"Richard Simmons here I come!!!" (Everything's funny at 3 AM)
I leave for college in five days. 5. That's one hand to count on. I haven't done anything to get ready, it's not really a bad thing, I don't feel ashamed. (It's not like I'm going to Alaska.) So much has happened.
We rode 18 hours down to South Carolina (thank God for portable DVD players) to visit my brother and his lovely wife in their cute little house. They also have a cross-eyed cat named Buzz Lightyear and an obnoxious hamster named Princess who likes to wake you up at night with her nocturnal workout on the wheel.
He works so hard, my brother. He gets up at like 4 AM to go to physical training comes home by 6 to get ready to go to school, stays there until noon when he comes home for lunch, goes back until like 6 PM for dinner at home, and then spends 2 or 3 more hours at the school just studying. We entertained them by going out to eat at Cabbrera's, an Italian place. I swear to God they put booze in everything; wine in my salad, rum in the tiramisu dessert (tasted GROSS.) My everloving parents who didn't want Katie to have to worry about bringing a baby to a laundramat, bought them a washer and dryer. We toured a stinky old air craft carrier and submarine and I finally got to see my first palm and cypress trees in person. At Cypress Gardens we saw a lot of poisonous stuff like a cottonmouth, fire ants, an aligator, a giant yellow and black spider in its web; yeah Elizabeth felt really smart wearing flipflops.
After feeling refreshed from sleeping in the car and napping at their house, we were given unpleasant news about my grandfather. He's a farmer and this summer has been really strenuous on him, being outside all day haying. Turns out he was having chest pains and needed to see a doctor. The next day my mom went up to Vermont while he got his cathode tube inspection done. The day after he had his triple bypass surgery. As I found out later from my cousin Katrina, he had never been hospitalized until then, so not only did he have that fear but also of not waking up after they stopped his heart for the surgery. When he woke up, he was so happy to be alive.
We got up at the crack of dawn on satruday and my dad flew up the road. Once there, he and my Uncle Wayne put up siding on the house, and I babysat my baby cousin Gretchen. (Who loves me now.) It was really hectic, people came in and out like people on a subway and there was so much drama.
I saw my grandfather on Sunday, health wise he looked great. Emotionally though, he just looked sad, helpless, bored. I've nver seen him that sad, even at his own father's funeral. Smoking may not have helped, but he had cut back a lot and he's skinny and gets plenty of exercise. But I know it's just like my father says, "It's just time catching up with him." No one can do anything about that.
Came home, watched Family Guy and American Dad, tried to let my brain unwind after breathing in the stifling air of this current atmosphere.
5 days. 30 more miles to run, 3 more days to work, 2 more evenings with friends, no time to get ready.