3 Rum Punches and a Margarita Machine

I went to a 7th semester sale yesterday. Got a horse bucket ($26), some mats ($5ea), throws to cover the couch ($5ea), a sewing kit ($5), a batik thing ($10), a hamper ($5), some food ($1ea), a bird cage ($15), and THE MARGARATOR ($130). Actually it gets better. So I'm at the sale and I was like, don't need a margarita machine so I kept passing it, although I talked to the girl and picked it up several times and really wanted it. So I'm walking and shopping and chatting with lots of people I know. I walk over to some locals selling plants.

I was quite enticed by a neat light pink plant called the Devil's Backbone. Stunning. Really stunning. Might be my most favorite plant now (ofcourse with Star Gazer Lillies my favorite flower... ahem, hint hint). Any who, it started to rain as it typically does on tropical islands. Everyone scattered like rats (which reminds me of another story) and I lost the margarita machine. Sadness.

To make up for the sadness, I was going to meet my friends at the beach to go swimming. Water was so nice, but cloudy. I swam out a little way then tried to stand up. PANIC PANIC PANIC! The water was cloudy and I couldn't touch the bottom and there are THINGS in the water like sharks and sting rays and killer turtles and sharks and sea urchins and sting rays and barracuda and sharks and giant killer groupers and monster jelly fish and giant sting rays and did I mention sharks!?

Ok, so I'm a weenie that can't swim, so what? It's not a crime. Keeps me from drowning or being eaten by Tiger sharks or Bull sharks or Whitetipped sharks or Lemon sharks. Now I feel nauseous. Why do I even go in the water?

So anyway, I clammer up on to shore, with a friend following me trying to figure out why I didn't want to swim anymore. Should never have watched Jaws as a kid. I decide to go to Ziggy's and have a much needed piña colada.

Power outage. No power means no frozen drinks means no piña colada. Hm what to get? RUM PUNCH! For those of you who haven't seen how freely the Kittitian liquor flows, oh watch out. To get a picture, when my dad took me to visit Ross for the first time, I had 2 rum punches complimentary from the hotel. I did not remember dinner and was in bed by 7:30pm. So I get a rum punch while I wait for my friends.

It was so good! I had another. THEN the girl that was selling the margarita machine shows up. The 3 other people (other Ross students) at the bar became my good buddies. I offered $100EC for the margarita machine (~$40US). She calls her friend who owns it. All I have is $100 on me. She says her friend says a firm $130EC ($50US). Bummer. Now VERY VERY SAD. I get another rum punch. Yum yum.

My friends have never seen me drink. I don't drink. I'm giggly. Very giggly. They loan me the $30EC and I get the way cool margarita machine! Three rum punches might have been too many. Friends now want to go to Marriott beach and swim in cleaner water. Oh did I mention they ate breakfast while I was sipping on my rum punches? Yea, it was a bit early in the day, BUT the bar was open!

We go to the Marriott beach. I was forced since I didn't drive. At this point I'm ready to crawl in the sand and snooze away. World is definitely spinning on its axis. It's neat how you can see the world spin with a few rum punches. It goes wee-wee-wee around and around. I don't know if I lost my glasses or if I just can't focus. Everything (even my hands) was quite fuzzy. Ok, out for a swim at the Marriott. World spinning in circles PLUS the ocean rising and falling does not do an empty stomach much good. I puked this really pretty salmon pink in the water. Friends don't realize and don't want to leave me behind. Did I mention that they had a few beers and obviously can drink way more than me?

I swim out a little further. Swallow a little salt water. Puke more. Do the same turn around and splash my way back to the beach. Drag myself on shore. Lay there for a while. Eventually made it to a beach chair. Took a nap. Friends got me food and when I was a little livelier, took me home. Blah. Sure was fun though.

Now I have more friends txting me. No one can picture me and alcohol. They think I'm so old and boring. Hehehe. It's sad, but I probably pretty boring. Maybe sometime soon I'll get to use my new margarita machine.

Hm, comparing prices and I think I got a good deal for $50US. It's $80US at Walmart, $90US on sale somewhere else, and $90US on Amazon.com. That doesn't even include what international shipping and import taxes would be. And it plugs into the wall and has an adapter for the car. Gotta love vet school.

Poor horse

Palpation exam was this morning. It was not difficult. The professor tagged the poor horse's clit though. I think my professors are obsessed with genitalia. A big bunch of animal gynos. Creepy. Especially since we know the vessels and innervation of that location, I feel bad for the poor old horse when the tape is ripped off her later today. Ouch!

