Minneapolis Couple Makes Mini-Documentary With Swell New Video Camera

Shad posted a video of our screenprinting last night on the BTA blog. We also screenprinted my Evidence book.

Juice Posts Recent Projects

I've been remiss in posting pictures of my projects. As I mentioned, my buddies and I made purses out of hardcover books last week. I may make a few more--actually, Shad and I did some screenprinting on some book covers and I may turn those into purses eventually. I'm generally not exactly a fan of mass-producing things, so I'll probably get sick of it after making just one more but you never know. Anyhoo, these pics are all taken in the screenprinting room a/k/a the most attractive area of the whole house...hence, the cinderblocks, furnace, kitty litter, and whatever else happens to be in the background. OK, without further adieu...The Projects.





The skirt I made last weekend out of the groovy 1960s fabric found at estate sale.





Suit I embellished this weekend. I picked up the suit for $7.99 at the Value Village, then cut circles in it to insert fabric--these fabric pieces are from a textured upholstry fabric sample set I picked up at the Textile Center's rummage sale last year. I'm not sure if the photo pics it up very well, but there's embroidery stitching around each circle and the pockets and lapel.





Oops, that one was sideways. I'm too lazy to fix it.

Thrifter Can't Resist Trip to Value Village After Long Afternoon of Studying

At the risk of belaboring the issue, let me just once again profess my undying love for Arc's Value Village. I was studying at Caribou yesterday afternoon and decided to swing by the VV on my way home. What joy to find this duvet and pillow set for $7.99!



Other good finds include two lambswool turtleneck sweaters and a stack of violin books.

Write your own Einstein message here. (Thanks, BoingBoing!)

Unable to Stomach Prospect of Sitting Through Biz Ass Drowning in Puddle of Own Drool, Juice Absconds to Sky Lounge

Here's a not-so-brilliant idea: Scheduling Business Associations on a Friday afternoon. Give me a flippin' break. I really hate skipping class (attending every class is how I justify not reading my homework), but I just couldn't stand to be there anymore. It was a looooong week at school. So Mike and I decided to play hooky and instead spent the afternoon relaxing and sewing in the Sky Lounge with some beers. I helped Mike sew a pair of yoga pants--they turned out really great. I worked on "improving" a suit I bought at Arc's Value Village this summer. I hope to finish it this weekend. What a treat to be at home at 2 in the afternoon! I really ought to stop being so uptight and start skipping class more often. Now I know why Geoff does it all the time.

Last night was super fun. I made enchiladas for a group of my lady-friends, and we drank lots of wine and made purses out of old hardcover books. I'll post a photo soon. I hope Julie posts a picture of the purse she made out of an old library copy of The Secret Garden--it turned out really super cute.

Elissa and I had lunch at the French Meadow Bakery yesterday. Wow, what a wonderful meal. I had heard less-than-stellar reports about their dinner menu, but lunch, despite its simplicity, was phenomenally tasty. I had a breakfast burrito, and Elissa had the tuna melt.

Shad and I had a wonderful dinner at Erte (in Northeast) tonight. Shad had the Tuscan Chicken--it was stuffed with spinach and gruyere, I think, and served over a tomato sauce. I had a creamy pasta with mushrooms and beef tips. We both are such suckers for those creamy pastas, man. For dessert we split the most decadent banana cream pie ever with a chocolate crust and chocolate grenache. Damn. I realize its not healthy to eat meals like this all the time, but let me just tell you here and now that if I catch that bird flu or get some terminal illness, I plan to eat about 12000 calories a day until I die.

Tonight will be low-key. I'm chillin' in the Sky Lounge working on that suit while Shad finishes some stuff up at the office, then we're going to watch a movie at home. I've got a mellow weekend planned. Tomorrow I'll be doing taxes for a few hours (my volunteer thing), then will probably spend the weekend doing homework and (hopefully) sewing.

P.S. Has anyone seen The Mess? What happened to her?

Emotional Eater Deals With Crummy Day Through Kitchen Therapy

I am not going to get into why my day was crummy. I couldn't wait to just get away from school to go home and do some cooking. I'd been hankering to try this cheap and easy recipe for cilantro pesto, found on Simply Recipes:

Cilantro Pesto

2 cups, packed, of cilantro, large stems removed
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon chopped and seeded serrano chile
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Put all ingredients except oil in food processor until blended. With food processor running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream. Add more oil as needed for your use. (Makes 1 cup).

