than-usual song). I've always loved that song, being as it was on the first CD I ever owned (the soundtrack to Flashdance). Plus it was a lot of fun to wait for all the other people to finish singing/hiding at the back of the stage, grab the wireless microphone, and start dancing all over the floor while I sang. Yeah, I probably looked like a total fool, but I had fun, dammit!

(And for those who are curious, the only thing I had to drink tonight was a Shirley Temple. So there. Sugar's more than enough to get me hyper, when I'm on an upswing. =)

Some progress is being made on the car question, but I really need to get to bed. So I'll talk about that another time. If only my dorm had a bathtub...I need something to relax in.

(no subject)

Funny how when I get emotionally stressed, my mood swings become much more pronounced. (Didn't I say something similar about a year ago?)

I was feeling like utter shit yesterday. For one thing, it was three days before my period, which means that I'm usually a hormonal wreck; for another, I'd been under a lot of emotional stress, which meant that I was an emotional wreck too. Ryan and I had planned to go see Metamorphoses (local theatre's most recent production), but he was an hour late getting here and had forgotten his wallet, and (due to some problems with my new check card and being out of regular checks) I had no way to get money out to pay for tickets. In addition, I was headachey and incredibly grumpy, and probably not much fun to be around. Work was hell (and considering how undemanding my job is, that's saying something), and life in general seemed pretty insurmountable.

However, once I'd gotten off work and taken some Tylenol and a nap, I felt a bit better. Ian invited Ryan and I over for the clamsauce dinner he owed me; it ended up being scallops instead of clams, but still quite good. And for the record, Covey Run 2000 Chardonnay is actually pretty decent (and I'm not a big white wine drinker).

Today was decent, if not great. Feelings of betterness continued through the day (I actually got some work done, woo!) and acting class wasn't too scary - we were mostly doing intellectual stuff, which (of course) is a bit less scary than actual hands-on type things. Also, thanks to my mother, I was able to buy an awesome surround-sound 5 speaker set (four small speakers + subwoofer), which has much better sound than my laptop speakers. Admittedly, I only have a 2-channel soundcard, so it's not like having speakers in the back of the room makes that much of a difference, but it looks cool, dammit. Plus it's easier to hear from my bed or whatever.

And this evening, I discovered the joys of Karaoke Night over at Marlintini's. In honor of the life lessons I'm currently working on, I sang Irene Cara's "What a Feeling" (I actually got a personal thank you from the DJ for picking a different-than-usual song). I've always loved that song, being as it was on the first CD I ever owned (the soundtrack to Flashdance). Plus it was a lot of fun to wait for all the other people to finish singing/hiding at the back of the stage, grab the wireless microphone, and start dancing all over the floor while I sang. Yeah, I probably looked like a total fool, but I had fun, dammit!

(And for those who are curious, the only thing I had to drink tonight was a Shirley Temple. So there. Sugar's more than enough to get me hyper, when I'm on an upswing. =)

Some progress is being made on the car question, but I really need to get to bed. So I'll talk about that another time. If only my dorm had a bathtub...I need something to relax in.

Wow...

I hadn't even realized how much I missed having good sound over the last month or two.

No wonder I haven't been listening to much music lately...

Wow...

I hadn't even realized how much I missed having good sound over the last month or two.

No wonder I haven't been listening to much music lately...

So, about the car...

It's been a minor dream of mine to own a car for some time now, as pretty much anyone who reads this journal can probably tell. ;) Given how annoying my current schedule is without one, and given that bitching about not being able to afford one (as I was a couple of entries ago) isn't getting me anywhere, I've started doing some research, both in town and online. Here's what I've come up with so far.

I want a car that's:
--10 years old or less (or more precisely, good for another five years or so)
--Relatively cheap to maintain (i.e. not a sports car)
--Got decent mileage (at least 25 mpg on the highway would be preferable, given the age range we're talking about)
--Reliable
--Fairly sensible looking (and therefore not as likely to get pulled over)

There's not much of a selection here in Juneau, but I found a decent prospect at one of the used car lots. It's a 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS, maroon colored, with a couple of nice features (keyless entry, antilock brakes, etc.) Sensible looking (though still sporty enough to be fun), supposedly pretty easy to work on, gets pretty damn good mileage for a car of its age (19 mpg city/29 mpg highway). Assuming it passes a mechanic's check, it fits all of my criteria - I've spent a good amount of time online looking at user reviews, and this model appears to be pretty reliable (though the Z34, it's powered-up cousin, has several problems and tends to be a pain to work on). Consumer Reports gives the Monte Carlo line in general a mediocre review; but given that the Ford Escort is one of their top picks and everyone I've talked to has said *not* to buy one, I don't think any of their reviewers are from Alaska.

In any case, I've spent some time over the last couple of days talking to various relatives, and I've managed to rustle up about three quarters of what I need, which leaves me with a bit over a grand to go. Preferably before dividends come in, as that's the most likely time in the near future for someone to nab this particular car...though if they do, I can always save the money until another prospect comes along. (Unfortunately, my entire dividend is going to be spent on next semester's tuition, so I won't be able to use it for a car. Ah, well.)

If anybody knows of any government things where I could fill out some paperwork and get $1200 or so (either as a grant or a deferred-payment loan), let me know...

So, about the car...

It's been a minor dream of mine to own a car for some time now, as pretty much anyone who reads this journal can probably tell. ;) Given how annoying my current schedule is without one, and given that bitching about not being able to afford one (as I was a couple of entries ago) isn't getting me anywhere, I've started doing some research, both in town and online. Here's what I've come up with so far.

I want a car that's:
--10 years old or less (or more precisely, good for another five years or so)
--Relatively cheap to maintain (i.e. not a sports car)
--Got decent mileage (at least 25 mpg on the highway would be preferable, given the age range we're talking about)
--Reliable
--Fairly sensible looking (and therefore not as likely to get pulled over)

There's not much of a selection here in Juneau, but I found a decent prospect at one of the used car lots. It's a 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS, maroon colored, with a couple of nice features (keyless entry, antilock brakes, etc.) Sensible looking (though still sporty enough to be fun), supposedly pretty easy to work on, gets pretty damn good mileage for a car of its age (19 mpg city/29 mpg highway). Assuming it passes a mechanic's check, it fits all of my criteria - I've spent a good amount of time online looking at user reviews, and this model appears to be pretty reliable (though the Z34, it's powered-up cousin, has several problems and tends to be a pain to work on). Consumer Reports gives the Monte Carlo line in general a mediocre review; but given that the Ford Escort is one of their top picks and everyone I've talked to has said *not* to buy one, I don't think any of their reviewers are from Alaska.

In any case, I've spent some time over the last couple of days talking to various relatives, and I've managed to rustle up about three quarters of what I need, which leaves me with a bit over a grand to go. Preferably before dividends come in, as that's the most likely time in the near future for someone to nab this particular car...though if they do, I can always save the money until another prospect comes along. (Unfortunately, my entire dividend is going to be spent on next semester's tuition, so I won't be able to use it for a car. Ah, well.)

If anybody knows of any government things where I could fill out some paperwork and get $1200 or so (either as a grant or a deferred-payment loan), let me know...