Aye Skooba in zee Osheans!

And I went down 30 feet! Go me! It was pretty cool. The waves were really low though the tide was high, and we swam out to a small reef in Shaw's Cove. I had a little trouble getting my ears to clear so i could go deeper though. I also got pricked a tiny bit by one of the sea urchins on the rock I was trying to cling to before I could get deeper. After trying to cling to the rock I realized the seaweed was strong enough to hold onto though and I just hung out on that for a while until I could get deeper. After we were all down deeper, Jim, our instructor took his dive knife and tapped on one of the rocks and a bunch of big orange Garibaldi fish came up to us, looking for food. He showed us why they were so interested by cracking open a sea urchin and handing us each a piece. The fish all came up and quickly stole bits of the inside of the urchin as we were holding it. It was pretty nifty. I also saw a sea hare clinging to a piece of seaweed. I love those guys, they're slimy and fun! ;) I had a great time diving, even if I did swallow more than my fare share of saltwater. Blegh!
The gear was super heavy. I had 30 lbs on my weight belt and was given an extra 2 pound ankle weight so I would have neutral buoyancy. That's a hell of a lot of weight especially when I had to climb the steps up to the cars. Add on a tank, BC, and a soaked wetsuit and you have one Crystal loaded to the max.
On the bright side, it seems I was the only one not suffering from calf soreness after the experience. Can you say step aerobics anyone? ^_^ It's rather odd seeing as I was struggling my way up the steps, but whatever. Yay for scuba!

Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus....... ing!

For a couple weeks I've been taking SCUBA lessons with Mark's dad's dive club with Mark's mom and him. Last week we got to practice swimming methods and dive methods and then we got to actually scuba dive a couple laps around the shallow area of the pool. It was tons of fun and I had a great time. I had a really horrible wet suit to wear. I lost my butt, boobs, and waist all in the motion of putting that thing on, and it held a lot of air and water, so if it wasn't hard enough for me to get down and be less buoyant when I dived, that didn't help. I realized I really needed to get a wetsuit of my own made to fit me. I ordered a custom wet suit from our instructor and did measurements after class. It'll cost a lot of money ... over $300 for the wetsuit plus more for the class. I don't think it'll take tooooo long to pay off though... I can manage some this paycheck then $150 to $200 for the next ones. I took out $160 the other day to give to our instructor today, and my wetsuit should be ready so I can wear it today in the pool. Fun stuff!

Dammit....

Saturday the 20th I bought an awesome and very expensive costume from a catalog called the Pyramid collection. I needed it by the following Saturday so I decided to get 3-4 day shipping. They said it would be delivered in 3 to 4 business days from my order.... so I gave them Monday for processing... and figured it would at least be shipped on Tuesday and arrive 4 days later on Friday though DHL @ home. This shipping cost me over $20.... So they have an order status thing... and all day Monday and Tuesday it says the status is sitting in warehouse.... so I call the customer service line late Tuesday and say I'm worried about it getting here on time. The guy says it's shipped but the status hasn't changed yet and it will definitely arrive on Friday... I say alright and hang up... I see on Wednesday that the catalog site says it shipped my order, so I go to the DHL website and start tracking it. It says for Wednesday:

11:41 am	Processed at DHL Location.		Wilmington - Clinton Field, OH
11:01 am	In transit.		Wilmington - Clinton Field, OH
1:23 am	In transit.		Coventry Regional Hub, RI

I follow it on Thursday and it says:

10/25/2007 3:14 pm

Depart Facility

Wilmington - Clinton Field, OH

Soo... I keep checking all yesterday for more news and nothing. Nothing this morning when I left for class either. And then nothing when I got home and the mail was delivered already.
Now I'm getting really worried, so I go ahead and call the catalog's customer service line and tell them "It says on your website that if I ordered it Saturday it should be delivered Friday if I paid for the 3-4 day shipping. It's not here and the post office doesn't have it. She says she's very sorry and it's the company's fault because it went out Wednesday instead of Tuesday like it should have and she refunded me half of my shipping costs for it coming a day late. So I said "Okay, as long as it's here by Saturday cause I have a party to go to. Thanks" and hung up.

