Merv is still on the fritz (another good word), so I've taken shelter in the downstairs computer lab. I've just spent way too long in the foreign language lab having Spanish people talk really fast to me through headphones while trying to scribble down answers to questions in my workbook. I'm thankful that both (A) I didn't listen to them too hard, as I was busy singing "Psycho Killer" (not the original version I heard on the radio this morning, but the Moxy Fruvous cover that has more pep) in my head and (B) the answers are in the back of the book, so it doesn't matter completely. Until the test. Oh well. Before that I woke up way too early, fell back asleep reading Dickens [yes, still....but I've got about 150 pages to go, so I'm allowing myself a breather], woke up again when Debbie's brother called, went to lunch, talked about stretching fingers beyond their natural length to play big chords on musical instruments, came back and discovered Debbie was *still* on the phone, turned on the news and saw the Columbia thing on CNN, almost cried when they started talking about the families of the astronauts, said a prayer, and decided I need distration. Hence the language lab.

I'm starting to think today won't measure up to yesterday's grand wonderfulness. I don't know what heaped all the happiness probably alotted for this weekend into one day, but at least it was wonderful while it lasted. Not only did we talk about college advice for over half of calculus, we played games all during acting and tic tac toe in Spanish. Then, I was invited to hang out with some of the guys from my acting class who love to hold movie musical sing-alongs (I mentioned how my mom likes to burst into song at weird moments and how I've picked up that same quirk) and were happy to find a new female voice (one of them--Matt--was happy that he wouldn't have to sing all the female parts for Moulin Rouge anymore). The actual meeting time was moved to today, so I'll let you know how it goes, but I think I've interested a couple other people if I have a good time. I also went shopping yesterday because I found out Hastings had a sale that included a new[-ish? I don't know when it came out] Calvin and Hobbes book featuring all the Sunday strips. I bought two copies (so somebody's getting lucky), along with three cassette tapes (B-52s "Good Stuff," Susanna Hoff (of the Bangles) solo album, and [I am dead serious] "Pop Songs of the 1930s") for a buck. They're now hanging out with my $3 "Sounds of Paradise" tape, (featuring wind, water, and calypso drums) where I can laugh at them all together.

Why yes, I spend my money wisely, don't you?

I think I'm going to read some more Dickens before I go sing. Or maybe some Sluggy......