Ugh.

Ok, it's official. My nose is running. My head is congested. I can't stop sneezing. I...am...sick. I usually don't mind getting sick for about a week or two every winter because it's a quick way to drop about 15 pounds. On top of that, all the coughing makes my tummy look better. The wretched illness that I have now, however, isn't making me cough....nor am I losing weight. This sucks.

T-Minus Two Weeks

I have exactly 9 weekdays until finals week. I am less worried about the Final Exams and more worried about the projects due within the next nine class meetings. The tests always come easy to me because I can just study the material and remember it. The projects, on the other hand, require several days of work, and I, to no one's surprise, am a procrastinator. All this being said, I feel like there are two more weeks of school (not counting Finals Week) and then I'm free for a month.

Thanksgiving Break Re-Cap

Here's a rundown of what I did during my 5 day Thanksgiving break from college:

Wednesday- I slept in....mostly because I didn't go to bed until 3 or 4ish. I got up, milled around the house a bit, took some headache meds, and ate some lunch. Then, I helped Jason do a bit of yard work. Just trimmed some low-lying limbs, raked some leaves, and mowed the lawn one last time before winter. After pounding some PB&J sammies for dinner, we had a thoroughly unproductive evening while watching the tube.

Thursday- Although this was officially Thanksgiving Day, I did very little. Jason and Steven woke me up at 11 a.m. (after a night of Insomnia) and asked if I wanted to go with them to grab some food at Taco Bell. I agreed. 5 minutes later as we pass by Taco Bell because it was closed, we realize that the only place that would be open to get food would be Wal-Mart. We proceed to load up on tons of unhealthy alternatives to our normally healthy diet. After we get home and pound on some of our grub, we watch the Dallas Cowboys absolutely throttle the Jets. Lex and I go outside and slap the volleyball around for awhile. Another uneventful evening.

Friday- Since the Gillett's parents and sister are scheduled to arrive in Russelltucky this evening, we have put off cleaning the house until today. Alexis, Jason, and I go ape-shit on the hizzle. We give it the cleaning that it's been needing for about a month. Steven had to work, so he missed out on Cleaning Party 2007. Anyway, the house is spotless. We then proceed to watch the Razorbacks defeat #1 LSU in triple overtime. Shock and jubilation follows. This evening, we went to the Golden Suns basketball game, which they won in overtime. The parents and sister show up at about 9:30. Coronas and rum-and-cokes are consumed by 10. The Scott and Kim Gillett are amazing.

Saturday- This is the day that everyone chose to celebrate the fattest of all holidays. We get up around 9ish and start cooking. The other Gillett sister, Lindsey, shows up at 1ish with her husband, Andy, and 5 month old puppy, Daphne. The meal followed. Pumpkin pies, turkey, butternut squash, "corn crap" (family dish), stuffing (NOT dressing, which was new to me, but still delicious), mashed and smashed potatoes, gravy, and deviled eggs. All washed down with a Milwaukee's Best Ice....good call, Jason. I was full. We spend the rest of the evening laughing, telling/listening to stories about all of the following: "getting up routines" when the Gillett siblings were in high school, Mike getting hit on by the "generously portioned", black lady at the 40, Scott and KG's Vegas happenings, Kenny vs. Spenny, and more. A good time was had by all.

Yesterday- We all got up and talked about how Sunday is Jason's favorite day because he does nothing but sit on the couch and watch football. That's.....it. He periodically makes some food, but always gravitates back to the couch. After a lunch of leftovers, we said goodbye to Amy, the eldest Gillett sister. She left for Kansas City at about noon. Then, we played a few rounds of Catchphrase, a game of Trivial Pursuit, ate some more leftovers, walked the dog at Bona Dea, and eventually said goodbye to Lindsay, Andy, and Daphne. The rest of the night evolved with Scott getting a bit buzzed, two games of Scrabble, more football for Jason, and "Thunderball". Scott and KG ended up sleeping in Alexis' bed. This provoked a heated but short argument. Lex was going to let me have my bed, and she was going to sleep on the couch. Those of you who know me understand where the conflict arose. It didn't take much convincing for me to put her to bed (in a non-J. Holiday sense) in my bed. I crashed on the couch. I win.

All in all, I had a pretty good Thanksgiving. It may not have been "traditional" or with my own family, but I enjoyed it. Plus, it got my mind off of school and kept me from thinking myself into a funk.

Holy crap...

Here's the deal: I decided that I was going to go out last night and drink my worries away. The problem arose when my worries compounded themselves after I got drunk. I have a bad habit of resorting to alcohol when I have things on my mind. Last night was no different. I started pretty normally with Bud Lights....then, a shot of Bacardi 151....then, in honor of my little brother, tequila shots. That's when things went downhill. By the end of the night, I was a blubbering mess sitting in our backyard. Ugh. When I got up this morning (read: afternoon), my head felt like there was a marching band inside of it. 6 ibuprofen later, the pain subsided. What's the plan for tonight? I am offering up my Designated Driving skills.