I have another exam on Monday. Gross anatomy lecture. I'm sure it will be rather challenging.

I decided what I wanted for X-mas. One of Marie Antoinette's set of pearls. They are only $800K. I think I might deserve them. I would definitely wear them. Just showed a friend. Suggestion was made that I could take out student loans and use that money to buy the pearls rather than pay for school. I think it might be easier to just get a sugar daddy. But I would wear them- even to anatomy lab! :)

Exams have begun

Looking at the schedule, we pretty much have an exam every other day for the rest of the semester... starting 3 days ago. Just got out of one. Tired.

Good news is that my landlord finally gave in and hired a different electrician so we'd have hot water!!! So I have hot water!!! It's warm! I don't think it's possible to get hot hot water, but at least I can get the soap out of my hair now. It doesn't make it all the way to the kitchen, so I still have to boil water to clean my dishes and sponges. Oh well.

The bookstore finally got the shipment of books in that was due last month. I bought a horse anatomy book. It has nice pictures.

Over the weekend I dug up of the two 3'x6' strips in front of my house. I put plastic on them to kill the weeks I missed. I plan to make a garden... but I'm not so good with plants.

Fun and excitiong news: I got my unibrow waxed after class today! It's now divided in two and markedly thinner so I no longer look like a squasch.

Fun and exciting news: I got my unibrow waxed after class today! It's now divided in two and markedly thinner so I no longer look like a sasquatch. I had gone to the Marriott in search of waxing and they wanted to charge a whopping $18US, so I said “uh, no.” So they suggested another place (since I’m now a local so to speak). That place was super (my definition of super is no line and cheap). My 5 minutes of waxing cost $15EC (~$5.50US), which I think is comparable to the place I used to get my pigs and paws painted in the states. I gave her a $10EC tip ($2.70US).

Plume of Smoke

I do not think it is possible to smell any worse than I did after gross anatomy today. Last week we separated the ass's ass. Today we cut that ass in half. I can assure you it smells like ass.

I have lost all shame and have started to change with the 90 other ladies in my class... wait, there might be five guys... all gay or married. We have all lost our shame; never smelled worse. I can't even wash the smell out of my hair.

Next I stepped out of the anatomy lab and walked up the endless stairs to my next class. I look out at the water, like I do every day. I look left toward Nevis. Such a stunning view. I look out at the Caribbean Sea. Flat as glass. I look right toward my apartment. I see a huge billowing plume of smoke coming from what seems to be my apartment. Great.

I call landlord. No answer. I call landlord again. No answer. Now repeat this about ten more times and imagine my anxiety level at this point. Factor in that my car, which could very well be prone to spontaneously combust, was not in fact located at my apartment, but happily parked on campus.

So now the question is, am I over reacting? Probably. Or could my cinder block house possibly be on fire with 4 dogs and 2 cats trapped inside? That sounds more like my luck.

Did I mention that my landlord does not have the keys to anyone’s apartment? Oh and my front door is padlocked… just in case.

Another girl that lives in my apartment house is in my class. I find her and show her the gargantuan plume of dark smoke that does not smell like the typical sugar cane fires. She is concerned. We run to the guardhouse and tell security. She is not concerned enough to go home to see if her dog has become a hot dog. I am so I hop in the jeep and security takes me the 3 minutes to my house.

The good news is that I know exactly where I live. The bad news is that I had an electrical fire last week. Hm, might need to get that fixed. Landlord knows. Sigh.

But really, there was a huge fire across the street from my house. Man made. Security took me back to class. I wasn’t late, but I have no idea how I wasn’t!

Constitution Day

I've become addicted to the car. It started sputtering last week when I drove it off campus. I went to the petrol station and put $50EC in. What do ya know, it stopped sputtering. I've driven 40 miles on 1/4 of a tank thus far, and today the car rolled over to 150,000 miles. I was going to take a picture, but my camera was at home.

My hot water still isn't working. Maybe soon. Internet has been patchy too. Today and tomorrow are "Double Bubble" where you get 2x the amount you put on your phone. I also got burglar bars on my door. Otherwise, things have been pretty uneventful.

