IDK, what do you think?

I do enjoy their commentary.lol

http://www.livejournal.com/singles/

(I am doing everything BUT my homework which is bad since I have a paper due Wed and like, 5 articles to read for it, plus, I have to lead class discussion that day. And there's some other stuff, too.)

you are darkgreen #006400

Your dominant hue is green. You're logical and steadfast, focused on figuring life out and doing what makes sense. You value being trusted because you know you're taking the time to figure things out and everyone should just follow you. Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life is slightly darker than most people's. You try to see things for what they are and face situations honestly. You'd rather get to the point than look for what's good.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Pretty darn accurate. I'll make an actual post tomorrow when you all are awake.

So. February 1st, eh? Nothing much to report. School is ok. I'm actually enjoying my TA class more than my actual classes, but that's probably because it has content where as my other classes are based on research methods or stats. YAWN. Can't I just write my opinion? LOL!

Still having issues on the advisor front. I sent another email to the prof I gave my proposal to and still no response. So do I take this as a for-sure no? I'm thinking I'll take to last semester's RA prof once more and see how she feels about my topic. Otherwise, I'm going to talk to the dept chair and ask what he thinks I should do. I just worry that if I do that, I'll get an overall negative view from the other profs when he talks to them in the "lounge" (come on, we all know profs do that).

Got a new bookcase (for free!) so I'm excited about that. My books are all up now. Somehow though, I still have double stacking on some shelves. Sigh. Pictures another day.

Called Toyota finally. Taking my car in tomorrow. Pray the repair costs are under $500, please. Still gotta set up that doctor's appointment...

Here, have some pictures!

( Kansas City, Christmas Break 09 )

1. Would I vote the same way?

Yes, I would. In fact, I was reminded Wed why I voted for him. I know DC's a tough place and politics are more divided than ever. And it isn't just the two main parties fighting each other. Rather, there's in-fighting on both sides, which makes bipartisanship and even the super majority obsolete. It sucks, but I get it.

2. How is Obama doing so far?

All that being said, I am disappointed. As John Stewart pointed out, Obama hasn't done anything significantly liberal AT ALL. And yet, every one is telling him to "move to the middle", even liberals! Where are they getting this? Where is this "middle"? Pat Robertson territory? And this comes from someone not a "liberal". I am a moderate in nearly all manners and, with the exception of some lovely rhetoric on climate change, I feel Obama has been about as much of a Democrat as McCain would have been. Suffice to say, I have not been unhappy, but I have not been impressed, either.

Let's just say, if Obama is as slow with DADT as health care, I hope Levin oversteps his bounds and just takes charge without him.

This actually happened to me recently. I have not bothered to ask. If they defriended me, it's unlikely they'll respond to my curiosity of why.

That being said, it isn't just online. I understand friendships end. people grow apart or get mad or whatever. But somehow, I am always left wondering what I did. Friends simply stop talking to me for no apparent reason. Just...silence. I don't get it. We don't have fights, n o one ever steals a boyfriend or anything dramatic. Apparently, one day, my friend will just get annoyed with me and decide they no longer want to be friends and instead of telling me this, they simply begin ignoring me.

I'm not sure what it is about me that inspires this eventual reaction.

There's a party I'm going to tomorrow night with the theme "the 90's". Costume ideas? I've been debating this and it's like '95 and earlier was very 80's. '96 and up wasn't much different than it is now. I'm at a loss. So please, toss me ideas or pictures!

Sorry I haven't been around much. I've been sick for several days and didn't have the energy to write anything. Or do much besides watch TV. SIGH. I got a textbook in the mail and I'm going to have to crack down on it tomorrow if I want to finish it before school starts. Which I do since it's for my Quantitative Methods class. I'm not so good at stuff like that, I'd like to go in having some sort of basic understanding.

In other news I am extremely poor. I really need my fin aid to be deposited. My poor Spock needs me to take him into Toyota still! And I've got my phone bill and more (like textbooks and rec center fees). Fun.

So, have you all heard the insanity that is NBC? I am so upset at them right now for this Conan O'Brien/Jay Leno fiasco. I can't believe what jerks they're being to Conan. It makes me like this:



LONG LIVE CONANDO!

School starts again in like, 8 days. Break has flown by. I haven't even reached the boredom point yet. Which I thought I would. It was probably because Alicia (my cousin) came to visit. I'll try to post Kansas City/St Louis pictures in the next few days.

Yeah, other than that, not much to tell. Got out of the apartment for the first time in 9 days today. Been watching a lot of Food Network. Packers and Patriots in the playoffs which makes me happy.

In conclusion:






I might be? LOL!

Next morning I had nothing specific planned, but it was my last day there, so I decided on, hey, museums! So I headed out thinking I could hit the Natural History Museum, Imperial War Museum, and the London Aquarium all before close.

( Days 6-8 )

Next morning I had big plans. I wanted to go to La Cage Aux Folles that night, and had a meeting at the London School of Economics for a tour at 3pm.

