Defenestration

I'm Terrible...

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:59:16 GMT

So much for updating every week or so. I maintain my blog philosophy: whenever I actually have something to write about, I never have time to write it!

Ok, where have we left off? Wow, before Dover... I really have been slacking! Ok, let's see:

Dover was awesome! English port town, complete with castle, war tunnels and gigantic white cliffs. Believe it or not, the cliffs were my least favorite sight in Dover. The castle, however, was really cool. And my companions were a lot of fun. Oh, and I was propositioned by a drunk older man again (don't want to talk about it).

Dyed my hair in Dover. Now it's kind of a dark red/auburn. It's on my facebook, just look.

The weekend after Dover, we went to Bath and Stonehenge. Bath was a little dissapointing, mainly because we only went to the baths (which were under construction) and I'd been there twice before. Stonehenge, on the other hand, was fantastic! We actually got to go inside the stone circle!! I have some amazing pictures.

My mom came out for spring break. We drove up the northeast coast of GB, through York (the Minster was beautiful), past Hadrian's Wall (roman ruins, woo!), out to the coast (cold, but awesome) to Edinburgh (great city). After wandering about Edinburgh for a couple days, we headed up to Inverness and then down the west/north coast of Loch Ness (yes, I saw Nessie). Some people believe that the monster was a sturgeon, or a family of sturgeons, in the Loch. I think it was a WWII german sub that got lost and went into the Loch at high tide and then got stuck so they wandered around aimlessly until they ran out of gas and sunk, or the tide rose again and they escaped without detection. I think my theory is much more plausible (c'mon, sturgeons?)

Anyway, after Loch Ness, we continued down the west side of Scotland, through Glasgow, to the Lake District. Didn't stay there very long, the weather was being angsty. After the Lake District, we cut back across to East Anglia and over to the coast. There's this little vacation sea town there that I would have never expected to see in it's location. Let's just say it reminded me of Reno, or the Boardwalk, in a retro electric sort of way. Regardless, it was awesome, and totally weird. But, of course, the weather was still in a bad mood, so I didn't want to take out my camera. Therefore, no pictures of that little haven.

Was in Cambridge for Easter. It snowed a good 4 inches. People were out in the parks making snowmen and having snowfights. I got my mom good (right down the back of the neck, hehe)

Last weekend was spent in Cork. Let's just say it reaffirmed my love of Ireland/the Irish. I got to kiss the Blarney stone (hooray for eloquence!) and we met a cute aussie that ended up making out with one of the girls in our group. That was hilarious! Let's see, what else happened in Cork... Oh, I got called a moppet (another drunk old guy). We saw the bells of St. Paul at the church that I can't remember the name of (too many churches, can't remember all their names!!) The plane ride home from Cork was a lot of fun. There was a rugby club team on the plane (I know what you're thinking. No, they were too young). The last ten or fifteen minutes of the flight, they started singing these campish songs. It was so funny. Half the plane was singing, the other half was either laughing, shaking their heads, or looking disgruntled/annoyed (or a combination of the three). It was a great end to the weekend.

Yesterday we had a field trip to London to visit Parliament, the National Gallery, and the Brit Museum. Parliament was amazing, and now I want to go sit in on a session. The National Gallery was a museum, so no comment. And I already love the Brit Museum, so no need to commet (except to vent my annoyance that I couldn't get in to see the terra cotta army again!! Long story...)

Ok, I think that's about it. Headed to Stratford tomorrow. Gonna visit Shakespeare's house (woot...) and see Merchant of Venice (should be interesting). Then Friday we go to Warwick castle. Saturday is back to London to try to get in to see the terra cotta army one last time. And then visit the Portobello market in Notting Hill (yay for money spending!)

Ok, off to do other things now!

I Should Be Analyzing a Painting...

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:50:46 GMT

Ok, time to play catch-up. Lets see...

