Cool things that happened to me this week.

School has started and I am back at work, so naturally, stress levels are a little bit high. However, I feel like life has already chosen to be kind to me in 2010. I feel like 2010 has opened it arms to me and said "Kristina, sometimes life can be kind of hard. So here are some pretty cool things that are going to happen to you in the first 2 weeks to make it all feel a little easier."

1. Magic textbook
I was kind of annoyed at the fact that on top of a $2400 tuition raise this year, my books seemed to be costing me loads more than usual. Perhaps it was just my class selections, but usually in a quarter I can get by spending only $100 or so for all of the books I need. This quarter, my bill was $400. *mouth drop*
However, due to some fancy planning and luck, I was able to bring that cost down to about $200. And the main reason being that one of the bigger textbooks I needed just APPEARED at my house. We have this shelf in our entryway where we put everyone's mail, and randomly, suddenly, my Human Sexuality textbook (albeit a very used copy, but I don't mind) was just sitting on the bottom shelf. And no one in my house knew who it belonged to. So I am now using it. Merry Christmas to me!

2. Book rebate
On top of being crafty about finding books, my Journalism and Lit teacher did something that was almost unheard of. So our main course book for his class is one that he himself wrote, and since it was published in the UK, the list price (with shipping) was ridiculous. He was upset at how much we were charged, so he told us if we brought in the new edition of his book, he would give each of us a $10 rebate. From his pocket. From the money he made off book royalties. Amazing?

3. Ice Cream at Work
I worked an insane weekend (because we were doing a kidstage production of High School Musical and they needed me all weekend for will call). However, there were some parts of the weekend that were very slow (in contrast with the crazy and hectic hour or so before the show began at 2 and 7:30). Instead of just sitting around the box office, my manager suggested ditching work for about a half hour. So we did. And got ice cream. Yum.

4. Being recognized at work
It's just fun. And it happened last night. It always makes me blush. Hello, if you read my blog! I hope you enjoyed the show!

5. Free phone
I got home from school on Friday and saw I had a package waiting for me on the aforementioned mail shelf. I wasn't expecting a package, so bewildered, I began to pry at the packing tape with one of my keys. My roommates watched as I opened the box, and out fell a Nexus One. Google's brand new phone that was only released on January 6th. Google said there were no strings attached and they were just thanking me for being a YouTube partner. With a phone! Um… you're freaking welcome?

6. (Different) Free phone
Turns out you pretty much have to have t-Mobile to use the Nexus One, which sucks because I really, really like it and would love for it to be my phone. But I already have a contract for the next year and a half with Sprint, so I just can't. So I decided to try and trade it for another Google phone, so I can do Google a solid and still test out one of their phones with the Google interface and Android operating system. So I asked on twitter if anyone knows anything about the HTC Hero with Google; Sprint's equivalent. I was NOT expecting someone from Seattle to not only want to buy my Nexus from me, but to have a Hero she was willing to trade me for. And teach me how to use it. So we're meeting at Chipotle today, and sorting that out. Could it have worked out any better?

So, things are pretty great in Kristina land. I have to read 150 pages of Foucault by later tonight and write a paper on it, and it's Monday so I have a video to make, but all things considered, I'm having a pretty great week.