Still going nowhere four mornings a week

2003-12-04 / 2:13 p.m.

yuck. The school's gym is only going to be open from 5:30 until 10:00 during reading days and finals. Suckage. I hate working out in the evenings. >:(

Anteojos

2003-12-03 / 4:57 p.m.

I got new glasses. My mom doesn't like them, but I do. However, they seem quite maladjusted. I need to take them back to chez Wal Mart and have them tweaked to fit my face a little better.
pictures here

No excuse now!

2003-12-01 / 10:25 p.m.

There wasn't a whole lot of pressure on me reguarding my History of the Middle East paper. I had pretty much resigned myself to getting a B, so I wasn't super stressed about turning out a kickass paper...I shouldn't be so lazy, karma always gets me.....sure enough, when I went to talk to the professor this morning, it turns out that right now, I'm the proud owner of an A- in the class. With a strong final paper, I could get a solid A in the class, which would really help out my GPA (as I definitely have a B in Spanish, and Globalization is still up in the air). So okay. Crunch time. I have a meeting with her to discuss my paper Thursday morning at 9:00--I want to have as much done as possible by then to get her feedback, but dunno how feasible this is. :( Tonight is flute choir, and tomorrow I work most of the night. Ungh. I'll have to get a lot done Wednesday morning, and between class and work wednesday afternoon. Ay. I have no excuse not to get an A.

Little else exists. It's too cold out. This morning at the gym, my CD player ran out of batteries, leaving me listening to morning radio dj's. unnngg. This morning, the local radio personalities were talking about how unattractive it is that their wives/girlfriends are gaining weight. They brought their significant others into the studio, weighed them in on air, and set up a diet challenge to see who could lose the most in a set amount of time. Furthermore, they condoned "any means necessary" including fasting and purging--ick! Why would anyone humiliate someone they loved on the radio? That's not nice. I guess I like to think that men--especially married ones, or ones in committed relationships--care more about their special ladies than to call them fat on the radio. ::sigh::

Well, that's all. I was killing the 15 minutes I had left before class, and that quarter hour is officially dead. I'm now off for about 80 hours of marathon craziness. Class, papers, work, papers, class, papers, papers, papers, work, papers......

photofailure

2003-11-30 / 8:06 p.m.

Most of the pictures I took over the break aren�t as interesting as I thought they�d be, but I thought I�d post a few here...

I came across this sign when I went to visit my mother on the way home. This was in a common area. I ask you, what is the purpose of using "ASAP" if you�re going to spell out what it means anyway? lest effective use of abbreviation ever. Furthermore, I hope that the capitalization of "AS" is a typo, as I can�t possibly discern why it would be deliberate.

Whoever volunteered to bring the green bean casserole to Thanksgiving this year slacked off in a pretty major way...I was amused by the lumps of frozen cream of mushroom soup. They were all so uniform. Because of the non-screw-up-able nature of this dish, I was commissioned to prepare it. This entailed opening the bag, pouring it into a bag and making sure that the chunks of frozen soup were evenly distributed, and putting it in the oven. Oh, yeah, and adding the little onion crunchies. I am a culinary prodigy. I felt compelled to take a before&after photo to document my oh-so-praiseworthy cooking.

I thought this was a decent picture of the rare harmony that exists between the animals in our house.

update

2003-11-30 / 5:50 p.m.

so much for my fucking theraputic showering...about 30 seconds into washing my hair, the hot water ran out. fucking fuckers.

sad.

2003-11-30 / 5:20 p.m.

Ug. Not happy to be back, yet still happy to be not at home. The rush begins again. Six more days of class. Three papers. Two tests.

I could write about my uberlong weekend, but I just feel absoultely shitty now. Feeling sad and crumby mentally for no good reason at all. Feeling not-great physically to boot. Perhaps a (much needed) shower will help, though I doubt it.

Ginger snap

2003-11-29 / 9:48 p.m.

Two things:

They make ginger flavored Altoids now. They're fucking insane, dudes. Very spicy, very interesting. I enjoy them.

Also, having multiple children, and naming them with a theme in mind is highly retarded. Should I choose to spawn someday, I shall name them all after delicious breakfast foods. If that isn't a fatty thing to say, I don't know what is.

That is all. Vacation waning.

I killed Tom Turkey. It was delicious.

2003-11-27 / 9:26 p.m.

