hmmm...

I want to say that from now on I will write something on this blog every day, but unfortunately, I realize that there is not much to write about... Lately, I feel that life has become one long routine - every day I wake up, go to class, then work, come home, eat dinner, shower, hang out for a bit/do homework, go to bed, wake up and do it all over again... This week is my spring break but instead of going to the beach, I am planning to spend most of it at the library writing my appellate brief and a paper. The only good thing that could come out of this would be if I actually manage to finish my brief and at least get a first draft of the paper done. Hopefully, then I will have a sense of accomplishment and will know that I did not completely waste my time. Also, this could mean much less work for the rest of the semester.

Anyways, enough about school and homework. I do have a couple of fun things planned after my finals are over, so it feels good to at least have something to look forward to :) First, I am going to Chicago with Mismo and his parents for a couple of days, and then Mismo and I are going to NYC. It should be a lot of fun. I've been to NY a few times, but while I was there last Christmas, I realized for the first time how much I love that city. It does make me tired and the crowds are overwhelming (especially around Christmas and New Year's!), and yet, the city is amazing - there is always something to do, a new place to go check out, it never gets boring!

Other than that, not much going on these days. I am just really looking forward to this summer - I think it is going to feel great to take a break from school, start my new job, and meet new people.

Finals...

Yes, it's that time of year again.... I have been living in the library for the last week and a half... the only good thing about this whole situation is that I am half-way done. I have a total of 4 exams and I already took 2. Next one is coming up tomorrow and then I get a nice "long" 4-day break until my last exam. On Dec. 17, at 1 p.m. I will be feeling very, very happy and relieved!

Anyways, I am just sitting in the corner of the library, trying to figure out how to tab my statute books so that when I am frantically looking for a specific section of the INA during the exam tomorrow, I don't draw blank and spend precious minutes and seconds looking for something really easy. Law school exams are anything but fun, but I gotta admit that it feels pretty darn good the moment you hit the "exit" button on the softest screen after you have been typing for 3 long hours (or 4, depending on the class)... I usually take a long, deep breath and the first thought in my head is: "1 less left!"

I guess this post does not have much content. I just wanted to complain a little and make you feel sorry for me. I hope I have managed to do that :)

Well, back to the INA now.... fun times....

The Importance of Laughter

Today after dinner as I was watching TV I realized something - I don't laugh when I am alone. I was watching a really funny episode of the Family Guy and even though I was laughing in my heart, I did not laugh out loud. But why? I really don't know. For some time I thought that there is something wrong with me, or maybe not. I really don't know. I've heard that laughter is good for you - it actually makes you healthier (Paul used to tell me that he read somewhere that when you laugh, every cell in your body feels "happy"). Anyways, I decided that from now on I am going to laugh when I see something funny, even if I am alone and there is nobody around to share my laughs with.

Today I talked to one of my friends whom I haven't seen in four years. She is in FL and missing the snow, while I am stuck in Minneapolis missing the sun. I offered her to switch places for a while, but I guess it's not going to work because right now both of us are busy with school and finals... Anyways, I guess there is at least one upside to crappy weather - I can focus on my studying better because I am not tempted to go outside...

I want to have a pygmy tarsier!!!!

I know I recently wrote about a Mexican walking fish that is really cute, but today I found another animal which I think is even cuter and I want it so bad! But the unfortunate thing is that I probably will never have it because, first, I don't know if you could actually have one as a pet (although they do look friendly in the pics), and second, they are almost extinct. In fact, for 80 years zoologists thought they were extinct, but as recently as August 2008, a group from one of the universities in TX went all the way to Indonesia to find out whether these animals are still around. And they found them! I think it's super exciting. I don't know what we can do to bring them back, i.e. to increase their numbers, but I do hope that somehow we will manage to save them. They really remind me of this Russian cartoon character Cheburashka. Apparently in the US they would compare it to Furby. I did not grow up in the US so I don't know Furby but I looked up the pics on Google and it does kinda look like the real thing.

Here is the pic of the Indonesian pygmy tarsier!

"Mikvarkhar"

In Georgian language we like to use a lot of words to say the simplest things. E.g. "welcome to the US" is "ketili ikos tkveni mobrdzaneba amerikashi." Long right? However, there is one short word that expresses a whole lot of things, and that word is "mikvarkhar" which means "I love you." I think it is funny that we, Georgians, who love to use a lot of words, have managed to put so much meaning, so much emotion into one simple word. I just realized that Georgians use "mikvarkhar" very, very rarely. In American culture it is very common to say "love you" or "love" when you talk to or write to your family and close friends. In Georgia, we almost never use "mikvarkhar" when we talk to our family and friends. We save it just for that ONE person.

Winter is finally here...

All right, it's time to face it - winter is here, and unfortunately, it is here for good... Say good-bye to those summer clothes until May... Well, I guess that depends on the person too because I have seen a few people wear flip-flops and shorts when its subzero outside (seeing them makes me cold). Anyways, the last couple of days have been anything but pleasant. I have been using the skyway to get from home to school and back, and I am anticipating that to be my daily commute from now on until God knows when. Also, my apartment feels really cold. We have been turning the heat up to 76 and it still feels like 60. I wake up in the morning and I don't want to get out of bed cuz it's freezing in my room :( But there is no other choice but to "(wo)man up" and leave the warm bed.

Anyways, the other day I woke up feeling really weird. My left arm was hurting pretty bad. So I got scared because I thought that I was getting a heart attack or something. Honestly, I thought I was going to die. I know it sounds stupid but I think my brain was still waking up so I was having all kinds of weird ideas. Anyways, I still got out of bed, got dressed, went to school etc. The pain lasted all day long. At the end of the day, I realized that I was not getting a heart attack. I totally forgot that the night before I had been at one of my friends' party and for some reason (please don't ask me to explain, cuz I myself have no idea how it all started) there was a competition at this party to see who could do most push-ups. Anyways, there was a separate competition for guys and girls, and girls' competition was not going so hot. I had to beat a high of 2 push-ups so I was pretty confident. I ended up doing 14 push-ups and that's what caused my pain in my left arm the following morning.

I think that's the most exciting story of the week so far. It's been pretty monotonous lately: school, work, home, school, work, home... And I don't expect it to get any better until Christmas.

New pet ideas

Due to a high popular demand (well, actually, just one person's demand), I am going to write about this new and awesome pet idea. If you are looking for a pet and you really want to have a new friend that is like no other friend you have had before, you should get an oxolotl. What a weird name right? It's also called a "Mexican walking fish" and as you may have guessed already, it's a fish with legs. But the coolest thing is that oxolotl has the best facial expression ever - he is always smiling!!!! I found him totally randomly on the Yahoo main page yesterday and after doing a little bit of research I concluded that oxolotls are one of the coolest pets one could have. It's a fish, and it walks, and it always has a smiley face - what else could one wish for? I'll put up some pictures for your enjoyment, but before you fall in love with this cute animal, you should be aware that they are a bit pricey. According to some outside research, you can get one for $45, plus shipping which could be around $100, and the aquarium which could cost a few hundred dollars depending on how much luxury you want for your new friend.

That's my ad for oxolotls. I personally believe that they are super-cute and I might get one someday... by the way, did I mention that they live in only one lake in Mexico City and they are considered to be endangered species? Yeah, it's kind of sad, but hopefully we will be able to preserve them.