Missing Kristen

I think it would be safe to say I miss Kristen a whole stinking lot. And I especially missed her yesterday on her birthday. I'm super thankful that she understands that I need to talk to her often and that she'll answer the phone even when she doesn't expect a call. She makes me laugh and convinces me that I should treat myself to Fro-yo every once in a while. She's the sweetest human on earth. I mentioned to her that I missed being her roommate because her mom always sent her candy on Halloween. The next week, I got Halloween candy from her mom. She's an angel, Mrs. Wheels. Kristen also puts up with my hypochondriac antics, even when she can't tell that my glands are swollen but I swear that they are. When I can't say how I'm feeling sometimes, I tell in her terms of my health and I think she understands what I mean deep down. So cheers to Kristen, my favorite Kristen and favorite roommate, on turning 23. We'll celebrate with wet (or dry) willies next time I'm on the East Coast (or you come to Arizona?).

What I'm Listening To: "Coney Island"

"...But when the time comes be like everyone else.

Tighten up, 

In America they call it growing up."

Day X Day Entry 9: Coney Island

Zella Day

This Week's Casserole

Taco casserole for the week. Being on crutches really stinks but my friend Chuy offered to drive me to the grocery store. It was very much overdo--I think I only had carrots and hummus in my fridge. So it's ground turkey, spinach, cheese, tomatoes, corn, onions, and cannellini beans. And I plan on putting some avocado and salsa on top when I take it for lunch. But I definitely need the easy meals now that my motivation is approaching zero.

New Friends

This past week, many people have called me a trooper. I think it would be easy for me to stay home and not go out--people would understand. But I know that's not good for me. So I'm thankful I have my new friend Harley here so we can stand off to the side while everyone dances and eat free popcorn at the Shanty. And to my other friends, thanks for keeping me on my toes every night. We got coffee (I got tea) at 2 am after the bars closed. A weird thing but made sense at the time.

Park Benches

"Old friends sat on the park bench like bookends..."

Crutching everywhere is hard. I get tired and sweaty so I take a few breaks. I really wanted to fall asleep on this park bench but I needed to get home to do more work. But I enjoyed just sitting down for a moment, even if it wasn't deliberate. Just for a moment, I was still.

Knee Injury

So this has been my view this whole weekend. Friday night, at soccer, I went to defend a girl on the other team and I stepped with my left leg and BAM. My knee twisted and popped and I ended up on the ground. Needless to say, I didn't play the rest of the game. I limped all night and it swelled so much. It honestly sucks. My first thought when I hurt it was that I couldn't run a track workout this weekend like I planned. Typical. 

Because I've had my fair share of stress fractures and time in the boot, I wasn't too upset. But then I realized campus is huge and it's hot out. And I've been so dependent on my bike to get groceries and get to class. I'm frustrated and mad at myself. La Salle was so much more self-contained. Now I have to walk a mile just to go to class. They are worlds apart. My friend Laura gave me a ride to the department today--such a sweetheart.

I went to Urgent Care yesterday and nothing showed up on the x-rays. I'm headed to the sports medicine people tomorrow (hopefully) to see what's up. I really want it to be okay but I have a feeling it's a tear, which would put me out for ~6 months. But Kristen told me not to worry until I get a real diagnosis. She's a good friend and nurse.

Canyon Buildings

So I knew this week was going to be long. As head TA for intro to economics, I had to make sure everything was ready for the first test. Note: there are two sections of 550 students. That's a lot of tests. But today I wasn't feeling great--woke up late and had to redo my homework for the second week in a row. So I decided to take a walk around the building where I TA in. It's the newest building on campus and is designed to mimic a canyon. It's super cool and the walk was much needed to relax before I gave a review session. And the sun was setting at just the right time to cast this golden glow onto the steel structure. Absolutely amazing.

What I'm Listening To: "Ophelia"

The Lumineers' new album comes out in April (?) and I can't wait. So take a listen to their first released single on the album. So good.

Chinese New Year

So I guess one of the perks of being in such a diversified program is that I get to try all sorts of food from many cultures. Tomorrow is the Chinese New Year and one of my classmates brought in a huge bag of Chinese snacks. Some were rice cakes and gummies, sweet and spicy. It was very cool to try these things. I was enjoying it so much. 

Comfort Food and Studying

After a late start today, I finally hit the grad school grind--read an article about firms competing in many markets and headed to the library for a study session with my friend Karla. We spent four hours going over probability theory and statistics--and we barely got a third of the way through the material. By 8, we were hungry and tired so we went to The Fix, the mac-and-cheese place by campus. My sandwich was so delicious and the buffalo mac was good too. The cashier asked where we were from and I said Philadelphia. He then asked, "Pat's or Geno's?" He liked my not-usual answer of Abner's--"I get Abner's [as an answer] every once in awhile." But it was rewarding getting work done and treating ourselves to good food.