You need Relacore!

And Christmas decorations... What is it about the upcoming holidays that makes me want to pull my hair out? I suppose it's the looming end-of-semester crunch. I'm torn between things I have to do and things I want to do. I could read for class or work on independent research. I could tackle my thesis or go for a run. I could eat another veggie burger or take the time to cook something really yummy. I could go to bed before midnight or write an aimless blog (three guesses which one won there). Why do I sleep (semi) normal hours and still feel like I need a week to recover after every Friday? What in the world happened this past weekend? I was supposed to get so much work done, and somehow time just slipped away... In the past week I've diagnosed myself with hypertension, diabetes, a brain tumor, and possibly thesisitis. And I'm not even in med school! I guess it's better than thinking I'm schizophrenic, oppositional defiant, and borderline all at once...

Probably the highlight of my weekend was the weekly group workout - aka soccer, aka dodgeball this week! There are about 10 of us overworked, underpaid grad students who gather on Sundays at noon for "kick therapy." We have been playing since the middle of the summer, and we recently added 6 dodgeballs to our repertoire. I encourage anyone in the Houston area to join us! The sight of Jason sprawled on the ground, glasses in midair, stretching to catch the ball (he did) just to get Kelly out will not soon be forgotten. Nor will the red circle on Jamie's leg from a ball I threw (I had no idea I was so powerful). Nor will the body check I got from Eric, or the soccer ball in the teeth I sustained from Dan... ok, so it's not always that rough. But keep in mind I'm the one who used to spend the entire soccer game doing cartwheels in the goal when I was in Kindergarten. I guess it's no surprise that I quit after that year to pursue gymnastics.

Oh, and I also really enjoyed Friday's "girls' night out" and Sunday night's neuro gathering at my advisor's house. It's nice to think that someday, just someday, I might actually have my own driveway. I also just got back from a concert downtown - The Fray, hailing from Denver. Yes, there were plenty of teeny-boppers there, but they (The Fray, not the teeny-boppers) put on a good show and it was a great escape from reality. Pictures to be posted soon! Maybe I should stop complaining, since I've really had it good lately. Now, if only those neuropsych reports and therapy progress notes would write themselves!

On another, totally unrelated note, a friend told me the other day that the day after Halloween is the official day for hanging Christmas decorations. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Thanksgiving come first? Don't I get at least a few weeks until I'm expected to cut out snowflakes to paste on my windows? I mean, it hasn't even snowed here yet - it doesn't feel like it could be a day past Labor Day! Wasn't the fourth of July not too long ago? What happened to fall? Why aren't the leaves changing? Why do I keep ending my posts with questions? Are there any horse socks? Is anybody listening to me?