The flight over was ok, for a red eye. The plane was empty, so I got a row to myself. Sadly, I still couldn't get comfortable. I swear, it's like Coach is cursed or something! But yea, beyond having a row to myself, the flight was the same as any other cross Atlantic flights: Long and boring. They didn't even have any good movies, dammit! Actually, they had two, but still!

Right, so arrived in Heathrow about half an hour early. Totally psyched to be there right? Get to immigration. I maintain that that woman had to have been dumped by her boyfriend the night before, or she was just a bitch. She asked me the standard question, "What is your plan here?" Me, remembering the horror stories related to the word "student" when encountering immigration, answer that I'm just visiting. Then she asked me how long I was staying. Crap. I told her three months, and then I knew it was over. She asked me again what my plans were, and I told her about the study abroad program. This led into the frantic search for my seemingly organized paperwork, and my mistaking flight itinerary for daily itinerary (got told off for that one). Once I finally got through immigration, I was no longer psyched to be in England. Stupid PMS'ing security personnel.

So, hung out in the airport for a few hours with a couple other early arrivals. We searched for the massive indoor mall that I still have no clue where it is (it's in there somewhere, dammit!!)

The rest of the group arrived around 3:45 (I'd gotten there around 1:30). We all got onto a bus and then I fell asleep.

An hour or so later I woke up in Cambridge. We had orientation at school, then we got taxi's to our houses. Went in, met the family (freakishly awesome!), talked with family for about an hour, then went upstairs and crashed.

A little about my host family: They consist of parents Mickey and Caren, and four kids, Michael (10), Aislinn (7), Kitty (5), and Vincent (2 in April). Let's just say the house get's a little chaotic. I love it! Caren and Mickey are really helpful, and I'm learning a lot about Brit culture (as well as which are the good pubs/clubs in town, but more on that later). The kids are hilarious! Vincent is a little monster (in a good way), Kitty's a drama queen (so cute!), Aislinn and Michael are a little too cool to hang out with me much, but they are great for insight into how worldly the kids are here (they are always asking questions about the current politics, and especially US politics/culture etc. What US kid does that?).

Don't actually remember much about the first week. We got a walking tour of Cambridge the first day, and that was pretty cool. There's a nice little botanical garden that I've been meaning to go back to. The colleges are amazing! Both King's and Trinity are massive. I've been to evensong at King's twice now, and both times were fantastic! I'm beginning to freak myself out with all the churchgoing I've been doing recently, though. Not converting anytime soon though (FSM for life!!).

First weekend was aaaammmmaaazzzing!! The clubs here are pretty good, though the locals (i.e. Caren and Mickey) say they're not that great. But I gotta say, partying in the UK is waaay better than home! I'm not sure what I'll do when I finally do go home, I'm getting so used to partying here.

Classes are still classes, so nothing overly interesting there. Except I really am getting into the creative writing class (if you didn't notice from the previous post).

Got my bike the second week. Almost died on the way home that day. In my defense, it was a roundabout. And the drivers in Cambridge are insane!!! Let's just say that cars have the right of way here. Haven't been hit by one yet. I live pretty close to the hospital, so when it does happen, at least I'll be close to home.

Went to London about a week ago. That was fun. Lot's of museums (my new favorite museum is the Natural History Museum, even though their earthquake simulator is utterly pathetic. They redeem themselves with three floors of Geology), Kew Gardens (transportation issues included), and the most awesome production of Much Ado ever!! Zoe Wanamaker, Mark Addy, Simon Russel Beale (my new favorite stage actor, not like I had one before, but still!)

The hostel in London, however, was a nightmare. If you ever go to London, don't stay at the Generator. Unless, of course, you like demonic toilets and the essence of feet. Yea, don't want to talk about it.

So next weekend I'm going to Dover. Dead plankton cliffs here I come! I'll probably also go see the castle/town, but the cliffs come first. My travel buddies already think I'm nuts (I was looking at a marble wall in London... and a table in the Fitzwilliam... and I've been talking about the cliffs... among other things) Hehe, I'm not a rock geek!

Right, so I must be off to homework. I'll try to update more frequently, promise!