Then I called a number for DHL tracking to figure out what was going on with my package and they said it had been delayed.... So I asked what that meant as far as the expected arrival of my package. They said Monday would be the day it was delivered. I asked if there was any possible way I could get it by Saturday. I told them I could pick it up at the post office or their distribution place maybe... but nothing... they said it wouldn't work. I was sooo mad. I reeeally wanted to be able to wear that costume to the party tomorrow. So I called the catalog place's customer service again.

After explaining my problem to one lady she escalated me to what sounded like their executive customer service where they can actually do something. It was the same lady I talked to previously. I explained what DHL had told me about the package arriving on Monday and she was very nice and refunded my entire shipping costs... soooo I guess that's not too bad. I would really rather have the dress tomorrow than have the shipping costs, but I guess I can find another costume to wear tomorrow, and I still want to be able to wear the dress I bought on Halloween and to Mark's party so I don't want to return it.

So that's my shipping adventure...

Camping!

Mark and I went camping this weekend. It was great. It was raining on Friday night/Saturday morning so we were a little unsure about even going but we already had everything planned and it didn't look like we'd have many opportunities after I got into my new job. Sooo... we went! We left in the afternoon on Saturday for O'neill park. It was pretty easy to find and although Saturday wasn't optimal weather, it didn't rain and it was generally nice out.
After it got dark we saw a couple across the way had their fire going already so we asked to borrow a bit of their flame. They were overly generous and gave us a bunch of their kindling to start with and some lighter fluid. We got a little fire going but it wasn't too impressive. We had bought the last bags of firewood, and so they weren't very full bags. The girl in the couple (Liz) came over to ask if we wanted any hot water and we said we'd already gotten some hot cocoa going, but thanks! I asked her if she wanted any of our smores, and she said she had marshmallows but her boyfriend (Crispin) didn't like smores because they're too sweet. I said she shouldn't miss out on the smores awesomeness just because he didn't want any, and she could have some of our chocolate and graham crackers, and she accepted... We ended up abandoning our pathetic fire to join their roaring one and share smores and stories around the fire. It was a really fun night. In the morning they left, but they left us their leftover lighter fluid and logs (they were really good logs) Because of them, we didn't need to get more firewood for our second night camping, We even had one extra log we gave away. Thanks Liz and Crispin!!!
Sunday was a beautiful. It was nice and sunny but not hot out. We went for a hike in the morning and went up a big hill... then we walked back a ways and decided to try and find a way back down the hill... We found a path but it was a pretty steep one. The trails were technically closed because of rain too, but it wasn't too muddy. It was difficult to get down and I was tense the whole way. I ended up sliding on my butt for parts of it. The descent wore me down pretty well. Now, all of my muscles are sore from being so tense.
After that we decided to look for stuff to do outside the camp, and we called Mark's parents to see if they knew of anywhere to go. They knew of a place but we spent forever looking for it. We eventually gave up after we found that the directions we were given were wrong... like 5 times... and when we asked the sheriffs and park rangers if they knew where it was they had no clue.
We also ran some errands that day. We went to the grocery store and got some hamburger helper minus the hamburger. to cook in a pot over the fire. We also got me a pad for the ground so I wouldn't toss and turn so much at night. The ground is a very hard thing that is not fun to be sleeping on. The pad really helped the second night. I was happy to have it. Monday morning we pretty much just woke up, ate some breakfast and left for home!
It was a great trip and we definitely have to camp again sometime. Yay camping!

I'm blogging this.

I just got a shirt that says "I'm blogging this." on it... I might wear it sometime, but don't expect me to actually blog whatever I'm doing necessarily. I might though!

I got a new job!!!!

I got a new job! It will be the best job ever! I'm going to be a homework helper at the public library. I get paid pretty well for it which is awesome. I think it's a little under $12 an hour.... I'm really happy about it. I won't have to work at the convenience store much longer and that makes me happy. It will take a while for the paperwork to go through though, so it's good that I can keep my c-store job for now. Yay for multiple dollars above minimum wage and a job that's worthwhile!