I mentioned that I got fish right? I have a highlighter neon pink zebra fish! I got 7 koi too. 3 are yellow butterfly koi. There are 4 standard koi: 1 yellow with black spots, 2 orange with black spots, and 1 orange-yellow with iridescent scales on its back. They have finally gotten friendly and get really excited when I come home-- more excited to see me than the dog. I cleaned their tank out today so it's all nice. hgjhg

Today apparently is Constitution Day in the USA. I got this email: "Federal law requires all educational institutions participating in federal funds to educate students about the United States Constitution every September 17. Why September 17? That is the date on which the founding fathers who wrote the Constitution signed it and sent it on to the states for ratification." Wednesday is St.Kitts-Nevis Independence Day. The whole island is supposed to completely shut down and turn into one giant party. Should be interesting.

Oh and driving home today I found a kong dog toy. I stopped, picked it up, took it home, cleaned it, stuffed it with a dog treat, and Salty loves it.

"Are you Karla?"

It seems that I have already developed a reputation for myself somehow. Our classes are fabulous and we only have one afternoon lab, which falls on Tuesdays. This lab is Parasitology and further divided into 2 sections. The first section consists of those with an even alpha number (me since I am #84) and the second comprised of the odd people in our class.

This semester my lab partner and good friend was put in the second section, thus she can no longer be my partner. Yesterday she decided to ask the parasit prof a question, then another, and yet another, thereby stumping the prof. The prof then replied, "Are you Karla?" to which my friend responded, "No, but she's a good friend of mine!"

Apparently the most nerdy bird in out class is this Karla person, with my friend being the geek. I'm taking it as a complement. The rest of the class thought it was quite amusing. I wonder what the profs say about us, although I truly don't want to know.

The hot water is broken again. My broom broke so I can't sweep up the dog hair. I got the key to my new car! Although I can't take it off campus yet. Definitely a Ross-mobile It is so ugly, see for yourself!

Virgo

Virgo! About Your Sign... (I love these things. I'm so a virgo, 'cept in a fewspots. Oh, and got hot water today! Life of luxury... or caught up to the modern world at least!)

Virgo is the only zodiacal sign represented by a female. It is sometimes thought of as a potentially creative girl, delicately lovely; sometimes as a somewhat older woman, intelligent but rather pedantic and spinsterish. The latter impression is sometimes confirmed by the Virgoan preciseness, refinement, fastidious love of cleanliness, hygiene and good order, conventionality and aristocratic attitude of reserve. They are usually observant, shrewd, critically inclined, judicious, patient, practical supporters of the status quo, and tend toward conservatism in all departments of life. On the surface they are emotionally cold, and sometimes this goes deeper, for their habit of suppressing their natural kindness may in the end cause it to atrophy, with the result that they shrink from committing themselves to friendship, make few relationships, and those they do make they are careful to keep superficial. (That is so me.)

But the outward lack of feeling may, in some individuals born under this sign, conceal too much emotion, to which they are afraid of giving way because they do not trust others, nor do they have confidence in themselves and their judgments. This is because they are conscious of certain shortcomings in themselves of worldliness, of practicality, of sophistication and of outgoingness. So they bring the art of self concealment to a high pitch, hiding their apprehensiveness about themselves and their often considerable sympathy with other people under a mantle of matter-of-factness and undemonstrative, quiet reserve. They are still waters that run deep. Yet in their unassuming, outwardly cheerful and agreeable fashion, they can be sensible, discreet, well spoken, wise and witty, with a good understanding of other people's problems which they can tackle with a practicality not always evident in their own personal relationships.

Both sexes have considerable charm and dignity, which make some male Virgoans appear effeminate when they are not. In marriage they can be genuinely affectionate, making good spouses and parents, but their love making is a perfection of technique rather than the expression of desire, and they must be careful not to mate with a partner whose sex drive requires a passion they cannot match.

They are intellectually enquiring, methodical and logical, studious and teachable. They combine mental ingenuity with the ability to produce a clear analysis of the most complicated problems. They have an excellent eye for detail but they may be so meticulous that they neglect larger issues. Also, although they are realists, they may slow down projects by being too exact.

They are practical with their hands, good technicians and have genuine inventive talents, Thoroughness, hard work and conscientiousness are their hallmarks, and they are such perfectionists that, if things go wrong, they are easily discouraged. Because of their ability to see every angle of a many-sided question, they are unhappy with abstract theorizing. Appreciating the many different points of view as they do, they find philosophical concepts difficult, and they vacillate and have no confidence in any conclusions at which they arrive.

