"Recently." "Yes! Recently."

I'm attempting to study, but she is talking to me, chatting about her two harleys ("I've spent about $30,000 at the shop in the past two years I figure; I paid $20,000 for this custom one..."), about the aluminum wheels she wants to buy, about the lamp for the front of the motorcycle, the $150 lamp the dog chewed up. I can't grasp spending that kind of money in the first place, but especially not on a expensive toy that you can only really use a few months out of the year up here. She stretches out on her bed, her Japanese history book falling closed, and barks, "You know, some people spend money on clothes..." she pauses, and I get the feeling she's gearing up for a quote she's used before. "...I spend money on chrome."

****

I'm not used to this tiredness, this all-consuming exhaustion that renders my mind useless, my body slow. I'm used to being able to spike my blood sugar with food, used to having protein if I'm tired and then, as it is digested, losing the tiredness. Now, I can eat right, eat protein, and my body still drags. I can manage an hour at a time, and then my thoughts feel like they're slogging through mud; they're slow in coming, disjointed, and forgotten by the time I actually think them. It's frustrating; when I take notes from the textbooks, I can only write a word or two at a time before having to look back at the book; in classes, I usually can't remember what the professor says long enough to write it down. I wonder how long this will last; it's getting old already.

****

Last night I said hi-in-passing to a guy in the cafeteria. A while later, when I was sitting in my room doing my communications homework -- with the door open, because I'm trying to meet people -- I saw him walk past with a couple of girls. He came back past my room again, and the third time, he stopped in and said hi. Introduced himself, asked me what my major is, and we talked for awhile. My roommate was making hot tea, and asked him if he wanted any, so we three sat around, talked, and had hot tea. I'm laughing right now at the situation...it's just so weird. Anyway. His sister is on this floor, which is why he was here. He's from Nigeria, a business major, and he seems really nice. Another person I can recognize and say hi to!

Yesterday I was walking down the hall in one of the centers on campus, checking out where a certain classroom is, and a few people walked past me in the opposite direction. I stopped, because I recognized the girl's voice. I turned around, and she had stopped and turned, too. "Danika?" "Jessica!" "HI!!!!" It was so nice to run into her! I know her from home; we used to work together, and this summer, she was the lead character (and did a super job) in a musical I played piano for. :) So now I have a few people around campus I know. It's much better than feeling like the campus was full of strangers.