"Glueck im Unglueck"

Howdy Speakers of the German Language,

since there is no translation of this proverb that I am aware of, I had to put it up in German. Apologies to everybody who does not know what to do with it. Here is the explanation: As you can see in the pictures, somebody smashed in my window on the driver's side of my truck. That cost me $ 200 to repair, using a used window already. Luckily, though, nothing was stolen out of my truck, even though I had my rollerblades, a book-sack full of riding clothes, and a radio in it; not to mention the truck itself that could have got stolen. (It is fairly easy, I hear, to break the steering wheel column and start it up with a screw-driver!) Since another car was broken into the same night and completely robbed, I did indeed get lucky, because something must have scared those people away. Also, my neighbor discovered the damage early in the morning and told me, which left me enough time to call the police and file a report without having to miss my own presentation in my Modernism class. I even found friendly neighbors and classmates to take me to school and give me a ride back, since I realized that the skillful and decorative plastic wrap on the hole of my window did not really allow me to see anything out of it and thus did not allow me to drive.
This all happened on Thursday. I got it fixed on Friday and now everything is good again. A big "thank you" to my friends and the gods for looking after me!!! My truck and I even survived a short but painful separation Friday night due to excessive drinking on my part to get over the excitement of the week. I had to leave my "Little Blue Cloud" at a very remote apartment complex and travel home without it... A "hurray" to friends who give you rides!

Lubbock's Cowboy Symposium

Howdy y'all,

after I celebrated the second week of school by not even showing up at the department today, I went to the 19th Lubbock Cowboy Symposium at the Civic Center. It was not as much fun as I thought it would be, mainly because of the lack of cute cowboys in my age-range there. But maybe they would have all shown up tonight for the music... I was too tired, though, and left with the excuse of going home to work.

Well, the symposium is supposed to keep the heritage of the cowboy alive and people from all over the great plains gather here for poetry and story-telling, music, arts and craft shows, book-signing and wagon chucking contests. Native Americans are also involved, according to the program, although I did not see any of them or their advertised activities.

Outside the Civic Center, the chuck wagons were arranged in the park, where there is another big stage for music as well as some little booths. One of those booths is filled with Victorian hats and parasoles. Their authentic looking cabin also advertised "catalog brides" and they invited me to be listed as one. I courteously passed on the opportunity, but not without taking a picture first, just in case I change my mind. This way I could simply email it to them to include in the catalog. I wonder, how much money I would get for marrying a desperate cowboy...?

Survival

That is what it's all about: survival. Getting through orientation without becoming so muddled up in your head that you do not even remember why you are in the classroom. Living through the first week that started out with the hopeful thought of "I have prepared well and should have enough time for everything," but quickly turned into "why the heck don't they get anything done and make me come to this office three times this week?" There is really no excuse-financial aid offices seem to suck throughout the nation... There were several Louisiana-flash-backs last week, but I think I managed to keep my attitude tuned to Texas friendliness. At least one guy was convinced: the secretary at the office, whom I greeted with "Howdy, your recurring nightmare has returned." But then again, he was also the only one who got my weather frog joke... I still don't understand why his colleague asked me, of all people, if it was going to rain or not. My reply was a dry "ribbit." As I said, not everybody gets me...

So, the first week is over and even the first long weekend is. How fast it went by... Wasn't I supposed to do at least three more things on my "to do list"? Well, I try to focus on the things I did get accomplished, but working ahead is not going to happen anymore. I mean, there are only 5,5 hours left in this day... Maybe some more catching up, then...?

Catch y'all later,

Ronja