Invasion of the Body Snatchers

It’s 5:27am and I’m laying in bed listening to something chirping elegantly outside my window somewhere, desperately attempting to raise his cheerfulness above the rumble of the freeway. Guess what happened last night: a thunderstorm! A veritable thunderstorm! Flashes of lightning, the whole bit... finally! Maybe we’ve finally hit the storm season!

Yesterday was “2L Appreciation Day,” which meant in the morning they gave out free bagels and coffee, and then in the evening had an ice cream social of sorts. The latter made me think of Florida, and how I panicked there and could have had a fantastic time but was too busy thinking about exams. I can’t believe the night when Dad and Ali went to the park without me, they got to sit in the front of the tram. The ONE night. I guess I was tired, because they said I was sound asleep when they got back to the room, so it was the right thing to sleep, but still... it felt like the moment we arrived, it was time to go home. We didn’t get to explore the Animal Kingdom or anything... and what really irks me is that next year I have to take the Professional Responsibility (ethics) exam in March, which is always held on a Saturday. I e-mailed a guy from the testing center and he said it will probably be the 8th or the 13th - they won’t decide until June or July. Spring break next year is the 13th to the 25th - if this exam screws up our Florida excursion, I’m going to flip (I cannot do the April thing again; it’s not fair to anyone else!!) I love just walking through my apartment and gazing at all my Disney stuff. I have this little statute of the Cinderella Castle that I just adore. I think my favorite part of Florida this year was discovering the different nations at EPCOT; in particular, the little train setup at Germany. It was so cool! But honestly, my favorite part about Florida, the scene I carry around in my head when I’m worrying about school or wishing I were at Disney World, is walking through the lobby of the Grand Floridian, or over to the gym, and back to “our” room, gazing at the grounds or over the Seven Seas lagoon or at the tram rustling overhead or some seagulls rustling past. I love that place. Before I die, if I ever have money, I would love to just go spend a week or two at Disney World and explore ever nook and cranny - all the different hotels, the little rides I’ve never been on, the seldom-frequented corners I’ve always blown past.... maybe walk around with a guidebook.

But all this is just a way to avoid thinking about exams. Everyone at school is walking around like zombies, with massive circles under their eyes and a generally overwhelmed look. Nice to know I’m not alone... it’s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Someone’s stolen our sanities.

I love thunderstorms.

A car just pulled up outside. At 5:50 am?

I can’t believe I only have three weeks left of school. My endlessly irritating Cyberlaw professor, who would otherwise be a really cool guy, scheduled ANOTHER makeup class tonight - a week before finals, and he’s still teaching us stuff and giving out big readings. Yesterday he handed out this packet of - no joke - about ninety pages of small text. The guy in the row in front of me turned and snarled, “This is BS. A week before finals and he’s handing out another textbook?! I’m not going to do the reading, but come on...” That’s the spirit. Stick to your guns, pal.