Monday Grind: Take 7

It's only Monday, and I'm already wishing it was Friday. 
I came down with a cold over the weekend, and now I sound like a man and am either freakishly cold or suffering major hot flashes...great. I knew I would get sick sooner or later, what with the time change, stress, weather shock and the overwhelming amount of boy's cooties (gross) but being sick in college really sucks. Luckily, friends majoring in nursing and the Starbucks machine in the cafeteria help a bit.
I attended my first college football game this past Saturday. It was the hottest it's been since I got here and definitely felt more like California than North Dakota. It was the cheerleader's and pep band's first public performances and they did a wonderful job, as did the ball players. We won in the last fourteen seconds of the game with a score of 19/18. What a great way to start off sports season!  If you go to Walmart at 10:30 PM in California, you better hope to Jesus that you have some pepper spray or bread knives with you. Here in North Dakota, you really just need to keep your wits about you and you'll be fine. I went tonight to get some NyQuil (because I neither have my mother nor can I skip school, so I have had to resort to drugs) But I digress. The point is that Walmart here is nearly empty at 10:30 PM and besides the semi-sketchy Asian men smoking their cigs right next to your vehicle, it is a pretty harmless atmosphere. Just stay calm, keep your keys pointed outward, and lock those car doors ASAP. 
One of the best ways to have fun when I'm bored is to compare Midwest lingo to West Coast lingo. I'm pretty sure I sent the most Californian text ever today when I texted my best friend and said oh my gosh, that's hella sketch. I realized afterwards that "hella" is not a thing here, nor do they say sketch (y). Some of the most common Midwest phrases include "oh you betcha", "oh for fun", "I'm rattled", "chirped", "oof-dah" and "oh yah". Most people pronounce "syrup" like "seer-up" and "milk" like "melk". I've been finding myself saying a few of these every so once in a while, but I am trying not to completely Mid-Westify myself...
I'm now a member of the school newspaper, and I am contemplating joining student government. I added a Photography class last week and my camera and I are keeping busy with the weekly assignments. We discussed how Satan in the Book of Genesis is more like a dragon rather than a garden snake in Bible class, and I'm currently sitting on the hard floor in our dorm lounge because there's still no furniture in it...oh and the wifi is yucky, two of our washing machines broke and we have no mailboxes installed. All of that aside, I am happy in college, and together with a little help from my friends (Joe Cocker, anyone?) and some much needed medicine and hazelnut lattes, I will conquer this sickness and be my old self again soon. 
By the way, Australians call loose threads on their clothes "dangly bits". You learn something new every day.