I have returned...rejoice.... or else!!

So I haven't exactly been the most up-to-the-moment blogger, sue me (no wait don't, well you could but it's very unlikely I'd have anything to give you. I might have some lint if you want..)

Suffice it to say, I've been rather occupado.

Here's a bunch of stuff I've been up to..

1. Went out to dinner with some co-workers
   
2. Got my final marks for the program. I maintained my mark all year (well after the first really crappy first term), so yay me, all that hard work and different studying methods worked. My marks even went up after all the instructors got together and threw out questions, so that's good.
   
3. Finished my gosh-darnit program... yay me! Two long years of my life, finally finished. WHOO HOO!!
   
4. Got my 'freaks and geeks' DVD.. WOOT!
   
5. Went to Bemidji (home of Paul Bunyan and the blue Ox)
   
   Nothing too much exciting here. We'd stayed in Bemidji before, but that was 6 years ago. It was still fun though. We didn't really go and see any of the sights or anything, much to my chagrin. We went shopping, but didn't really buy anything of interest there.
   

   Continued on to Minneapolis for a couple nights
   

   This was fun. Our hotel room had a microwave, fridge and no more consultations with the coolers and having mildly cold drinks. Unforunately I had to share the bed with my brother, who tends to be a bed hog. Oh well the two of us were hitting eachother all night, none of it on purpose mind you. Not the best rest. I even managed to get injuried. I managed to bruise up my arm and scrap up my leg in the pool. If I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck. Mind you my brother out did me, he scraped up his forehead (not once, but twice), his nose and even his chin (the bonehead). It looks like we beat him up. lol.
   

   Went to Chi-Chi's
   

   Man, it's been years since I've been one of those. I used to love going there as a child, when we still had them in the city. That place is full of many childhood memories. I remember when my brother snuck away and told the waiter it was my birthday. When this happens they come out and sing to you and everything. From that moment on, I've never trusted my brother in restaurants when it's any one's birthday. I simply just loved it, many occasions went on there. The food is still as good as I remembered it, so that's good. Only bad this is, I pushed my stomach too far and then I got sick at the restaurant. But I blame the fried ice-cream, turns out the coating they use is corn flakes (i have a corn allergy, not a deadly allergy but a pretty good one) so that explains why I used to always get sick after the ice-cream, oh well. It was still worth it.
   

   Bought some cool 80s cartoon screen print t-shirts, which totally rock (Go Rainbow Bright and Care Bears!!!)
   

   Ikea!! I love that store!!! I'd never been to one before, I'd ordered stuff, but never actually been there. Their store there was amazing. You actually had to go through the entire store just so that you can leave. I was in heaven. I found all sorts of stuff I want for when I have a place of my own. I even found my double boiler. I've been searching this city for one for a few years and never could find one without having to buy a whole pot and pan collection. yay! I even got some cool stainless steel bowl that has a rubber base so that it doesn't move around when you're using it. It even had a stand for even more stability. It rocked there. I could have spent forever in there.
   

   Bought a bunch of cool kitchen dishes and such for when I move out (circa years from now...boo!) Albertville Outlet Center ROCKS!!!
   

   Went to the Shooting Star Casino.
   

   Ok I wasn't at all impressed with the casino's hotel. I was expecting a nice room and such, but no such luck. Don't get me wrong, it's not like it was a dump or anything, I just expected more out of them. Small rooms, hard mattresses, smaller beds than the other hotels we had previously stayed up and plus our tv remote never worked. Even the bathroom was small, plus the plug in the bathtub was broken. You actually had to put a piece of cardboard to keep the plug open so that you weren't standing in a bath full of water while showering.
   

   The buffet was also horrible. Never ever go there. My dad supposedly checked it out and it all looked fine and plus we had some coupons for money off so we decided to go. Earlier in the day I had pulled out some ice cream I'd previously bought and thought it might still be good, I mean in the past I have been able to bring ice cream home from Grand Forks, but no such luck. It was all liquid, but I ate some of it any ways, not my best move. Any ways, back to the buffet. So we go and get a table and go to the food. Not much salad, fine ok whatever. New salad is then brought out, but these little old ladies and men push me out of the way. What nerve! I was so pissed off and just said to hell with the salad (it didn't look good anyways, neither did the dressing and other parts of the salad bar, probably safer for me anyways). I then go to the "main entree" area. Not much "Chrissy-friendly" food, but I take some things that still look ok, or at least took what I could before I was again pushed out of the way but the crazy pirahas called the elderly. They were insane! I think I walked away with some macaroni and cheese, baked potato and garlic bread. That was about all I could eat. Oh well whatever. I get back to the table and stupid me didn't grab butter. I saw butter on the table anyways and thought "gee that's handy, cool." So I open one up and damn it starts to pour out. I then say to myself "umm, since when does butter pour out, oh crap! it's not butter it's half-and-half, what the hell was I thinking." At this point my mom and brother are staring at me like I've lost my lid (which I agree I did). As crazy as it seems, it didn't taste all that bad, wouldn't do it again, but still not all that bad tasting. Then my mom was nice enough to bring some ketchup to eat with the gross mac and cheese. I go to dip my fork in and get some mac, but it tasted so gross. I thought the ketchup was just horrid (turns out my mom brought back BBQ sauce instead). So by this point I'm totally pissed off. My meal has sucked, I've mistakenly put half and half on my baked potato and eating mac and cheese with bbq sauce. Dessert must be better right?! I was sure praying it was, before so far I was very unimpressed. Damn those people (ie family relatives) that told us the buffet was good, damn you all!!!!
   

   Go for dessert and bring back some strawberry shortcake. Looks good. Tastes good, but all of the sudden I'm not feeling so good. BANG!!! I'm going to get sick and I have less than 5 minutes to get a toliet and talk to my old boyfriend Ralph on the big white phone. Mind you my hotel room is on another floor and on the complete opposite side of the where I was at that exact moment. So I'm rushing to get back to my room, having to walk through some loud music (making me more nauseous), smokers, and trying to keep my dinner down. Suffice it to so, I just barely made it back to our room. So in hindsight, never go to the buffet, never!!!!
   

   The gambling was great though. They have penny machines so it makes you feel like you are rich when you put a $5 in the machine. I was able to play a long time without losing my money, but once again my mom won big. First on Friday at Club Regent then again at the Shooting Star Casino, seesh! It was still fun though. Overall Shooting Star wasn't too bad, just disappointed in their rooms and buffet.
   

   Bought a few more items in Grand Forks
   

   Finally got back home and found out I had lost out on not one, but two shifts. *waves evil fist at the gods* grr
   

   Rejoiced in my not having to be at school any more, but having guilt because I don't have a job yet (other than my casual position) and because I still have to study for the national exam, ACK!
   

   Had minimal fights with my family while away too, that's v.g. when we're all trapped in close proximity for 5 days, nonstop
   

So that's what I've been up to this past week. Just relieved I'm finished.

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{..::current..mood::..} tired
{..::currently..reading::..} should be reading textbooks but I did read "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and "get fuzzy" book while I was away.
{..::currently..watching::..}
{..::currently..listening::..}
{..::days.until.finished::..} 0 !!! YAY!!!
{..::days.until.CAMRT::..}

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