I feel so, so much better. A night camping out under the stars in Joshua Tree was just what I needed to set things right again. Even better, it wasn't raining OR freezing! :) Only casualty was one of my fingers... dratted granite with sharp chunks of rock sticking out. Grrr. At least Katie remembered to bring a first aid kit.

On the up side, we had a lovely roaring fire going last night, even in the stiff gale-force winds that would whip up a rain of sparks and send 'em flying through the air towards the desert vegetation every couple minutes. Amazing that we didn't have a small brush fire on our hands. And the stars... every time I'm out of the LA limits, I'm in awe of how much I'm missing when I'm under the perpetual smog/cloud layer here at 'tech. It's unbelievable. AND we saw some meteors flaming out across the sky. AND my sleeping bag was warm and cozy - that's one of the few times that I haven't frozen all night on a camping trip. :) Hooray for my mummy sleeping bag rated to 30 degrees F. And thank you Niffer, for the amazing 'suidicidal sandy graham lemmings'! (We had problems keeping the opened bag o' graham crackers on the table in the high winds... they'd spontaneously throw themselves at the fire. A few actually made it; the rest just got sandy. Mmmm, sandy grahams.)

Now for a shower, then calling parents... but first, checking email...

-5 minutes later-

Dammit. Can't I be in this damned house for 10 minutes without another email controversy over house government?
How to tell a junior from a frosh: both are pretty happy in general, but the junior knows divided the house really is, and can see the splitting beginning even in the new class. It hurts. I don't like this. Why can't everyone be reasonable and level-headed? -sigh-

I want to leave for J-tree and not come back for a week now...
---
New, revised schedule:
Saturday
6- shower
6:30 - flick. a lot. :) Any brave hobbits up for LOTR Sauron expansion? You know we can win against Sam... all it takes is loads of luck.

Sunday
wake up at a decent hour - say 1 PM?
2 - go make transparencies for bi 80 presentation on monday, run through presentation once or twice
3-7 - 110 set
7- dinner
8- finish 110, study 122
sleep by midnight

Monday
10-wake, rehearse presentation
12- bi 80, give SURF presentation (again)
1-6 - study 122
6- dinner
7- take 122, done ~11
END OF MIDTERMS :)