Madness? This is Athens!

2007-03-28 / 12:46 a.m.

Things are nutty busy. Not much time for the important things, like publishing words on the web that 4 or 5 people read.

Here�s an uncomfortable realization: Realizing during the final weeks of your educational career that school is the thing that makes you really happy, and you want to start another degree NOW, even though you�ve already accepted a job and you�re totally broke, and you haven�t applied anywhere anyway, and there�s no way you can do another degree now. Sure, maybe after I work for a few years, I could come back, but I don�t think it would be the same. I�d be older, and out of practice. Plus, I�ve still got the problem of not really being smart enough to really fit in with academia. Still, maybe it�ll be in the cards someday. If I win the lottery, maybe I�ll get an environmental policy degree from UNC. Oh, you know what else�I�m surprised to find myself really, really interested in weird, innovative organizational behavior research, especially the stuff dealing with negotiation. If I learned this, I might finally be able to be a supervillain. We learn a little about it in the org. theory program here, and it�s SO INTERESTING.

Someone I was talking to today mentioned that they�d rent 300 once it came out on DVD. I�m glad I saw it in the theater, because I don�t think it would be as good on DVD. BUT, I realized today that it would make for an exquisite drinking game.

* When someone undertakes any action, �for Sparta,� take a sip.
* If �for Sparta� is yelled (�FOR SPARTAAAAAA!!�), take a gulp
* Horribly disfigured male character in same frame with washboard abs Spartan, take a sip.
* When a body part is severed completely from body (this includes decapitation!!), take a gulp.
* When some manly rock music kicks in out of nowhere to accompany footage of Spartan soldiers, shotgun whatever�s left in your cup and make another.
* Breast with visible nip (female characters only), take a drink.

Ok, all for now. I had planned to be in bed two hours ago! Why aren�t I tireder!?!!?

Step by step! (ooooh baby!)

2007-03-19 / 1:15 p.m.

I got a little overzealous at my hair appointment, and had my hair cutting chick --erm, stylist (who I love) cut my hair way too short. What can I say, I was in a good mood and wanting to look different. I got caught up in the mood and decided "a little bit more" sounded like an awesome idea. It was not an awesome idea. I'm not that upset about the fact that I look a little, um, clownesque...I'm more dismayed that I took a gamble, knowing deep down inside that it would probably look goofy, and paid a lot to do it. Harumph. Days like this call for a little NKOTB.
Yes! Awesome!

You love gives me such a thrill/ But your love won't pay my bills/ I want money

2007-03-17 / 11:48 a.m.

Happy St. Patrick�s day! Celebrate the arrival of Christianity to, and the expulsion of snakes from Ireland by drinking lots of beer! yay! Some portion of my matrilineal heritage is (probably) Irish, so I�m hoping that the purchase of a fistful of lottery tickets later this afternoon will be fruitful.

Studying for comps sucks pretty hard. There�s not a lot of anxiety�I mean, just about everyone who bothers to review who paid attention to the subjects the first time around passes�but that still doesn�t change the fact that I have an assload of reviewing to do, and a good bit of self-instruction. Between the continuity problems among different professors teaching the same subjects, my disastrous finance class, the fact that I�m in org. theory now, and the fact that a lot of the information was boring the first go �round, causing me to forget it as soon as I walked out of the final�I�ve got stuff to do. I don�t mind too much though, I still think school will always be preferred to work, unfortunately. Case in point: it is 11:25, and I am still in my pajamas drinking coffee while working and I plan to take a short walk once it warms up.

The dog walking is going very well. I wish I could get more dog walking jobs. For 45 minutes, I walk briskly, enjoying the nice weather and listening to various NPR and PRI podcasts. When I return, there�s $20 waiting for me. This seems like a trick, but it�s not. I really have earned $200 from listening to NPR and walking.

This just in: I only thought reading Rawls was difficult and frustrating. Reading Rawls was actually very, very easy�and fun! I realize this, after spending 3 hours on 2 chapters of Amartya Sen�s Inequality Reexamined.

I recognize that I�ve spent a little too much time and money on ebay lately. However, I now own 1 Lisa Frank switch plate sticker, a set of vintage 50�s flamingo salt and pepper shakers (for my mother), and a (relatively large) sample-sized bottle of Prada perfume. This stuff smells so delightful! I cannot wait to wear it out for the first time, because there is no doubt that I will be approached by hundreds of good looking, smart, witty, and accomplished men.

This burst of ebaying was brought about by looking for those plastic charms I used to get out of vending machines when I was little. Vending machine toys today totally suck by comparison. I don�t want any plastic throwing stars, or Christian stickers, and certainly no lead/plasic �bling.� Anyway, for those of you who don�t remember, or who were born later than 1986 or so, for a quarter, you got a little plastic charm with a bell on it, and you clipped it to a plastic chainlink necklace. There were an astounding variety of them, and I had quite a few. I used to get one if I was very well behaved during a trip to the grocery store. The machine was large, and full of opaque, multicolored eggs�like the ones you put candy in at Easter time. There was also a large chicken suspended on a pole in the middle, hovering above the pit of plastic eggs. When you put a quarter in, the fake chicken clucked, moved around a bit, and then you got your egg. Unfortunately, these charms are going for kind of a lot on ebay. I found a great set, but when bidding reached $18 bucks, I knew it was (beyond) time to throw in the towel. This is the one that I desperately wanted. Too bad I don�t have a wild excess of money, enabling me to dumb things for the sake of kitch and nostalgia. Viva la ebay.