It's your mid-break entry. ... There isn't much to say. Not much good anyway. Thanksgiving was lame. Lame lame lame. It was boring, and I got little school work done. I'm so apathetic about everything, I barely even care. Dinner was moderately good. I didn't stuff myself until I was uncomfortably full, as seems to be tradition, but I ate a fairly large meal and it was terrible for me. I feel fat and gross and loathsome. I could not feel less attractive without having a goiter or flesh eating bacteria or something. ug ug ug. Just read Mikeb's profession of food love, as well as "Math Slut's" corroboration. Ugggg. salt in the wound. Oh, though (she says while reading various LJs) somewhat mitigated by "fuzbal's" entry. Psh. I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Thanksgiving is a shitty holiday. The highlight of this year was probably the ride home...primarily because we were leaving, but also because I had an unusually interesting conversation with my mother. Long drives produce that kind of thing I suppose. Talked about a whole bunch of things--many of which the average 20 year old chick wouldn't talk about to her mom about--but that's something I think I really like about my relationship with my mother. Something created by a strange mixing of liberal parenting skills and the bond that is produced between a single widowed mother and an only daughter. For all the flaws in the dynamics of my family, the level of openness about stuff is encouraging. sometimes. Our chat in the car this evening was light and funny and nice, and I learned some random stuff she and I actually have in common. That��s notable, as I think we��re generally pretty different kinds of people.

Yesterday, I bought my three month gym membership, and I will definitely inaugurate that tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, it was closed this morning. I opted to run instead, and it was most unsatisfying. Too slow because of all the hills--the hills which have left my calves feeling like they've been mercilessly beaten--and unpleasantly wet, as I got caught in a downpour about 1.5 miles from home. yeaaaah. sucktastic.

But wait, there's more! The break hasn't sucked totally...yesterday has a few bright spots. I left campus at about 11:30, and went to the mall to kill time while I got my oil changed and tires rotated (this is not one of the aforementioned 'bright spots'). Tried to Christmas shop, but it was a failure on the whole. I did manage to score a free Bath and Body Works lotion from a sweet coupon my mother possessed. Ahhhh, coconut-lime-verbena...what a strange combination you are. I proceeded home at 2:00, only to find that Thanksgiving traffic was already swinging. yay. Got home, got the gym membership, went grocery shopping...Here comes a bright spot...wait for it....waiiiiitttt for it.....went back to the house and prepared for the one, the only, Joe to visit.

I made good-for-you veggie and chicken stir-fry over brown rice that was certainly edible, bordering even on tasty, though came out a bit too spicy. I was a little overzealous with the pepper I suppose, though Joe maintained that he liked it--I'm hoping he was telling the truth, and not just being sweet for my benefit. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, as his track record for honesty and sincerity is immaculate. Briefly introduced him to The Mother. She was remarkably charismatic and non-insane, which made me happy. ��

Tomorrow I shall awake fairly early and travel to THE GYM and try to feel less wretched about my physical appearance (::groan:: it won't work). Following, I will shower. I feel this is a positive choice for my itinerary. Depending on my mood, I might go to circuit city after...Yeah, I know. I vowed to never go shopping the day after Thanksgiving again because it is ABSOLUTE INSANITY...however, circuit city is having a very agreeable sale on CDs, and there are two I'm going to buy for my mother for Christmas. Assuming Wal Mart isn't past its legal capacity for occupants, I'll go and get my eyes examined and buy new frames tomorrow. woohoo. I'll have to do some more work on my glob. paper tomorrow, and perhaps hang out with Big Eric for a bit. In the evening, I think that Joe and I are doing something together, though I'm not yet sure of what. Life is full of surprises.

I'm a lucky girl. I should note that more often. The family thankfully avoided the "I am thankful for" roll call this year, as most of them were absorbed in the dolphins game...but I gave a quiet thank you for all the people and things that make my life not suck. I know I don't talk about them much...not in real life, nor in this medium, but they're there. For all the bitching and whining and rage and self-loathing I toss out into the world, there's a brighter side. Sometimes I suck at adequately expressing that it's there, sometimes I just don't see it, but to all you people who make life worth living (and you know who you are): Thanks. Sincerely.

Today, I taught spell-checker that "meh" is a word. I am no longer encouraged to substitute my favorite expression for indifference, apathy, and mild depression for "mesh", "men", "med" or "met". Technology is grand.

I've taken some random pictures over the break...so look for a pictoral supplement when i get back to school. :)

random thought that probably isn't as funny in writing as it is in my brain.

2003-11-25 / 2:58 p.m.

New Thanksgiving plan:

Rather than avoid the question of whether I'm dating anyone or not, I'll proudly profess my love for Joe. Furthermore, I'll show the fam this photo and tell them how "his religion (which is more like a cult) really turned my life around! What's in the cups, you ask? Salvation Juice!"

In other news, I think this might be the longest title I've made since moving to Diaryland.

