I was pretty proud of the fact that I had "corrupted" my roommates by getting them hooked on the TV show Friends, of which I have seasons 7,8,9, and now 5 in my possession. Tonight Sonia walks in our room and informs me that our neighbors, whom had asked to borrow season 9, were at that moment watching Friends in their apartment, and she knew this because she heard the theme song playing as she walked by. Yes. I have corrupted not just Apartment 11... but the entire community.

Reflections

I played kickback with Josh Masopust in the gym tonight. It felt so good to kick the soccer ball around again and I was suddenly filled with regret that I never played during college, not even one year. I could have been on the team freshman year, but I chose to focus on work and school instead-- I just didn't have time.

I wish I had made time. But then I think about how different my life would have been. Spending most of my time at practice and games, travelling, making close friends with the other girls-- my life would be completely different right now, my senior year. Who knows what would have happened had I just made a different choice on one simple decision.

This got me really thinking about my choices. How often do I miss out on things because of choices? Not that I necessarily make wrong choices, but that if another good choice could have led me down a path that could open up doors to other things-- and I missed it because I chose something else.

Then I think, "Well, God's got everything worked out." But how often does He let us mess up our own lives? This is something I really struggle with. At camp, they tell us God is in absolute control of everything and that anything that happens was specifically chosen by God to happen. I wrestle with that a lot, because I don't understand that God would create us with the ultimate plan for us to fail. It doesn't make sense to me. I do believe that he controls things when He wants to. He hardened Pharoah's heart, and didn't let the Israelites leave Egypt right away. Why? To test them? To strengthen them? If God had left Pharoah to make the choice, would he have just let them go? To what extent does God harden my heart to things or people?

Sometimes these things are so confusing....

Adventures with my Roomie... Vol. II

Well, this was meant to be written Monday night, but I just did not get around to it.

I don't know how it happened exactly. I think I was sitting in bed reading or something, when my roomie comes in and says, "Hey, dude, I think I found a stand for the TV." Interest piqued, I set down my book to hear more. "Yeah, I just found it," she says. "It's over by the dumpster. Come with me right now."

So we make a ten at night visit to the dumpster. And not the dumpster on our side, mind you. The one on the other side. And we had to be sneaky and go the long way around, "so nobody will see us," according to my roomie. Cause, you know, when I see two people walking to the dumpster at ten at night, my first thought is, "They're obviously up to no good."

So we get to the dumpster (all sneaky like, looking over our shoulders and stuff), and there it is, this glorious cabinet that could easily hold that monstrous TV. It doesn't even look bad. It's just wedged in between the dumpster and the cement wall. So we're thinking, heck yes, we have a TV stand now! Sonia starts to pull the thing out... and the top snaps off.

Oh, well. We figure, that's easily fixed, as we tug it out some more. Then one of the sides collapses.

We trudged back to Apartment 11 a little disappointed, but in good spirits due to the adventurous bonding time we had. (And on the way back, we passed the pool and some guys in the jacuzzi whistled at us... we just laughed... and took another route back home.)

Vicarious Blogging, part II

Sonia says she does not endorse vicarious blogging. According to her, she was only suggesting that would make a good blog, not giving legal permission for me to actually do it. She just wanted everyone to know that... ; )

Vicarious Blogging

Sonia wanted to blog this, but as she has gone on a blogging fast this week, I feel it necessary to take it upon myself to do the deed for her. As Mandy put it, "Sonia, it's cheating to vicariously blog through your roommate!" But, oh well.

Here's what Sonia would have blogged, had she been blogging this week:

"Only in Apartment 11 can you tell someone who is annoying you during homework time to go write a book."

Tonight I made something

As I cruised the streets of Target earlier today with my sister, I found the greatest little three drawer set-- all in the fabulous Target line of college dorm colors (pink, brown, steel blue, light green, etc.). I had to have it. Fortunately, as an employee of said store, I know how to work the system. I ended up walking away with the $40+ item for $19.98. The cashier (who looked new) was going to give me half off that price, too, but my morals kicked in at the last minute, and I walked away satisfied that I had a very cute pice of furniture.

I have never put together my own furniture before. Dan Blair put my bookcase together. Tyler and Jesse tackled my desk. So, hesitantly, as this was another first of being on my own-- first time trying to assemble furniture for myself-- I spilled all the contents of the box onto the floor and dug out the instructions.

One hour, twelve locking screws , and a couple lessons in trial and error later, I had my pink/brown/light green three drawer set against the wall with a matching pink/brown lamp sitting atop it.

I am woman, hear me roar.

Well, I'm back now. We just had roommate bonding time to an eighties era workout video. That's right, people, five days from now we will have abs of steel.

And now we're all macking down on anorexic popsicles.

Yup. Life is good.