Enough, already.

So here is a look at some of the random things going on in my life:

1. My car has been possessed by some sort of electrical problem-inducing force. Last night, while driving on a 6 lane, 45-mile an hour road (with traffic), my panic alarm went off. This would have been only slightly embarrassing, had I been able to turn it off. But alas, I was cruising down the road with lights and horn blaring, every attempt to thwart the noise useless. At the next stoplight I turned the car off, thinking that would obviously solve the problem, but no. Then I couldn't start the car again. So there I am, envisioning me (and Vanessa, who was forced into this situation by mistakenly getting in to the car with me) waiting for a tow truck in the center lane at a stoplight in one of the busiest intersections in Gainesville with my panic alarm blaring. Thankfully, turning the lights off, of all things, stopped the alarm. Who knew? Needless to say, jetta is at the [car] doctor this morning.

2. I went to Portland. And back. It's a long way across the U.S.

3. On an incredibly related note, I co-hosted a baby shower for Ashley this weekend - she's silly ("hello?... oh, Stephanie's here and she brought balloons"). If you ever envision yourself throwing her a surprise party, don't worry - you'll get away with it.

4. I've decided I am officially done with the b-man. He may not like it, but we will not be friends - at least not for a long, long time. Sorry.

5. My first softball game is on Friday (well, they actually played last Friday while I was gone, but this is MY first game. It should be noted that they lost last week. I think we all know why) - go Gator Aluminum!

6. I bought a nap blanket from Brookstone this weekend. I love it.

7. I leave for Kansas City on Sunday. And need to find a suite-type outfit before then. Tricky.

8. And finally, long live my hatred for #12.

Whoops.

Scratch #4.

Big news.

1. My paper was accepted by the journal I submitted to (most of you know this; I apologize for the redundancy).

2. I have a [real] matching couch and chair. I'm so adult.

3. 6-7 weeks until aunthood!

4. There is a distinct possibility that I have a crush. First one in roughly ten years (excluding Ecuador, of course).

And then it hits me:

I DO live in [rural] Florida! Gainesville is an oasis. If the South were a desert, Gainesville is a lush mirage. Most of the time, I forget this. I forget that I'm in the South. I forget I am in Florida, even. But yesterday, there was no escape. I found myself in Newberry, Florida - the Athena, Oregon of the South, I soon discovered. Oddly enough, I was there for softball practice. That's a whole different story. Anyway, after waiting for my captain in the town market parking lot (FANTASTIC people watching), I made my way to the city park and met 4 members of my team. Low and behold, I live in the South. These guys epitomize the South. Not even kidding. So much accent. So much camo. Even a can of snuff. I'm still reeling. What have I gotten myself into? This is certainly not what I had in mind when I signed up. Now don't get me wrong, all were very nice. Just so, so southern. Rural South, southern. To be fair, I'm sure these guys were thinking "who the hell is this girl", or something along those lines. It was a gentle clash of cultures. So I'll be spending the next 10 Friday nights with this group. It'll be good for me, right? Perhaps I'm secretly rural South at heart.

Crazy Florida.

I'd like to inform everyone that it is currently colder in Central Florida than in Portland (even being 3 hours later in the day). That's weird.

Teaser: I have a GREAT story for later; there's camo and chew involved.

Oh crap.

I dropped a stitch. It's 5 rows back. I'm going 70 stitches across. This does not make for a good time. I had been doing so good! Darn it!

For my loyal readers.

Answers to Stephanie's City Challenge (a disappointing show of participation, by the way):

1. Portland, Oregon
2. Sydney, Australia
3. Cuenca, Ecuador
4. Seattle, Washington
5. Guayaquil, Ecuador
6. Minneapolis, Minnesota
7. San Fransisco, California
8. New York, New York
9. Quito, Ecuador
10. Lima, Peru

I think I'm an addict.

Seriously. I've realized that I have a slightly addictive personality. That is, when I find something I like, I partake (at times in excess) until I tire of it. Quizno's, for example. Or black bean burritos with avocado. When I find a food that I like, I can eat it everyday (not even an exaggeration). This can go on for months (though I don't usually eat the same things every day because I am aware that variety is good for me. Every other day, though, is another story.) - it's been like this for as long as I remember. I also have reason to believe it may be hereditary, as I can picture T-dogg eating the same thing every afternoon of my childhood. It's not limited to food, however: knitting has recently reached addiction status, and seasons 1 and 2 of Alias have been there for almost a year. While I realize that worse addictions may exist, I wonder if my behavior is healthy and/or normal.