The Simpsons

2003-11-23 / 8:16 p.m.

"That's it! I'm acting the way Americans act best. Unilaterally"

--Homer Simpson

Thanksgiving Memories

2003-11-23 / 7:14 p.m.

From Thanksgiving entry, 2001

On to Thursday, thanksgiving. A time to give thanks, and to eat way too much. The first thing I heard in the morning was my mom. She yells from her bed "What time do you want to eat dinner?". Because it's only 8:00, I sorta just mumble and roll over, but she keeps asking until I get up. I was up and awake by about 8:15 and I watched the parade in my pajamas while mom and I planned the cooking schedule of the day. Mom is excited because Martha Stewart has apparently told her how to make her turkey not suck. I am eagerly anticipating this.

That poor turkey. Let me go ahead and skip forward a little and tell you of the sad old bird. My mom takes painstaking care to prepare it just like Martha did. Covered the thing in cheesecloth, shoved its little birdie insides with vegetables, and smeared its icky skin with butter and herbs. (Then I made it dance around for the cat, but that's not important to the preparation of the Turkey). It seems that as soon as we put it in the oven, The proverbial shit hit the fan. The oven wasn't the right temperature, too hot, then not hot enough. The cheesecloth caught on fire. After the advised cooking time, it still wasn't done. The top was brown but it wasn't cooked all the way though. The top heating thing on the oven broke, then started working again, only for the bottom one to do the same thing right after. My mom, who goes through way more annoying mood swings than me, didn't take this well. We went from "Mommy's big fat turkey is so yummy, yes he is!" to "Grrr. Why does everthing I do turn to crap!!!" The whole cooking time of the turkey was a steady ebb and flow of her changing from good mood to bad. At the four hour mark, I was starting to worry that our main course was doomed...but I tried my best to help mom periodically baste it and keep the morale up. Finally, it was judgement time for the bird. Mom carved out a slice and....woah. It was awesome. It was the best Turkey she had ever made. It was perfect!. It would be a miracle if she could replecate the success she had with this thing. I'm going to sit down and write down her recepie someday..."The secret in cooking a turkey, is to make the temperature fluctuate frequently. Set it on fire, then take it out of the oven. Put it back on about 200 degrees, then slowly bring it to 400, then back down to 200. It is also important to scream at your turkey though the oven door to properly motavate it to cook"

From Thanksgiving 2002

Ug....This holiday is sucking thus far. Usually, my penchant for gluttony makes this an absolutely beautiful day, but I just can't get in that mood today. Getting on the scale yesterday, discovering that I gained a lot of weight back really killed that mood.

Because of this, and because my cousins are pretty annoying, I'm not too psyched about going over there. I know what it's going to be like. I'll be asked to help clean something, or set the table, or prepare some food product because I'm a woman without arthritis to complain about. While that progresses, I can answer fun questions about College and my future and my love life. Then, several days later, I'll be included in the inter-family gossip. I worry That, after several years of telling them that I'm not seeing anyone--whether this is true or not--that they're going to think I'm a lesbian... truth be told, I think it might be a little funny if the did think that. I get the feeling they wouldn't react well to it. I have a 50-something cousin who I swear is gay, and everyone just seems to ignore it and pretend she's just been single for a long time. And actually, I'm pretty sure she isn't even single anymore...but anyway, I digress.

See me abuse my newfound ability to make superscript numbers

2003-11-23 / 6:14 p.m.

Emily Mix 6--the last in a fantastic series--debuts with rave reviews this Sunday afternoon. As I listen to the dulcet tones of Ben Folds's voice I see that, even after a weekend where I didn't get half as much done as I should have, all is well.

Friday I stayed in to work. I got a good measure done, but not enough. The day itself was short, I had but one class which I left early to go play a mini-concert for Flute choir.¹ Consequently, I cancelled my work hours for this concert, and we didn't have regular practice, so I was free after, like, 1:00. Started exercising indoors Friday, and it seems like that's going to be the trend for awhile...until the bastards shut the gym for finals...then I guess I'll have to brave the cold and run outside in the mornings.²

Saturday, I worked in the morning. Like Friday, I didn't get as much done as I should have. I think I deserved a little slack time though, so all is well. In the evening, I went out for a social gathering with my co-workers. We went to a Chinese Restaurant which was pretty tasty, and enjoyed what I am told is fairly authentic chinese. I love going out with work, we always get goooood food, and it's free. That's hard to beat.

Afterwards, we all went to the Ahn Trio concert, which was great. They were awesome. I'm probably going to buy one of their albums with Christmas/birthday money/gift certificates.

