Editor's note: Purdue forward Laura Meadows, a 6-foot-3 fifth-year senior who transferred from Kentucky in 2000, will share a diary with ESPN.com throughout the season.

Jan. 15, 2002

Have you ever been pelted by kernels of stale caramel corn? No? Then perhaps you have no concept of the amount of pain the little cemented blobs of popped corn produce upon impact.

	Meadows

Since I live with Erika Valek, I know about such things. Having just this moment executed a flawed retreat to my bedroom, I am left without the book I had been reading before the attack. She has taken "The Bluest Eye" as her hostage. Until I formulate my counterattack, I thought I could bring the faithful readers of ESPN.com up to date on the happenings of the Boilermakers.

As is always the case, we played some basketball last week. Both our games were at home, so we got to reacquaint ourselves with Mackey Arena. Having the opportunity to play in front of our fans is amazing. They produce so much energy. Couple that intensity with the band's fabulous rendition of "Ant's Marching," and an incredible environment emerges. It's awesome.

So we started watching more game film in the last few weeks. My fellow post players and I gather a couple days a week with our fearless post leader and basketball guru, Robert Kelly Curry, AKA "R." This mundane, but helpful, task would not be worth mentioning except for the fact that R is absolutely hysterical. His sarcasm meshes well with our heinous acts of on-court gracelessness.

We reviewed my tragic attempt to simultaneously shot fake, jump and dribble after the Minnesota game four times. (In case you were curious, this combination produces a traveling violation.) The real fun began, however, after the Ohio State game. One of our teammates has created an art out of tumbling. A couple of her school-record seven crashes into the hardwood were put into slow motion for our amusement. With such comedy, who minds having their mistakes pointed out?

I think Erika has left the kitchen exposed, so I believe I will make an attempt to retrieve my book. My only defense will be strawberry-flavored Pez from my Bugs Bunny Pez dispenser, but they should be sufficient to counter any stray caramel kernels. If I survive I will write again next week.

I hope y'all have a great week. Bye.

For more on Laura Meadows and the Boilermakers, visit Purdue's official athletic site.