November 14, 2004 - 9:52 p.m. So I have Internet again, praise the Lord. I uninstalled my ethernet card, rebooted, and then the card reinstalled itself, and voila! The Switchfoot concert was fabulous thanks to the great crowd (and the band was awesome too ;) ). I'm not really tall enough to see the stage from half way back, but Nyssa and Rebecca lifted me up every now and then so I'd know what was going on. Later everyone piled onto our bed and watched 13 Going On 30. Spencer scratched my back until I fell asleep. A great Friday night. Yesterday I got my first experience driving a manual transmission. Spencer, the Jeep, and I went back in the parking lot behind Kep and I drove around in circles for an hour and a half. I must have killed that thing a million times. It was somehow easier than learning to drive with Mom. Maybe it's because I'm older. Or maybe it's because I knew Mom wouldn't disown me if I acted like a jerk. Spencer probably wouldn't either, but we won't take that chance. This morning I was almost sick. By almost sick I mean that around 10:30 I really wanted to toss my cookies for no apparent reason. I was a little dizzy, and I felt hot and cold at the same time. I never did throw up, but Rebecca brought me some peppermint tea and some Tums and made me take a nap while she and Spencer had brunch. By the time they were back, I was feeling much better. I'm back to 100% by now, so that's good. What would I do without my friends? I'm still not done with that paper. But I'm working on it. I want to come home for Thanksgiving, but at the same time I don't. I'll miss school. I'll miss our routines and our spontaneity. I'll miss having my own space. (Ironic, isn't it. I have my own space at college when I'm a foot away from Nyssa at all times, but at home I have no space.) But really, I'll miss my friends. I miss my high school friends too, though. And my family. I think what I really want is for everyone to be together in one big room all the time. This time next week, I'll be at home! ...before & after...