Princess Sparklefists

I am such an Olympics junkie. (It's such a bummer that a lot of the live events are on overnight. At some point I have to force myself to stop watching and go to sleep). I could never do any of this, and half of these sports I hardly understand, but it's just so much fun to watch. I especially love when someone unexpected wins an event, because they're just so shocked and happy! What am I going to do on Thursday when I have to spend the day in the car instead of watching swimming? (How do they swim so fast? They make swimming 100 meters in less than a minute look fun and easy. They are secretly FISH PEOPLE.)

Today I met one of my college friends for lunch, which was a lot of fun. We met sophomore year when we had two classes--in two different departments--together. We had lots more classes together after that, so we were long time study buddies. We used to meet for lunch before Italian classes and watch the Oval preacher (which was always good free entertainment), so today was just like old times... except that since then we've both graduated, started grad school, and dropped out of grad school. : )

I'm getting more stuff replaced on my car--spark plugs and some other stuff I can't remember--before I move. Hopefully this is really the end of the car work for awhile. Except I think I still need to get my brakes worked on soon. But those aren't all that important, right? I'll just coast to a stop. Yep. I can haz metro nao?

I don't know what I was thinking, but since I've been in Columbus, I've checked out nine books from the library. In what universe did I think I was going to read nine books in a week and a half? (I think I read ten in the entire month of July, and that was more than usual.) So sadly, they all have to go back tomorrow. I finished a good one last night--The Monsters of Templeton--so I'll try to write up a quick review if I get a chance tomorrow.

One more day and then I'll officially live in Virginia! And I won't have to move again for another two years. Yay!!! And now... GYMNASTICS!

I'm getting good mileage out of my "cars are stupid" tag this week! (Alexis's LJ, now with 100% more rubbish automotive puns!)

What I thought yesterday was only a small leak turned out to be a BIG FRAKKING HOLE in my radiator. When I got off work today, much to my delight, all the coolant was on the floor of the parking garage rather than in the radiator where it belongs. (Alexis's immediate reaction: "Shiiiit.") Luckily I work with nice people who helped me fill it back up with water, and one of my coworkers and I had lunch while I got my car inspected at a garage just up the street. They wanted to charge me an arm and a leg to replace the radiator, but, lucky me again, my coworker called her mechanic friend who could do it for almost $200 less. (My car guru also looked up the parts online and decided I was being ripped off for being a woman with out of state plates. Boo!) So we drove out to Grandview, Missouri to drop off my car, and she drove me back home. (How nice is that? What a lifesaver!)

I'm not happy about having to repair my car again, especially since I'm still paying for the work I had done in January, but at least this whole situation is being worked out much better than it could have been. Since I don't know this city well, I would've been seriously freaking out if I were on my own. So I'm not getting ripped off and I've been spared the nervous breakdown, my car will get fixed, and I'll be all set for driving to Ohio in two weeks.

On the upside, my dad's extended family is all in town this weekend, so I'm flying home on Friday to get in on all the partying. The "real" party is on Saturday, but there's also the pre-party party on Friday and the post-party party on Sunday. And I won't have to drive anywhere!! Well, except to the airport at too-early o'clock on Friday. But it's a free ticket, so I'll deal.

Ugh... five hours of sleep followed by eleven hours in the car do not agree with me. I felt pretty crappy this morning, but luckily that wore off. It would be a drag to spend my entire mini vacation feeling ill.

The drive yesterday was fairly uneventful. I only drove for about two minutes, in a parking lot somewhere outside St. Louis. Mom thought she was too tired to drive, but when I stalled at a stop sign, she decided me driving would scare her too much. I really must have some one teach me to drive stick properly. (I can make the car go, but I always stall when I try to stop. And I have issues with third gear.) So I was the navigator, which I'm actually good at. Not that it's hard, when the entire trip is on I-70.

Sadly, we could not stop at the Blue Springs Cafe for "mile high pie" again, because we drove through Pierron an hour before opening. Boo. We tried again in Vandalia after seeing signs about a historic statehouse and Abraham Lincoln, but the only restaurant we can find in town was completely burned out. (Bummer, that.) I did get some pictures of Lincoln's face painted on a wall and a "Madonna of the trail," but I haven't uploaded them yet.

My dad's cable no longer has BBC America. It makes me saaaad. :( Not that I'm actually here to watch the cable, but it's a fun novelty.

This afternoon I went for a short bike ride. I did a meandering loop around the old neighborhood, which I guestimated was about five miles. Last summer I went on fifteen mile rides about three times a week, but I'm too out of shape for that yet. Biking is one of the very few exercise activities I actually enjoy, so it's too bad I don't have my bike in Kansas.

The Doctor Who TV movie is hands down the worst Who story I have ever seen. I could go on for a really long time about how many things were terrible about it, but I'm sure many others have done so before, so I won't. I really do want to know why the Master had glowy green eyes and kept sliming people, though. WTF! Too make up for that, I'm watching "The Sea Devils" which has Three and Jo and the Master (sans glowy green eyes, avec rubbish beard) and is infinitely more fun.

And a note for the DW fans on my f-list: Apparently there are spoilers/rumors going around about the Moffat two-parter, but I'd rather not know, kay? I'm happy with my trailer-squee, and I'd like to stay that way and be surprised by what's to come. So please don't tell me anything. :)