Ta!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:29:44 GMT

I know, I know! I've completely neglected this! My time here has been fantabulous! I'm loving Cambridge, and school. The party/club scene here is awesome! Yea, more on that another time, perhaps.

Went to London last weekend. We all saw Much Ado at the National Theatre. It was fantastic!! I have decided that I love Simon Russel Beale. Definately going back to see it again.

Went to a lot of museums in London. My new favorite museum is the Natural History museum. They have an entire three- floor wing devoted to geology! What's not to love? Though their earthquake simulator is a bit pathetic, but I was amused by it.

Anyhoo, to make up for my lack of updates, I'm giving you my first eavesdropping experience! AKA, my first creative writing assignment. And I promise to give more frequent and detailed updates!

Ta!

Insert Title Here

My morning began, as most Mondays do, with a sharp, persistent beeping. I hugged my sheets closer, fighting off not only the chill, but the impending day as well. The day, however, had plans for me; so as I adjusted myself, I fell out of the small twin bed provided for me by my host family. Accepting defeat, I went to get ready for the day’s agenda.

After waving goodbye to my host family, I ventured out into the frosty Cambridge morning. The street was wet even though there had not been rain the night before, and it was cold enough that I could see my breath billowing like a cloud from my mouth with every exhale. It was the type of morning that always reminds me of childhood, when I would chug my way down the street in the imitation of a steam engine, “I think I can, I think I can!”

As I began my trek to the bus stop, passing numerous parked cars belonging to those that work at the hospital near my dwelling, I came across three locals walking toward an unknown destination. Two men, one graying and dressed in a blue rain jacket, the other carrying a brown backpack the size of his torso; and a petite woman wearing a vibrant red beanie that reminded me of the Life Aquatic.

I noticed them not only because of the woman’s eye catching headwear, but also by their conversation. The man in the blue jacket was inquiring to the others on a good title for his, I assumed scholarly, paper. He mentioned a mutual acquaintance of theirs who was very good at creating catchy titles, but was unavailable for consult.

The man carrying the backpack, who’d I’d affectionately dubbed “Backpack Guy” began to mumble something that I soon realized was the title to a paper he was currently working on. After he’d spouted a minute or so worth of words I didn’t understand, I came to the conclusion that his title must have been longer than his paper, and that the topic was way over my education level. “Old Blue” seemed to agree on the length, saying that “the title must be catchy or no one will read your paper!” He followed his statement with an equally long, but decidedly unique faux title about the “The Effect of AKT 47 on Growth Factors with Regard to the Epididimus.” The automatic weapon and its effects on the brain. Wait, what?

It was at this point that I, walking a few feet behind the Title Trio, was abruptly cut off by a large, by English standards, beige lorry pulling out of a driveway. I quickly moved around the back of the truck so I could continue eavesdropping (respectfully, of course). Around one corner of the lorry, with a large rounded tail light, the dirt covered back, and then… there was a large hedge blocking my path! Alright, I’ll wait for the stupid truck to pass. What seemed like ages later, but was probably only a few minutes, I was able to continue on the path. By this point, the trio was nowhere to be seen. Accepting the loss, I continued to the bus stop on my own, with only the busy street noise for company. As I arrived, ready for the wait for the ever desired transport, I gazed across the parking lot to the hospital. Just as the bus arrived, I saw a brilliant red hat bobbing in the distance.

IIIII'm Leeeaaaavinnnng On A Jet Plaaaaane!

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:47:03 GMT

I was singing that song all day Saturday. And then I acted it out on Sunday! So now I'm in England!!! Wooohoooo!!!!!!

The plane ride was fairly uneventful, got two seats to myself because the plane was empty (totally awesome). But of course, I still couldn't sleep. That was more because I kept getting distracted by the map screen. It's addictive!

Got into Heathrow about half an hour early. Which was about three hours before everyone else was supposed to show up. So I found a couple of other new arrivals in my group and we wandered around the airport. We discovered that there is nothing to do at Heathrow. Not that suprising.