The Wiz decided to use my serrano chile for a hockey puck (it was kind of sad really, I knew she'd end up with the chile oil in her eyes or mouth or something and would be in misery so finally I took it away from her and threw it away) so I used ground ancho chiles instead. Then I mixed the pesto with some whole grain penne pasta, threw in some grilled chicken and caramelized onions and garlic. I added plenty of fresh-cracked pepper and topped the whole thing with some hard sheep's cheese. Was very yummy and Shad and I enjoyed it with one of our favorite wines--Bonny Doon's Syrah Sirrah. If you decide to try the recipe, try mixing the pesto with chicken in tacos, or mix it in with cottage cheese to make a dip.

As Temperature Rises Above Zero, Minneapolis Woman Recovers from Meltdown and Ventures Outdoors Without Whining

It was a fun and low-key weekend. Friday night, Amy came over and we drank lots of wine and watched Frida, which I'd never seen before. It was a beautiful movie, I loved it. Saturday I volunteered in the morning to help low-income people file income taxes and in the afternoon I went shopping with Geoff and his girlfriend, Jessica, to help Jessica pick out a suit for her med school interviews. We found a smart and snappy little skirt-suit at Macy's. Then we returned to St. Paul and had a delicious meal at Bonfire. We ordered an incredible mess of fried onion stack that was way too big for us to eat. I had a really delicious creamy pasta with lobster, shrimp, scallops, and asparagus. (In case you're wondering, that stupid south beach diet is out the window, as I found it to be completely incompatible with my drinking regimen. No worries, though, I'm working out and improving my eating habits notwithstanding the occasional foray into the land of the delicious creamy pastas). OK, where was I? Oh, yes. After dinner, I met Shad at Creative Electric Studios for the excellent and weird William Schaff show. ("Cool" weird, not "OMG look at that crazy weirdo" weird).

Sunday I could no longer resist the accusatory vibes coming from my fabric stash so I grabbed the fabric that was resting on top (a groovy print called "Moon Flower" that I picked up at an estate sale--the fabric was stamped "Copyright 1960") and sewed up a little skirt. Then put on my new skirt and left to do some homework at Diamonds coffee shop. Later Shad and I had dinner at The Good Earth in Roseville (artichoke dip=wonderful; creamy asparagus soup=good but lacking a little oomph; goat cheese and artichoke ravioli in tomato-cream sauce=almost completely lacking in yumminess) and swung by Barnes & Noble to read magazines (it's almost like having your own!).

Going to bed now--have a big day tomorrow, beginning with 7:40 a.m. meeting. Ew.

Minneapolis Woman Obsesses About Backyard Dwelling

I have a secret obsession with putting a little modular dwelling in my backyard. It's ridiculous, I know. First, because my backyard is the size of a can of peanuts and is on a hill, and secondly, because there is plenty of room for me inside my house. But I can't help it. I want it. I want to sit out there in the summer with a glass of wine and my laptop and write stuff. Or read a book. Or whatever. I just want to be in this swell little room in my backyard. OK? It's what I want.

The idea first took root in my obsessive little brain when I went to a poetry reading several years ago. I don't even remember who the poet was. Lucille somebody? Doesn't matter. Anyhoo, she mentioned that she does her writing in a special little cabin in her backyard. At the time I wanted to be a novelist (that dream is not dead), so I was especially taken by the idea of having my own special writing space. And if I remember correctly, I think this is how Isabelle Allende said she writes, too. How truly excellent. So my mind is working through this idea when, a couple of years ago, this DIY modular dwelling turned up in ReadyMade magazine. It's made of plexiglass, plywood and steel, mostly. Swoon.



I ached to build it. But, lacking the estimated $15k for supplies (though I really don't understand how it could cost that much), the skills, and the spousal support, in addition to the fact that it would look ridiculous in my backyard, well, you know the story. I tried to put it out of mind, but there was a little kernel of hope in the back of my brain that someday I could build it. Then I found this on Inhabitat while I was farting around online today:



Love! All yearning for backyard dwelling has been rekindled. Maybe after we get the fence up, we can haul away the garden shed that is in the backyard right now and I can entertain this idea some more. (???) Check back in a few years for developments on this story.

