I have finally mastered the etch-a-sketch.

News has found its way to me today.
News that deserves nothing less than a good, hearty laugh.
And that's what it's received.

The world's all fair begun again this mornin', it has.
An' it's workin' an' hummin' an' scratchin' an' pipin' an' nest buildin' an' breathin' out scents,
till you've got to be out on it 'stead o' lyin' on your back.

I've been here for a month now.
Time has been going by so absurdly slow.
Particularly this week.
Up every day at 7am and in bed by 11:30.
Insomnia on top of it all. I don't know what it is! I crawl in bed, utterly exhausted from the day, yet I lay there for at least 2 or 3 hours every night focusing all of my intent on falling asleep. It's been this way for the past two weeks. I think that my body doesn't like my new schedule. My brain is at its peak performance at night.
I heard on the radio once that people who are awake all night and sleep all day for a considerable number of years are more prone to cancer. Specifically, people who work graveyard shifts every night. The Circadian Rhythm blows my mind!
I wish I had a list of what WON'T give me cancer. Anything?

I'm completely out of gas and money for the time-being, so I've decided to start riding my bike three miles to school everyday. I've been working on building up my stamina for it. I didn't realize how out of shape I was until I tried to ride for 20 minutes and died. Seriously. KAPUT.

Okay, so I'm going to school for FREE right now. Classes FREE. Books FREE. All because I sit on the computer for a couple hours each day, taking tests in order to get my high school diploma. I'm really proud of myself for actually turning around taking care of the shit I need to do. I'm in my second year of college and just now deciding that I don't want a GED. I'll have my diploma in no time and I'll still be in school for FREE!

Gary is a teacher at the college, so we see each other constantly.
All of the staff there know me as "Gary's little sister-in-law" and always go out of their way to talk and be friendly with me.
Gary tries to embarrass me every day in the cafeteria. It's okay though, because I just hit him up for lunch money.

Oh, I'm taking a graphic design class right now. For the past week we've just been taking Nikon D60s around campus, taking photos then editing them on Photoshop CS3. The class is great. I have never sat in front of a larger flat-screen monitor before. There are only about 7 of us in the class and we each get our own 17"(i think) drawing tablet at our computers. It doesn't even seem like a class, it's more like a place that we all hang out in front of computers, bullshitting with Mrs. Foxworthy.

Okay,
sleep.

-here are the photos that I wanted to show you:

At Red Robin with Cait before my departure.

La biblioteca -Home away from home.

Cara and I stranded at the Poncan Tribal Cemetery.


Cara's house

Auzzie. Not a willing subject for photos.

Our daytrip- some wheat and my reflection in a smudgy window.


That's all for now.

Before I forget, I should write the dream I had the other night.
In order to make sense of this dream, I should first explain something. When I went to Mom's house to claim my belongings before moving, she had torn my room apart, searching for anything to keep or hold against me. She found my pipe, several empty bottles of vodka and whiskey, condoms, you name it. She also broke into a locked metal box in which I keep random sentimental items and letters. Through all of her rummaging, she managed to steal every last photograph in my possession-from childhood to now. Also, Bob stole my laptop which contained every single digital picture I've taken since I was 14. Of all the shitty things lately, losing every one of my pictures was the shittiest. Anyway, I'm not surprised to have had this dream:

I went back to Mom's house for all of my pictures. Went down to the basement while Mom was gone and rummaged through her file cabinet that contained all of the photos. I sat at a table for hours, looking through the pictures and hoping Mom wouldn't come home and catch me. A lot of the pictures were missing. One in particular was my first priority to find. A black and white of me, about 4, looking ridiculous on a silly looking pony. ((I didn't know this photo existed until a few days before I was kicked out. I found it in the file cabinet where I had discovered my Mom actually had been stashing photos from my childhood that she found in my room from time to time. She thought I had stolen all of my childhood photos from her, because I would find them laying in piles of random shit around the house, unprotected, then I'd put them in albums in my room. Run-on sentence extravaganza!)) So anyway, Aunt Pam shows up, so I tell her what I'm up to. She sits down and helps me. Mom comes down and sees us sitting there with pictures all over the table, but doesn't realize where they had come from. She disregards us and starts teaching a seminar or something in the same room. Suddenly there is a somewhat large group of people standing in my basement. Pam and I continue our work while keeping an eye on my Mom to make sure she doesn't catch on.