So, after the rest of the group showed up, we all hopped on a bus to Cambridge. Can't tell you much about that, I was asleep. In Cambridge we had a mini orientation at school, and then we got into taxis and headed toward our host families. I love my family! They are so cool!! Four kids, ranging from ten to two. Two girls, two boys. All a ton of fun. The parents are really easy going and helpful, and like football. And soccer. I told the dad that I liked soccer, and he asked me if I had a favorite team. When I told him no, he said that from now on I was a Liverpool fan. Hilarious!

Today, we had our extended orientation, and a walking tour of Cambridge. I really like it here! Everythings all old, and made out of brick. There's a market in the city center every day, with the farmer's market on Sundays. Not to mention the antiques/books/other random stuff they have the rest of the week. I'm going to spend so much money here...

So, tonight we're all going to a pub where they're going to serve us a traditional english meal, bangers and mash. It's not as weird as it sound, promise!

I still don't think it's set in fully that I'm going to be here for the next three months. It feels like a vacation! I'm sure once the homework starts to pile up, and the novelty wears off, it'll start to feel more like school.

Anyway, off to the pub!

Ta!

The Wire, It Approaches

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:51:00 GMT

Got back to Palo Alto on Friday night. I really hate that drive. But it does seem to get shorter and shorter each time I drive it. I also seem to use more gas. Hmmmm.....

Went to the snow with Nikki and Andrew on Saturday. We were going to go snowboarding, but we decided sledding would be more economical. It was insanely fun! I am still bruised. Got some good pictures, too.

Peni had to have surgery on Monday. She's fine, just a ruptured hair follicle that we thought was a tick and aggravated gums that got a little out of control. What makes it notable is that she got to wear a cone for a few days. She kept running into walls and doorways cuz of her new dimensions. It wasn't funny (yes it was). I didn't laugh (too much).

Oh, haha, Mom and I took G-Ma shopping on Tuesday. That was an adventure. It's really hard to find clothes for my grandma, everything has to be ridiculously warm and have deep pockets. We ended up getting her a weird poofy jacket and a cashmere sweater. It was funny, G-Ma said she'd never owned any cashmere, so Mom went on a rampage through the store looking for one for her. Because "every woman must own at least one cashmere sweater before they're 90." Haha!

So, I've been packing the last couple of days. I've come to the conclusion that I have too much stuff. I think I've come to this conclusion before... I did find out that I can take one more carry-on bag than I'd previously thought. And my checked luggage can only weigh 50 lbs. This may get tricky.

Ok, getting back to packing now. Next post may be from jolly old England!!

Ta!

Hello World!

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:14:45 GMT

Things have been hectic since I got back from the roadtrip of awesomeness. I picked up some stuff for England, including my rockin' new suitcase. It's a backpack, with wheels! And it's green! Me love.

Oh, the rest of my trip! We never did make it to Olympic National Park. The weather got rather nasty, so we decided to head down to Portland instead. That wasn't before we got to see a bald eagle though (no joke!). It had flown away before we got back for photos, so no proof. It would have been such an awesome shot too...

Portland was a ton of fun. We wandered around the city, shopped in the biggest bookstore ever, and I rediscovered why I love Portland so much.

I have a new favorite movie! Vickie and I saw Juno in Portland, and it was excellent! Goooooooood movie. Soundtrack is awesome too. Downloaded it as soon as we got back from the theatre.

So, now I'm in Santa Barbara for pre-departure classes. Of course, it just happens to be cold and rainy here. In Santa Barbara. I did not pack for this weather. I am freezing!

I should probably be getting back to my homework. Wont have time to do it in the morning. Stupid morning classes. Screws with my procrastination habits.

Ta!

My Toes Are Cold...

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:22:40 GMT

Vickie's and my roadtrip to the Pacific Northwest has been amazing so far. We drove up to Seattle for New Year's, partied in the new year with some transplants, and have been touring around the city since. We went to the aquarium, Pike Place market, the zoo, and the Space Needle. An, of course, we went shopping downtown. Pictures are, as always, on Facebook.

