Harry Potter!!!

I finally figured out how to write this on my I-phone. So that is what I am doing: writing this while I lay in bed with Emma (I'm babysitting and Emma said she needed someone to lay down next to her when she goes to sleep). I plan on going to the midnight showing of Harry Potter tonight (which I am SUPER excited about).

As far as everything else, I have been riding a bike every other day lately and have been riding from Blue Lake to Michael Field's house to feed his fish and cat and plants and then riding back (it is exactly 6 miles from my house each way). I biked the way there in 23 minutes and 41 seconds (that's approximately 3.946 minute miles) and then back in 23 minutes and 45 seconds (that's 12 miles in 47 minutes and 26 seconds (that's about 3.95 minute miles on average))!!!!!!!!!!! So I was pretty excited about that. Now I am working to beat that time. I don't know what racing speed is but maybe I can get there with more work.

I have been working on handstands and upper body stuff every other day. My balancing is not improving (at least as far as I can tell) and my handstands seem to be better when I don't do them every day ( in fact I find them easiest when I have taken a week off).

I am having alot of fun practicing the accordion lately. I found a big Italian guy in Eureka that gives lessons for $15 a pop (which is pretty darn good). He has been playing accordion for about 60 years now and is AMAZING at it. I went through book 1A in the first week and am almost done with 1B after the second week. He told me I would probably slow down once I got to book 4. My piano background is making the basics pretty easy to get through and I feel like I am channelling something with the accordion from somewhere I didn't know existed (I think it must be a piece of my Grandfather (he played the accordion and the organ and I remember him playing it at night and his dogs howling). Anyhoo, I find that I am spending hours playing and really enjoying it.

As far as my paper goes, I am having a REALLY REALLY hard time concentrating on it. I think my mind is so exhausted from this past year that it is rebelling. Seriously, ANYTHING that I can think of to do instead: suddenly I notice the fridge needs to be cleaned, or I decide it is really important to dye my hair RIGHT NOW, or those bills I haven't paid yet (yes somehow I'd even rather do bills), or those onions that are going bad and need to be chopped up and cooked IMMEDIATELY. So with all of this procrastinating I have gotten quite a bit done around the house (my room is clean and organized and the rest of the house is scrubbed and cleaned) as well as watched a couple of episodes of Transgendered Love Story on Netflix (don't ask me why watching this is more important than writing my paper). So now that all that is cleaned and I've finished the series (it was only 8 episodes) I am hoping to be able to focus and concentrate. To be honest, I think I just needed a few days off since I have been going up until the beginning of this week (with MaryJane and then Cockroach).

So here's to, as Mike said "getting 'er done." Wish me luck with the rest of this week. Oh and don't be jealous that I am now off to watch Harry Potter!!!!!!!

Talk to you soon,
Meridith Anne Baldwin

P.S.
If it is really important to you which house you are in, the sorting hat takes that into consideration when deciding where to place you. That is why I am DEFINITELY in Gryffindor!!!!