On a related note, I have started a new knitting project! I worked on it for hours yesterday (literally), but it's coming along beautifully. The most blog-worthy part about it is that the pattern was COMPLETELY wrong. I read it through, realized I could do it and started, but as I went along I thought to myself, "I don't think this will actually create the pattern it says it will. Hhhmmm." But as I'm new to knitting, I just figured I didn't know what I was talking about. O yee of little faith [in myself]! After a few rows I confirmed that whoever wrote out the pattern is an idiot and altered it to actually create the basket weave pattern. I'm a knitting prodigy. I can't get more detailed than that for now though, as it's a gift. I'll post a picture later on (so, so cute!).

I am thinking about joining a co-ed softball league this week. I haven't played softball in approximately 9 years; it could be an embarrassingly good time.

Random update: the National Immunization Conference is in 3 weeks! I present on March 7 - scary! I booked all of my travel arrangements today - I love to travel! Especially when I don't have to pay for it! Nice hotel + rental car + $50/day for food = awesome.

Goodbye OR, hello FL.

Sad news, all. I am being forced to surrender my Oregon residency. I had been attempting to hang on to it for as long as possible, but the time has come for me to part ways with the Oregon driver's license (and probably the license plate, too - though I'm bitter, as I just renewed my tags!). As of 10:00AM tomorrow I will be a Florida resident. So sad. So official. So... permanent sounding. But it's a sacrifice I am willing to make to join a local credit union. They better appreciate me. The best part about all of this is the ridiculous amount of license plates I have to choose from. Oregon has 4 or so. Florida has about 100. Seriously. I've lived here for 7 (8?) months and still see new ones. And that's just Gainesville. It's crazy. So the most exciting part of my day tomorrow may be obtaining a super fun license plate - that's right, the best part of my day. I also find this strange, that I will get only one plate. I currently have plates on both the front and rear of my car. Florida thinks this is too much, however, and only wants them in the rear. I feel this can make identification tricky. What's the rationale behind the single plate? Silly Florida. So I know everyone will be quivering in anticipation, but don't you worry - as soon as possible I'll post a pic of the new plate (I'm leaning toward the wildflower - Jetta will be so cute!).

Stephanie = safe.

By the way, all's well in Gainesville (for those who were worried). The tornadoes hit Lady Lake, in Lake county (the next county over), which is about an hour from here. I didn't even know what had happen until my dad called to check on me! Oops. The night before I had seen tornado watches on "the telly" and we had tons of thunder/lightening and flooding, but nothing hit here. I do appreciate everyone's concern, though :)

I heart interactive blogs.

It's Monday and I'm already pretty bored with my current work projects, so I have decided to create a blogging activity. I am so, so cool. Anyway, you know how much I love image surveys. You also know how much I love games. I am a game FANATIC. Seriously. Ask anyone. So anyway, I have decided to post pictures of my favorite cities (worldwide), in order, and would like my dedicated readers to attempt to identify them (via comment or email). Perhaps it doesn't sound too hard, but I plan on picking images that may stump you!. Again, I am so cool.

Here are the clues:
1. Any city listed is a city I have been to (lived/visited).
2. A past image-post may be helpful.

** Addendum - I have been informed that I may not have thought this through. For all you CHEATERS out there... you can only look at the pictures in the size they are (as shown below)!

Stephanie's favorite cities

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Tomorrow, tomorrow...

I'm taking the day off tomorrow. It's been a rough week - coming in at 9, taking (somewhat ridiculously) long lunches, leaving when I'm out of stuff to do. It wears on a person.

I have to go to PT (shout out to PT-man, who does not read the blog), watch Judging Amy (high priority, obviously), go to the bank, go to the gym, and baby-sit. Even though the day is already planned (not the best kind of day off), I'm very excited by the prospect of a three-day weekend.

Academia has spoiled me in terms of holidays and vacation time. The numerous days off between November and January have ended abruptly - what do you mean no holidays until Memorial day?? That's just crazy. And so, my vacation days will soon be put to use - a trip to Dallas sometime soon, home to see the baby in April or May, for example, and to Baltimore for commencement (I think).

Sadly, my day off means no blogging until Monday - cross your fingers for an exciting weekend (to contrast with last night, when I cleaned my shower and closet). It's starting off right with knitting and Grey's Anatomy tonight; I sound like such a girl - how did this happen? Speaking of, the hairdresser told me I wasn't dressing like a girl when I got my hair cut - was that rude? I didn't strike me as so until later on. I digress. I will return on Monday with tales of wild evenings and fun, productive days.

As promised...

The best thing I heard all day:

"It's so nice to talk to someone I know who isn't creepy."

That's a compliment, right?