I did this cause I was bored... Always bored... so draw on me k?

Dream

I took a nap and I had a dream that my mom, my grandma, and me were traveling from Australia to Louisiana by Canoe.... I don't know why... We were making a pit stop in south Africa when I woke up. I'm weird... yeah....

Back from Japan!!!!!!

I have been so busy, I haven't been able to post anything about my trip until now.... It is 5 weeks after I left the US for Japan, and now I am finally back in the states again! Yay! I had so much fun in Japan, but it really is great to be home once more. Japan is soooo different from here. I'll list some things I noticed:

USA: Most all workers look bored, hardly any look happy, and a good number look very grumpy.
Japan:Every time you enter a store they say "Irasshaimasen!" which is like "Welcome" and when they take your money or card when you pay they take it carefully with both hands and give you your change in the same careful manner. They either look happy to be working or very bored.
USA: We have a little bit of rain in the winter and it is very hot and dry in the summer. We use umbrellas a little in the rain but many just wear a big rain jacket. In the summer we wear a hat or sunscreen to protect from the sun.
Japan: Japanese rainy season is during the summer. It's hot one day and rainy the next. It's both hot and rainy at once a lot of the time and its very humid in the early summer. Japanese people always use umbrellas in the rain, and to protect from the sun they often carry parasols.
USA: It is common for girls to wear sleeveless shirts or flip flops in the summer.
Japan: I hardly saw anyone with a sleeveless shirt or flip flops in Japan. If their shirt was sleeveless, they always had a mini jacket over it or something.
USA: You see vending machines inside buildings or schools and they pretty much only have drink or small snack vending machines.
Japan: Vending machines are EVERYWHERE. They have vending machines for normal drinks, for iced coffee, for cigarettes, even for french fries and squid balls sometimes. They line the streets.
USA: There are a few convenience stores and they have very little real food. 7-11, ampm.
Japan: There are tons of convenience stores and they have plates of pretty decent food. Family mart, Lawson, 7-11, and ampm.
USA: Some people use buses, few use trains, most people drive. Some take bikes. Buses cost 90 cents no matter how many stops you go. Streets are wide for big cars.
Japan: Most everyone takes busses, trains, subways, bikes and walks to get where they need to go. Sidewalks are crowded because of this. There are bikes parked all over, with many abandoned ones. There was a 2 level bike parking structure at the university. Because of gas prices, motorcycles are popular. Streets are very small and Japanese people only take cars occasionally.
USA: Smoking is tolerated, but smoking inside restaurants and bars is not. Many non-smokers avoid secondhand smoke when possible.
Japan: Almost everyone smokes. There are smoking sections in most restaurants and ashtrays everywhere. They have special rooms for smokers in many buildings but most people in Japan are used to secondhand smoke and don't mind enough to say anything.
USA: TV has a large variety of programs. The news shows the news for the day and thats mostly it.
Japan: There is a lot of comedy on TV. A lot of the news and TV shows are filled with people eating things and exclaiming over how delicious they are.
USA: Foods from all countries.
Japan: I saw, Korean, and American food. There were a LOT of places serving soft serve ice cream cones. Every tourist trap had them They love ice cream in Japan.

Thats all for now! More later! Go look at these pictures I took.... There are lots!: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v47/xmysticalmelodyx/Japan/

Finals are OVER!

I'm going to get some blood drawn at the health center and then that's it! No more being on campus for me allll summer.... Unless I take summer school.... Which I probably will. At least I get 5 weeks away.

I just looked at it, and I passed geology class, yay! .....by 5 points... lol
Yeah I know... I cut it close... but whatever at least I got the grade.

I'm going to be on a plane to Japan on Monday. Crazy eh? Kowaii desu yo! I'm going to have a good time though I'm sure. I can't wait to go to the English club on campus, lol. Well, I still need to get properly dressed and have food and head down to the health cebter and stuff.... sooo I'm gonna go for now. Sayonara!