Afterwards, went to casaJoe and spent a lovely evening with a man who can construct palindromes in his head. How cool is that?!

This week is going to be werid. Only two days of school proper, but certainly as heavy a workload as always. The strangest part: I'm actually kind of looking forward to going home; though maybe that's just becase my subconsious thinks its going to be a break from schoolwork. Ha ha ha, oh naive brain. You will still be busting your ass researching and writing whether at home or at school. ::sigh::

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¹Anyone who happens to be interested in coming to the Flute Choir concert: it's Tuesday the 2nd at 8:00.

² Speaking of cold...check out the weather for this week. Low on Tuesday: 27. Unnngggg.

Paperchase

2003-11-22 / 8:55 a.m.

After much fuss, I think I've come up with topics for all three of my big papers. For Spanish, a paper on Picasso's political messages through his art. For Middle East, something about the question of success and failure for different players in the Persian Gulf War. And, for Globalization, that illegal drug trafficking shows a rise in a globalist system, while the policies countries make (US in particular) go against most of the prescribed rules for successful globalization. Que piensan?

Study Break!

2003-11-21 / 8:04 a.m.

Friday morning is kind of an arbitrary time to make a new page, but elcielo needs it, no? I was sloppy about starting a new one last week.

Okay, think I�m going to write a Friday Five entry again this week. Yeah, yeah, I know...But I really feel like writing, and I have no original thoughts (at least none that make any sense).

1. List five things you'd like to accomplish by the end of the year.
- Finish out the semester with straight A�s (this might not even be possible, certainly not plausible.)
- While I�ve been too busy to follow through on NaNoWriMo (I started though! I got to about 10.000 words before the end-of-the-semester insanity started) I�d like to write more fiction...probably not finish my NaNo novel, because it�s shitty�but write something. In recent days, I�ve remembered how much I enjoy writing.
- Tie up some of the lose ends relating to Argentina in my mind and in reality. Including: learning more about the history of Argentina, making sure my visa is in order (that�s starting to scare me...I haven�t done anything with that lately), deciding what to pack, and losing the remaining 6.5 lbs that stand between me and my goal.
- Set up an internship or regular volunteering with a candidate or the GDP. I need some practical experience that�s going to help me woo grad schools (U Mass Amherst, here I come!)
- Read a few books on my list.

2. List five people you've lost contact with that you'd like to hear from again.
- Mary S., One of my best friends from Middle School.
- Eric S. My best friend Mary�s older brother. I had a mad crush on him when I was younger, and many years later, we went out a couple of times. Something happened between us, I don�t remember...I think I did something that hurt his feelings, but I don�t remember what. Anyway, we fell out of touch when it became clear that a relationship wasn�t in the cards. I think I might have had a thing for someone else.
- Sunny, my best friend from elementary school and some of middle school. I ran into her last summer once�she worked at Starbucks, but we didn�t ever succeed in getting together to catch up.
- Andrew K (not to be confused with Andrew WK). He was a boy I �went out� with in the 8th grade. I heard he has a wife and kid now (and has for a few years). I�d be curious to see what he�s like.
- Jessica G. and Margaret M. Jessica & Margaret were my absolute first best friends in second grade�we used to draw horses and talk about The Little Mermaid. Jessica was a big NKOTB fan. Margaret was a little more subdued, and I think I�d probably like the person she grew up to be. I was crushed when we moved away from Chattanooga. :( Jessica moved to Atlanta a few years later, and we really didn�t have anything in common anymore...so I guess I�m more curious to find out what happened with Margaret.

3. List five things you'd like to learn how to do.
- Cook some tasty stuff
- Paint better�perhaps painting with acrylics.
- Play the Guitar and the Piano�maybe another wind instrument eventually, clarinet?
- Joe thinks he can teach me some kind of programming and/or calculus. (I�m skeptical)...but I think that�d be fun if I didn�t suck to the point of absolute frustration.
- Various Latin dances. I�ve been taught Salsa and Meringue several times, but I always sucked pretty badly. I�d like to learn a little Tango.

4. List five things you'd do if you won the lottery (no limit).
- Buy a house for myself, and one for my mother.
- TRAVEL! Spain, Greece, Germany, France, The Netherlands, India, Japan, Mexico, Italy...everywhere.
- Get lessons on one or more of the instruments I talked about wanting to learn.
- I�d donate to a few different charities and PACs but I�m not sure which ones.
- Throw a huge fucking party.

5. List five things you do that help you relax.
- Writing
- Playing video games
- Drinking :p (sad, but true)
- finishing things that are keeping me from relaxing
- I can�t think of another one...and I�m bored of trying. I�m going to shower now. :) Ciao!