Tuesdays, in theory, are suppose to be my easier days of the 5 weekdays. Somehow, Tuesdays of late have been anything but easy. Brace yourselves, ladies and gentlemen, it is going to be yet another long post, featuring, yours truly, rambling about in words and on bike.
I knew I had a lot to do this morning, so even though my class doesn't start until the afternoon, I got up at 8 and, realizing that most places (meaning offices of customer service) doesn't open till 9, I decided to go and de-aphid my chrysanthemum again. A few weeks ago (forgotten if I've written this out), people started opening the windows in the lounge, aphids got in, ladybugs, which eat aphids, are too big to enter the screen. I had aphid problems, tried to solve it with diluted soap water, eventually realized it was faster when I just took a paper towel and wiped off the leaves. So, this morning, I spoted some aphids and thought I should do that. Then I realized that a lot more leaves are dying than what's normal so I (you do this when you can't see what's wrong with the plant immediately) flipped the plant to its side, and discovered that the bottom of all leaves are completedly COVERED with aphids.
Let me tell you, it is a truly disgusting site. And wiping with a paper towel was out of the option, so I retreated to my soap-solution and, like the other time, having no empty spray bottle, took a empty drinking water bottle, mixed my solution (3 drop liquid soap per 500mL, about), took off the spray top from my laundry detergent, and attached them together (for your information, it works, which is all I care about at the moment). I sprayed it and hoped it will recover. I returned the bottle to my room and, having a few more moments, examined my other plants, and discovered that the marigold was being attacked by weird things that looked like pillbugs (i.e. roly-polys or whatever people commonly calls them) that secrete sticky white foam things.
That was sort of disgusting too. I, having never seen them before, decided to try the soap and went to my room and got the spray bottle and sprayed THAT plant too. We'll see how that goes tomorrow.
At this point I checked the time, got my stuff, and went outside to start my round of phone calls because A. I have no inside-the-building reception to speak of and B. Molly was still sleeping, being somewhat more sane.
The first phone call was to paypal, which I have never used but which whoever used my credit card the other times apparently have. Last time, before the bill came in, I started getting fraudulent emails from paypal and, knowing they're fake (FYI, paypal emails address you by your name/company name, frauds go "dear customer" etc.) I deleted them but they seemed to got to my numbers (no clue how) anyway. I canceled the card (as you all know), and the email stopped. Yesterday I started receiving those emails again and naturally, I am deeply disturbed and decide to call the service number on paypal, upon which, 20 minutes of waiting in the cold later, they informed me that I do not have an account with paypal and that I have spent (from my bill the last time) money on 100 game tokens.
"I don't even know what the hell they are," I exclaimed, being cold, and sick of hearing the obvious you-don't-actually-have-an-account-with-us-how-strange when I've been repeating someone-made-a-purchase-in-my-account-which-I-dont-have to every single "agent" I've talked to, thus far, this morning. And yes I used the word 'hell', I felt like I was justified. Or at least my temper was. Eventually they tried to update my non-existing account, and was kicked out of the system for some reason (I am serious) so the agent told me he'd report this and he'll take down my information to enter to the system later and "Thank you very much for calling paypal, is there anything else I can do for you today?"
"No," I said, vowing to never visit ebay (which I've never done anyway) again.
Then it's attempting to schedule my renewal for my job training, which needs to happen once a year after you're employed and for Segundo (my area) it means it needs to happen in the winter quarter and, unlucky me, I was hired in December (technically), so that means after my December training I'll need to go through the bad movies again. And I need to find 4 different time chunks that do not interfer with my classes or my work shifts, which turned out to be a bit of a problem. (Not to mention no one picked up at the RSVP phone number that I was suppose to call, so I had to go over to the Human Resource Center.) But I need to get them done before the end of winter quarter, and the classes were offered at random times, and eventually it ends up that I'll have to bike out at 10pm tomorrow night and attend safety training which will last till 1am at which time I'll bike back and sleep, hopefully with enough time to prepare for my 9am bio lab/discussion and metabolism quiz the next...well I guess that would be that day since 1am....
Two of my Saturdays and one of my Fridays are also taken up. Now I just need to make sure that when they randomly shift my shift (no pun intended) they won't end up clashing together.
