Please find me somebody to love (because they got us extra workers!)

Ok, there's a whole story behind that...let me recap:

Let’s see....is it sad that I’ve got to check my datebook to see what I’ve been up to?? I’ve basically been working my bum off, especially since the Commissary (where they make all of the food for campus) is so short-staffed. Not saying that there’s not enough people, but the students don’t have enough hours allotted in the budget and the civil service can’t do it all in 40...that leaves us catering to catch the extra workload. This means that I ended up working 40 hours last week, with less than half being for catering. It’s sad when I have to miss catering events because I have to help Commissary finish everything so people will get to go home. I just about lost it on Friday – I had some internship applications to turn in by 5PM and I could only work up to 40 hours. I pushed it past the point that I should’ve so I’ll end up paying for it in the end. And there was still more work I should’ve gotten done specifically for catering but I just couldn’t because there was no money left in the paycheck pool. Working for free isn’t fun, just frustrating. I got my internship stuff in but I already had to ask for a different interview time for one because I have to work or have class on the days they want to talk to me. Grrr....

In other news, I have a roommate. Jennifer moved in this past Wednesday. She’s from Verona and is there right now as a matter-of-fact. Not sure how this is going to work – she has never had a roommate before, so she’s not used to living with another person’s schedule and habits. I guess she’s also heard some horror stories of roommates not sharing with her friends. I’ve lived through that so I guess I don’t have any problems with horrible roommate situations any more. Just no more Drama Queens or Princesses, please, person above who deals out the fate of roommates. The thing that really gets me now is that even though we discussed and ok’d that she could get something smaller than a futon (like a double-seat or something small, there’s just not room in here for big things) she went out and got a full-sized futon while I was home this weekend and shifted the room again. Now we have to figure out where my TV will go so that I don’t end up kicking it in the middle of the night (I tend to move from the top of my bed to the bottom and I also tend to kick in my sleep so kicking things at the bottom of my bed happens often). I’m still a little nervous. Hopefully when things get in full swing and there’s some sort of schedule and we are able to get to know each other better (which will happen when this 40-hour-work-week ends and I don’t want to sleep at 7:30PM every night) I think things will work themselves out. Until then I’m going to grumble as I hit my TV currently sitting on the ground when I have to get up in the dark in the morning.

At least I got to see my family today. Mom picked me up yesterday for the Farmer's Market (seriously on of my favoritest things to do ever) and then we went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond (a home interiors store) where we tested out all of the massage chairs. At home I only had time to get some of things on my list (books, binders, a rug, and some of my cds) before we had to go to the family Labor Day picnic. Although Matt and Carmen didn’t get to go home this weekend (they weren’t feeling well) and Tim was at home with a bad back, I got to see pretty much everyone else. Jarren’s such a charmer and apparently loves to clean with the toys, B-Lynn loves earrings (thank goodness she didn’t yank mine too hard!), Kelsey’s becoming more comfortable with lots of people, and Lexus loves to jabber. Yay for little kids – they make life more interesting and funny. When Lexus was asked what happened to the chickens last weekend, she cheerfully stated that “we chopped their heads off”!!! Of course we were all laughing, which made her giggle and smile that radiant smile of hers. B-lyn is incredibly adorable and loves to smile! As for Jarren with his super-long lashes, mascara companies would be bazillionaires if they figured out which genes got them that way and how to get that info into make-up. He looks like a doll, seriously. Awwww....little kids!!!

And now for the fun in-the-news news....

Woo hoo to Madtown, one of the three best college towns according to MSN Travel!! Here’s the scoop on the home of yours truly:

Madison, Wisconsin

It's been ranked as one of the brainiest cities in America—and one of the greenest, most literate, and most athletic. It also serves the best bratwursts this side of Bavaria. Rising out of the cornfields and cow pastures, Madison—a.k.a. Madtown—leavens the highbrow with the down-home. What else would you expect from the capital of a state whose residents call themselves Cheeseheads?

Leaving home: Dane County Regional Airport, five miles from downtown, is served by the major carriers. Chicago is a 2½-hour drive down Interstate 90.

Campus tour: The University of Wisconsin overlooks Lake Mendota, with miles and miles of biking, hiking, and cross-country ski trails, plus sailing and, in deep winter, ice skating. Bascom Hill is the place to practice hacky sack or read the Badger Herald under the elms. Locals and students alike hang out at the Memorial Union (800 Langdon St.; 608/265-3000; www.union.wisc.edu), a 1920's Italianate palace with a terrace that has prime lake views and, often, live music playing.

Crash course: Bone up on your Wisconsin humor at a Saturday morning taping of Michael Feldman's public radio program Whad'ya Know?(locations vary; 608/262-2201; www.notmuch.com).

Famous alumns: Eudora Welty and chef Charlie Trotter. Dropouts include Frank Lloyd Wright (nine of his buildings are here in town!), John Muir, Charles Lindbergh, and Dick Cheney—who liberal Madisonians say left a Ph.D. program in British literature just after he passed the draft age for the Vietnam War.

Go team: Follow the marching band as it plays "On, Wisconsin" into Camp Randall Stadium (1440 Monroe St.; 608/ 262-1866) for a Saturday football game against Big Ten rivals like the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Warning: Badgers fans order tickets months in advance (800/ 462-2343; tickets@athletics.wisc.edu).

