Catching up

I have neglected my blog lately, which isn't good because once I put something off I forget about it entirely and I want to get in the habit of writing stuff down regularly.

Since my birthday, the date of the last post, I still have not finished my college shopping. I went out today and got a bunch of it done, but I still need to get my books, a bookshelf, a pillow, some storage bins, a hamper, and all those fun school/office supplies from Staples. For my birthday my parents gave me a stage stand for my keyboard, which is really nice, now that I don't have to play the keyboard on my dresser or bed. My amazing sister Heather gave me some "fun accessories for my swanky pad" and they are quite swanky indeed! She went way over the top with her generosity, and I just love her so much for it too. But her gifts also have a very practical side as well, which is excellent; she knows from experience what a college student should have in times of need. My wonderful brother wasn't sure what to give me so he gave me the universal gift of money, which always comes in handy as well!

Shortly after my birthday, we ordered my laptop. I had built a Dell Inspiron online and I thought I had worked at it very conservatively but it was still way too expensive. So i went on eBay and did some searching around and found a brand new Gateway MT-somethingorother laptop for like $350 less than retail value. We took the risk and ordered it. Thankfully the seller was an honest man and the laptop really was in brand-spanking-new condition. It works like a dream. It has a nice, big widescreen, which is excellent so I can play DVD's on there (and now I don't have to get a TV!). The keyboard is a nice size too, so I can type easily on it compared to some other laptops I've used which make it difficult to type with such miniscule keyboards. I absolutely love Windows Vista, I think there are some really fantastic upgrades from XP. I was hesitant to get Vista because I have heard so many negative comments about it, specifically concerning annoying pop-ups, but I have not run across any of these yet. And it runs so quickly, too! It has a nice selection of games. Mom has been playing Ink Ball, and she gets really into it, freaking out when a ball goes too close to a hole of a different color and starts swearing really fervently at the computer, haha. Also, I love the selection of "Sample music" that it includes with Windows Media Player. They usually include a few songs from little-known artists from around the world or songs that have long sicne entered public domain so that users can test out the sound quality before playing their own music. But the songs they included are really quite nice, I love the world-beat, easy listening sort of melodies they have included, and it really goes nicely in the background while I'm playing mahjong.

I move on Friday, which seems both so close yet far away. On the one hand, I'm really excited to go. On the other, I still have much work to do. I have to clean out my room, wash the clothes I'm taking to Hiram, finish my shopping, and pack everything up. I have packed a few things so far, such as all my toiletries, laundry, and first-aid stuff, as well as all of the stuff Heather sent to me. I'm going to go through my books tonight to pick out which ones I'm going to take and which I'm leaving behind.

Today I also got new glasses. The prescription is a little stronger this time. I went with slightly thicker frames in black, and I think they look nice.

Today I also talked over Skype with Elke, my German pen-friend. It was really fun, but I have noticed that my German speaking has slipped considerably this summer! A little bit ago I also talked with Wenhao over the phone at work. He seems really nice and sounds excited to be coming to Hiram. I had some difficulty understanding him over the phone, but speaking with him face-to-face should be much easier.