So--another item off of the list. Now it's to answer my parent's request which is to inquire about where to get the receipt for my school bills for their tax form and yes I know it's just almost February but what can I say--we, as a family, likes to do things early.
What I dislike about being asked to ask about things in college was that no one KNOWS anything for certain, it seems, they keep sending you to who they THINK will have the answer and you go around everywhere and eventually figure out that your original intuition was right and you just wasted your morning. So this morning, I asked my RA, who sent me to Mrak's hall's Registrar's office (south corner of campus, I live at norther end), which turned out to be located in the basement for some reason. The stairs leading to the basement are very narrow, and they go down quite a bit, and the walls were painted an interesting shade of reddish-orange so as I went down I was thinking: helllooooo Dante. The office itself? Dim lights. No windows. There were vending machines though. I found the sight of vending machines deeply reassuring in a strange environment. Oh yes, and the nice lady behind the counter sent me to Dutton Hall, Cashier's office, at east end of campus.
I got the receipt there (thankfully, I HOPE it's the right one). And there were a bit of trouble with it since originally the school decided I was not a resident of California, and charged me the non-resident fee (which is significantly more) until it figured out that I am, in fact, a resident, and then 'returned' the due amount to me under my Davis account, in credits. And when my winter quarter bill came around, they took it directly out of the credit (and I still have some credits left, just to give you an idea of the difference between resident and non-resident fees). The problem with this was that when I ask for both the fall and winter quarter receipts, the lady could only find one. Being that I actually used the card once and the rest of the time it was the UC system messing about on its own. So hence I say I hope this'll work...and if my parents check and say it won't work for the tax form...well...it's back to Dutton hall for me, I suppose.
By the way, the receipt looks exactly like a grocery receipt. With one item on it. That's the only real difference between that and a grocery receipt aside from the amount of money printed there (which, you might recall, is quite large). I find the grocery-receipt largely amusing and took a picture of Dutton hall as I was leaving because I remembered that I've been meaning to take a picture of that place for a long time and kept forgetting. So I got something for myself out of this morning, besides a headache: I have a photo.
Also, no, it's not that the world's crashing down or anything. I just had a real-life storytelling lesson yesterday and suddenly realized that all these things happening to me, while they're not world shattering or anything, can be very entertaining tales. Molly slept through most of this (I met her leaving as I was returning), through my continuous returns for spray bottles, account records, and so on. I am deeply envious (that she could sleep through almost anything, it seems) and felt, to quote Christine, like "I fail at life."
But:
"Defeat means nothing but defeat, no drearier can prevail!"
Yes I must be philosophical. It is in my nature.
Omens for hardworking have been holding true so far. I'm sorry to say, Lucy, that shredded carrots are in my near future since I'm destined to work at the salad bar once a week at least.
[edit 13:00]
The happy ending to the Sunday incident: I went to return the spare shirt today, explaning to one of the managers what had happened and he looked at me and asks: "Are you going to need two shirts?
And I, thinking that I don't know how long it will be before I finally learn to figure out my when my shift is BEFORE it starts, answers, "At this point, I'm really not sure."
To which he informs me, "Why don't you just keep both shirts for now?"
And the good thing about that was, see, the shirt they issued me Sunday night was size S, while the original one was size L (because they couldn't any other size that night of second orientation). Needless to say which one I'll be wearing from now on. No offense to the original shirt. It'll have a special spot in my drawers for as long as it's here.
20060131
20060130
Recap: STP
Holding study at 760 torr and around 303.15 K?
Here's my rather long recap of the second half of my New Years, fortelling that this year will be full of new experiences and lots of hard work. The reasons for believing this are as follows:
Having to wait for laundry cut my timeline a bit close, or so I thought, since my shift starts at 17:00 sharp (they're getting strict about time now) and the laundry comes out of the dryer at 16:50 (close). Meanwhile, I've finished everything else I could possibly done at that point and was sitting in front of my computer, going through my emails (thank you very much, Lucy, by the way; and I'm sure Sirius appreciates the thought), when a manager called me (around 16:30) and asked: "Hey, I was wondering if you knew your shift starts at 4 today?"
Naturally, my response was: "... ... ... No."
Upon which the manager inquires, "Oh. Well then, do you think you can come over right now and start working?"
Me, feeling embarressed and vowing to myself to never, ever, leave laundry to Sunday afternoons in this and all my other possibly reincarnated lives, answered. "Um. My work uniform is still in the dryer."