Oh, so before we came up to Seattle, I stopped to pick Vickie up at her mom's house in Medford. Which is about 15 minutes away from Ashland. Which is where my favorite yarn shop is. Yea... I bought more yarn... It's really pretty though! And I'm gonna make the most awesome hobo gloves ever with it!

I've been having a ton of fun with my new camera. It's funny to see Vickie and I wandering around with our big SLR's (we're such tourists, haha).

So, today we're driving over to the Olympic National Park, gonna wander around there for a couple hours. After we're done, we'll head down to Portland for a few days. I can't wait!

Well, must be off. I have exploring to do!

Ta!

Happy Xmassy!

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 18:58:59 GMT

This last week has been nuts! Catching up with friends, getting ready for Xmas, trying to navigate my displaced apartment. Too much, I tell you! Ok, quick recap:

I did end up going to Monterey last week. It was awesome! I love the Aquarium. I was joined by not only Vickie, but also Molly and her friend Claire. The otters were fun, we spent about half an hour just watching them swim around. So cool. We had a ton of fun, with the exception of the shitty service we got at that Indian restaurant we couldn't find (no comment).

Nikki got back to the Bay on Friday, I think. It was a few days ago. Anyway, I went over, we played Halo 3. It was awesome. I now want an Xbox.

Been baking/cooking the past three days for last night. No... more... sugar... I have a killer sugar headache. Lame.

Last night was a ton of fun. As much as I gripe about my family, I really do love the holiday get togethers. We did this random gift exchange thing. I think it's called a "White Elephant" exchange. Anyway, everyone bought a gift, and then we all picked numbers. The rule was that you can either pick a gift from the pile or steal a previously opened gift. I was this close to getting a full tank of gas... Stupid steal/dead rule... I ended up getting a Starbucks card. Overall a very good Xmas eve.

I still haven't gotten my "new" computer from Dad yet. Soon, my precious. I can't wait for that 100 GB hard drive. Musica!

Speaking of music, I had an exchange with Vickie and now have massive amounts of awesome stuff! I'm in serious music heaven right now. Loves it!

I got my camera!!!! It is so freaking awesome! I'm in love. And I didn't have to pay for any of it! Super bonus. Now maybe I can get some funky lenses. Plotting...

Going over to Santa Cruz today. Will be most awesome.

My cousin isn't coming out this year. Such a bummer. Stupid observational medical issues... Grrg. Hopefully she'll be able to go on a crazy awesome European adventure with me this summer. She'd better... or else..........

Can't wait to go up north for New Years. Gonna have so much fun! Should probably start packing and getting ready for that soon...

Ok, that about catches everything up. I'm off to see the relatives now!

Ta!

Home, Charles!

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:06:25 GMT

So, this weekend has been nuts! Packed all my shit up Saturday and drove home. No more apartment... *sniff* I really am going to miss that place, even if I did bitch about the noise all the time. I mean, how many places do you know that have a doorbell for the kitchen. So funky!

Had lunch with Kaylie on Friday. Was awesome. She's going to India over winter break. I am so freaking jealous!

Today was spent unpacking the cars. Now there's random stuff spread all over the house. My mother is incredibly pleased with the situation. Especially since Christmas is next week! Note the sarcasm.

Christmas is next week!!! I am so excited. The drama's already started! Yea, not even going there.

Oh! Becky had her baby on Tuesday! I'm excited about that too. Except I still need to finish her gift. I thought I had at least another week, dammit! Oh well, it'll be awesome. Maybe I'll take pictures when I'm done.

Peni won't leave me alone. She keeps coming up and wanting to be pet. I love it! I'm waiting for the "Kelsey's home, must get in love time before she leaves me again!" period to end and for her to start shunning me again. Brat.

Mom put up the Christmas tree without me this year. I think that's a first. It's really funny though, cuz she got an eight foot tree this year. Normally we get six or seven footers. So, in order to fit it in the house, she had to position it under the skylight. And, as usual, it's crooked. Mom's in denial about that, though.

