Well, that lasted long.

Pictured: Several of the rocks I've been hiding under.

I intend to be up and running, clogging your feeds with YouTube links and some reference to baked good or another in the next few days. Until then, I give you the entry I had meant to post about three weeks ago. Progress is progress.

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Hello, kids. I'm a bad blogger and I know it. My constant dry spells and subsequent need for forgiveness are just part of my charm though, right? It was near-August when I last posted. Oops. Here are a few things I've learned since then.

-An instrument tuned to A440 'makes you a little nervous'. (Thank you, Steve Lindley.)

-Couples love me. I don't know what it is, ladies and gentlemen, but something about me puts romantic duos in a giving mood. Give me your spare water bottle? Sure. Let me move to the front row of the concert? But of course. Swipe me through when my MetroCard isn't working? Don't give it another thought.

-Teaching hospitals are considerably less fun than an episode of Scrubs when you're on the patient-side of things.*

-It is possible for me to send several letters to the wrong addresses. Twice.

-Rabbit is delicious.

-Telling your brain to shut up when a situation is entirely out of your hands will make for a much more enjoyable time. I mean, there's nothing you can do about potentially being trapped on a island, is there?

-Road rage is easier to manage with a rubber orca in the passenger's seat.

-Airport security personnel really appreciate winter-wear.

-Finding the ridiculous nightshirt of your dreams is well worth the risk of bed bugs.

-I am just as gullible as I was at five. Creator of that Mars hoax, you broke my heart.

Follower Love-Fest #12: Z

I love the mystery of Z. One letter is all you need, and it's just the right one when A-Y just won't do. Z is, as his (her? I really don't know.) picture will show, is a leather-clad warrior who is liable to take your ass down a peg or two if you so much as look at his Beanie Baby collection the wrong way.

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*This one will come up again in our next edition, too. El ohh el.

Anyway, I'm trying out this new thing where I'm a truly productive member of society. I get up early, eat wholesome breakfasts, get all my work done, am highly involved in extracurriculars--all that kind of stuff. Or, at least, that's the idea. We'll see how it works out.

I hear my train a comin'

I've spent the better part of the last three days taking a break from my (terribly unsuccessful) job hunt, riding around on trains.

That statement is not exactly accurate.

I've left follow-up messages and applied to another dozen or so establishments, but that's still a lot less than I'd been doing before.

Mostly because I've run out of places to apply.

Besides, all the trains have been taking me to visit friends.

On Wednesday, I met up with two friends from college and we went to the Museum of Natural History. I don't know what it is about the summer time that always makes me want to look at dead animals, but I see to be there a lot when the pollen count is high. I was so happy to see them that it was difficult to wipe the big, stupid grin off of my face, even when staring down a T-Rex. After the museum, I had to rush to my not-so-little cousin's graduation from middle school. It was hot as Hell in the auditorium, but I didn't care. I was such an embarrassing mush. I remember when you were thiiiiiiiis big.

Yesterday, I went down to see mah buddeh in Philadelphia. I'd seen him once (maybe twice?) since we started university and, while that is shameful beyond belief, it's still more than a lot of people. I mostly marveled at his most glorious apartment. It is glorious. And then we just chilled, which was nice. I kind of hate that word, but that's just what it was. There's a lot to be said for spending six hours doing nothing but laughing with an old friend. Of course, there was about ten minutes where we were running in the lashing rain, but we laughed almost the whole way through that, too. Serves us right for venturing out into the world.

I guess that brings us to today. I'm just about to head to the train station to meet up with my friend and her family at their house down the Shore. She is one of the few people that I was able to keep up steady contact with since high school, and I love this girl and her family to Pluto and back. I mean, I love all of my friends to a degree that borders on obsession, but whatever. I am crazy-excited. I predict much hugging and movie-watching. I can live in hope that we will build sandcastles for the sole purpose of violently destroying them.

ALSO, I have received absurdly glorious letters and packages in the post. They are glaring at me with their wondrousness because, while I have most of my letters written, I have failed to post them yet. My glitter reserves are low and I refuse to send any parcel which is not bursting with that shimmering nuisance. I have rules.

I'm coming up on finishing my fifth non-coursework book, so I've packed something vaguely related to college for this round of trains. I don't know when I became such a slow reader. It would be annoying if I had any deadlines. As I do not, I'm mostly just confused.

Sent the next round of stuff for Fringe the other day, so I'll let you know when it's up.

Stay cool!

Follower Love-Fest #8: Tam Tran

Tam Tran is a master basket-weaver. This is no joke. After winning the Basket World Challenge from 1999-2009, she holds the record for consecutive awards in the international competition.

When not practicing her craft, Tran likes to take strolls on Saturn's rings. She says that the rings smell like wood pulp and, thus, remind her of her childhood. She grew up a few doors down from a paper factory. She makes a mean beef stroganoff.

Reading week, so far.

Well, I was away for a magical weekend at my friend's house in Clare. Five of us (okay, six with me)went for fresh air, over-eating, and general shenaniganry. It was glorious. No pictures of that yet, though, because I just got back last night and am lazy. It's my week off from classes so that we can get caught up on the work they know we haven't been doing the whole time.

To keep up the tradition of not working when I should, today I cleaned, went grocery shopping, and sent e-mails to another 48768658239 summer camps.

Before this week, instead of working, I wrote a fuckton of letters to people whose birthdays I missed/I haven't seen in a while. Postage was a bit of a pain on the packages, but it was totally worth it. I love writing letters, and this made me kind of wriggle in my bed while listening to The Princess and the Frog soundtrack.

Maybe that's not something you're meant to admit. Oops.

Carrying these into town with my other bag of books was something like fun. Well, I do love peeling stamps.

Look--glitter! Where could half of the bottle have gone?

Oh, right. Glitter is the language of love.

Meet Charlie, the newest member of the family. He likes water, sunshine, Cool Ranch Doritos, and showtunes. His turn-offs include bottled water, hail, fedoras, and frayed shoelaces. He's single, too.