Defining day in Shannonland--I got the key. You want to hear room mate stories? I got ‘em. These stories will never live up to “The Betty Saga,” but I work with what I have. Perhaps I should publish previous aspects of my life. I’m thinking an autobiography--- “the extraordinary life of miss peterson: adventures in Shannonland.” Anyway, back to the precursor to the point-- I am (and some people don’t believe it, but I swear it’s true) an eternal optimist. Sure, a sarcastic, critical optimist, but optimistic none-the-less. I’m always expecting something good to happen. I don’t know where it might be coming from, so I have to check all the avenues. Mailbox, (there might be a letter from a long lost friend, or even a check from, well who cares if it is made out to me?) email, (perhaps someone has been thinking about me-- sent me a thoughtful and encouraging message, a funny joke or a great story) answering machine- maybe a call from a friend who wants to take me to lunch (take me anywhere, I don’t have a car, I need to get out more.) I walk through my life expecting good things, looking for them. My theory/motto is “it can’t always suck like this.” Sure, I’m
often disappointed, and sometimes surprised. Things happen, they aren’t always good--they are most often just plain weird, but that’s another topic.

All this background information to say (here’s the point.) I like to check the mail. I really like it. It’s not as bad as my lip gloss addiction, but it is way up on my list “Important things in Shannonland.” So, last night I walk in and ask if anyone has checked the mail that day. My roommate, Kelly, says “Are you expecting something?” Am I expecting something? Of course I’m expecting something! I’m always expecting something! Anything!
I say, “Yes.” (Although I can’t really name anything specific I’m expecting.)
She says, “Okay, I guess I’ll go look.”
I say, “I’ll go if you give me the key.”
She says, “no, (sigh) I’ll go.” (The burden of it all.) She doesn’t get mail here, she gets her mail at her mom’s house, she has no stock in this checking of the mailbox ritual.
I say, “Why don’t you just leave the key in the kitchen so we can all use it when we want to?” (She’s kind of a control freak, this one.)
She says, “Because the key is in my name, and if any one of you loses it, I have to pay $30.00 to have it replaced.”
First of all $30 for a stupid little key? That’s insane! Second, like we aren’t going to pay her if we lose it. Duh--
So I just said, “Okay, fine.”

A few minutes later, she comes back saying the key doesn’t work, and there’s a new lock on the mailbox. So, today I went to the office and asked about it, and I got the new key. In MY name. It’s a little gold key that feeds my addiction. NOW I HAVE THE POWER! HA-HAAA!

Anyway, I got some good news and some bad news in my mail box today. First the bad news. Centennial Courts regretted to inform me that I was not selected for the community assistants position. Punks, I was “amazing” in my Miss America interview! I must have been too good to be true, their loss. The good news was I got my free poster from the University of California Davis,
School of Veterinary Medicine. It’s a picture of a cow’s head (practically life size) and it says, “Udderly the best! UCDavis” I figure I’ll cover up the UCDavis part and have a fully functional advertisement free poster. The other good news was that I (FINALLY) got my financial aid check. Yeah! Now I can pay rent, buy books, food and toilet paper (Thanks to Blondi for the thoughtful birthday gift, of course it was fabulous to receive in such a timely manner.)

My day was full of other good things too. For example, I got my computer to work, I got my TV cable to work, and I got free lunch with the Christians. At lunch I argued with some missionary lady about Harry Potter. Neither one of us had even read it, but it was fun to get her going. To celebrate my financial aid check I went to the store, bought some ice cream and a vanilla coke and had a private party. Wow-- lunch and a semi-diner in the same day. I am living it up!