Went to G-Ma's birthday dinner tonight. She's 89. Definately a "holy shit" moment. The dinner was a lot of fun. There were about 20 of us. I got to catch up with some rarely seen relatives. Most awesome.

I'm not looking forward to the next two days. Tomorrow I get to go to a doctor's appointment (yay doctors!), and Tuesday I get to see the dentist. Woot. I'm supposed to be going to Monterey tomorrow, too. I'll need some fun with all of the medical shit I'll be doing the next couple days. We shall see.

Alright, well, I'm off to catch up on all the TV I've missed over the last month or so!

Ta!

Freeeeedooommm!!!!

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:35:23 GMT

Finals are over!! So happy.

Yesterday was slightly eventful. Had finals from 11 to 4, then I decided to do some car stuff that I'd been putting off for a while. Headed over to Turnpike, cuz they have a cheap carwash, and gas, which was on my list. As I'm filling up, I get a call from Erin! So, I forwent the carwash and oil change I had planned for the evening and went over to her place for some movies and booze. It was a fun night. Oh, and one of the guys there had a baby duck. No joke! It kept pooping all over the table, which was kinda gross. The duck however, was adorable. It was named Peepers, and it was seven days old. So awesome!

I just got back a little while ago, and now I'm getting into the "oh shit, my house isn't clean and my mom's coming!" state of mind. Not to mention there's no food in my fridge because I'm moving! So, of course, I decide to update my journal... Poor planning is key!

My mom should be here sometime this afternoon. My aunt couldn't come, sadly. I wasn't really expecting her to, but it would have been cool.

I'm supposed to be having lunch in a few hours with one of my ex roomies. Were going to the best indian restaurant I've ever been to. I'm very excited. Oh, and I'm excited to see her too...

Anyway, I must get back to the cleaning/packing.

Massive Meteors, Batman!

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:03:08 GMT

Who wants to go see a meteor shower with me? Should be pretty cool.

I forgot to tell a story I heard yesterday. It seriously made my Monday. My bio lab partner works at Nordies, and one of her coworkers was helping a couple of girls try on Uggs. One of the girls says to the other, "these would look great with a miniskirt." The other says back, "I ain't no eska-ho!" Hahahahahaha!!! I loves it.

So, I've been told that the Golden Compass movie sucks. I'm really bummed, it looks so cool! I'll probably go see it anyway. Especially since my informant hasn't read the books! Blasphemer....

Apparently my dad got a new laptop. Which means I should be getting his old one. BUT he's too lazy to transfer all his files over to his new one before I leave in February. That means I'm getting a new laptop! Woot!! I've begun to nickname my current one "Pinstripe" due to the bright red line that likes to randomly appear on the screen.

Well, must be getting back to the studying.

Ta!

The Descent

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 03:06:50 GMT

Well, I have one final done and two to go. Of course the two I have left are the two that I'm worried about, and they're on the same day... But hey! At least I have two days to study for them! And for studying? Let's just say that my study guide for math is about 50 pages long. Guh. Not even going into history at this point (my brain hurts).

My bio final went fairly smoothly. My lab partner and I studied for an hour or so before the exam, which was all that I studied for it... hehe. I think I did relatively well, though. There were only a couple questions I wasn't sure of (stupid chemical names...) I'll probably get a high B in the class, possibly a low A. Serves me right for being a lazy bum this semester.

I can't believe I'm moving out this weekend. My place is such a mess. Ugh, and I have to clean it by Friday. Yet another thing on my to do list!

I am so freaking pissed at myself!!! I got a parking ticket before Thanksgiving, and since I'm all responsible and shit, I mail it in before I leave for home. Get back to SB and what's in my mailbox? My parking ticket. Apparently you need a stamp now. I know that wasn't the case before! I've never had stamps in my apartment and I've paid them successfully. Damn moneysuckers. It's not like the $40 check won't frickin' cover postage! Grrrr... *Update- My mom called while I was writing this. Apparently you can pay them online... God dammit.

