I finally received a new modem from AT&T after I came home Sunday to find mine suddenly turned defective after working for weeks. After even more phone time with technical support today, my Internet was back up and running.

Unfortunately, the search for the cell phone is over, and it will cost $400 to replace it. That’s about a month’s pay for my articles published in The Fort Pierce Tribune. The problem is that no PDA phone is cheaper, and it’s what I need for my pseudo job and future employment.

As I deal with these life issues, my editor said she got bogged down today and will send me the stories she has for me tomorrow. She also asked me a few weeks ago if I wanted to cover a live story that’s next week to be turned in at night by laptop. More on that when the time comes.

I do have to mention that I love the fact that my friends are getting married, especially my fellow sorority alumni. I believe we’re using our weddings, showers, bachelorette parties, etc. as an excuse to get together again. I lived with most of the girls from last weekend for a couple years in the sorority house, so it was a lot of fun to stay with them - except this time in the sixth-floor suite of a resort overlooking the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

I didn’t realize how much I missed them, and it was so much fun talking, going out, playing games and celebrating with my sisters. The best part was that I didn’t have to say goodbye - I’ll see them all in a month for the wedding.

It’s been almost five months that I’ve maintained a daily blog. It’s become as natural as taking a daily shower or having a daily meal - or five in my case.

Even though I had an amazing and fun time celebrating my good friend’s bachelorette party in Fort Lauderdale the past weekend, I came back cell phone-less to a defective modem in my place.

If you know me, I truly can’t live without my PDA-like phone and Internet access. But I don’t mean live in the physical sense - I can’t do my job without it. I need my phone for calling and interviewing sources, and I need my Internet for the constant fact checking when writing stories.

I just wanted to bring story of my life readers back into the loop after my blog’s first break these past few days. More to come on my weekend and my freelance work after I get a new modem tomorrow.

The assignment my editor needed me to cover today was another daily with a deadline of 4 p.m. Unfortunately, the subject of the profile story wasn’t available until later in the afternoon.

Luckily, my editor said we didn’t need to treat this story with as much rush since it had already happened. I have to finish writing that, pack for my friend’s bachelorette party this weekend and get the house ready to babysit the kids all day tomorrow.

I covered a story about a local girl receiving an award a few weeks ago, wrote it last week and now it’s printed in the local section of Friday’s edition of The Fort Pierce Tribune.

Read the article here on TCPalm.com: “Fort Pierce teenager runner-up in national hero search.”

Today I covered a daily assignment for The Fort Pierce Tribune. However, I wasn’t aware it was a daily story until a couple hours before the deadline.

It feels good to know I can write a story in the same time I take to report on the story. I guess as with every else in life - the more you do, the better you get.

Read the article here on TCPalm.com: “IRSC is ‘Expanding Horizons’: Program offers students insight to science career opportunities.”

I also suggest you check out the Web site of the Scripps photographer I met today, Alex Boerner. Browse his incredible photos at www.alexboerner.com.

Now that my mini-vacation is over, it’s back on the job for me. I finished a story today aimed to print in Thursday’s edition of The Fort Pierce Tribune.

My editor sent me an assignment to cover on Wednesday. Then the mom whose kids I babysit needed me Wednesday and Friday, and the times conflicted on Wednesday. I had to say no to babysitting because I had already made a commitment to cover the story. The mom rearranged her schedule and definitely needs me Friday.

The real problem arose when my editor gave me another assignment to cover on - of course - Friday. The times conflicted, but now I must honor my commitment to babysitting.

Believe me that it hurt to have to send that e-mail turning down the assignment to my editor.

However I did make sure to explain to her that even though I originally told her I would treat freelancing like a job, I needed to take on babysitting for extra cash for gas.

I had a great time on my mini-vacation, especially at the Vans Warped Tour in both Orlando and Jacksonville. Check out “Warped Tour photo blog: part one of two” and “Warped Tour photo blog: part two of two.”

As much money as I spent, I did take away one purchase with a very important message. Here’s an image of the t-shirt:

The official Web site explains To Write Love On Her Arms here:

“TWLOHA is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

To Write Love on Her Arms began in Orlando, FL in February 2006 as a (written) story, the true story of five days spent with a friend who was denied entry into a drug treatment center. The story was a look at those five days, and the t-shirts were printed and sold initially as a way to pay for our friend’s treatment.”

Read the story that started it all on their Web site: To Write Love On Her Arms.

Here are some of the best photos from the Vans Warped Tour in Jacksonville on Sunday:

Can’t wait for next year!

This is my way of keeping you updated about my vacation. Here are the best photos from the concerts we attended at the Vans Warped Tour last Thursday in Orlando.

Expect part two of my photo blog from the Jacksonville show tomorrow.

Not only am I spending money on my mini-vacation, I’m also not working to make more money. And when money is tight, extra charges hit harder.

Each concert ticket for the Vans Warped Tour costs $23.50. After a convience charge of $6 and a buidling facility charge of $6, there’s an order processing charge of about $5. Somehow my total came out to be $43.90.

And I’m going to two shows.

Of course, this is all done through Ticketmaster. They have become a monopoly int hat they are the only one to get tickets through, yet they nickel and dime their customers to pay drastically more than ticket value.

All I know is that when this vacation is over, I’ll be keeping myself very busy with work and making money.

After working late and getting up before the sun, I sent my latest story to my editor. She said it would print in Friday’s edition of The Fort Pierce Tribune, so I will update this post with a link to the article on TCPalm.com when it becomes available.

Read it here: “Participant leaves for 2008 U.S. Transplant Games”

I had an amazing time at the Vans Warped Tour in Orlando, but I’m going to bed early tonight.

Today I learned a very important lesson: I’m not as young as I used to be.

But it might have been the direct sunlight and heat reaching 102 degrees. Either way, I was beyond exhausted after spending the day at several concerts. I didn’t even make it to the last couple hours of shows.

I also learned the importance of hydrating before the event - not only because of the draining heat but also because water costs $3 per bottle. When I attend Sunday’s show in Jacksonville, I will have a gallon of water in me, as well as aspirin - and extra sunscreen.