There's this guy...

... And this guy seems to only care enough to mention this part of the blog.
So here's my blog for today!

"Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak!"

I lost my snake!

I woke up and went to put some water in my ball python Cleo's dish and she wasn't there.. I picked up bothe her hides and she was under neither of them... also, I thought the screen top was a crack open when I opened it.... and I remembered her nosing at the edge of her tank before I fell asleep the night before.... so I was like "shit!" and started being very careful where I stepped in my very messy room. I picked up piles of clothes off the floor and threw them all on my bed and in hampers. I checked the tank and under her hides to make sure again that she really had gotten out. I moved some of her bedding around to check if she was buried too. With no luck there, I kept continuing to throw stuff on my bed and I got out a flashlight and started looking in dark corners... everywhere I could think she might be.

Mom said if my snake ever escaped that'd be the end of me keeping a snake... so I was reeeally worried. Once I had just finished checking behind my huge ass desk with a flashlight I glanced over at her tank .... and there she was... looking right at me like I was an idiot for not seeing her. I'm thinking maybe she wedged herself into the top of her bigger hide... which I thought was impossible for her and she's never done before... but thats the only way I think I could have missed her. I looked inside her little hide when I picked it up ... that's her usual wedging place. Oh how annoying.... I guess I have a good excuse to clean my room now though....

With that nonsense out of the way though, it's time to work on getting my geology class finished up. I gotta put my notebook togrther and do an essay. How annoying...

Geology Jeopardy

This Tuesday we had a Jeopardy type game in my geology class. I was playing in it, and one of the categories was "what's wrong with this picture?" When the thing popped up, there was a nice picture of 3 baby ball pythons hatching... There was nothing wrong with the picture at all so I was confused... then I read the separate caption underneath that said "amphibian hatching." It was soo annoying. I didn't see it until someone else had already raised their hand. I know tons about snakes... and I could have told the teacher the scientific name along with how to care for them.

I'm soo much more knowledgeable about biology it isn't even funny... I don't like physical sciences much... I was able to answer another question about animals. It asked something like "What fossil evidence do we find that cetaceans used to be land bound animals. Double points if you can name a second piece of evidence." I never heard anything about cetaceans in my geology class because I usually skip, but from other classes and studying privately. I knew obviously that cetaceans were whales and dolphins, and also that their flippers have bones in them that look like hands and they had evolved over the years from limbs. Sooo I said that, and I was right... I wasn't so sure about the other piece of evidence. I was gong to guess that the fact that they breathe air on the surface of the water is evidence. Before I could formulate it though, she moved to someone else... and they said the fossils show that their nostrils migrated upwards. That question got us 40 out of our 60 points total... but it could have gotten us 40 more... Soo unfair...

Allergies!

I hate allergies... they're dumb.. about 30 minutes before I was supposed to leave to get to Japanese class, I had a huge sneezing fit and my ears and throat went all bad. I guess it's that time of year... I decided to stay home today because I didn't wanna sneeze all over Kevin in Japanese class... and also because of the ear thing.. It bugs so much! I think it's going away now though, cause I took some allergy meds.

Japanese homework...

As much as I love Japanese, Japanese homework is kinda annoying. I tried to make a copy of a page out of the textbook that we were supposed to fill out. It's a job application in Japanese. The printer kept having a paper jam though. Then I decided to screw that idea and try to copy out the questions on the application bye hand... They were so small and they were of Kanji I didn't know though... soo it was dumb and I skipped a couple. I still have to do another part of the homework though, and I gotta get dressed. Mark's coming today so I plan on putting a bit more effort into it. Annoying japanese homework.... maybe I'll do it on the bus. I only have an hour before I gotta leave for school.

Bye for now!

First post!

Not sure how long this will last, but for now... here I am, posting on a blog. Hooray! Rejoice!

As for the name, I like kitties and blue and so there it went.... the blue eyed cat... I couldn't find a pic of a good entirely blue cat, but I did find this one with pretty blue eyes! I wish my eyes were blue. :P