I don't think age offers an even trade. Having the ability to do whatever isn't worth the responsibilities you gain to do so. You may get to eat cookies whenever you want, but you can't throw a fit in the middle of the supermarket just because you're fussy and didn't get a nap. You may be able to stay up all night but you have to get yourself up in the morning or miss work and get fired. Then you can't pay rent and you become homeless. But as a kid you can miss school by faking a good sick voice and acting sad for an hour or so in the morning, and you're golden, eating jello and watching movies all day. Sure teachers flicker the lights when you talk too loud and you have to do jumping jacks in P.E. But at least if you're chubby, it's baby fat. And the excuse "But I don't know how" actually works.

I was listening to a kid throw a fit in Target yesterday when I started thinking about all this. He was really screaming too, getting hysterical. As I do sometimes, I found myself mentally rooting for the kid. That's right, scream. Throw the lipstick into the aisle. You call that stomping your feet? You're not even phasing your mom. I had to admit, the kid wasn't so bad at what he did. It made me wish I could go back for a little while. Throw down my detergent and bottled water. Kick and scream and cry. However, I was alone, and you just can't throw a fit unless there's some one there who loves you.

Now that Wendy has her school schedule all set in place, I thought I'd share a little about what classes I'm taking this semester at Cal State Long Beach:

Greek 490 (special topics/translating Euripides' Cyclops)

Latin 101B (second semester of Latin)

Religion 312I — Dead Sea Scrolls (with Robert H. Eisenman)

Classics 490 (special topics/the Underwold)

Astronomy is going to be much better than Geology for me, I think. The teacher was a bit boring, though. He forgot to put the right area code for his home number on the syllabus, so every time some one walked in late, he repeated that his area code had changed and to be sure and change it on the syllabus. As this was a large lecture class, hearing about his area code over and over again got old quick.

But I'm doing well I think. I managed to stop myself from visibly squirming when we had to gaze at pictures of planets for long periods of time. Yes sirree, I'm making progress.

Okay, the Geology class wasn't a winner. I realized the first fifteen minutes of class (around the time I saw the syllabus) that there was no way I would be able to make an A with the schedule I have right now. I'm sure it might have been nice to learn about rocks and global warming and tectonics or whatever, but I don't want to make myself miserable trying. So instead, I'm taking Astronomy.

Odd though it may seem, this may help me work out some fears of mine. I may have mentioned this before, but I hate the sight of planets. I think it has something to do with the void around them, the size of them, the unknown... Either that or I just need a fear that no one else has probably claimed.

Class begins today. Monday and Wednesday nights I'll be taking Environmental Geology, and Tuesday and Thursday nights I'll be learning German. Wish me luck.

Also, my sweet little brother-in-law is 17 today. Happy birthday Seany! Uh - go Expos! Woohoo.

Tonight Brandon and I are going bowling together for the first time. He's happy, because he's wanted to go for oh, two years now. In fact I think the last time he went was sometime during the week before we were married. I've never wanted to go because I think it's boring to go when it's only two people, so I told him as soon as he gets a group together, we'll go. Obviously, that didn't happen. However, we were invited to go with a group tonight, and how can I refuse? I just want to do whatever makes Brandon happy, as long as it's not too unbearable.

I was watching one of the more informative channels the other day - like Discovery or TLC or something, and one of those "What Should You Do" kind of shows came on. In case you've never sat through one, they show emergency situations and how you can survive them. So I watched this guy get hijacked and make it through by calmly talking the hijacker out of it, and then... Actually I left the room before he escaped. But the point is that he did. But I came back for the lovely story of a patriotic wound.

This lady was decorating a friend's Christmas tree or something, and she felt a prick on her finger. No big deal. She woke up the next morning, there's a white head on it. Gross, still no big deal. The next day, it's red and blue, and it's starting to spread up her arm. Guess she figured she'd sleep on it. The next day she woke up, and the red, white, and blue wound was no longer patriotic, it was black. And shrively. (Like that word, shrively? Think I just made it up.) Plus, she can't move her fingers. It's black, shriveled, the red has spead even to the side of her abdomen. So she finally says "fine, I guess I'll go see the doctor." It turned out to be a patriotic spider bite.