( Day 5 )

Sunday! Which means game day! My first NFL game...and it happened all the way in London!

( Day 4 )

Trouble on Triton by Samuel R. Delany:

Whoo-ee. This was tough to get through. I have to say, the premise sounded better than it was. Not to say it wasn't good. It was full of psychological, relationship warfare. There was philosophy and actual political warfare in the background. It makes you re-access your interpretations of people. The language was beautiful. But despite all of that, the writing was needlessly pompous so much so that it made it difficult to read and lost the flow. And the main character...the author tried to make you empathize with him/her, but in the end, Bron was still just as whiny and as much of a jackass as she started out. There was no connection. I was intrigued by the ability to change genders (and they delve even further with changing the brain patterns to reflect different genders), but as I said: the idea was brilliant, the execution poor.

The Host by Stephanie Meyer:

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Sure, it was still cheesy as heck and I guessed the eventual outcome by the first two chapters or so, and she still pushes her abstinence agenda. But the writing is so much better than the Twilight series. It's also slightly less cheesy and far more plotty. The characters are stronger and you definitely feel a connection which I didn't with anyone in the Twilight books.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi:

This book had me in stitches! Scalzi is a very funny man. But it was also an intriguing concept in which "old people" (those who are 75) are given the choice to be drafted in the army. From there, they're given entirely new bodies and trained to fight to protect the human population in a universe filled with competing species. The relationships are great, the characters easy to like, and while the writing itself is simplistic, it gets the job done and is a quick-paced read. Can't wait to read the next in the series!

Good Omens by Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman:

while I don't think I enjoyed the book quite so much as many others I know, but it was funny. I loved the concept of a funny end of the world where an angel and a demon have gotten so used to creature comforts, they're willing to oppose Heaven and Hell to stop it. It was also interesting to seek the anti-Christ as a child. Children can be scarier than adults sometimes. An enjoyable read.

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison:

This is an interesting collection of short stories. I definitely have to agree with the forward that the first and last stories are the best (and they're amazing, really). The middle ones are somewhat blah, random, and not very sci-fi/supernatural. What is interesting is how personal the author is in his stories. Each story has an intro written by Ellison which really shows just how personal the stories are to him. An good, quick read, if not the best collection of short stories ever.

Two to the Fifth (#32 in Xanth series) by Piers Anthony:

I was thrown a curveball with this one! I've come to expect a certain ending with the Xanth books, but not only wasn't that the case, Piers delves into some interesting and dangerous (for him) territory. The Adult Conspiracy is a driving force between many books, making them very kid friendly, but in this book, it was completely violated. There's age and consent issues which are fascinating and very unusual. I always highly recommend the Xanth series, but I really like this one simply for being surprising and stepping outside the usual Xanth comfort zone.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I'd had a whole bunch of those writer's block questions answered but then LJ deleted them. Awesome continuation of my day. They were depressing anyway, so I guess it's fine.

First and foremost a few more thank you's for my flist and holiday_wishes :

kaptivated , I love Snoopy!
wolfie_kaynine , thanks for the little note!
drocera , the card was lovely and thank you so much for the book!! I can't wait to start reading.
colonoscarpeay , the card was cute and funny!

I have all my cards strung up on my wall. It's pretty! Thank you all so much!

Now I have a few meme questions that didn't really fit into my new FAQ (which will be posted sometime soon).

From evilvillan_1 :

2. I know you read the PhD comics, but are there other webcomics that you keep up with?

http://xkcd.com is really the only other one. I sometimes read the Dinosaur Comics (http://www.qwantz.com).

4. What kinds of campaigns and organizations do you get yourself involved with? Are you an active activist, or more of an armchair activist?

I haven't been heavily involved of late. Last year during the 08 elections, I had two jobs, full time school and applying for grad schools. Campaigning was the last thing on my mind (didn't help that I wasn't overly excited for either candidate). But for 04 and 06 I was heavily involved in the presidential campaign where I lived including telephoning, door-knocking, signing people up to vote, etc. In 06 I did the same for the state and local elections. As for organizations and causes, I guess you'd say I'm an armchair activist. I will talk about what I believe and encourage other people to contribute time and such, but I haven't worked for the organizations either because I'm too busy or they simply don't operate where I live so that I can help out (without having to move).

5. If you had to convince someone to come to the US and live in any area you've lived in - which area would it be, and what would be your top 5 reasons for living there?

Minneapolis, hands down. I don't like the other places I've lived even.lol (Well, I loved my suburb, Eagan.)

1. Very open and cosmopolitan (largest per capita homosexual population in the US, very multicultural in comparison to the rest of the state)
2. Has excellent night life
3. Excellent art, museums, theatre culture
4. All four seasons
5. Decent public transportation

From realizes :

+Top 5 cities you would like to visit or live in.

1. London
2. New York
3. Moscow
4. Minneapolis
5. Washington DC

Hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas time!