As Temperature Drops Below Zero, Juice Asks Self For Thousanth Time Why the Hell She Still Lives Here

I know, people love Minnesota. Four seasons and all that BS. Blah blah blah. Well, I am not buying it. I hate it here. I do. Why am I still here? It is below zero, people. My car will not start. My skin is dry and rashy and it hurts. If I accidentally smile while walking outside, my teeth freeze. Humans were not meant to exist in these conditions. Are you people crazy or something? Why do you stay here? We don't have to put up with this. Let's give the state back to the gophers and the fish and just bail. There are palm trees and beaches awaiting us! Ugh. I hate this weather so much. I don't want to leave the house. I swear one winter I am simply going to snap and I will jump in my little Kia and drive to California and stay there. If my family didn't live here, I would have done just that long ago. Dang it. Maybe I'll go buy myself some long underwear tomorrow.

Chicago Designer Supports Fledgling Local Crafter

A box of keyboard keys arrived in the mail today from Doodlehead! Sweet! I need to bag a few more keyboard keys to begin my first project...in the meantime, I can begin experimenting with adhesives. Thanks, Donn!

Juice Swallows Hard, Determined to Stop Making Ass of Self and Talk About Other Stuff Instead

We had a lovely Valentine's day. Even though Shad didn't get me a diamond heart pendant from the Shane Company so that shows how fickle our love is. We never really get into V-Day mostly because we don't want to feel victimized by the commercial/marketing jackboot, so we don't give gifts or anything...but we usually end up doing dinner or similar.

Anyhoo, we went to Jenny Schmid's new studio for her Studio Warming Party and small gallery show featuring fifty different Valentine's prints. She coordinated a print exchange with fifty contributors.





It was fun time, and we even got to see The Gnome, Steve, and little baby Esther, who was a little angel the whole time even though she's been sick.

After the show, we totally indulged ourselves in a wonderful dinner at Koyi Sushi. Oh man, I love that place. We had a the spider roll (softshell crab with asparagus and avocado), baked mussels, vegetable tempura, and a dynamite roll. And drinky drinks. And a little spinach salad (goma dari) that was not very good, probably because when I've had it in the past it's been packed full of sugar which of course I like.

A Very Mortified Juice Humiliates Self by Mis-Reading Headline

Oh, yes. Veeeeeeery embarassing. I am officially on snark probation. I decided to leave the post up so that you all can subject me to the public lashing that I deserve. Go ahead. Kick me while I'm down.

IM Conversation, approx 11:50 a.m.

Geoff says:
Uhhh, Petosker?

Geoff says:
I would remove that UJ post if I were you.

Geoff says:
Your Apostrophe Nazi moral authority is in serious
jeapordy.

The Petosker says:
why?

Geoff says:
I am going to assume that you miss-read the
headline

The Petosker says:
WHAT?

Geoff says:
it's is the contracted form of "it is," which is what they
were trying to say there.

The Petosker says:
HOLY SHIT!

Geoff says:
Matt is typing up a snarky comment for you right
now

The Petosker says:
I'm so embarassed!

Geoff says:
yeah

Geoff says:
...

The Petosker says:
Shit! I'm doing disk drive cleanup right now &
can't get into my internet.

Geoff says:
Matt says you have to leave it up

Geoff says:
take your medicine, so to speak

Matt says:
You must leave it up. You need to be humbled,

Geoff says:
I think he just wants his snarky comment to be seen by
everyone

Matt says:
Like Cheney shooting his hunting buddy--You need to learn
that you are not gramatically invincible and all powerful.

Matt says:
Anna PLEASE leave it up!!!

Matt says:
It would be rather hypocritical to continue to trash others
apostrophe usage and yet bury your own so that none may see it.

(Pause, 10 minutes pass)

Geoff says:
Petosker?

The Petosker says:
what?

Geoff says:
Are you in a corner somewhere, sobbing?

The Petosker says:
No, but I'm trying desperately to get on blogger, and
it's down.

Geoff says:
Do you feel dirty? Are you taking a shower?

Apostrophe Nazi Can't Resist Pointing Out CNN's Egregious Apostrophe Abuse

Written in bold, below the headline:

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The U.S. government should release all suspected terrorists it's holding at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, or try them, the United Nations said Thursday.

