I did it! Without breaking down. . . or reverting back to my early teenage years. I have now past from one decade to another, and well, it's not so bad. I tromped around the forest today through brambles and fallen logs and I'm not tired. I have all sorts of cash to spend at REI and Kohls. I'm thinking of seeing a movie tonight and well. . I guess I'm pretty smelly, I may take a shower. I have a limited number of wrinkles and all is well with the thirty year old Crissy. The hardest thing about today was coming home to find cat puke on the carpet, and a very contrite lab who got on the counter and ate all the whole wheat pitas. The coolest thing about today? I ate a bowl of whole grain, organic fruit bunny cereal and it tasted awesome. Well, that's probably not the absolute coolest, but it was pretty enjoyable. The absolute coolest thing is that I used to not dry my jeans in the dryer because they were too tight when they got out, and I recently dried a pair on accident, and they fit great!! Woo hoo!

So tomorrow is the big day. The scary, the hard, the worst Birthday ever. . Tomorrow I'll pass from youth to well frankly I don't really know what. I'll be 30. Am I ready? Hell no! Am I scared? Hell yes! I feel like I have to phase out of being immature to becoming a real adult. The great thing about it? As I sit here writing this my son says that tomorrow will be the best. And maybe, just maybe it won't be as bad as 29. Thirty is the new 20 I hear. But I only hear that from old people! But I am loved, surrounded by people who care and healthy. I'm active and conscientious about what i do to my body. I have a great booty, a great family and a good future. So here's hoping that 30 really is the new 20, that my thirties are awesome and that i can thrive in this new decade!

So I got into a fight today. . .with my invasive species teacher. Her final, an ambiguous and ridiculous take home test had some very conflicting questions. When I called to clear up the situation, making sure to cite several references and a teachers with the correct information she told me to stop arguing and that I had an inability to learn. What? I have almost straight A's and am constantly asking questions. I have had several teachers, including her tell me that I encourage the learning process and facilitate discussion within the classroom. Now, I can be wrong, and frequently am. I have no problems saying that I can be a know it all sometimes, but I also have no problem saying I messed up. She, on the other hand, consistently refuses to acknowledge that she makes mistakes, refuses to answer the phone at pertinent times and goes off on crazy, uninformative tangents during class that waste every ones time. Agggg!! She's the most frustrating teacher I've ever had! Rant over!

So I'm done. . . with the first of two weeks that have turned out be a ten on the stress meter scale. Four papers and three power point presentations later I'm exhausted but very well versed on the following issues:

1. Mercury as a Toxicant in New Mexico

2. Python Invasions in the Everglades

3. Range and Fire. History and use of fire in North and South America

4. The ethical Theory of Kant and how it applies to the movie Platoon

5. The Santa Fe Watershed Restoration project, including 51 vital points that need to be covered pre, implementation and post restoration.

Now all I have to do is take eight finals! No make that seven. I got a 30/30 on my integrated organic and biochemistry lab final!

Uhggg. That alligator is school and I'm the python. I feel like I'm being eaten alive!

Being the dork that I am, I've decide to base my entry today around a cat picture. I know, I know, they are over emailed not popular anymore, but I can't help myself with this one. Mostly because the picture acurately depicts how I feel right now. School lures you in with promises of higher pay, and hopefully an awesome job at the end of it, but all it feels like right now is a massive trap, luring one in with promises and torturous in the end with massive loads of work!! Two more weeks, two more weeks!!