I had a pleasant weekend with days packed full of activities and a few nights of good rest. I finally had the chance to pick up a couple of things I've been needing for the apartment and for myself (okay...I didn't need a mud mask but I thought it might be nice!), so that's a relief. Little by little, I'm planning on making some nice decorative improvements to the apartment over the next few months--only what my scant budget will allow, of course--but I think it's starting to feel more homey already :)

Josh and I were racking our brains last Friday for something fun, cheap, and different to do this weekend now that our beloved cheap movie theater has bitten the dust (*tear!) and we've fallen into this tired pattern of watching basketball, renting a movie, and grocery shopping on the weekends. I don't need to be seeing Broadway shows every weekend or anything but it helps to refresh me for the week ahead at work if we do something exciting, particularly since the weather has been so crumby lately. We decided to see an IMAX at the Detroit Science Center downtown since we've been meaning to go for years. The Forces of Nature IMAX was pretty cool since it's projected on an IMAX Dome setup, basically like a planetarium, that literally makes you feel as though you're inside the movie (read: motion sickness for me). We were a little queasy after descending thousands of miles into the Earth's crust to watch the birth of a volcanic eruption but enjoyed it nonetheless. We didn't enjoy the rest of the Science Center as much, however; we were both quite disappointed by the noticeable lack of biology and chemistry principles on display. They worked physics to a T, even having sophisticated demonstrations on polarized light and standing waves. Even worse, though, was the featured exhibit entitled Target America: Opening Eyes to the Damage Drugs Cause. Josh, being a biopsychology major, was thrilled to check out this exhibit which we assumed would explain the biochemistry behind the affects of drugs on the body (dopamine mimicry, dependency, etc.). Much to our dismay, the exhibit featured an enormous amount of information on drug trafficking and narco-terrorism but very very little science. It even went so far as to have enormous photographs of Osama bin Laden, the September 11th attacks, and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq next to those of known Escobar affiliates in an attempt to draw loose inferences between the "war on terror" and the "war on drugs." Much of the language of the exhibit was ambiguous and factually nebulous. Needless to say, we were less than surprised to see that the major sponsors of the exhibit were the government and military organizations. Shame on the Detroit Science Center for inviting an "exhibit" of such thinly-veiled propaganda that has very little to do with science. They can be expecting a letter from me in the near future.

I tried to not let that ruin my weekend and felt good last night that I got so much accomplished...including relaxing a little. The cashier at WalMart yesterday even noted that I seemed like I'm "a very organized person" because of the way I had a very comprehensive list of items to buy and the tidiness with which I loaded my purchases onto the conveyer belt. She said I "have it together." Hooray for my mild obsessive-compulsiveness! :)

Have a good Monday.

xoxox