Just one more…

Lab final was tonight. I’m not sure how I did…I didn’t leave feeling too terrible, although I know I really choked on the maps portion. I know, maps seem easy, right? Well. Not when you have to write up a geologic history of a region based on the map you’re handed. Or identify and give the T & R coordinates for twenty different glacial formations on a topographic map. Dear lord. I thought my eyes were going to cross at one point.

I spanked the monkey on the rocks portion though. Cut me open, I bleed magma. It’s the only explanation for why the rock identification comes so easily to me. I even remember the order in which the samples were given to us tonight…hornfels, k feldspar amphibole gneiss, k feldspar biotite gneiss, muscovite mica schist, biotite mica schist, amphibolite, quartzite, shale, shale, dolomitic marble, marble, marble, serpentinite, phyllite — GAH! It’s in my brain! I have to stop before I fill the entire page…I mean, we haven’t even gotten to the sedimentary rocks yet. I need a life.

I was sweating all day trying to get my labwork shaped up. I turned it in, still incomplete and shabby…and then our dear wonderful professor told us we could just mail it to him in time for him to grade them on Monday. I almost cried, I was so happy. I’m sending him my labwork AND a box of chocolates. Just for kicking THAT MUCH ASS.

It was so sweet…as I was dropping my test off at the front of the class, Marlon (the professor who insists we call him by his first name) was like “So, you’re thinking of becoming a geology major.” And I was like “Well, yeah, the thought had crossed my mind.” And he got all excited and started telling me about some of the fun things they do up at Sac State for geology majors. He said “You like to camp?” and I’m like “Dude. I was conceived while camping.” He says they go on a lot of field research trips, which sounds so snazzy to me. I am such a hands-on person, which is why I enjoy lab classes. I’m wonderful at taking notes and watching videos and slides and stuff…but things truly stick when I get to touch and feel and smell and taste and take pictures and blog about it…my cup o’ tea.

So. Who knows? Geology isn’t a major one can have with a full-time day job. So…if I’m serious (and it’s the next best thing to forestry), I have a lot of thinking to do. Hm.

In other news…I really like Kevin’s new girlfriend. Not that I didn’t like his old girlfriend. Katy is a real sweetheart and when her and Kevin were together, it rocked. But there’s a whole different dynamic with Kevin and his new girlfriend Morgan, and it’s quite nice to see actually. It’s bringing out a whole other side of Kevin that is really cool to watch, and I think it suits him more being in college now.

Of course, I don’t know Morgan too well, so I don’t know what to get her for Christmas. I think I’m just going to make her a bracelet and some earrings and candles. Kevin says she’d dig all that, and her fave color is purple. A girl after my own heart.

It is rather weird still, though, to not have Katy around all the time. It’s been four months and it still feels foreign to me. But I think it’s that whole familiarity thing. You’re comfortable with what’s familiar. Last year Katy joined us for Christmas morning. It’s going to be weird going back to just the five of us this year…

I have to do Christmas cards. Can you believe it? I am sitting down and doing them on Friday after my geology lecture final. I need to get them in the mail. I feel like a whore for collecting all these cards that come in, but not send any out. I wish I could like send out a pre-card postcard saying “Hey! Sorry for the delay! Finals, you know.”

OK. Bedtime for Manda. It’s late and my brain needs to rest. I get to go to a holiday luncheon tomorrow with my coworkers. Should be a hoot. I’m going to probably have one beer and a steak and pass out cold on the floor. The weekend never looked so good…