Oy, what a weekend

Had a pretty nice, relaxing day today, which is great since I was having such a cranky, crabby, weepy, depressed afternoon and evening yesterday.

I talked to my long lost Uncle Dave in Alaska Friday night and got a good laugh out of his reaction when I told him I had found my way back to Louisiana. For those who have never heard me talk of my "Uncle" Dave, he was/is my dad's best friend from the days they were stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base near Shreveport, LA -- so I've known him since I was about four. I can't remember the last time I talked to him, and it was wonderful to hear his voice.

I spent most of Saturday working on my fish endothermy paper (which, incidentally, I should be working on right now), occasionally taking a break to try to return my mom's call or talk to my aunt or check in on the Camp Chihowa reunion. Regarding the last, a bunch of campers and attendants from way back when rented our old campground for a reunion. I talked to several pals I haven't talked to in a long time, all of whom asked where I was and none of whom thought my busy grad student schedule was an excuse for missing the gathering. No, truly, they understood, but I was sorry I didn't make it.

Then, during a study break, I decided to catch up on my pals' online journals, and that's when it started. My pal Scottish Neko is having one of those weeks, and I was upset that I wasn't there to try to help. That got me to thinking about my pack/circle, which is not a good idea because I am incredibly hormonal at this current point in time. Most days I can ignore how much I miss them, but I couldn't distract myself from it for some reason last night. I tried calling Naomi, then I tried Mouse and Lady, and no one was home. That just seemed to make it worse. I talked to Paul on the computer, but he was rather uncommunicative and soon found something else better to do. My cuzzie Sarah helped a little by getting me giggling about her mom, but it was only a minor distraction. By the time I got in bed (particularly late because my attendant, who is observing Ramadan and had fixed herself a large supper and consumed it after sundown, had fallen asleep), I was wallowing in ridiculous, hormone-super-charged loneliness and wishing I had no ovaries. I lay in bed, thinking about how I only have two people with whom I have had decent, non-school-related conversations in two months, which I actually consider pretty good since I don't make friends easily. Too introverted -- always have been.

But I slept, and in the night my hormones died down a bit, and I'm back to my Polyanna self. OK, maybe not Polyanna, but I'm feeling much better. Natalie (one of the two with whom I have conversations) came over because she wanted to learn how to make soap. After a few hours of that, which always relaxes me, she helped me up onto the levee and we walked around and let Reba and Mayu play. Now I'm waiting on my spinach and feta pizza to be delivered, hopefully by the same goofy but cute guy who delivered my pizza last time, and I think I'll work some more on my paper or try Naomi or Mouse and Lady again. I'm where I want to be, I'm where I'm meant to be, and things are working out.

Oh man, I *am* turning into Polyanna. Her, or Stewart Smalley.