Next thing I know, Courtney and I are driving to Taos, New Mexico. Cara and Gary are following us in their car. We end up at a stoplight and I turned left. Suddenly, I couldn't see them in my rear view mirror. I slowed down in hopes that they would catch up. They never did. I thought I knew my way to where I was going. I looked ahead and saw two mountains. One of which was the right direction. I chose the wrong one. We drove up the mountain and ended up at a high school. We tried calling them. No luck. We were forced to attend high school until we could reach them. The school was strange, with curvy halls, no sharp turns, Halloween colors, streamers hanging from the ceiling. Everything was more rounded than normal. It seemed as though the lockers bulged in the middle, creating another dimension to the hallways as you looked down them. Courtney and I waited in class. I held my phone, hoping for a call. I'm not sure how long we were there, but it seemed like eternity, waiting for that call. Courtney didn't say much of anything the entire time. I felt awful for making her go through that with me. Finally Cara called and said that they were going to Taos without us. They would call on the way back.

I started school Friday.
Strangely, I'm enjoying it.
Last night, Cara told me that she's willing to do whatever it takes to acquire the funds for me to go to a real* college. There was much cringing and disbelief during our discussion of my parents' selfishness and irresponsibility leading to my not being eligible for any form of financial aid. Anyway, I feel happy.

Yesterday was great.
Cara, Gary and I had nothing to do, which led to us driving around the countryside until we came upon a winery. We stopped in and sampled as many wines as we could get away with. We left with 3 bottles and some amazing jalepeno jelly. Onward we went. We then ended up at a homemade candy shoppe which actually turns out to be the birthplace of the O'Henry bar. Ha. We bought some candy and hit the road. Our next stop was Wichita, Kansas (About 100 miles from Ponca). There, we hit up an AMAZING Cajun restaurant. The stars were unbelievable on the way home.

Reason for this post?
Pure nostalgic satisfaction.
And in case this video goes missing.
Wish it was a better song.

Last night I had a dream that I was superhero. I believe I was superwoman, but I didn't look any different than I do now. Oh but I did have long blond hair. Strange. Anyway, I flew around everywhere but didn't save anyone, that I can recall. My dream was incredibly colorful and comic book-like. I remember that I was teamed up with someone else and we were fighting against some kind of giant animal. That part is foggy, but the specific creature is insignificant. So we were flying all around some huge city, trying to defeat this animal. We end up on a high floor of some building and I remember feeling terrified that at any moment this creature could just reach right into the building and pull me out. Well it didn't, and I went into the bathroom and pulled my long blond hair into a ponytail. I think I then flew to the the outskirts of the city into someone's yard, maybe. I could see the cityscape behind me but I was hovering above a peaceful yard. I think I was just looking around from my view about 30 feet in the air. I didn't feel like a superhero anymore though, but more like a pixie. My presence was softer as well as my appearance. There was a group of maybe five men standing below me. They were very nice and spoke to me as I was hovering above them. I can't remember what they asked me but as I continued talking to them, I would find myself lowering to the ground so I would have to flap my arms to maintain height.  They may have asked me how I was doing that.  Well I eventually flew away and ended up at a party with many familiar faces. I flew around the party when I wasn't sitting and I was joyful as ever. Courtney Wiles showed up to the party and for some odd reason I flew right up to her and before she could even look at me I gave her a huge kiss on the cheek and yelled some sort of greeting/"how have you been?" I shocked her with my new skill of flying and she was completely surprised to see me. The entire time I was at the party, it was more difficult than usual to fly. When I had been in the outskirts of the city where it was peaceful, it was a simple, thoughtless motion. At the party, it was more of swimming in the air. I had to flap my arms and focus my attention on where I was going.  At one point, I looked around the room and almost everyone had left. The rest of that part is foggy.
The next thing I can remember is Liz and I riding in a car together. Liz was driving through a neighborhood and was nearly hitting every parked car in the street. I realized that she kept dozing off and I screamed for her to wake up. She told me to drive so I somehow took control from the passenger seat. We ended up at some house, without the car, talking to two young boys and smoking cigarettes with them. we suddenly had a bicycle and I was trying to plan how I would ride down a dangerous, rocky path with Liz on the back of my bike. I was looking at the path and contemplating it for a while. Finally one of the boys asked me why I didn't just carry the bike and walk down to the bottom of the obstacle and then ride off safely. It was because Liz wasn't capable of getting herself down, so I had to help her. I felt burdened and pressured. Then I woke up.

I think I have Restless Legs Syndrome. 

