Log Rides are Awesome

Remember when I wrote about the comedian who said it's impossible to frown on a waverunner? Well, there must not be many results on the internet for that, because I now get an average of 5 or so hits a week that are people looking for the comedian that said that. Unfortunately, I have no idea who said that originally. I'm so sorry people. No help for you here. But good luck in your searching endeavors!

I ended up having a really nice weekend, which was good because I have to admit that the first week of school was kind of stressful. I don't really have a routine established yet so I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to juggle my schoolwork with my new assistantship responsibilities, and it doesn't help that people keep adding more responsibilities. Just yesterday I found out that I'm now a member of a committee on international studies, and while I was looking to do some committee work this year, it would have been nice if someone had bothered telling me that my assistantship also comes with committee work. I think I'll be okay once I get a better sense of exactly how much work I'm going to have each week, but it's definitely taking a lot of willpower to make myself work right now.
I was actually kind of productive this weekend even though Penn was down here, so that's a good sign for the way things will work out as the year goes on. Yesterday it rained a ton because of a tropical storm (my first tropical storm, hooray!) so we didn't leave the house at all during the day. We sat on the couch all afternoon and I read while Penn wrote and then did some reading of his own. It was cozy, and I managed to do several hours of reading before getting distracted by the hot guy reading on the other end of the couch. Then last night once the rain had passed we went out with a couple of Penn's friends (the couple he was hanging out with the night he and I met, actually). It was fun getting to know them a bit, and I discovered a new-t0-me bar near where I live that has a huge variety of beer. I never really go out anywhere near my apartment, I always end up driving down closer to the university or going out in City A. It's nice to know that there's a nearby place that's safe and fun. (Most of the bars in the town where I live strike me as really, really sketchy, which is part of the reason I don't drink up here.)
Yesterday was sandwiched between two other fun days. On Friday we hung out with a bunch of my friends and had fondue and played board games. Penn says I'm never allowed to tell his friends that I talked him into eating fondue, and I bet I'm not supposed to tell them about the game, either, but I'm pretty sure he had fun. I know I did. He and I were laughing, though, because our friends couldn't possibly be more different from each other. I hang out with a bunch of nerdy academics who are mostly married or almost-married, and usually when people suggest something to do it's wine night or a dinner party. Penn's friends at home are mostly guys who spend their weekends re-enacting Jackass pranks and sleeping until 3:00 in the afternoon. Luckily we can both hang out with each other's friends and have a good time. It's kind of like our friends are on opposite ends of a continuum and he and I both fall somewhere in the middle (which is why we actually get along so well with each other, come to think of it). It's going to be really, really bizarre if they ever have to interact with each other, though!
Anyway, today was also fun because my cousin's company was having their company picnic at an amusement park and Penn and I went with her. It was great. There were a ton of roller coasters and no lines! The longest we ever had to wait was fifteen minutes, and most of the time we could walk right up and hop on the ride. I wish amusement parks were always like that. All the fun, none of the crowds. I also wish I had my own personal bumper car room for days when I hate everybody. What an awesome way to get out aggression!
All in all it was a great weekend. Now it's time for another round of "Let's get through this week as quickly as possible so it can be the weekend again!" And the week is going to be a lot less painful if I actually finish more reading tonight, so I'm off.