"And growing up is not the absence of dreaming. Its being able to understand the difference between the ones you can hold and the ones that you've been sold. Dreaming is a good thing 'cause it brings new things to life. But pretending is an ending that perpetuates a lie, forgetting what you are, seeing for what you've been told." ~jewel

That's from a song on Jewel's new album, which I have a copy of, even though it won't be released until two weeks from now (I'm special). I used to be a huge fan of Jewel's (I have most of her albums), but I haven't listened to her in awhile. This new album reminds me why I've always loved her music. She's such a brilliant poet; I love her lyrics. This is a return to classic Jewel and it's wonderful. So everyone check out her new album "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland."

I have swimmer's ear. What else is new? It's a common occurence for me. But it still sucks. I remember when I got it last year and went to the Health Center. The doctor cracked me up (not purposely). This speech of hers was so funny because she delivered it in the voice of a kindergarten teacher. So picture a doctor saying this to me as if I were 5 years old: "One of the reason you get swimmer's ear is that your ears just make more wax than other peoples'. It's not your fault; it's just the way your body is. It's okay that you happen to have lots of ear wax that traps water and dirt in your ears." It was if she was trying to convince me that I shouldn't blame myself for getting swimmer's ear. Because I was sooo concerned about that. Anyway, thankfully, this year I saw a different doctor and she saved me that whole spiel.

One more week of classes, a week of finals, and then I'm finished with my junior year!