Today I bought some Yogi Clarity tea.  I drank two cups this morning and my mind has never been so clear and active. I was so ambitious all day and I just didn't know what to do with myself. I did some reading, then explored the two bookstores here in town. I was feeling so damn ambitious that I wrote down pages and pages from books that I couldn't afford to buy. The Hidden Truth Behind Your Name was one of them. As absurd as it seems to compare your name to your personality, I really couldn't believe what I was reading about myself in that book. The book is all about Nomanology. Maybe I'm just gullible, but that book really stirred me up.

Still no resolution to the school dilemma. Hopefully I'll get some word of progress tomorrow.

I was planning on working at Hastings Books but I've decided to go with the competitor, Brace Books.
Hastings has a much wider selection of books and also includes CDs and movies. But it's so damn trashy and they played Maroon 5 all day today. Brace is a cute little bookstore with a coffee bar, shelves of natural remedy products, novelty items and cookware. It smells like sweet spices throughout the store and they play relaxing jazz music all day.  I think I'll go with Brace.  If it doesn't work out there, I could always go work at the diner and serve hicks, cowboys, and old bible-thumpers all day.  :]

Last night was fantastic. Cara and I finally got some groceries so we can stop eating out 3 times a day.
 Gary was out of town for several days so we had the house to ourselves. We made the most amazing chicken fajitas and sipped on raspberry wine while talking and laughing on the living room floor. I've never been so close to my sister. There is such a large age gap between us that, until now we could never really talk and hangout without her feeling like she was babysitting. Our conversations are no longer censored so we can really get each other laughing.

Today, Cara had to work so I sat around reading, planning, organizing, and eating. I found Alice in Wonderland laying around and decided to read it again. Along with Alice in Wonderland, I've been reading The Oddities of Oklahoma. It explains in full detail the strange parts of Oklahoma's history and odd places to visit. It's fascinating.

I'm hoping to turn in my application to the bookstore tomorrow.
Still haven't registered for classes yet due to confusion with my transcripts.
Cara and I have gone to Sonic every single day for Happy Hour since I arrived. Half-price drinks!
I want to learn how to make sweet onion soup!

Oh and Cara owns The Secret Language of Birthdays book so I was flipping through it today. I looked at September 28 and the title was "The day of the heartbreakers".  (Jake). I just thought it was funny. Basically, September 28th people are no more good-looking than the rest of us but are masters of seduction and basically all aspects of love and relationships. They hold their partner up at goddess status but eventually get bored, no matter who they are with. This is because they live for challenges and if they are stable and happy for too long, they feel the need to take on the next challenge. 

That's not all, but it's late and I'm sweepy.

Yep, Cara and I were just moving along through the Poncan tribal cemetary, (AKA creepy Indian burial grounds) as I spotted a tombstone with the name "Annie B. Littlehoe" when I erupted with laughter and we hear a loud POP! Cara's truck begins smoking and we both jump out to find that the radiator has blown and coolant is pouring everywhere.
I suppose that's what I get.
But seriously, we were in the middle of nowhere.  It took us a while to find cell service. We joked about the resemblance to a really bad horror movie and our luck that it wasn't dark out yet. We eventually got a hold of AAA and they came and saved us.
AAA has saved me twice this week. Thank you very much.

Moving moving moving moving along.
I think I'll go register for school now.
Oh, and apply at the bookstore. :]

Things sure are peaceful here in Oklahoma. Aside from the occasional "OMG you'll never believe what Brett and Liz are doing now!" 
Whatever. They deserve each other.
Cara's house is gorgeous. Finally got all my shit in place in my room. What a cozy little room she is too.
Cara and I spend our days lounging around, drawing, coloring, cooking, making sock puppets and whatnot.
Though this won't last forever because she has to go back to teaching soon. And I will have to go to school. Nothing will change for Cara though, really. She will just be creating things all day with 5th graders instead of me. Lucky. I think it's adorable that Cara was the person to teach me how to draw, color, paint, and be creative altogether when we were youngsters, and now she's an art teacher.
I've been doing a little exploring around town. I'll elaborate on that later.
I registered my car in Oklahoma a couple days ago. I was honored to receive new plates by the name of DMP-365. Thanks, Oklahoma DMV.
Cara told me about the authentic Poncan powwow coming up! A real powwow you say? YES! I do plan to attend.
Oh oh oh! And Cara's great uncle Byron Berline is hosting a HUGE bluegrass festival soon. I'm there!
I may get to go home and see Cait for my birthday! O what a birthday it will be!
I'm feeling rather happy, finally.
We'll see what happens next.
G'night

Yes, I know, Boo hoo hoo. It's only temporary.