I've been getting into stand-up comedy lately. I always liked it before, but now I'm addicted. Christopher Titus rocks my socks! And Lewis Black is insane, much love. There are a few others I'm getting into, like Mitch Hedberg and Alonzo Bodden. And yes, I know none of these are new comedians. I can be a little slow on the uptake...

My mom's xmas present is almost done. I started the hat on Saturday, and finished it on Sunday. Hehe. So now I'm working on the scarf. I love the yarn I got. It's baby alpaca aka poor man's cashmere in a really deep red. I'm thinking about going back and getting some in a different color to make something for me, as bad of an idea it is for me to go back to that yarn shop I discovered last week.

Anyway, break's over, back to studying!

Ta!

Me and My Bubble

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 05:55:38 GMT

Sometimes I feel like I'm out of the music loop. I just found out that Queens of the Stone Age, one of my favorite bands, has had a new record out since June. I need to pay more attention to this sort of thing. Actually, I spend enough money on music as it is, it's probably a good thing I don't pay attention to new releases.

Last day of classes was today. Been doing the happy end of semester dance all evening. And, yes, I turned in my paper.

I am so freaking exhausted right now. I'm actually ready to go to sleep. Sad, no?

Oh, discovered a very bad thing today. There's a yarn store a block away from my apartment. And it's awesome! I went there today and spent $60. I'm beginning to think it is a very good thing I'm moving out in a week.

I still can't comprehend that I'm moving back home next weekend. My mom's coming, and my aunt might be coming too, which is awesome, and we're gonna cram all the shit I've managed to accumulate over the past year into our cars and cart it back home. Yes, cars as in plural. I have too much shit...

It's finally raining in SB! We're supposed to get a whole inch of rain this weekend! All my northern friends are shaking their heads. Yes, I know it's pathetic! The last time it really rained down here was about a year ago... I miss rain. I think I shall go dance in it!

Ta!

Yet Another Cause of Global Warming

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:05:42 GMT

Just found this. So now, if you can't work out your marriage problems, you're not only breaking up your family but you're also messing up the environment. "Mommy and Daddy are getting a divorce. It's not because we don't love the environment. We just don't love it enough to work out our own issues."

Psycho nazi is still being a bum, but not as much as yesterday. There is still a possibility that the Monkey will come visit me. I'm not gonna hold my breath too much though.

Had my last bio lab this morning. 8 am. Ugh. I am never taking another 8 am class again. And of course the last lab was on human reproduction. Fun times! <-- yes, that's sarcastic. It's so weird having a male bio teacher talking to you about birth control... And I had a mini feminist moment when I saw that sperm has more labeled parts than the entire female reproductive system. What's up with that?

Right, I turned my computer on to do homework, so homework is what I'm going to do!

Ta!

Sadness...

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 03:04:58 GMT

So, I said that the Monkey was coming to visit me this week. Well, apparently a Confederate Nazi owes her money and is being a dick and not paying her. Grrg. So she can't come until he does, which means that she still might come, but from what I can tell about the bastard, it's not very likely. Jackass. <--- You can tell I have the utmost respect for this guy (asshole)

In other news, I found out that I can pull an A in my math class if I do well enough on the final. I don't think I've ever gotten an A in a math class. We shall see if this holds true in a week or so.

Pretend to be a Time Traveler day is on Saturday. Not sure what I'm going to do. I'm debating between being from the past or from they dystopian future. They both sound like lots of fun, muahaha.

I should be working on my history paper... Yet another jackass in my life at the moment. My history professor never gives us back anything we turn in. I have no idea what I got on the last paper I did for his class. How am I supposed to adjust my writing style if I don't know what he wants, dammit!!

Anyhoo, finals are next week. Hooray! Not. Well, actually sort of. Finals = End of semester = Good thing

My mom is coming down on the Friday after finals to help me move out. The plan is to be back home by the following Monday. Fingers crossed.

Right, to the paper! *Takes off in <insert superhero here> fashion*

Ta!

