That's the last time I listen to popular opinion

My Tuesdays and Thursdays are pretty treacherous. They're not very scholastically demanding (I have two classes today, as opposed to three on Mondays and Wednesdays), but the killer is the break between the two classes. I get out of my first one at 11 a.m. and don't go to my next one until FOUR. The studious, industrious part of me that exists more in theory than reality thinks this will be an excellent time to get ahead on the big, demanding project that is my senior project and which I will have to present next month.

So naturally, I took Manfriend to breakfast instead. I was really excited. We went to Morning Glory in downtown Ashland, and neither of us had ever been there before. I have consistently heard they serve the best breakfast in this touristy town that prides itself on its awesome food choices. And as I'd skipped my normal breakfast of branny-raisiny goodness (or not-so-good-ness) knowing I'd be going to Morning Glory, I was fully prepared to eat more than my stomach should contain. I ordered the special--chicken-fried steak and eggs (hearkening to my somewhat Southern roots). Manfriend got biscuits and country gravy.

The portions were huge and everything looked great. That's where the greatness stopped. The steak was 1) not chicken-fried, but Progresso bread-crumb-fried, 2) not pounded flat at all, but really thick, and 3) horribly overcooked. And then there was the gravy. It was sausage gravy. Mistake numero uno (or really, 4 at this point). Who puts sausage gravy on chicken-fried steak? That's a big Southern culinary faux pas. Plus, the gravy was so full of onions that I couldn't even taste the sausage. The hash browns and eggs were cooked to my specifications, but had no flavor. The best thing on my plate were the orange slices. But I suppose I can't give the restaurant credit for that unless they also manage an orange orchard in the backyard (they don't). Manfriend said his coffee and water were good. That's all he felt he had to offer to this review.

I wistfully pointed out as we were leaving that the guy sitting at the counter was eating pancakes with fresh strawberries, and they looked tasty, but as Manfriend pointed out, it's pretty hard to screw that up.

Now it's been two hours since we left and I feel like this lump of nasty, tasteless mass (save for the onions) is steeping in the pit of my stomach, waiting to either make me incontinent or transform me into a shapeless blob seeking out the destruction of all that is pure and natural. I suppose you won't know what happens either way, because while I lack the decency to refrain from mentioning future...illnesses, I still maintain the dignity of not broadcasting their actual occurrences. And if I turn into a hell-bent veggie-hating blob, I probably won't be able to type anymore.

I'm supposed to be doing homework but I'd rather be doing something else that in no way benefits my attaining a degree. Boom.

I'm kind of freaking out. Just a little bit.

You see, I graduate in less than two months now. And then I get married six days later. Both things have been a long time coming (the marriage not so much--we've been together for a little over two years and engaged since July), but what is causing ein Bisschen anxiety is that I'm taking care of two major aspects in the entrance to the next stage of my life in one fell swoop. A college graduate and a wife. Not that I won't rock at both. Because I will. But I'm also a tad crazy so that can either help or be detrimental. Don't worry--he knows what he's getting into.

The idea of graduate school is...daunting. I wish time and again that I'd finished school on time, but no one can predict what life will bring them (joining the Marines, leaving the Marines, moving to help mom with brothers while mom's husband was in Iraq for...three tours?). I'm not making excuses--I had legitimate life events that prevented me from finishing school when I would have liked to. I've also not stopped working for more than a few weeks at a time since I was 17...so almost nine years now. Life gets in the way, you know?

So now that I should be doing either German homework or preparing for my midterms or working on my Capstone project, I'd rather be blogging and legitimizing my existence internet-ionally (I just coined that. Copyrighted as of now by me.). My upcoming Schule-freiheit is also spinning the creative cogs of my brain. There are so many things I want to do now that I'll be out of school. How about a list to keep me on track, eh?

• Re-finish and re-upholster the oak rocker I got at an estate sale in Cross Plains for $20 (bundled with an old quilt that needs repairs, a copper-coated aluminum cake carrier with a wooden handle, and an original View-Master [which is sadly no longer in my possession]).
• I'm actually glad I waited so long on this, because my tastes in wood-finish and fabrics has matured some in the past three years.
• Make a t-shirt quilt.
• Cheesy, I know, but a quick, fun project that will be peppered with memories and promises of future coziness.
• Paint a wickedly awesome painting for the living room a la Van Gogh.
• I can do this sh**.
• Finish the Christmas quilt I started four years ago. It only needs to be quilted and edged.
• Finish the embroidered Christmas stockings I started for myself and future DH.
• Plant and keep basil alive and protected from earwigs. 
• I love basil. I could eat it like lettuce. Plus purple basil looks awesome.
• Learn how to make a fondant-decorated cake.
• I have a feeling I'm going to be watching a lot of "Cake Boss" this summer.

Look at that. I have a good list, and now I'm hungry. And then I have class. And then I am off to Central Point to help the lovely Stefanie pack for her trip to visit her family. I'm actually really excited about this, because we're ordering pizza with what we want on it, not catering to silly men and their desire for only pepperoni. I've been promised tomatoes, olives, and artichoke. Do you know how long it's been since I've had artichoke on my pizza? Probably not since my mom and I lived in Texas, which was 4 years ago.

Hopefully I'll be on here again before I graduate!