Cornucopia of Stress

During this wonderful holiday season, I find myself bogged down with schoolwork. I absolutely can't wait for Thanksgiving break. It couldn't come at a better time. Due to my family's latest struggles, my Dad tells me that he and Mom aren't doing anything to commemorate the First Thanksgiving. Understandably, neither one is "up to" cooking a big feast for close relatives. Since this is the case, I'm maxxing and relaxing in Russellville, Arkansas for the fattest of all holidays. Coincidentally, all four of my roommates are doing the same. Steven, originally from Mississippi, has to work on the day before and the day after, so he's not going home. As for the Gillett Unit, their sisters and parents are coming into town on Saturday to celebrate a few days late. Even though 6000 Arkansas Tech students will be travelling home on Tuesday evening, I know of 4 that will be staying riiiiiiight here. What will I be doing, you ask? I'll tell you....in the form of a neat, bulleted list:

• Cleaning the kitchen


• Cleaning the living room


• Cleaning the bathroom


• Cleaning my bedroom


• Drinking periodically

Getting back to normalcy

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all their support, finger crossing, and hugs. It's been a rough week for me, and you guys have helped me more than you'll ever know. Now, on to cheerier things to talk about...

I'm back in Russ Vegas, so I've had an academic reality check. I have to catch up on my schoolwork from the past week. Tests, lesson plans, policies and procedures manuals, and team handbooks. All of which are due between now and Tuesday. That translates into a weekend of work, work, and more work for Daddy. Don't worry, I've already told myself that one night this weekend, I will get fuckwaggled. With the week that I've had, I think I'm due.

Thursday Let-Down

I don't really have much to post about, but I'm going to, in hopes that Megan sees how easy it is. :)

It is currently 11:25 p.m, and I had originally planned to be hanging out with friends, drinking a few cold ones, and chillin' like a villain. Well, as it turns out, everyone is in a poopy mood and decided to stay in tonight. Boo.

Good news, though. I played a 3 on 3 intramural basketball game this evening and squeaked out a win. Final score: 66-34. Oops. Sorry, St. Leo's. Valiant effort though. Our next opponent? Some team that has no chance. Not that any of you care, but once we get to the tournament, there's only one team that can beat us. I'll keep you updated on our championship hopes.

Dragon Days

Monday came and went, but it took FOREVER. I swear. I thought yesterday lasted about 50 hours instead of the usual 24. With 2 lesson plans due, a test, and a 40 minute lesson to teach, I could not have been more ready for Monday to go away. It's time to cheer up, though. It's Tuesday. The only good thing that I can think about Tuesday is that it's not Monday....which is good enough for me.

Let's re-cap the weekend, shall we? Saturday I lounged around the house because that's how I roll. Saturday evening, however, I went to a friends house and watched the Razorback game. Little did I know, I was going to have beer and liquor handed to me. It ended up a long, blurry night. At the end of which, I fell asleep on a bean bag. Sunday morning came with a gift, a big, fat, angry headache. Ouchy. A nice breakfast of hash browns and ibuprofen did the trick. Instead of going home and hanging out with my wonderful roommates, I got invited to a mid-afternoon/evening/night cook-out at my buddy Aaron's house. You guessed it, free beers for all that attended. After I arrived home at 10 pm, my housemates were wondering where the hell I had been all weekend. Only THEN did I realize that I left Saturday afternoon and didn't make it home until late on Sunday. My bad roomies.

PS: The Thundercats made their 3 on 3 basketball debut last night. I know what you're asking...and yes, of course we won.

PPS: Blogger will not let me upload any photos again. GRRRRRRRRR.

Just a quickie

I don't have much time, so I'll make this post short and sweet:

The Gulf South Conference Volleyball Tournament kicks off this weekend in Beebe, Ar. My beloved Golden Suns have their first match at 5 pm on Friday evening. Since I'm their #1 fan, I will be attending. My original plan involved me getting dropped off in Conway on the way home, but things may be different. Miss Megan Haney tells me that she may or may not be making an appearance in the bustling burg of Conweezy this weekend. My attendance this weekend relies on two things:
1. Whether or not Big Meg comes down.
2. Whether or not the Golden Suns win on Friday.

Weekend Update...HA!

Hello, all. It's Friday afternoon, and I just got finished playing indoor volleyball. You guessed it: It's a good day for Mikey. As of Wednesday at 2 p.m, I was done with classes until Monday. How did I take advantage of my time? Catch up on homework? Too logical. Work out and do cardio to lose weight? Silly. I slept....and slept....and slept. I was great. I've been having a few late nights and early mornings due to school, and I felt like sleeping-in a few days. Sue me. Why, oh why were my classes cancelled? The Arkansas Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (ArkAHPERD) Convention kicked off on Thursday and lasts until Saturday. Therefore, all my professors are in Eureka Springs. HOORAY!

Word on the proverbial street is that there is a Haney Family (read: Haney Twin Sister) Reunion planned for November 9th, 10th, and 11th. I, myself, would like to attend. What it means is that I need to:

• Avoid drinking until then.
• Save up some cash-oline.
• Drop about 5-10 lbs.
• Try to keep from getting too excited on the days leading up to said visit.
• Fail and get too excited on the days leading up to said visit.