twelve schmelve

alright, so maybe my re-entry into the blogosphere hasn't gone as intended. maybe i totally forget that this totally public online diary exists for periods of several weeks. and maybe i will blame that on the fact that i've got lots going on in my world right now. so to get back up to speed on the life of me, here's a short list of the ch-ch-changes since i last updated.
summer happened, which brought along a ridiculous heat wave that my body was not equipped to handle.
my mom paid an extended visit to Chicago to see her baby giiierrrrllll in July. we had a blast and did lots of touristy things, and i was reminded just how freakin' awesome that Susan lady is. she's a gem.
another awesome friend moved away from Chicago (and me) - Hailey Ballhands Gillen, you will be missed (but you will also be visited in WV, no doubt.)
i switched departments at work, which so far is a welcome change and hopefully will bring more excitement as the program year swings into full gear.
my computer died a sad and painful death, but out of misery rose Rob the MacBook Pro. who, let's just be honest, is the most badass laptop in the world. he's sleek and sexy, too. RIP Theodore.

that is by no means exhaustive, and doesn't really show how busy i've been lately, but you get the general idea. on a happy note, a coworker has become one of my closest friends over the past few months, and i am delighted to add her to the short list of people i really dig. Beth, and by extension her fiancé Tommy, are great additions to my circle and i'm so excited to have many more adventures with them over the coming months. i'm really pumped to get drunk and sappy at your zoo wedding reception next year and say things i might regret in the morning, guys. and that's a sign of true love.

now i'm off to spend a good chunk of the day studying for the GRE (while some distracting television plays in the background). i will tell you one thing about the GRE, it's not making me feel any better about my math abilities. i wasn't wrong all those years when i avoided math like the plague. i really don't possess a talent for the numbers. words are my game, y'all. good thing i won't have to take any math once this GRE ridiculousness is over and done with. wish me luck! countdown to test date: 41 days. (aka: time to hit the books!)

ttfn