(started) Tuesday, September 10, 1996

I’m sitting here in front an open word processing document at Natasha. I almost always open American Online if I want to write something, but there’s not much point to that this time. You’ll read this in another media, just as I’m composing it in something different than normal.

I was afraid I was dehydrating yesterday. I’d been drinking nothing but tea and coffee all weekend. Today I had a glass of water with my late lunch (leftovers at 3 pm), but my head is starting to be uncomfortable, so I poured myself the last of the sweet tea. Got to come off the stuff slowly.

I had a Josta for the first time yesterday. For the same reason my hand hurts today. I was running back into the house to get a pie I’d forgotten yesterday on my way to take my cat to the vet when something stung me on my right pinky. I yelled and then muttered something quite unladylike, but I didn’t have time to nurse my wound. Mom followed me to the vet and asked them if I could have an ice pack, an antihistamine, and some topical ointment, all of which they gave me gladly, as well as checking my cat (who is in my lap right now.) The antihistamine made me very sleepy a while later, so I bought a Josta from the snack shop. It’s that new soft drink with guarana or something from the jungle in it. It actually tasted pretty good, although it did turn my teeth red. I sipped it while working on my cardboard horse we’re assigned to make in sculpture class.

Then it was time for Medieval Literature. Allums passed out several handouts to read and gave us a couple of 20 minute breaks to read them. The class only meets once a week and goesfor almost three hours. I sat outside reading the first one because it was so cold in the classroom. When I came in, Stephen accosted me.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said.

“I’ve been reading Cicero,” I answered. He then tried to take away my fall break by saying he wanted me in his play (the one the theater department will do during the Pow Wow during fall break).

“It will be sort of vaudeville, requiring some ad lib,” he said, “Your name came up, and I immediately latched onto the idea.”

Only problem is that Denise and Steph have been planning this backpacking trip for us to take during fall break in northern Alabama. Although the backpacking for a week sort of dissolved into maybe driving up there for a couple of days and pitching a tent near the car. I came home and told Steph and Denise about my offer. Denise said, “Well, if you don’t go, I doubt Mark will go.”

To which Stephanie added, “If it’s just the three of us, then I don’t want to go because Denise and Nathan will kill each other, and I’ll have to come home alone.” I mentioned something about not really looking forward to spending a week in close quarters with Nathan anyway. The two times we’ve gone camping, he and I fought the whole time.

So I come home this afternoon and mom calls from the dentist office saying, “You know, you really hurt Stephanie’s feelings last night when you said you couldn’t stand being around Nathan…”

“I didn’t say that!”

“…and Denise is upset too. You discouraged both of them.” Great, I think. Everyone’s mad at me.

The cast list for the Wizard of Oz (the big show the theater dept. is doing this fall) was posted today, and I got a part. A buttload of people tried out too. I’m “Emerald City Denizen,” which, evidently, is a speaking role.

I’m now eating a piece of pear pie I made on Sunday night. I made four pear pies on Sunday, two of which got eaten that day by my family and all the other people who show up. The third I took to school and gave to the boys in Cuyahoga (the six guys who live in house 12A on campus: Mark,Andy Hedge (the guy who gave me my mouse Stalin), Eric, Andy Watson, Wyatt, and Jeremy. Jeremy and Watson are both freshman theater majors and accompanied Mark to “church” at our house Sunday. So it’s really their fault I got stung by a bee or wasp or something, I didn’t see what it was, and now have been keeping my hand above my head to try to stop the swelling. I was missing two knuckles yesterday; it’s gone down a good bit since then. Fortunately, I haven’t had to take too many notes. I did go run my hand under a water fountain during sculpting class because using my hands to cut and tape cardboard was really wearing on my pain comfort threshold.

I read several pages of Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus in God and Suffering class this morning. I had to alter between Oedipus and the chorus, most of it one line at a time, reading aloud for the whole class to hear when Dr. Mashburn told me to. I thought I did a fairly decent job. Why do I mention this? Well, who else would I mention it to?

I might have written something out by hand, but my sting is really bothering me. I played the piano yesterday without using my pinky, which made it fairly interesting. Odd how I can play the same thing using different fingers. I used to cheat all the time when I was supposed to be reading music. I’d use the fingering numbers instead. Now I hardly pay attention to what fingers I’m using. I just do whatever feels comfortable.

I ought to buy a pack of Camels and carry them around with me. Then if I get stung again, I can put some tobacco juice on it. The lady who sits next to me in one class suggested some meat tenderizer. I said I didn’t really like the idea of putting meat tenderizer on my flesh. Paul was trying hard to control his laughter.