Summer: Week 1

So, finals week is over (thank the Lord). I survived. Final grades come out today sometime. I think I got 3 A's and 1 B+. Not too shabby. That B+ ticks me off, though. Haha, but it could be worse, so I'll take it. I'm so glad this semester is over and summer has begun. I am just taking one class this summer, college algebra. Not thrilled about it, but eh...it will keep me busy.
I'm working on some of my summer goals, like the one about getting tan. I have been tanning, but I stayed in a little too long last night, and now I'm pretty much just red...especially in the areas that don't usually see the light of day! :)
The one thing I hated about summer last year was driving 45 minutes to work every morning, and then driving 45 minutes home. This week I started that daily routine, but my drive home was rudely interrupted by road construction. It took me 1 hour 20 minutes to drive home the other night. Twice as long as it should take! So, I decided to experiment with my route home to try and avoid the construction and shorten my trip home. Yesterday, I took country roads and got home in 51 minutes! Much better than an hour and 20 minutes! I'm trying a similar but slightly different route today when I go home. Hopefully, by the end of the summer, I will know the fastest alternative route home!
...and by then, the construction will probably be done.
Besides working, I have just been spending time at home, relaxing, which is weird to do when you haven't been able to for an entire semester! Of course, there have been the usual first-week-home power struggles between my parents and me, trying to find that balance of "you're living under my house, so you will follow my rules" and "I'm 20 years old and have lived on my own for the past 9 months and was just fine, so I don't need your rules." We're working on it.
Last night, my town experienced a black out. From what I was told, 700 homes were without power last night. It started around 8 pm, and we were told the power would come back on around 11 or 11:30 pm. So, my family and I stayed up, so bored, talking, waiting for power. The roads were so dark without street lights. I could not even see the end of our block! It was scary at first, but after a while, it was kind of nice to have a break from all the crap that clutters my life. My cell phone had died, my computer wasn't charged so it didn't work, the wireless internet was out. Everything that entertains me, such as the television, movies, computer, and communication with friends was not available for my use...for just one night. And it was driving me crazy. That's when I realized how dependent I've become on those things. I didn't know what to do with myself. I just sat there, bored, with hope that the power would come back on and I could reconnect to my "world." Sad, isn't it? I went outside and looked up in the sky, and I could actually see stars at my house. So many stars. And that's when I realized that I need to stop letting my entertainment and enjoyment come from my cell phone, computer, tv, or whatever else, and let it come from the real world around me, relationships, and the small things in life. I'm sure the black out was caused by a blown transformer or whatever it's called, but I'd like to think it was God telling me to chill out, slow down, and refocus my eyes on a new perspective. Let's see how this thing plays out.