Stupid CNN. This was yesterday's news anyway.

Juice Recommends Sipping Blackberry Mojitos While Waiting for Spring

Shortcut Blackberry Mojito*

Mix in blender:

2 cups fresh lime juice

2-1/2 cups sugar**

1 cup fresh blackberries

handful of mint leaves

To the above mixture, add 6 cups water and 2 cups Bacardi Limon.

Stir.

Garnish with fresh mint, sugarcane, a blackberry, squeeze of lime, and/or a little umbrella.

*If you don't want to take the shortcut, you could muddle a whole bunch of fresh limes, sugar, blackberries and mint w/mortar & pestle. Yeah, it's probably more authentic, but talk about a pain in the ass when all you really want is a cool refreshing drink like NOW.
**Don't wince at the idea of consuming this much sugar. Puh-leeeeeze. Live a little! Just close your eyes and dump it in. That's right. Don't think twice, you know you love it.

Astonishing String of Bad Luck Broken as Juice Hits Green Light on Way Home for First Time in Thirteen Months

I started taking this shortcut, you see. It wraps around behind the homeless shelter, and when it's warmer out, there are blankets out and people are sleeping along the side of the road. It's a sad area of town. Some would call it scary, but I like to drive through it on my way home at night to keep things in perspective. Anyhoo, the first light I hit when I get through that area is always, always, ALWAYS red. I started keeping track of it after the first month to make sure I wasn't crazy. Today it was green.

I ran three miles today! I was very proud. I'm not sure that I'll get up to six miles before the group run, but I'll try to work up to four next week, and see if I can eek out the extra two miles on pure pluck when next Friday rolls around.

England Bans Smoking

I never, NEVER thought this would happen.

Happy V-day folks! Send a fun fuzzies card (designed by Big Time Attic) to your honey:

Cupid
March of the Fuzzee
or, my favorite:
My Fuzzee Valentine

We had such a blast when Summ2 was visiting. Sadly, she had to go back to LA. I'm not jealous...no, really. It's much more fun I'm sure to tramp around in the snow and sit in class all day than to frolic in 85-degree sunny California weather.

You see how Summ1 and Summ2 got their nicknames?



No trip to MN is complete without a good-ol' outing to the VFW and some bottles of PBR.





Gee whiz, what are they laughing at? Well, I don't know if laughing is the proper description. Summ seems concerned, Amy seems amused, and Chuck looks like he's still working on formulating an opinion. For the answer to this riddle I link by way of reference to the post from a few weeks ago: "Karaoke Night at VFW Another Sad Chapter in Juice's Quest to Lose all Self-Dignity."



Summ threw an excellent dinner party a couple of weeks ago--spicy chicken curry, some wacky spinach thing, salads, magic yogurt sauce, etc. Oh, yes, and plenty of booze. That's Kerrie next to Summ in the photo, another swell transplant from LA here to visit for a few weeks.



Geoff and I love us some Indian food.



Superbowl party/deep-fry fest at Mike & Jason's house.

Law Prom Pics Arrive!

L-R: The Juice, Kerrie, Gianne, Adela, Summ, Erin



Gianne, Ugly "Who-am-I-to-decline-your-kind-offer-of-another-drink" Juice, Jason



Mike's girlfriend Monica



Two very swell people--Chuck and wife Polly. Polly's dress is fabulous, it was an asymetrical 1980's number, and she was also wearing fishnets. Rarr!



Jason and Mike (Mike is my Law Journal partner)

Baby Sister Turns Thirteen

Happy birthday to my sweet little sister Mary!

She turned thirteen today! According to the family bylaws, this means she can finally get her ears pierced. Woot woot!!!!!!!

Asian-Themed Dinner Smashing Success Even Though It Took Place in Stupid St. Paul

Matt and Andrea hosted a wonderful dinner last night at their home in St. Paul. It was well worth crossing the river for. Andrea made two different kinds of delicious home-made spring rolls, sushi, and a delicious stir-fry with marinated tofu and chicken. Summ brought super spicy chicken curry, Geoff brought a delicious salad with ramen and secret sauce, and we brought blackberry mojitos and a mango spice cake. Everything was so delicious, and we drank and laughed late into the night. Andrea served up some plum wine, which I've never had before--it was really sweet, sweeter than I'd normally like, but perfect as an after-dinner drink.

