I was so devoted to writing out this long entry about the past week-and-a-half, but here it is already 6:30 and I still have stuff to do. The show went very well--Saturday better than Thursday--and I really had a great time (other than the two places that always gave me trouble). My grandparents and aunt surprised me by driving all the way down from New York--it was great to see them, and they had a good time at the show. I had some serious insomnia the week before, which totally messed me up for several days (I ended up taking muscle relaxers--which I needed because I also messed up my neck--so I got even more dehydrated for a while, but at least I could fall asleep), but I'm doing much better. I'm trying to get back into normal life, but it feels like everything I put off is closing in on me. I have to take this comprehensive exam to graduate (which is total bullshit, by the way), and I haven't even officially scheduled it or asked the people in my committee (i.e. the one I made in my head, since they don't even know about it). So I have to do that tomorrow. I hate asking people for stuff! I also just had to send an e-mail out to all the voice faculty to see if they have this piece of music I want for my recital that I bought online but is backordered for three weeks. Yeah, I have to learn music. That piece, plus four or five others. Two of those are sort of learned, not at all memorized; two of them are long and difficult. So why am I online when I need to do this stuff? Because I feel out of the loop. But yesterday I didn't get much work done, either--went to lunch (this Asian place that serves lots of stuff that isn't really meat---yum--where I finally tried that "bubble tea" that has the tapioca pearls in it), ran an errand, went to dinner (Mexican and a margarita) with some girls and then to the MALL for Estee Lauder bonuses and impulse shopping at NY&Co. Totally avoiding work. I STILL have to go to the post office, and I have some important phone calls to make, but no, I have to go look at $15 lip gloss. (FYI, I bought moisturizer, which may have been important and practical but it was still expensive.) And HELLO, I don't have a job right now. Maybe I need to do THAT. Well, I already decided last night that I'm not allowed to shop for the time being. Here goes--and you are my witnesses: until I learn all the pieces for my recital, I am limiting myself to staples ONLY. Then MAYBE I can reward myself with another Elena-sponsored shopping spree. :) In other news, Valentine's Day is Saturday. Will I have a particularly special day? Mark has always given fun V-Day gifts--we'd only been dating a month when he gave me a pewter heart-shaped box, stamped on the bottom with NOT FOR USE WITH FOOD; he proceeded to warn me several times, "Don't put food in there, okay?" It was pretty funny. ANYWAY, perhaps he finally was able to "put the money together". That would be interesting. Damn, I've been thinking about this for so long, it seems--what would I do if he actually DID buy me a ring?! I may lose consciousness...

And on that note, it's time to leave this accursed building. :)