It's a Little Cold To Be a Mermaid Today, Isn't It Ariel?

Wow! This weekend has been one huge, long adventure. Saturday morning I woke up in my comfy bed, elated at the thought of sleeping in and lazing off for the entire morning before work. I curled my toes happily and snuggled further under my blankets, averting my eyes from the weak rays of blue light sneaking in from underneath the window blinds. The Church Bells chime, and I count. 1...2...3...4...5...6...7. I roll over and try to sleep again.

I sigh. It is Saturday, and I am perfectly licensed to sleep in, but who I am kidding? Certainly not my internal alarm clock. I am so used to waking up at 7AM, bright and early to get breakfast at 7:30 during the week, that I cannot make myself sleep past 8AM even when I want to. On one side, I am thrilled to find how much longer the day is and how much more that I can get done with several extra hours of daylight at my disposal, but at the same time I shake my head and wonder how it is that I have turned out to be such the antithesis of your classic college student.

I shake off the blanket and put one tentative foot on the cold linoleum floor. I wipe my sleepy eyes awake and climb into the shower, shedding away the last vestiges of sleep and getting my mind thinking for the day. The thermometer says 41 Degrees this morning, and it is the first true cold of the year. I am delighted and put on a long sleeve shirt and wrap a scarf around my neck. I am a little shaky and I test my BG to find a 67. I wish breakfast was served on Saturdays but the dining hall only offers brunch at 11, so this Diabetic is on her own. I have to keep a good supply of snacks for Saturday morning munchies as well as random lows but I haven't had the chance to go to Walmart yet and get some more food. Breakfast this morning includes two chocolate rice cakes and a half-melted fudge ice cream bar.

Cheesy-happy first scarf wearing of the season picture. And look - my bed-making skills are the best!

Work today is in Atlanta at 1PM so I have to leave around 11. I take a trip to the gas station first so that I don't have to pump gas in a mermaid tail (potentially awkward) and gas is priced at a comfortable $3.07 (for once gas prices make me reasonably happy). It costs almost $10 less to fill up my tank than it did 2 weeks ago. Not to mention the weather is absolutely brilliant and I am thus in a perfect mood. It was as if the entire world was conspiring to make me happy today. I am freezing, but despite my warm winter clothes I stubbornly refuse to wear anything but flip flops until December and thus deserve it. Flip flops are just so dang convenient...

I make it back to Wesleyan around 10AM and am in a serious mood for some coffee. I patiently wait it out instead of heading over to Starbucks and get ready for my party, loading up the car and putting on my bathing suit top so that I can grab some brunch real quick and then head right on out. The clock chimes 11, and I finally get my coffee and some salad before rushing back to my room. I chug the coffee on the way back, grab my purse and remaining party stuff, and return to the truck. It's roadtrip time and I'm excited! The drive Northwards on the same old stretch of 75 can be monotonous sometimes but never when I actually reach the city and get to see all of the new places around Atlanta. I have been to many of the different suburbs and each one has their own specific character, their own unique sights that make Atlanta such an exciting place to be. Atlanta is a city that I love and a trip up there is like vacation for me. I blast music on the way up 75 and keep the heat on so that the truck is a comfortable temperature. Well, for me, seeing as most other people think I have far too little cold tolerance. Can't say I disagree, but such is what living in the Gator Swamp all your life will do to you. I'm not exactly sure where in Atlanta I am going but it is slightly North of the city and the GPS directs me where to go. For the first time, it keeps me on 75 and that's when I realize that today for the first time I will be driving straight through the heart of the city. I have tested my driving skills on both 675 and 285 before but never actually driven alone by myself through Atlanta. OMG. My conscious shouts as I count 7 lanes of crowded traffic surrounding me. "Holy freaking crap I'm gonna DIE", I'm muttering as I grip the steering wheel and try not to totally freak out. The honest to goodness truth is Atlanta traffic itself is not that terrible, but it's whenever you want to get on a ramp or direct yourself to the correct exit that trouble can occur. It is imperative to know where you are going otherwise your Atlanta driving experience will not be a pleasant one. After a few more "OMG I'M GONNA DIE"'s coupled with a flurry of frantic prayers, last minute lane changes to remain on 75, and most likely a couple of P.O.ed Atlanta drivers, traffic calms down as I pass the main stretch of city and start ending up North.

I get off at my exit and need to stop somewhere real quick to use the restroom. I find a Chick-fil-a and hurry in, holding up the skirtof my mermaid tail and making little eye contact with anyone. For personal amusement purposes I do enjoy making people look twice at a clown or princess walking through public sometimes, but today I am not in the mood to bring attention to myself and I hurry back out as soon as I can.

I arrive in the correct neighborhood and gaze around in awe. The houses surrounding me remind me far more of castles than of any house I've ever seen. There is money here, and it is apparent. I finally arrive at a beautiful house in a pristine neighborhood, adjust my hair, and step out. I am greeted once I get to the backyard by a chorus of "Oh, it's Ariel!!" by little girls and "Gosh, you must be cold" and "It's a little cold to be a mermaid today, isn't it Ariel!" by the adults. But I am in the entertainment business and I do not complain. We do what it takes, whether that is dressing up as a clown and face painting outside in 30 degree weather or trying to face paint in the heat of July while you feel like melting. I settle in to face paint for two hours, all the while trying to figure out why on Earth the ONE day I have to do a mermaid party it just happens to be cold. My toil is worth it, though, when at the end I am asked for several business cards, the mom is happy, and I receive a very generous $30 tip. The party has wound down and I smile and wave goodbye to the remaining guests as I make it back to the truck, eager to return home and relax.

I make it back to Wesleyan relatively quickly and stop in the dining hall for dinner. My friend Kristina texts me and asks if I want to watch a movie with her and I reply yes, telling her I'll check the library collection for a movie. I scan the library schedule real quick only to remember that the library closes 5PM on Saturdays, putting a big red "X" through that plan. I sigh, text Kristina we'll have to re-schedule and resign myself to Homework (aka an open word doc and Facebook). I figure I'll use the time for some much-needed study. That's before my friend Sarah messages me on Facebook and asks if I would like to come meet her at Starbucks. Sarah also blogs and we had been trying to figure out a time to meet at Starbucks and talk next week. This was perfect!

I bundle up and go out to my car. Starbucks is close enough to walk but it is dark and cold and the thought does not sound appealing in the least. Instead I drive there and meet Sarah at a table next to the window. I take out my Organic Chem book in pretense of studying but really I know that most likely I will accomplish no schoolwork at all. I don't mind, though. I've been dying to have someone to talk to lately. I feel as if I always do a lot of listening but rarely get the chance to contribute much to the conversation. This is one of the first times that Sarah and I have really hung out and I had such a great time. I felt like we both got to contribute to the conversation, and we talked about everything, from Wesleyan to our disagreements about feminism to life as former homeschoolers. Even though prior plans were cancelled everyting worked out for the best because I was so happy to have gotten a chance to have a good conversation with awesome company. Not to mention Starbucks and the delicious smell of coffee makes everything better. We stay for nearly 3 hours, and I order a regular coffee as it is too late for me to have a high-sugar, high-carb drink on good conscience... okay, let's be honest, Starbucks never fits into a Diabetic's "good conscience".

It is nearly 11PM when we head back to Wesleyan and I've had a wonderful evening. A wonderful day, in fact. A job that went well, a trip to Atlanta, Starbucks, and new friendship.

As it turns out, the life of a mermaid isn't all that bad.