today

today i rode my bike to work and back again. i listened to cloud cult, which is my summer band, the whole way. i am a little sore but otherwise jubilant, and sad that it can't happen again for a very long time. it made for an excellent day, in spite of the fact that i couldn't feel many of my body parts for some time afterward due to the blustery nebraska wind. fortunately, the ride home was incredibly warm and sunny. today is my second really good day in a row in a long string of terrible ones in which i thought i might literally die. i'm thankful.

i also took our recycling to the recycling center today. as i was carting huge bags full of beer bottles to my car, a union student, who also happens to be the son of a faculty member, approached me. after some small talk, during which he stared only at the bags and did not so much look at my face, he finally broached the subject with "hey, i could go for one of those about now!" (i don't know if he actually drinks or was just playing it cool.) i explained that really, i'm not an alcoholic, just someone who is lazy about their recycling. "besides," i said, "i've had a couple of parties lately, and..." then i realized it sounded like i meant "parties," like what normal college-aged drinkers attend. (my parties do not involve kegs, shots, or jager-bombs. ever.) it was so much work to explain myself that i just gave up. "wow, katie!" he said. "i had no idea. you really keep it on the down low!"

the down low? srzly? "well, not really," i said. (i'm a bartender. i shop for alcohol at the most adventist-ridden grocery store in town, and i carry stuff out without a shopping bag. how "down low" can it really be?)

tonight i ate a milk chocolate bar with almonds. milk chocolate is simply not satisfying. it leads you wanting more and more and more chocolate. dark chocolate is the only way to eat chocolate and i don't know why i ever thought eating a bar of milk chocolate was a good idea. afterward i ate ice cream, and that didn't do anything for me either. now i'm just full.

i took my computer to the university of nebraska computer fixer-upper shop, which i've heard can work wonders with broken laptops. they told me it would be two weeks before they can even look at it. at best, they will replace something just under the keyboard and it will cost $100 total. at worst, new laptop. either way, they think it's likely they'll be able to salvage my hard drive, but that will cost $60 per hour of their time. sigh. at least two more weeks of no internet. my google reader has 846 unread blog posts. i am a girl who likes things neat and tidy, including her blog reader, which means i am happiest when i have no unread blogs there. talk about anxiety.