You Can't Even Make This Shit Up

I've been trying to work up the energy to go for a run for the past few hours. After all, it's a bright sunny day outside, I consumed about a pound of sugar last night, and I didn't make it to the gym as often as I'd hoped this week. I kept finding things to do to put off the run (laundry, bubble bath, homework, blogs, etc.) because frankly, I was feeling just too lazy to get out there. Finally I decided to just suck it up. I geared up in my sweatsuit, fleece, hat, mittens, scarf, ipod, etc and grudgingly began the run. I had made it a block and a half when a lady pulled up next to me in her car and shouted, "Hey, did you happen to see a pit bull running loose around here?"

Needless to say, I turned straight around and headed home. Thanks, lady!

Mark Your Social Calendars for Lutefisk Sushi Opening March 24

Don't miss the mini-comix gallery show of the year, opening March 24.

Info here.

Spouse Busted Watching Cartoons in Middle of Afternoon

My sister Greta has been subbing in the Minneapolis public schools for the last few months. Apparently she was teaching at the school just down the street from my house yesterday, so she decided to stop by. I was at school, so missed her visit, but not Shad, oh no...he and the BTA crew were in the family room watching cartoons. "Research," they say. I say, "Baloney."

Speaking of baloney, check out today's word of the day:

deus ex machina: an agent who appears unexpectedly to solve an apparently insoluble difficulty.

What the hell kind of word is that? First of all, it's three words. Secondly, who would ever, EVER use that in a sentence? The Ugly Juice challenge is to use that word in a sentence in the next 48 hours. Report back. Bet you won't. It's a stupid word.

Crafter Unabashedly Considers Ripping Off Brilliant Recycled Purse Idea

If any of you are planning to throw out a computer keyboard, let me know, yo.

Law Students Disclose Classroom Participation Strategies

I know I've frequently mentioned the fear of getting called on in class. The situation can be pretty intense--particularly in the first year when you're most worried about looking like a dumb ass. Anyhoo, I was delighted to find this post by fellow blawgger Buffalo Wings & Vodka, entitled A Brief Taxonomy of Classroom Participation Strategies. (Thanks, Buster).

I am definitely a proponent of the preemptive strike--volunteer for a softball right up front to avoid getting nailed later. But sometimes you get called on cold, and you just have to go for it. This is when I use the strategy I like to call "I think the Judge said it best." I invented it when I got called on all the time in Con Law last year. What you do is, when the professor asks the question, cock your head slightly as if in thought, maybe furrow your brow a bit, and flip discretely through the casebook pages until you find something, anything, you may have underlined (If you haven't read, scan frantically for words like "We turn first to..." or "We have recognized..." or "Several factors..."). Then, flip to the front of the case to find the name of the judge who wrote the opinion. Above all, attempt to maintain a look of complete calm, as though you were in fact expecting the question and had your answer planned since last night. When the prof is finished asking the question, give a short nod of understanding, and say, "Sure. I belive Justice Marshall was addressing that issue at page 414 when he said...well, let me just go ahead and read it: (Quote passage with conviction, as though you know exactly what is coming out of your mouth. Don't stop reading until you understand what you are saying. Might be a paragraph or so--if this is the first time you've looked at the case, you may need to read for awhile.)." Now, sometimes this will work, or at least get the prof distracted enough to call on someone else. Sometimes you will receive a perplexed look, and the Prof will say, "OK, why don't you go ahead and flesh that out for us?" Shit! But now you have a few options. One, dive in and attempt to explain the passage you just read (because you kept reading until you understood it, right?). Two, admit that you're a bit perplexed by it, despite the fact that you had obviously given it a lot of thought (after all, you found the exact passage that addressed the issue, right?). Or, Third, throw the "Help Me" eyes to a friend (in my case, Geoff), who is probably turned around and snickering at you, and hope he raises a hand to bail you out, then ask the prof if you can call for co-counsel. The point of "The Judge said it best" strategy is not to look smart (clearly, that doesn't work for me) but to at least look like you've grappled with the case a bit.

Now, I will admit that there was one extreme situation last semester where I sensed the Prof was getting ready to turn her gaze in my direction, so I feigned a little coughing fit and left the room. I'm not proud of that. But, hell. It was an emergency.