Here's what I don't get. How the heck did she get on this show? She didn't react in some amazing manner. She waited like, over 3 days to see the doctor when I'd have been in the ER the night it was white. But I guess it's all about drama. That and getting to show a really nasty wound on tv. Yaaay ratings!

By the way, we got the Nissan Sentra on Saturday. It's a 4-door, it's the color "radium" and it's a 1.8S. When I told one of our friends at church that we got a Sentra, she said that that was the same kind of car that her and her husband first bought after they were married. She said he stayed up 'til like, 4am rubbing his hands together saying, "We paid $4,000 too much for that car." Thankfully we're pretty sure we got a good deal.

So now our first car-buying experience without the aid of our parents is over. I wonder though, why no one mentions what a hassle it is. How you have to sign so many papers, double check and haggle with the salesman, how it seems so exhausting. What they mention is your first experience buying a house. Is it that buying a house is just so much worse than the car-buying experience that it reigns as the most formidable? When I asked the same friend, she said, "Buying a house is exponentially worse." Guess I should have known.

The coolest thing happened tonight at Target. I was perusing the birthday card aisle when a woman and her son passed by on the other side. Their conversation went something like this:

Little Boy: I am Benjamin Franklin. I AM Benjamin Franklin. I AM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN!!!
Boy's Mother: (Sounding tired) *Sigh* Okay, dear. . . you are Benjamin Franklin.

Why didn't I think to throw fits like that when I was little? It's brilliant.

There's a banshee in the pipes here at work. She only shrieks when we flush, and I can't say that I blame her. It really can't be pleasant.

We're pretty close to deciding on a car. We'll probably purchase one this weekend, since for some odd reason certain deals only apply then. We've pretty much decided on the Sentra, as it gets great gas mileage. Not to mention the glowing reports in the comments a few posts down about it being a reliable vehicle.

It's my sister Brandi's birthday today. She's finally the same age as Brandon. And she probably won't read this. Happy birthday anyway.

Today marks our two-year anniversary. We realized last night that for some reason, for us, birthdays and anniversaries always fall on days that are our most stressful. Tomorrow we both have finals, and we've been spending a lot of our time car shopping. But we'll find time to celebrate properly this weekend when the stress is (hopefully) gone. But stress or none, we're very happy. They say the first two years are the most difficult, right? Woohoo, it's the good life from here on out. Happy anniversary, Brandon!

In random news, I have a headache. Is it because of the strong smell of air freshener/anti-bacterial that's plagued the office? Is it from straining my eyes by staring at the computer all day at work? Or could it be because I just didn't have enough caffeine at lunchtime?
I think it's time for Exedrin, the headache medicine.

It's so cute when you get to experience firsts as a couple. Like the first time you watch a movie together, get an apartment together, go on a real vacation together, work at the same place. Welp, it's time for another - it's time to buy our first car as a couple. The timing isn't what I expected, but Brandon's old car is showing warning signs of sure death, and I don't think that it's bluffing.

We did a little online research and then went to the first two dealerships today (Nissan and Toyota). We've been making fun of the Scion for a while now, but when we actually got a good look inside two of the three models and checked out some of the standard options, we were impressed. Forget ugly. However, we did test drive a Sentra, which was offered at a good price. I just can't get the memory of Rich's Sentra burning up for no apparent reason, though. We're going to continue looking around. We've been advised to look in the weekend newspapers for special deals, so we'll probably give that a try. If you have any car-buying wisdom you'd be willing to share, do tell.

Apparently when we moved from Tustin we left the fourth hottest town in the west with a population of under 100,000. But this was a good thing, because we were surely moving on up to the eastside as we now reside in the number one spot here in Rancho Santa Margarita. You can read all about it here.

Ever since Seth carved a watermelon with Che's picture on it, I have been seeing him and reading about him everywhere! It is almost as if he's summoning me from the grave to start a revolution in Bolivia or something. If anyone has any clear direction regarding this, just let me know.