"When does it come out?"
Mortification. Also some distress at the prospect of needing to have this conversation in the first place. "At ...4:50."
Pause. I contemplated my fate as a new worker. "Hold on, let me see if we can have an extra shirt for you." Longer pause. I suddenly wonder why I'll need the work shirt since I work in one of the kitchens on Sunday and because of the new rule, now need to wear a chef coat, but decided not to ask. "You're in luck, there're spare shirts. So can you come over in...ten minutes?"
Me, feeling that I should be dutiful since we're nearly always shorthanded anyway and I don't want to make my coworker's lives harder. "Er. Sure."
Upon which I pulled together my things, considered the fact that there're people still waiting for the laundry machines and therefore I can't just leave my clothes in there, requested my roommate to get my laundry for me at 17'o clock with more acute embarressment (I don't like other people touching my laundry if I can help it), and hurried out where I tried to take the usual shortcut to the dining hall but, of course, Murphy's law and the doors through the building were locked so I went the other way around and arrived to find out that lo and behold, I work, once again, at the salad bar which is the only kitchen with a separate food display area and the helpers are called 'runners' for good reasons and my that was a heck of a run-on. Oh well.
And the cook, who was suppose to tell me what's in what I'm serving and where to get things, was missing for the start of the shift, so I spent some time but eventually managed to get everything together by randomly asking lots of people. And it turned out that I was the only helper that night, so I get to cover all three of the salad bars with our dining place averaging at 1200 people, trying to keep all three bars constantly filled and clean, from 4:30-9:30, including clean up afterwards. Let me mention that I despise shredded carrots. I like carrot sticks. I like carrots. I cannot understand shredded carrots. They also get everywhere (found some up my sleeve later for some odd reason) and are impossible to get off the counter. Tried to figure out when I'm working this week. Failed. Found out I need to complete a few more orientation things before March and need to make appointments for that. Finished the day feeling very tired (feet hurt) but slept very well though.
If the first year of the New Year is truly an indication of how the rest of the year should turn out that means that I'll be cutting a lot of deadlines, feeling confused 90% of the time (which, though I must admit, seemed to be the majority of my life anyway, despite of beliefs to the contrary), giving directions and information to people that I've barely memorized (again, familiar, awfully), and ending up feeling dead-tired but knowing that I've managed to pull it off. And I won't have any trouble sleeping afterwards.
That's not so bad.
And yes, told ya it's a long post.
Here's my rather long recap of the second half of my New Years, fortelling that this year will be full of new experiences and lots of hard work. The reasons for believing this are as follows:
Having to wait for laundry cut my timeline a bit close, or so I thought, since my shift starts at 17:00 sharp (they're getting strict about time now) and the laundry comes out of the dryer at 16:50 (close). Meanwhile, I've finished everything else I could possibly done at that point and was sitting in front of my computer, going through my emails (thank you very much, Lucy, by the way; and I'm sure Sirius appreciates the thought), when a manager called me (around 16:30) and asked: "Hey, I was wondering if you knew your shift starts at 4 today?"
Naturally, my response was: "... ... ... No."
Upon which the manager inquires, "Oh. Well then, do you think you can come over right now and start working?"
Me, feeling embarressed and vowing to myself to never, ever, leave laundry to Sunday afternoons in this and all my other possibly reincarnated lives, answered. "Um. My work uniform is still in the dryer."
"When does it come out?"
Mortification. Also some distress at the prospect of needing to have this conversation in the first place. "At ...4:50."
Pause. I contemplated my fate as a new worker. "Hold on, let me see if we can have an extra shirt for you." Longer pause. I suddenly wonder why I'll need the work shirt since I work in one of the kitchens on Sunday and because of the new rule, now need to wear a chef coat, but decided not to ask. "You're in luck, there're spare shirts. So can you come over in...ten minutes?"
Me, feeling that I should be dutiful since we're nearly always shorthanded anyway and I don't want to make my coworker's lives harder. "Er. Sure."
