I was a sloth this weekend, and it was amazing. Just what I needed. Apart from meeting J on Friday to see Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (which was entertaining, but not as good as the first one), M and I pretty much stayed in the house all weekend and played video games, watched videos, read books, and cooked. Saturday and Sunday were lazy and perfect. Monday came too soon - no surprise there.

But because I was a hermit this weekend, I spent much less money than I would have if I’d been sociable and gone out. I did a big grocery shop, but that goes in line with my new budget, so that doesn’t count. Let’s think about this: before, I was spending, say, $4.50 a weekday on lunch and $10 on dinner practically ever night. Over a month, that’s a loss of almost … $390! Oh my god. I totally didn’t realise how much I was spending until I just did the math. Um, so yeah, obviously eating out is a no-go for me from now on. But that’s okay. Fast food doesn’t tie in with my new ‘healthier, happier me’ thing.

On another note, the rattle in my car has gotten worse. I should really get that checked out, but I keep forgetting or I just don’t have the time. I have the feeling that, one of these days, a major part of the engine or something will come crashing out on the highway and leave me stuck. Breaking down is a major fear of mine, and always has been, though I’ve never actually experienced it. Hmm.

I’m meant to take the Series 66 by this Friday - gah! I guess that’s do-able. I need to call up the center and book an appointment, stat.

I’m officially 23 years old. How crazy is that! I still feel nineteen at heart.

Five years ago today, I wrote: “Well, I’m 18 now. I can’t say I feel any different, nor do I really feel very special. I mean, honestly, I couldn’t even (legally) have a ‘fun’ party! What is that? Maybe I should have gone to Mexico for my birthday. That would have been cool.” Haha. Well, I certainly made up for the lack of ‘fun’ partying in high school when I made it to college. Today was pretty low-key for me, but lovely, just the way I wanted it. Maybe I’ll have a night out to celebrate in the next few weeks, or maybe not. I think I’m kind of over the party scene. Yeah, I say this now.

On this day in history:

• Carl Linnaeus, creator of the modern scientific taxonomy system, was born in 1707
• the Army of the Potomac marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, to celebrate the end of the Civil War in 1865
• the North-West Mouted Police (otherwise known as the ‘Mounties’) was established as Canada’s national police force in 1873
• famous actor Douglas Fairbanks was born on this day in 1883
• Bonnie and Clyde were shot to death in 1934

Party on, Wayne.

I feel as though I’ve been at work for hours, but it’s only been forty-five minutes. Shoot me. Despite going to bed before eleven(!) last night, I’m still knackered. I blame Saturday night for that. So I’m feeling kind of rough - I slept wrong on Saturday night and my neck is sore, as well - and it doesn’t help that one of the other trainees, Ranjith, went on for about five minutes about how tired I looked. Ugh. I’m going to get more coffee when I finish this. I have a can of Red Bull, but the thought of that right now makes me feel a bit ill.

My girlfriend, Meg, held her grad party on Saturday; a group of people came up from VA for the occasion, including some high school friends (D, E, and Di), and we all went bowling, which quickly turned into drunken bowling, which quickly made me realise that I can’t bowl for shit if I’ve been drinking. Anyway, it was a good laugh, and we all stumbled home at around midnight or so and kept drinking with games like ‘Never Have I Ever’ and ‘Spin the Bottle,’ reminding me of good times back in St Andrews. Of course, I was on good behaviour (no tongue!).

At around six in the morning, people started passing out or going home, and I ended up fucking things up pretty good with Meg by mentioning some things that had been on my mind as of late, which will not be mentioned here. Anyway, things were strained between us until we had a chat at about four yesterday afternoon, but it seems better now, and we ended up having a lovely evening watching The Longest Yard, which was highly amusing.

On another note, I am now officially a New Jersey resident, NJ license and plates and all that. I was amazed by the efficiency of the DMV here; they really do pack you in and ship you out as quickly as possible. It’s awesome! The last time I went to the DMV, back in Virginia when my dad was transfering his car into my name, we waited for over three hours. The time before that, it took four hours, and that was after arriving at the DMV well before it opened. Obviously these Yankees are doing it right.

In the next two weeks, I have to do the following:

• register to vote as a NJ resident
• get my car inspected
• pass my Series 7 (gah!)
• buy a dress for my mom’s wedding
• take advantage of the next two weekends (3-day and 5-day, respectively) by sleeping
• actually do something physically demanding and productive, like join Bally’s

Okay, I’m ready for my lunch break now.

I’m feeling down today, and for that, I shall blame the foul, gray weather we’re having. But hey, at least we didn’t have to deal with floods “that seemed almost Biblical” like those in New England. There’s an upside to everything.

Me and Chris (one of the other trainees) had a meeting with Big Boss Man yesterday afternoon, during which he went over all the incorrect answers on our practice exams. Wait, not our practice exams. Just mine. Of course I’d given him one with crazy careless mistakes - multiple choice tests taken on a computer make it really easy for me to slip and push the wrong button - and he spent at least five minutes explaining each question. Even the simple ones. The sad thing is, I knew the answers to them, but I’m not going to dwell on it, as I got a 94% on that test anyway. After the meeting, Big Boss Man came over to me and said, “Do you have a really good memory?” I don’t. Not at all. I blame the alcohol consumption and other bad habits of St Andrews days on my crappy memory. So I told him that I didn’t, and he grinned slightly. “Guess you’re just a good test-taker, then, huh?”

It’s been five years since I’ve taken a multiple-choice exam. I’d say I was plenty out of practice. Let’s just call it luck, and the fact that it would seem 98.38% of the questions are answered ‘c.’ But it was nice of him to notice that my scores are looking pretty good.

I have the “OC” theme song stuck in my head. Californiaaaaaaaaaa …

My girlfriend and I watched some of Basic Instinct last night, but I think I fell asleep, as the last thing I remember of the film is Sharon Stone showing off her poon to a roomful of unattractive men. Seemed like a promising start, though, and less of a freakshow than Fatal Attraction, which we watched on Sunday after a very juicy “Desperate Housewives.” Lord, I have become such a homebody, it’s unbelievable. But who really has the energy to go out and do stuff after spending ten hours (including the commute) at work?

I am so tired. So much for getting to bed at eight last night. My girlfriend and I ended up watching “The Click List” and the end of Final Destination before realizing that it was already almost midnight, which means I got maybe five hours of good sleep. Ugh. Coupled with the fact that it was gray and rainy, this morning’s wake-up call was a bitch. And the people on the roads today were bitches. And I smoked far too much on my commute. And I’ve already had four cups of coffee. Basically, I’m all kinds of jittery.

After work tonight I’m meant to go down to Philly with my girlfriend so that she can pick up her car, a graduation gift from her father. Round trip, that’s four hours of driving. Oh well, at least I’ll get to go to Wawa en route. Mmm, iced tea and meatball subs … *drools*

I need to finish this practice exam and submit my score to Big Boss Man. Until later.