Look What I Found!

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 03:19:07 GMT

Mooooo!

DEMOCRATIC	You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. Barbara Streisand sings for you. Cows are taxed.
REPUBLICANISM	You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?
SOCIALIST	You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
COMMUNIST	You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.
CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE	You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE	You have two cows. Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.
AMERICAN CORPORATION	You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up.
FRENCH CORPORATION	You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch and drink wine. Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION	You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school.
GERMAN CORPORATION	You have two cows. You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.
ITALIAN CORPORATION	You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION	You have two cows. You have some vodka. You count them and learn you have five cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.
TALIBAN CORPORATION	You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two. You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts. You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.
IRAQI CORPORATION	You have two cows. They go into hiding. They send radio tapes of their mooing.
POLISH CORPORATION	You have two bulls. Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.
BELGIAN CORPORATION	You have one cow. The cow is schizophrenic. Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish. The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow. The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk. The cow asks permission to be cut in half. The cow dies happy.
FLORIDA CORPORATION	You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.
CALIFORNIA CORPORATION	You have millions of cows. They make real California cheese. Only five speak English. Most are illegals. Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.

Guess Where I Was Last Night!

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 05:05:35 GMT

You know a night out was successful when somebody ends up in the emergency room. Yea.

Story time? Thought so. I was invited to have a late dinner with a couple friends. We went to this fun brewery on upper State St and were loud and had a ton of fun. After dinner, since the pool tables were full, we decided to go bowling. The bowling alley was freakishly busy, so we hung out in the arcade for half an hour or so. That was a bit lame cuz most of the games were out of order (no air hockey!). Anyway, we get a lane, put the shoes on etc, and start to bowl. Well, they must have just waxed the floors or something, because the first person up fell. Ordinarily a humorous event, not so much this time. She ended up in the emergency room with a broken leg. It's so hard to describe all the emotions and thoughts that went through my head. I've had first aid training since I was in elementary school, but it never prepares you for actually seeing a broken bone. I still shudder just thinking about it. I can't even imagine the pain she went through. I guess I'll never be a doctor/nurse, eh?

Got an update on her condition today. Both bones in her lower leg were broken and they had to put metal plates in her leg...

Ok, gonna think about other things now.

Earlier yesterday, I had my Study Abroad meeting and got a bit of bad news. Since so few people signed up for the program, they had to cut the five day trip to Ireland. Upside though, the overall cost of the trip has been cut and we are encouraged to go to Ireland on our own. It will probably end up being a good thing, especially since I prefer not to travel in big groups.

The Monkey is coming to visit me on Monday! Yay!! Can't wait to show her around. Gonna be fun! Course this means I need to clean house before she gets here. Damn.

Gonna go play video games now! Muahahaha!

Ta!

Numero Uno!

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:59:30 GMT

You know that feeling when you've been running around constantly, but then you get a chance to stop and catch your breath before you have to take off again? Yea, that's what I'm feeling right now. UC applications, homework, tests, random shit that keeps popping up... the list goes on.

That quick breath I mentioned? That's the breath of a completed task. It really is euphoric. Ha, here I am getting all poetic about my stress.

There's a meeting tomorrow about Study Abroad. A three hour meeting. My feelings are mixed about the occasion. Three hours talking about England will be fun, right? Ehehe, I'll just keep telling myself that.

I feel like I've been turning into more of a pessimist lately. Everything just seems to be going badly. I think it's more a reaction to the stress of applications, and the loneliness attributed to a lack of social life.

That's something that has always been a problem for me. I never developed the social skills that seem to be inherent in everyone else. It's not that I have no confidence in myself, because I do. It's more that I've had too many bad social experiences in my short lifetime. They led me to believe that everyone is friendly to me out of pity. I'm only just getting over this feeling with the best of my friends. What annoys me most is that I know it's illogical (for the most part). I just can't help it! I wonder if there's a psychological term for it...

Ok, falling asleep at the computer. One of the first signs of addiction. Or lack of sleep...

Ta!