bad things come in threes, right?!

Before I get into my life as of late, the above pictures are: (bottom to top) Tommy and his family and PawPaw after his sweet Nonnie's memorial service in Arizona, Maggie Bayer with BRACES, Queen Madison on the couch, Friends in SLC, and the view from my window...fog fog EVERYWHERE...oh and freezing pelting rain, too!

So, we've all heard the old adage that bad things come in threes. Well, I'm three for three, and it had better stop soon, or else I'll...I'll...stomp my feet and cry...yes, that's what I'll do! So there! Last Tuesday my wallet was stolen out of my office, along with my i-pod. Yesterday, I had a student situation from the bad place, a situation that won't be resolved for a while. And if you know me, you know how I need everyone to like me and be happy, etc etc. So the fact that the student situation isn't resolved like, right now, is driving me cuh-razy. And todayyyyyy I went to one of the only places I'll allow myself to go other than my office or the library--Sushi Town. I go to Sushi town once a week, and the waitresses know where I sit and what I'll eat (i.e. nothing with eyeballs or tentacles hanging out of it), so they'll even offer suggestions. I walk in; I have some hot tea, and basically just chill out for an hour or so. Also, I always bring Madison with me and just leave her in the car. I crack the windows--she's fine. At any rate, it's usually better than leaving her in the apartment to bark while I'm gone (I'm completely terrified of my neighbors who already shoot lasers at me with their eyes when I see them in the hallway). Anyway, I digress, so back to the Sushi town story: I finished eating my tasty raw fish combination from heaven, and I run in the rain to my car. My key won't fit in the lock. I also notice that Madison the Fearless Shetland Pony Dog is going nuts. Like slamming her body against the windshield whilst barking nuts. Odd. I'm still trying to get my key to unlock the door (in the freezing rain, mind you), when I bend down to have a look at the lock. It's mangled. Weird, I think. I run over to the passenger side door, unlock it, and then crawl over. On the drive home it hits me--someone has tried to break into my car with a crow bar. I get back to the apartment, and my theory holds true: the lock is completely torn up. It looks like someone tried to use the wrong screwdriver to unscrew something. This explains Madison going nuts, and as I tell Tommy this, I mention that I wondered what the criminal would have done if he had gotten into the car. Tommy says, "well, probably he would have hit Mads with the crowbar." I lost it. Stolen wallets, crazy students, and an almost bloody and mangled dog? That's a bit much for one girl to handle!

In other (more positive) news, I got to go to Salt Lake this past weekend! It was g-reat to see the Tomster and all our SLC friends. We BBQed, hung out, and I took a NAP! Who knew such glorious things existed anymore?! It was just what I needed to come back. I probably would be rocking back and forth and hugging myself tonight if I hadn't gotten the chance to go to SLC this weekend. So fun!

Things aren't quite as terrible as I'm making them seem. I still love school (the part where I'm in school, anyway), and I certainly love the people here. I have a couple of really good friends, and my advisor has been really supportive. I also get to see the fam in about a WEEK! I'm going to Tennessee for a conference, and I'll see them on my way in and out of Birmingham. I can't wait to see LAYNIE! She had better be ready to spend some quality time with her Aunt Sarah (and by quality time I mean she had better be ready to fit in my backpack as I kidnap her and take her with me).

All in all, sometimes bad stuff just happens--whether you live in Canada by yourself with your gigantor dog or not. At least I have Mads; she's probably the reason the mean car thief didn't finish the job. Actually, had he broken in, with my luck, she probably would have bitten his face off, and then I would have been sued...that's just how awesome my life usually is.

Anyway, I miss each and every one of you! And even though I've been stolen from, yelled at about a paper grade, and had my car almost stolen, I STILL want to get a PhD! That's good, right? That means I'm resilient...or stubborn as a mule...my guess is the latter, but I'll let you decide.

Love from the land of freezing rain,
S