it's a magical world

I survived Tennessee, and the drivers of Tennessee and Virginia survived me. So I'm calling this one a win.

There is a car that is supposedly mine. After work today I'm supposed to drive it down to the DMV and make it officially mine. My mother is deeply concerned about the fact that I will be Driving Alone, because having survived the drives to and from Tennessee and rush hour traffic coming back into DC, clearly I will die in a ditch on the 2-mile drive to the DMV. Which, hey, given my hate-hate relationship with parallel parking, it's still a possibility.

This weekend my entire immediate family on my dad's side convened upon a house in Knoxville for my grandmother's 90th birthday. There were 25 of us. My dad and his five siblings haven't all been in the same place at the same time in over a decade, and only one of my (ten) cousins was missing. We are a large, loud clan, and I think we get worse exponentially the more of us there are. That was...yeah. Intense. Fun, but intense. SO MUCH FOOD ALL THE TIME, I will never need to eat again. And one of my cousins dragged me out to the only bar in walking distance of the hotel -- after spending all of Saturday in a car -- and got me soused on suspiciously blue drinks, which was ill-advised but fun. But holy shit I have too many cousins, it's a good thing we all live scattered across the States or we would just be getting each other hilariously drunk all the time, and my liver would be sad.

I have not really seen the internet since Friday afternoon. HI INTERNET.

That's two white hairs, now. One I've had for about a year -- I named it Sally. But it looks like Sally's just brought a friend 'round, and I can't say I approve. I can tell the new one's recent, 'cause it's only white at the root. Still, all that means is a couple more haircuts and it's white all the way down.

And this is only right up front, where I can see. Lord only knows how many more of Sally's buddies are chilling out on the back of my head.

I fully intend to age with grace and dignity, but it somewhat irks me that I have to get used to white hairs at twenty-three. Especially given how long it took for either of my parents to go gray. They've both still got more dark than white, and they're in their sixties. Damnit.

This would probably not bother me so much except that I have a headache, and headaches make me grumpy. Also I'm trying to fix up the Firefly Crossover Of Doom, and I cannot get the tone of one of the fandoms right to save my life. Argh.

Oh, man, I guess I've been more stressed out lately than I'd realized. I found my first white hair this morning. Here we go, guys: age 22, kaydee starts going gray. ;)

I has an apartment! It is very empty, and seems rather larger than I remember it being, although that's probably because last time I saw it, the previous tenant's furniture and stuff was all still in there. But it's mine now, all mine. All three (!) sets of keys to it. (Seriously, why are three complete sets necessary for a studio?) Now I just need to, um, actually move into it.

I also have a shiny new keychain and bracelet, both of a rainbow persuasion. The bracelet is quite pretty, but was quite an ordeal trying to figure out how to get in on by myself, as it fits a little too perfectly and the clasp is a bitch to manipulate one-handed. But today I managed it in only a minute or so, of which I am very proud, considering it took my about half an hour's worth of struggling yesterday. Um. I are so smrt?

What I don't have, alas, is the slightest notion what to write for my xmmficathon fic. Which is due in two weeks. Er. I'm just...really not in an X-Men mindset these days.

Back in Chicago. Feel tired, but sort of...free. The combination of being finally done with college, about to move to my own apartment, and pseudo-single (it's complicated) started sinking in on my flight, and it's like a weight off of me. For a while, at least, I want to live only for myself. No sitting through classes I'm not interested in, no roommates I have to be considerate of, no nearby boyfriend whose wants and needs have to factor into my leisure time. I am obligated to myself and myself alone, if only for a few months or so. I mean, yes, I'm looking for various forms of employment, and yes, I will be a responsible worker for whoever hires me for whatever job, but those jobs will be of my choosing, so that's all right. I just want to be selfish for a little while. I want to worry about making myself happy, for a change. Or something like that.

I still love the boyfriend, of course, and I'll miss him, but...I'm kind of relieved to be on my own for now. Does that make me a bad person?

Of course, I'm also exhausted and have to get up reasonably early to get to an interview tomorrow morning, but I just wasted about two hours looking for BSG screencaps and making Sharon icons. Such is life.

I sat through the last class of my undergraduate career this afternoon. I have a final Bio exam tomorrow morning, a final paper for American Contemporary Drama due Thursday, and a final class performance for Improvisation for the Actor on Friday. I graduate a week from Saturday.

I just bought my cap and gown.

Holy shit, this is actually going to happen.