Well, I'm all settled into my new house in Eau Claire. Moving day was stressful, but at least it's all over and done with. My room is very long, has six windows, and has only ONE three-prong outlet for the room. The bathroom and kitchen are pretty nice, and we finally got cable and internet installed this past Monday. (Charter ended up cancelling our initial order). Even with 5 of the 6 girls living in the house this summer, it's pretty quiet. Everyone's off working, shopping, or with their boyfriends, so living there is definitely not as loud as I thought it would be. My only complaint is that nobody (except for me and Jessica) does their dishes...so I'm often stuck washing them all just so the kitchen doesn't look so hideously gross. That's going to get old FAST. *grumble*

Work-wise, it's been tough. I've been working my two jobs at the library, totaling about 20 hours per week, and I just started at Pick n' Save yesterday as a bagger. I was originally a bakery clerk, but after my first day, they said that my availability didn't work with their schedule, so they made me a bagger/cashier. It's all right, I guess. They barely give me any hours, though, so I made an appointment to give plasma as a way to help me buy food. Bank account's already running low, and I'm really afraid that I'm not going to be able to save enough rent for the school year. But I'll make it somehow. Yesterday I made the best cranberry muffins in the world, and I'm hoping that I can keep finding cheap, good recipes to make for myself. Right now I've been living off of the same baked pasta dish for 3 days.

That's all I know for now.

Spring break was a week ago already, which is hard to believe. This year, I went to the Mall of America and the Minnesota Zoo with Daniel, Jessica, and Nick, and the whole experience was busy, rushed, but great. I discovered a cool store called Ragstock at the mall, which sells both new and "recycled" clothing. Got a purple shirt from there, as well as some headbands. Didn't really buy much else, except for a bag of spiced chai. Daniel bought all kinds of useful cooking supplies at the Le Gourmet Chef store. I unfortunately didn't get much time to look at the zoo, but it was fun while it lasted. Pictures are on facebook.

I can hardly believe it's April 1st. TWO MONTHS from now, I'll be moving into my house in Eau Claire!! This Thursday, I went to tour it again with Jessica, who will hopefully be our sixth roommate. I liked the house even better the second time. My room has at least three windows, and ample closet space. For my bed, I'm pretty certain that I'm going to buy a futon, the same kind Heather bought for our room with the 8'' cushion, and just sleep on that. It'll be easier to transport than a regular bed and will be just as comfortable. Plus, I can have the versatility of having a couch whenever I need it. I'll probably get random furniture like a bureau and maybe a desk at yard sales.

So far, my job situation is looking a little desperate. I need 35-40 hours a week in order to pay rent, eat, and be able to save for the school year, when I won't be able to work as much. The library can only offer me about 20 hours right now, so I need to find another job to supplement that. The off campus jobs are looking a bit sparse, especially because I don't have any transportation, but I hope I can get something. At the very least, I can give plasma twice a week and make $50, but that won't be enough. Hmm. It's going to be an interesting summer.

Life is fine, but next week looks busy. An astronomy exam on Monday, an English paper and a take-home exam in American Indian studies on Thursday. Plus, I still have to finish my portion of the beading project we're doing for the class. I love doing the beadwork-it makes me feel creative-it's just a busy time.