Warning: it's the middle of the night and this post is totally loopy

It's 3:30 a.m. and I'm awake. I graduate in T minus seven and a half hours. One might think I was up due to the stress of graduation (I just can't... let... go...! Must stress over something!). Like some sort of preparation is required to show up, put on a costume, sit quietly for awhile, and then walk up to shake a hand and retrieve a piece of paper, or whatever it is we're being given. (No, I'm not really that cynical, and am in fact looking forward to graduation, but I just wanted to set the record straight.) I have no frickin' clue why I'm still awake four and a half hours after getting into bed. I just got carried away finishing and then burning digital photo albums for my class--have no idea how I got roped into that one, or what compelled me to actually follow through--and then writing (not sending... how weird is the person that emails people at 3 in the morning on a Friday night?) emails to contacts at companies where I'd like to work. What to say in said emails had been escaping me all week, but apparently the mental stimulation of burning cds provided me with inspiration. And all of a sudden it's close to 3 and I realize that my alarm is going to go off in just over two hours (for some incomprehensible reason I suggested having breakfast with my parents prior to my required 8:45 a.m. arrival for the graduation ceremony, and based on long experience I build a lot of padding into my schedules). So I can sleep for less than two hours or (which is more likely) sleep for two hours, then ignore my alarm to sleep for another four, and justify winning the superlative category I did: Most Likely to Be Late to Graduation.

All-nighter it is.

Since I'm killing time here, I'll give a quick update on what I've been up to and what I'm going to be up to, since life is such that I doubt much blogging will get done for awhile:

It appears that I recovered from being sick just in time for the really stressful part of the quarter to kick in, which is about when I moved into the Panera in Evanston and began subsisting entirely on soup, salad, and chai tea lattes (Panera makes the best chais... very spicy). I finished my final project for one class right before Thanksgiving, and spent my entire trip home doing work or, um, watching The O.C. Social life? Nah, social lives are for pussies. They teach us better than that at Northwestern.

I got back and spent five exhausting days working on my remaining three final projects. I averaged 4 hours of sleep per night. My memory of that time is kind of blurry, but whatever the hell I came up with for those projects, I think people bought it. I proceeded to go out and get very drunk on both Friday and Saturday night, and call everyone in my class multiple times for no apparent reason (my memory of that is even blurrier, some might even say nonexistent). Very embarassing.

This past week was spent going to one, and then missing another, final class, and then preparing for Thursday night's graduation party by collecting pictures from students and dropping them into the most massive powerpoint file ever, collecting money for the party, determining winners of our superlatives, buying prizes for said winners, deciding what to wear, and ultimately eating lots and lots of chocolate. The party was Thursday night and seemed be a success, with lots of people showing up and drinking up. Was kind of hung over today, but did get to see my friend Meredith before I left Chicago, bought my car a new cd player, braved the horrible traffic to pick my parents up at O'Hare, saw Ocean's 12 with my mom (ok, very different from the first one, not nearly as slick and fun... 3 1/2 out of 5 stars), nice dinner, and then came home and experienced the above-mentioned productivity.

Upcoming schedule:
Tomorrow... um, that is, today: graduate.
Sunday: nurse hangover.
Monday and Tuesday: pack (no really)... and hopefully find someone to take over my lease! Please cross your fingers for me on this one!
Wednesday: give my brother a tour of Chicago (he gets in Tuesday night)
Thursday: make my brother help me move out the last of my furniture; possibly reward with opportunity to see more of Chicago
Friday and Saturday: drive to Park City, Utah
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday: Ski!
Wednesday: head to LA
Thursday: arrive in LA
Friday: Christmas tree decoration; lots of sleeping
Saturday: Christmas (can't believe it's that soon!) Mmm, Christmas dinner.
Sunday: Sleep, possibly see friends
Monday - Friday: work the Media Center at the Tournament of Roses (yay, money!) Party my ass off on Friday night.
Saturday: nurse hangover
Sunday and Monday: Uh, dunno. Email me.
Tuesday: Watch USC kick Oklahoma's ass in the Orange Bowl; pack
Wednesday: actually pack; leave that night for Hong Kong and my trip

Seriously, when does the relaxing start?

Ok, it's almost 4:30... guess I'll take advantage of my membership at that 24-hour gym.