i’m hacking and wheezing and laughing hysterically while on the phone with the sister. it’s been a long day of lectures, heart sounds, and a questionable heart exam from a professor.

tram bought me a hot dog for dinner, and kapil brought cold beverages! kapil and i hit until around 8ish… when we realized… we’re not young anymore. so, exhausted and dejected, we headed home for showers and studying.

i’ve been strangely fatigued this week. last night i fell asleep around 11, even though annie had come to visit and we usually stay up later to chat and/or watch sitcoms. i’ve been trying to make a habit out of going to bed earlier, but it’s still a struggle to get up in the morning (not to mention the fact that my clock radio can’t seem to pick up kroq anymore. how am i supposed to get up without kevin and bean?).

i began to zone out in class today, and i think i may have nodded of for a bit… and ended up needing a large iced cafe mocha to make it through the day [which, btw, got me all jittery but allowed me a good 2.5 hours of study time]. i wonder what it is- old age? hormonal shifts? nutritional deficiency? seasonal affective disorder? little elves slipping sedatives into my bottled water?

the good news is that i actually got to the courts twice this week despite my exam and my overwhelming urge to crawl under my desk and nap. yesterday’s match was played in debilitating heat against a guy who made me run around the court like a madwoman. i thought i might pass out at a few points during the match– but in the end i was fine and it turned out to be a nice workout. next time, though, i’ll have to remember to bring a bucket of ice water.

the redness, the blisters, the pain. all this can only mean one thing.

one of my feet is bigger than the other.

damn.

after the exam, after the mid-morning tennis, after the oh-so-riveting lecture on the joys of immunohistochemistry, and after the mad rush to buy groceries and clean the house, a few of the kids from the class came over for dinner, drinks, and sex in the city. we mixed pretty pink cosmopolitans (mmm…lime!) and ate thai food(thank you, susan!) and slices of brownie cheesecake topped with pink candies and pink candles (happy birthday, cat!).

i’ve finished my second week of school, aka the balancing act of my responsibilities, fun, and sleep. my first exam of the year is on monday– yikes. so far, i’ve managed to come to class on time (even early!), bring lunch most days, play tennis a couple times a week, study, read bits of my new book candy freak, water my plants, and watch the olympics. we’ll see how long i can keep this up.

and…after neglecting my photoblog for these two weeks, i’ve finally found the time to post 4 new vacation photos and i’ve built up a small backlog of shots to post later.

i came home early today to see my watermelon plant blooming! above, one of the pretty yellow flowers on my happy plant. it’s getting so big, it might be time to repot.

off to watch more olympic swimming!

my jujubes are ripening! woo hoo! i’m gonna have to keep an eye on them so i can pick them asap.

the basil is infested with little bugs. gotta spray with the homemade pesticide i’ve been brewing.

all the strange bugs are attracted to my lemon tree, but the wasp hasn’t been around for a couple days. whee!

it’s day 2 of the back-to-school-bonanza and so far, i’ve managed to get to the courts a little and study a little, and pack lunchy. we’ll see how long i can keep this up. my back is aching from sitting in lecture all day, and my neck is stiff and unhappy. the exercise hasn’t helped yet…perhaps i need a neck-specific stretching sport.

since i’ve been gone, bugs have invaded my plants. wormy wormy in my basil, wierdo-wasp in my tomatoes, and huge scary wasp [see photo] hanging out on my tree. apparently with a fat ol’ brown caterpiller. eew. there are a few other tiny flying things, but i’m not sure which are beneficial, and which are pests. unfortunately, wasps are supposed to be good for your garden– they eat the bad bugs. they also freak me out. i might need a high powered hose to water my plants without opening the screen door. ha!

i was really meaning to do laundry today… but my sore ankle/heel kept me lazy and wandering around the house. this morning, i went to the tennis club to hit with the ball machine, and ended up breaking my strings. pooh. it was the perfect opportunity to demo a new racquet, though. i tried a titanium yonex… it’s ok, but it doesn’t feel quite perfect. it might just need some getting used to, though. i’ll try it out again tomorrow. i did beat a poor high school freshman in a set today, 6-0. poor boy. his coach thanked me later for beating up on him. ha! i was about to leave the courts for a shower and some lunchy when another coach asked me to play a tiebreaker with his student, a high school girl. very fun! i tensed up and lost 4 points in a row [doh!] but i ended up winning 7-5. it’s nice to be loved, though. i don’t even have to ask for matches here! they ask me. ;)

too bad the summer is almost over. if anything, i’ll be hitting all by my lonesome at the crack of dawn. to buy: new balls, a basket, and some sportscreme. stupid foot.