Tuesday, 29

Dear Sir,

I woke up this morning feeling sick. The kind that isn't quite horrible enough to want to die, but just sinister enough to let you know that it could get that way rapidly if you don't immediately start downing the fluids and sleeping as much as possible. I emailed one of my professors to let her know I'd most likely miss class this afternoon because I wanted to get over this and not spread infection. Testament to the beauty of swine flu awareness, because where normally she might have demanded a doctor's note, she instead emailed me back with "Of course your absence is excused!"

What a shame that we have so little faith in each other until a disease borne of little piggies makes its way to our awareness.

Kayla is engaged. Can you believe it? I got a Facebook group invitation from her wanting my address for invitations this morning and that's how I found out. The group name was something weird, too, something like "Kayla and Craig are gay...together?" I went looking on her Facebook page for her mission call letter video, the one where she had an array of cell phones on speaker laid out in front of her, with parents on either side. They were so excited that she got called to Brazil, the same mission that her dad and (I think) Jay got called to. I watched that video earlier in the spring, but when I went back today to look for it it had disappeared, and there was her relationship status as "Engaged" to some guy whose name sounds familiar but I can't place it. He might well have been one of the masses of guys she'd dated in the past, broken up with, and still remained on good enough terms with to call each one of them on New Years' Eve to chat for half an hour (remember that?). On the other hand, he could be a new model. Who knows.

Stephenie Meyer has announced that The Host will be a film someday. She's gotten the screenwriter for "The Truman Show" involved, which I take to be a very good sign. I liked The Host better than the Twilight series in many ways, except for her annoying tendency to overuse the word "repugnant." Seriously. Seven or eight times in a few hundred pages is noticeable enough to be annoying. I wonder why her editors didn't catch that. There are other words to express distaste.

Victoria's gotten me into watching a show called "Psych," about an extremely observant guy pretending to be a psychic in order to solve crimes. It's well-written and enjoyable so far. I've only seen three or four episodes.

I gave my speech on NaNoWriMo in class yesterday. I think it went pretty well, except that I spoke rather rapidly. When I was practicing last week my times ranged from 6 to 7 minutes, but when I gave it I was wrapping up my third points by the time the T.A. held up a 5-minute sign. Hopefully I was understandable. I have a bad habit of speedy talking, especially when I get nervous.