Driving "Hazord"ously

So, my friend and I were loading my fridge into the car, and I had my car's hazord lights on because I was parked in front of the dorm building. You know, trying to follow rules and all that (not to mention I didn't want a ticket!) ... So, the fridge gets loaded into the back seat, my friend left to her room and I hopped in the car to move it around and park it--but I couln't get the hazords off. Push, pull, nuttin'. I then grabbed my cell and call my friend A.J. who's good with cars to see if he can suggest something. Nothing works and he can't get away from serving at a bbq to help me. I then saw my friends passing and I ask them for the assistance of their intellegence. So, my RA's bf tries to get them off, but he can't budge them off either and the girls standing behind my car kept reporting that the lights kept speeding up and slowing down. Well, my RA's bf suggested I run over to Kragen's to see what they can do so my battery doesn't die (that's all I need during finals week!). So, starving for lunch, I jump back in the car and am aware of everyone around me as I drove through the campus, and then on to Kragen's, with my hazords flashing. "Yeah, I'm ok ... Yeah, yeah, I know, I know ..." I wanted to curl up in a ball and hide, but I figured that'd just get me into more trouble. God has been really been showing me His love and kindness toward me today--I believe that is why He allowed this to happen--it didn't cost me any money to get this problem fixed. After a struggle, a very nice man at Kragen's was able to turn my hazords off. Again, yay, God! Just got to trust Him ...

*Mental note: no matter how much I want to follow rules, NEVER TURN THOSE ON AGAIN!*

No Time to In-Stress My In-Scape

Yes, finals here, finals there, finals everywhere (except tomorrow!). As the note I left on someone else's blog said, after three finals down this afternoon with one final, a 10-page-paper and a writing portfolio to go, I declared myself officially brain dead as I laid limp on my air bed. But, did being brain dead stop me? No! Shortly after begging God for energy, and the ability to move, I hobbled over to my laptop and cranked out my writing portfolio and walked it over to the library to drop in into my prof.'s box. Yay, God! It's now night. I'm feeling better. The world is back to normal ... for now.

P.S.--Oh, yeah! haha I forgot about the title, I was gonna say that for the past couple days I haven't had much time to be in-stressing my in-scape. Good ol' Hopkins.

In the Midst of Greatness--and Cute Guys!

Earlier this semester I attended the Big Meet, Cal vs. Stanford at Berkeley. One of my pieces about it was published on AquaticTimes.com. It was an amazing experience getting to be with the swimmers right before this amazing race that I recounted and also to hang out with they and their families afterward at a banquet. Even gold-medalist and long-time record holder Anthony Ervin was there spiritedly supporting his beloved team, Cal--at times he jumped and frolicked like an excited little kid! How cute. :)) These Cal swimmers are great bunch of guys -- and smart, too: pulling into Whole Foods in Walnut Creek the next day I saw one of the Cal guys, who I guess had just picked up some groceries there, pulling out. Health concious, just like me--how intellegent. Anyaway, being with the guys (some Olympians, including silverist in Athens, Duje Draganja) right before this final and tell-all race was electric. For the way it felt, and the energy surging around the small alcove, it might as well have been the Olympics. Tossing off their parkas (onto me!) and moving their conditioned, streamlined bodies up to the blocks, I had a sports reporter's eye view. Read about it here.

"Deep in a Room, Far, Far Away"

Have you ever wondered what the a parallels are between one's personality and their musical preferences? Well, for one of my recent Radical Acts of Randomness I participated in a pyschological experiment that is pushing to find just that! It's always interesting to discover more of what lies in the recesses of your mind ... I'll let you know when the study's results are posted. (Btw, I participated in the study within the same couple hours that I let the duck in the dining hall--how eventful my life is!)

"Don't Feed the Ducks ...

... unless you want to eat with the ducks." That should be a sign posted outside our cafeteria. We have two ponds here on campus that are frequented by an array of ducks and Canadian geese (not sure when they actually go to Candada...they're always here). They have been a staple here for years, but not until this semester did we get used to their little billed faces peering in through the caf's window walls. It's quite a journey for them to get there, the nearest pond is a good 300 feet or so down a grassy hill, so I'm not sure how they got their little waddly bodies up there all the time. (The excursion must be what makes them take to napping in front of the door...) However, the motivation is clear: food. Threesome's constantly quack at your feet as soon as you crack open the door. It is cute, so pushing the door open to exit the caf two weekends ago I looked down and said cutely, "Hi, ducky," wishing I had remembered to bring some bread. But, the duck didn't stop at my feet it kept walking in and began wandering around from table to table with shouts to me, "Don't let it in!" (Like I meant to. Sheesh!) I immediately, after the innitial standstill shock, began trying to shoo little ducky out. Someone suggested bread, so when others began to help try and get the duck to waddle to the door I went for bread. The duck did leave, but I was sooo embarrassed. I slipped out the back entrance. I didn't feel as dumb today after lunch, though. Someone else accidently let a duck in, too. Fhew. Just like my duck, it tried to fly out the glass wall only to slam, "bang!" and fall to the ground. Nevertheless, the dining hall should really post that sign--before we're always eating with ducks! And before we start seeing half-billed ducks peering in through the windows...