With these qualities, they are better as subordinates than leaders. Responsibility irks them and they often lack the breadth of strategic vision that a leader needs Virgoans are essentially tacticians, admirable in the attainment of limited objectives. Their self distrust is something they project on to other people and tends to make them exacting employers, though in the demands they make on those under them they temper this attitude with justice. They have potential abilities in the arts, sciences and languages. Language especially they use correctly, clearly, consciously and formally, as grammarians and etymologists rather than for literary interests, yet they are likely to have a good memory for apt quotations. Although they are well suited for careers in machine drawing, surveying and similar occupations, they are better fitted for a job in a library or office than a workshop.

Their minds are such that they need the stimulus of practical problems to be solved rather than the mere routine or working to set specifications that need no thought. They are careful with money and their interest in statistics makes them excellent bookkeepers and accountants. They also make good editors, physicists and analytical chemists. They may also find success as welfare workers, ministering to those less fortunate than themselves. They can be doctors, nurses, psychologists, teachers, confidential secretaries, technologists, inspectors, musicians, critics, public speakers and writers especially of reference works such as dictionaries and encyclopedias. Both sexes have a deep interest in history, a feature recognized by astrological authorities for at least two hundred years. If they go in for a business career their shrewdness and analytical ingenuity could tempt them into dishonesty, though they usually have enough moral sense to resist temptation. Female Virgoans may find a career in fashion, for they have a flair for dress, in which they can be trend setters. In any profession they choose the natives of this sign readily assimilate new ideas, but always with caution, conserving what they consider worth keeping from the past. They love country life but are unlikely to make good farmers, unless they can contrive to carry out their work without outraging their sense of hygiene and cleanliness.

Their faults, as is usual with all zodiacal types, are the extremes of their virtues. Fastidious reticence and modesty become old-maidishness and persnicketiness; balanced criticism becomes carping and nagging; and concern for detail becomes overspecialization. Virgoans are liable to indecision in wider issues and this can become chronic, turning molehills of minor difficulties into Himalayas of crisis. Their prudence can become guile and their carefulness, turned in on themselves, can produce worriers and hypochondriacs. (Yup, that sounds like me!)
FYI: Just took a shower, hot water no longer working. It was a few hours ago when I washed dishes, but heaven forbit it work when I need to wash my hair. Sigh.

Second Semester Starts

I'm sunburnt. Bad. Spent too much time at the beach yesterday. Went to bed early last night (11pm) and now up (5am). School doesn't start til 9am, so I have some time. I feel like I'm on the other side of the world. My old apt faced east and my bedroom was completely illuminated not a moment after 5:15am. Now being 5:30am in my new apartment that faces west, the light doesn't seem to want to filter in even as of yet.

I know of three people that I won't see in class today. Not sure about how many others. One brought her kid to our afternoon lectures, so I hate to say that I will not miss it running around screaming at all. The two others were really nice guys. Academically, they had a rough time last semester. I've heard that dozens of the previous semester will be joining us to repeat 2nd semester.

Ah here comes the sunlight. I think I'm going to have some tea and go to school in a little bit to feed the fish and buy books.

Schoo was great. Have class from 9am to 2pm WITH an hour break for lunch AT lunch time! Tthe rest of the week looks like hell though. We have gained litterally 20 students from the semester before (they failed), so there are 90 people in our class now. When we started last semester there were 86 and we got down to 70 something. Last semester my alpha number was 78, and now it's 84. Too many people, and there were some really great people in our semester that didn't make it to this one. They will be missed.

Walking home I was amused to see (this is an only on St Kitts) a little girl swinging with the end of a downed power line supervised by her mother and her older sister. What do you really say to that? I mean, really?! Now I know why we have so many power outages... ZAP!

Still no hot water, although the guy came out to try (he's been trying for 2 weeks). I made him banana nut bread cookies to coax him over today. He's not so reliable in the showing up part of the job... SO my landlord (who would also appreciate hot water) gave me his number and I've sent him harassing text messages. Hehehe. His name is Spoose; never heard that one before.

I also made (FROM SCRATCH) cheese sticks! They need more spice. I think next time I'll use string cheese instead of motzerella squares. Island breadcrumbs are to die for though. This is like the all inclusive boarding school, $10K/semester in tuition gets you a vet degree and teaches bright, attractive young women how to cook fairly decently (or starve). Either way, we look good in a bikini!