Dear Santa... Dear Santa, This year I've been busy! In April I gave change to a homeless guy (19 points). In September I ruled Iran as a kind and benevolent dictator (700 points). Last Sunday I set absinthefairy88's puppy on fire (-66 points). Last Wednesday I gave wordxlust a life-saving blood transfusion (50 points). In March I turned jenwrites in for tearing the tag off a mattress (3 points). Overall, I've been nice (706 points). For Christmas I deserve a Nintendo Wii! Sincerely, 20hrsinamerica

Write your letter to Santa! Enter your LJ username:

I would rule over Iran benevolently. *nods* And man, I'd love a Wii.

So, instead of being mopey about what I want to be mopey about, I'm going to do something positive. Which means...it's meme time! One day I will finish the intended-to-be-week-long-meme.

Day one - a song
Day two - a picture
Day three - a book/ebook/fanfic
Day four - a site
Day five - a youtube clip
Day six - a quote
Day seven - whatever tickles your fancy

I love quotes, ok? Song lyrics and poems and stories, and quirky ones from movies. I could have a quote for every mood if I sat down and categorized them and made a filing/reference system of some kind. However, lame and dorky I may be; I am not that lame and dorky!lol I still can't resist posting a few, though.

My Favorite Quote:

More than any time in recent history, America's destiny is not of our own choosing. We did not seek nor did we provoke an assault on our freedom and our way of life. We did not expect nor did we invite a confrontation with evil. Yet the true measure of a people's strength is how they rise to master that moment when it does arrive. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight..The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels, but every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless. This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars. God bless their memory, God bless you and God bless the United States of America.
--President Josiah Bartlett, The West Wing

The Quote That Best Describes Me:

"I was born one...I'm a cynical idealist."
--This Side of Paradise

My Outlook On Life (I am not deliberately being mopey, here, I promise!):

The Player: We are tragedians, you see? We follow directions. There is no choice involved. The bad end unhappily, the good, unluckily. That is what tragedy means.
--Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Tom Stoppard

My Stance on Religion:

We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.
--Johnathan Swift

Favorite Movie Quote:

If we fail to anticipate the unforeseen, or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite possibilities, we may find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or anything that cannot be programmed, categorized, or easily referenced.
--The X-Files: Fight the Future

My Inspiration:

"Common men go nowhere, you have to be uncommon."
--Herb Brooks (1980 Olympic hockey team coach)

Firstly to the givers of the awesome snowflake cookies: recycled_wings, dazzamre, kerryblaze, purplephoenix03, and evilvillan_1. My day was made so bright by that influx!! ♥

Secondly to the people whom I received cards from thus far: dazzamre, auralily, devils_sidekick, and ghost_light and lonelydumptruck. They're such lovely cards and give a very festive vibe to my otherwise boring room.

And for those waiting for something from me, I've dedicated tomorrow night to baking my Christmas cookies and writing out all my cards, etc.

In other news, I have done 3 of 10 projects. Technically, I have a new project from my RA prof so I'm sort of back up at 2 of 10 done, but whatever. Of my previous list, I've done 3 of 10. Tonight is comp question essay time. And I've got to get to Walmart so we're going to pray my car doesn't die.

Oh, right, I didn't share that with LJ. Yeah, my car's check engine light came on Thursday. It made the trip that day and I haven't driven it since. I'm nervous as heck about it. Maybe this weekend I can get it into Toyota. The only problem is I'm going to need to get on campus all weekend and without a car...ARGH.

Ok that's it from me! Gotta balance the checkbook so I can make that Walmart run and start my essay.

Hello all! So, some of you have given me your addresses via holiday_wishes, but I haven't gotten my flists yet.

If you would like a Christmas card from me, post your (RL) name and your address here. Comments screened. Love you all!

New England, you are REALLY sucking it up tonight. 38-17? What is this? You just had to lose to the unbeaten team.

This upsets me because at this point, I'm cheering for a Vikings/Patriots game so I can see the Vikings choke as always. But it looks more like a Saints/Colts Superbowl.

As someone said on The OT Sunday though...don't count the Packers out just yet!!

I need a football icon.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!

A few things I'm thankful for:

1. Being in grad school
2. Having a job that pays my tuition and is pretty easy
3. Being (as far as I know) healthy
4. All my friends/family
5. The Packers are winning

And now, in response to isawsparks26's question...

( What am I doing for Thanksgiving Day? )

Day one - a song
Day two - a picture
Day three - a book/ebook/fanfic
Day four - a site
Day five - a youtube clip
Day six - a quote
Day seven - whatever tickles your fancy

My favorite YouTube clip(s) ever: Charlie the Unicorn 1, Charlie the Unicorn 2, and Charlie The Unicorn 3 (my *really* favorite).

"I want to be with you forever!!"

And my second favorite. Star Trek AND Monty Python. Seriously, there is nothing better than that.