Home for the Holidays

The semester wrapped up nicely, it looks like I'm still in the running to graduate in May- which was questionable for a while.
Like I said before, I finished what I came to do, but it took a lot of hard work on my part. Not really something I'm afraid of.
One semester left. Getting nervous. Not sure if I'm ready for this whole "real world" thing. Seems like a lot of responsibility that I don't want. Suddenly, I realize why I wanted to go to grad school. Postpone the hard life.
I paid my second cell phone bill yesterday. Not sure why that is a milestone for me, but it is. I guess with each new bill I have to pay I feel a little bit more independent from my parents, feel less like their kid and more like a real person in the world.
I put myself in charge of Christmas Eve hors d'oeuvres. A lot more challenging than in past years when we would just sit around and eat cookies, since we will not be having Christmas cookies this year. I might be a rebel and bake something anyway, despite my parents wishes. As long as Fred eats them all, they'll be fine. I'm thinking on the docket will be chicken quesadillas, spinach and artichoke dip, a cheese ball, and ham roll ups. Possibly roasted mixed nuts and veggies and dip too, we'll see what I have time and budget for. I dunno, it just doesn't seem like Christmas without cookies. We'll see.
Parents got a snowmobile recently. I got to ride it, and got it stuck within five minutes. Go me. Fortunately, they're not that heavy, and I was able to push it back onto the road. Those things are FAST! I got up to about 35-40 mph before needing to slow down because the snow was hitting my face so hard that it was starting to get cold and painful. I feel like I can finally be accepted as a northern Minnesotan once I go ice fishing. Which might happen over this break- it would have happened yesterday, but the ice is really crappy on the lake by my house.
There is a Caribou coffee in Hibbing, only two years old. I thought that Hibbing was trying to appeal to the younger crowds and finally provide us with something to do besides loiter in Wal Mart, and that it would never be accepted completely by the city- it would forever remain Hibbing's attempt at metro culture. Yesterday evening, while I was waiting for an old friend, sitting across from me at a table were four old men, wearing carhart jackets, drinking coffee and talking about fishing, as if this were a Sunday afternoon at Sportsman's. I realized then, that it's not that Hibbing needed to adopt Caribou, but that Caribou needed to adopt Hibbing. It made me smile, as this is probably not something I would never see in Minneapolis.

Splendid Evening

Wicked. was. amazing.
I went out on a 'girl date' with my roommate. We'd been planning on seeing the Broadway production of "Wicked" since this summer, and we got tickets for tonight a few months ago. I've read the book, and was constantly bowled with "how awesome" it is, so needless to say I was really excited to go. It was all that it was talked up to be, and then some.
I absolutely love how it deviated from the book (which was good, but only mediocre in comparison to the musical), especially the way the end was changed for the musical. I definitely like the production's version better, but I've always been a sucker for happy endings.
Prior to the show, we went to McCormick and Schmick's- which was also incredible. Definitely good for the price (about $40/plate + wine). The dessert looked better than tasted, or maybe I was just too full (your waiter brings a tray of all the desserts so you see what they look like- definitely a marketing scheme because they all look fabulously tasty).
Honestly, the only downfall to the night is the fact that it was so cold outside that we ran (hopped) from place to place to stay warm- which gets dangerous in slippery conditions.
le sigh, I hope that I make a point to see more shows while living here. And I hope to one day see one on Broadway.

End of Semester

I feel a little frustrated with myself right now. The semester is (basically) done, and I feel like I have nothing and everything to celebrate. I finally get to sleep, and have little to no work left for the rest of the semester. I have a job that I can't celebrate having because it pisses people off that I have a job, and I'm caught in an emotional turmoil that I'm angry at myself that I cannot overcome. I also really really want to play video games.
It started a while ago when I was playing "Overlord" on my friend's XBox. It was amazing, and made me remember how much I loved playing video games in high school (for those of you who didn't know me then, it was a lot more often than you probably think). Lately it's been something I do when I'm bored (rarely) and not actually something I look forward to anymore. I think I finally figured out why.
This morning I asked one of my friends if I would like Left 4 Dead. Instead of, "yeah" or "no" (the obvious answers) I got a disdainful look and a remark about how my PC probably couldn't play it (by the way, it can- it's not THAT old... yeesh.). It's not just this particular person in general, but it pretty much characterizes how most of my college friends feel about me playing video games. "oh look, Beth is trying to fit in again, how cute."
...
I don't think they realize how much it frustrates/angers/saddens me to the point where if I were to get something that I would play regularly, I don't feel comfortable telling any of them about it. So what, I'm not obsessed. Never was. But last time I checked, that doesn't mean I can't play at all.
And it just so happens that killing zombies may be up my alley. How would I know? I've never tried. I'm too self-conscious to do so.
I feel like if I get this game, I'm going to look like a poser trying to fit in with my friends that play video games (so... about 2/3 of them). But why should I not, if it's something I genuinely want to try? Not telling them would be the best option for me, however impossible given my circumstances.