not too much to say the past few days.... things have been pretty mellow, and i've been sleeping through a lot because i'm trying to recover from sickness. my dad thinks i might have mono, although i doubt that's true. tex wants me to tell him it's not mono, it's syphilis, which is always the first thing a father wants to hear from his only daughter. it's definitely not syphilis (although i know you were worried), and i doubt it's mono. i just need to sleep more, exercise, eat healthy, and sleep. did i mention sleep?

yay! easter candy is now in stores! i'm sure it's been in most stores since february 15, but i haven't really been in stores so i haven't seen it. i love easter candy! not the peeps, but i could gorge myself to an unfortunate end on cadbury creme eggs. easter candy is ever so much better than the candy for the rest of the holidays. mmmm easter candy!

it looks like shrub has finally signed the appropriations bill. it's about damn time. everything looks to be about the same budget as last year, because the excess budget allocations have presumably been sanctioned for department of defense expenses (because we're going to war, you know. it's bound to happen, sadly). i guess that means -- hopefully-- that grants proceedings around here will go back to normal. we still don't have nearly enough operating funds to give us poor employees fair market value wages, but at least we will have jobs. *whew* what a relief.

flight prices have gone way up for trips to europe. i should have made arrangements a week ago when i found the flight on british airways... now it's $200 more and $200 less affordable for me. i'll probably end up having to resort to a last-minute flight deal through travelzoo or the like, in order to ensure an affordable rate. i found flights to paris for $387, but i would have to go after june 15 (i was hoping to go in mid-may). travelzoo seems to have some decent deals into paris, amsterdam, and maybe even frankfurt if need be. i have to figure out how far i'd have to go via train if i don't fly directly into brussels. as long as i have some flexibility on flight dates, i should be okay.