we got older, but we're still young. we never grew out of this feeling that we won't give up

The problem with working night shifts at a coffee shop is this: I consume a ridiculous amount of coffee in the nine hours that I spend at PJs every evening. So when I come home at 11, ready to crawl into bed and get some rest for the next day, I'm wide awake. The majority of my friends stayed in Baton Rouge for the holidays, and the ones who are home actually sleep on Wednesday nights, seeing as how their workplaces don't tempt them with an unlimited supply of iced mochas and almond lattes.

So I got a new laptop for Christmas; it's a Dell Inspiron 1100. Not quite top of the line, but lightyears ahead of the last pice of crap I was working with. I'm being very careful not to bring any liquids into the same room as the new computer - god forbid it should meet the same untimely demise as the last one.

Winter break has been a lot of driving back and forth between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, a lot of time spent with Brad, a lot of working late, and a whole hell of a lot of sleep.

Oh, can I mention that the Tigers won the SugarBowl? LSU fans have been wanting another national championship since 1958, and I couldn't be happier that it happened my freshman year. I never thought that I would become such a die-hard football fan, but I honestly believe that the sport is what has eased my fears about staying in Louisiana for college. It sounds odd, I know. But spending Saturday nights in Tiger Stadium, I can really learned what LSU can do for people - the student body really comes together in a way that I've never seen before. Maybe it's because I went to all-girls high schools, which didn't allow many opportunities to engage in typical sportsmanship and school spirit, or maybe its something else. Any out-of-state visitor will tell you that there's something different about the comradery at LSU. Everybody loves each other during Tiger football season, and thats what we as students thrive on. There's a real emotional attachment between the university and its alumnae, and its visible when the alma mater is played before every kickoff.

It's incredible what that game did for New Orleans - the night before and the night of the game, Bourbon Street was as packed as it is during the peak of Mardi Gras season. It was wild.

I'm very ready to get back to school, despite the fact that this semester I'm going to have to find a job. Five weeks of paychecks and tips from PJs will not last me until May.

posted by Nicole @ 2:12 AM

Thursday, January 08, 2004