Study break: On Saturdays, stroll pedestrian-only State Street on your way to the Dane County Farmers' Market (Capitol Square; 608/455-1999; www.madfarmmkt.org; open late April-early November), the largest farmers' market in the nation. Essential eating: cheese curds (fresh cheddar lumps), of Little Miss Muffet fame. Down the street is the spectacular new Cesar Pelli-designed Overture Center (201 State St.; 608/ 258-4177; www.overturecenter.com), with performance spaces showcasing Russian ballet, Chinese circus performers, and Tony Award-winning musicals.

Meal plan: Marigold Kitchen (118 S. Pinckney St.; 608/661-5559; closed Sundays; breakfast for four $18) makes duck-confit hash and pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. State Street Brats (603 State St.; 608/ 255-5544; lunch for four $25) specializes in the famed local wurst. For a stunning variety of foreign restaurants, browse State Street—the Nepalese Chautara (334 State St.; 608/251-3626; dinner for four $40) makes its curry from Wisconsin farm-raised goat.

Cup or cone? Babcock Hall Dairy Store (1605 Linden Dr.; 608/ 262-3045) dishes up funky flavors concocted by the university's Department of Food Science. Blue Moon is turquoise and tastes like Froot Loops.

Blow your allowance: At Ragstock (329 State St.; 608/251-3419), act like a local and browse the Japanese baseball jerseys and micro kilts before settling on yet another flannel shirt. Stop for cherry balls and root-beer barrels at Twee & Luliloo (218 State St.; 608-251-4075).

Fun for free: Scout for tree frogs and woodchucks in native prairie grasses at the 1,260-acre University of Wisconsin Arboretum (1207 Seminole Hwy.; 608/263-7888; www.uwarboretum.org).

Off-campus housing: The Hilton Madison Monona Terrace (9 E. Wilson St.; 800/445-8667; www.hiltonmadison.com; doubles from $139) has a pool and views of Lake Monona—not to be confused with Lake Mendota, just across the isthmus. Mansion Hill Inn (424 N. Pinckney; 800/798-9070; www.mansionhillinn.com; suite for four $295), the nicest place to stay, has steep interior steps—hence its children-over-13 policy.

Required reading: The Isthmus (www.thedailypage.com), Madison's free alternative weekly, runs the most complete event listings. Get your children to plan your trip at www.visitmadison.com's Kid's Corner.

Elizabeth Larsen

Report card

A+ Cultural offerings, outdoor attractions, spectator sports, and the intelligently goofy vibe.
C Kiddie diversions. There's not much tailored to the under-five set, though the Children's Museum on State Street is a rainy-day standby.
A Food. Madison's pickings are diverse and farm fresh.

http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=249540>1=8599

Speaking of famous alumni, Mom sent this to me...now I want to head back to NUIG and meet Martin Sheen!!!

Sheen Enrolls at University in Ireland
Sep 1, 4:31 PM EST

Martin Sheen, star of TV's "The West Wing" and numerous Hollywood films, began his new career Friday — as a college student.

Sheen, who played President Josiah Bartlet on "The West Wing," registered at National University Galway in western Ireland, where he plans to study philosophy, English literature and oceanography as part of a bachelor of arts degree.

Sheen, who previously said he didn't want to be a distraction for the 15,000 students at the university, declined to comment and said he wanted his arrival to be as private as possible.

University President Iognaid O Muircheartaigh, who greeted Sheen as he signed up for his courses, said he expected students to give the 66-year-old actor enough space to enjoy his new life of learning.

"He's never been to college and wants to come here to be a regular student. It is a great privilege to have him here, but we want to provide him as natural an experience as possible," said O Muircheartaigh, who said he's a big fan of Sheen's work in "The West Wing" and in the 1979 Vietnam epic "Apocalypse Now."

"I'm sure there will be an initial flurry of excitement as classes full of students, mainly 18 to 21 years of age, see who's in the seat beside them, but in a short time I'm sure he will fit right in. We Irish try not to make too much of a fuss about celebrities. We seem to recognize they're just real people," O Muircheartaigh said in a phone interview.

Sheen has said he considered studying in Galway after meeting O Muircheartaigh at a university fundraiser in Los Angeles last year, and decided to do it after receiving an honorary doctorate from NUI Galway in March. Speaking at the time, Sheen said he was "very serious" about his hope to become "the oldest graduate" of the 161-year-old university.

The actor, who attended high school in his native Dayton, Ohio, said he deliberately flunked his entrance exam to the University of Dayton so he could pursue his dream of acting in New York City.

Sheen has a network of relatives in Ireland because of his mother, Mary Anne Phelan, who immigrated to the United States from County Tipperary.

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=232565&GT1=7703

Maybe I can ask Claire kindly to get his autograph for me : )

Well, I’ve put away the books (I filled the shelf!) and started the defrosting of the fridge (nightmare, the freezer's a solid block with some frozen dinners and blueberries in it) I suppose I should get my clothes and sweatshirts away, see if I can get the shoeholder up, and get to bed. Unlike Mom and other federal employees, I do not get another day off. Two days off in a row is incredibly lucky, three is near-impossible. Not that tomorrow is a hard day - we have to stuff 4,000+ brown bags with condiments, apples, coupons, cookies, and lots of catering love....well, at least the bags get condiments, apples, coupons and cookies!!

Lots of love, Christi and Ollie (happy to report he no longer acts like he has “Mad-Fishy Disease” and loves his new abode)!!