Author Regrets Giving Fry Daddy Away

The Superbowl Party was a blast. People kept showing up with delicious food--marinated chicken for grilling, homemade pizzas, brats, rumaki, lots of dips and spreads, punch, cookies, etc etc etc. I was working the Fry Daddy, and invented an excellent new appetizer: deep-fried apples & brie. Sooooo delicious. Just pile a piece of brie on a little chunk of apple, dip in batter, and throw it in the ol' Fry Daddy until golden brown. The fried mushrooms were really good, too. Dang, I wish I had that Fry Daddy back.

Memory Sticks, by Guido Ooms (Thanks, Treehugger!)

Juice Seeks Crafty Advice

Last weekend, Julie gave me a heads-up on a great estate sale in our neighborhood, a.k.a. "Death of a Crafter." The lady had a huge room upstairs piled with needlework, vintage fabric, patterns, books, and half-finished projects. (Juice pauses, considers own mortality, shrugs).

So I LOADED up. This other lady and I were rummaging through everything and having a blast trying to figure out what projects she had been working on, figuring out what we would do with certain fabric finds, and just generally getting all giddy whenever we found a particularly cool thing. There was one point when she found a dress that the lady had been knitting and she shrieked and yelled across the room "Oh my God, you HAVE to have this!" She tossed it toward me and we both kind of squealed with delight at its coolness and the people running the sale rushed upstairs to investigate because we were making such a scene. What DORKS. I'm telling you, though. It was such a great sale. I had to make three separate trips to my car to load up all my purchases!

ANYHOO, Here's what I need help with. I picked up a whole bunch of vintage children's clothing patterns. What should I do with them? Initial ideas are cover them in vinyl and make baby bibs (but am worried about waterproofing, even with the vinyl), or maybe a big tote bag/diaper bag thing, again, covering the patterns with vinyl to proof them. Another idea would be to make a baby book/photo album with binding and everything using the patterns as decorative pages. That's all I've got. Any other ideas? I have about twenty patterns.

Law Students go to Prom

I'm still trying to shake off the sickness--not strep, just a bad cold that has settled into my throat and has given me a deep sexy voice. I can't complain about that, but wish my throat would stop hurting and the fever would go away. I feel like crap.

But alas, there is no rest for the wicked...after all, last night was Law Prom! I found two dresses at Arc's Value Village last weekend that were possible contenders for last night's ball. $8.99 each. The one I was most psyched about was a chocolate-colored slinky silk old-style Hollywood dress, with a plunging neckline and a slit all the way up one leg. Made by a Bevery Hills designer I didn't recognize, but I feel pretty sure the dress is worth hundreds more than the nine bucks I paid for it. Alas, I need to lose about ten pounds for it to fit just right. The other dress was too big, but I spent yesterday afternoon altering it, and to great effect. Will post photos as soon as Summ2 sends them to me.

We started out last night at Summ & Megan's house--they threw a swanky pre-prom cocktail party complete with vodka bar and catering by D'Amico. And they set up a photo corner with big balloons and stuff so we could take pre-prom photos just like in high school. It was awesome. We swung by the Aesthetic Apparatus gallery opening at Ox-Op before stopping by the prom, ran into some friends, had some drinks. The prom was, you know, prom. Prom with booze. There was some drama involving Princess Two, lots of dancing, etc. Hard to beat law prom, what can I say?

Today I'm doing homework at the coffee shop in Shad's building for awhile, then running over to Jason's superbowl party. When we moved into our house three years ago, we found a Fry Daddy in one of the kitchen cupboards. We've never touched it. So I'm bringing it over to the party today and we're going to just fry a bunch of stuff. Good times.

Sick Student Feels Whiny and Pathetic

Summ hosted a fun dinner party last night and we stuffed our faces with her delicious Indian food and tasty beverages. The girl can cook. Oh, and we watched Project Runway--what a great show! If I had Bravo, I would watch it every week.

This morning I woke up super sick, with my throat all swollen and a fever. Talking hurts. I gargled salt water (gross), but it still hurts--I made an appointment to see the doctor tomorrow morning. I'm worried it's strep. I used to get strep all the time as a kid, and I actually haven't had it in many many years now, but I'm still paranoid about it everytime my throat swells up. Luckily, my only class today was cancelled, so I'm cloistering myself in the Sky Lounge.