Escape from the sunshine.

It's really nice to be back.
I missed flinging my badly articulated thoughts into the Internet's binary void, available to anyone unlucky enough to stumble across my ramblings. I like writing to nobody and everybody, and it was difficult to go a whole week without the opportunity to cyber-muse.

Currently, I'm peeling the sun-scorched skin from my left shoulder while looking out the window at the swirling snow. It's a strange feeling, to say the least.

This is what I did over my family vacation:
--burned my extremities' outermost epithelia off under the sun (2% of the time, which killed the other 98%)
--watched ANTM (addictive!)
--watched Colbert (♥)
--watched a weird seahorse show circa 3 AM (I didn't know whether to cry about their imminent extinction or exorcise the freak who was singlehandedly trying to save them)
--slept (90% of the time)
--went running after feeling bad about being so lazy; realized I didn't have shoes but went anyway, resulting in blisters the size of beach balls that sent me back to my bed with the TV remote

It was fun.

AND GUESS WHAT?

I won first place in a writing contest! Yep, $100 from BYU's English Department is now mine. I'm hoping this is a sign of bigger and better things to come. :-) I'll either put the money in my personal college fund (which I should do) or splurge on Death Cab/Tegan and Sara tickets.
I was thrilled when I got the letter, but my parents don't seem to care much. I can't wait until I can get back to school so I can tell someone who will think it matters, like my English teacher.
Also, I got the sample prints from my senior pictures back. I really like a few of them, and I can't wait to get them printed so I can send out my graduation announcements!
I can't tell whether I'm happy or sad about this. I'm looking forward to this summer (HOSA Nationals, Hebgen, Late Summer Honors, etc.), but I'm going to be seriously depressed when it hits me that I won't see nearly any of the school friends I know and love ever again. As in, EVER again. For the rest of my LIFE.
Ouch.