Upon which I pulled together my things, considered the fact that there're people still waiting for the laundry machines and therefore I can't just leave my clothes in there, requested my roommate to get my laundry for me at 17'o clock with more acute embarressment (I don't like other people touching my laundry if I can help it), and hurried out where I tried to take the usual shortcut to the dining hall but, of course, Murphy's law and the doors through the building were locked so I went the other way around and arrived to find out that lo and behold, I work, once again, at the salad bar which is the only kitchen with a separate food display area and the helpers are called 'runners' for good reasons and my that was a heck of a run-on. Oh well.
And the cook, who was suppose to tell me what's in what I'm serving and where to get things, was missing for the start of the shift, so I spent some time but eventually managed to get everything together by randomly asking lots of people. And it turned out that I was the only helper that night, so I get to cover all three of the salad bars with our dining place averaging at 1200 people, trying to keep all three bars constantly filled and clean, from 4:30-9:30, including clean up afterwards. Let me mention that I despise shredded carrots. I like carrot sticks. I like carrots. I cannot understand shredded carrots. They also get everywhere (found some up my sleeve later for some odd reason) and are impossible to get off the counter. Tried to figure out when I'm working this week. Failed. Found out I need to complete a few more orientation things before March and need to make appointments for that. Finished the day feeling very tired (feet hurt) but slept very well though.
If the first year of the New Year is truly an indication of how the rest of the year should turn out that means that I'll be cutting a lot of deadlines, feeling confused 90% of the time (which, though I must admit, seemed to be the majority of my life anyway, despite of beliefs to the contrary), giving directions and information to people that I've barely memorized (again, familiar, awfully), and ending up feeling dead-tired but knowing that I've managed to pull it off. And I won't have any trouble sleeping afterwards.
That's not so bad.
And yes, told ya it's a long post.
20060129
Recap: Against the seconds
Laundry
Postlab
Lit
Shower
Work
Original order of my tasks which reminds me to say NEVER EVER wait until Sunday afternoon to do laundry in the dorms. I've always did in on Saturday mornings and such and so had no problems with waiting. Or of people who leaves their laundry in the machine for far too long after the cycle's done. Current list of things:
Lit
Postlab
Laundry
Shower
Work
Am currently sitting in lounge with my 2 metre cat5 cable waiting for empty machine. Yes there it goes. Okay leaving now.
[edit 15:45, when the little lines are added]
Postlab
Lit
Shower
Work
Original order of my tasks which reminds me to say NEVER EVER wait until Sunday afternoon to do laundry in the dorms. I've always did in on Saturday mornings and such and so had no problems with waiting. Or of people who leaves their laundry in the machine for far too long after the cycle's done. Current list of things:
Shower
Work
Am currently sitting in lounge with my 2 metre cat5 cable waiting for empty machine. Yes there it goes. Okay leaving now.
[edit 15:45, when the little lines are added]
20060128
Recap: A second chance
Another stab at dumpling making tonight. With all due luck the power will not go out when we try to cook it tomorrow morning. (And if it does I'll just give up on the entire year's worth of luck, that is all.)
It's taken my internet 10 minutes for this to load, meanwhile I get to contemplate the mysteries of life...such as the ways people slice their sandwiches and the astonishing array of things people will eat. Oh. There. My other page loaded.
Today, according to the Lunar Calendar, is the end of the year of the rooster, tomorrow is the year of the dog so indirectly, it's also another stab at another New Year's. A second chance for the year to start. Ha.
The advantages of being culturally diverse, indeed.
It's taken my internet 10 minutes for this to load, meanwhile I get to contemplate the mysteries of life...such as the ways people slice their sandwiches and the astonishing array of things people will eat. Oh. There. My other page loaded.
Today, according to the Lunar Calendar, is the end of the year of the rooster, tomorrow is the year of the dog so indirectly, it's also another stab at another New Year's. A second chance for the year to start. Ha.
The advantages of being culturally diverse, indeed.
20060127
Recap: Pressure v.s. efficiency, graphed
Have no finished chem midterm, have had no time to do multiple choice, balance equations, calculate compositions, and name compounds all within 50 minutes. At least this time I am fairly sure that not many people finished either, but even so, the margin for error is making me cringe inside.
Also, there is this one very messed up question, last of the multiple choice section:
If every person on earth told one joke, how many jokes would there be?
My reaction: ... ... ... what the hell?
And yes, we had numerical answers to choose from, and one "none of the above", which made it that much more evil.
More dealing with the consequences of loosing one's wallet today. Will attempt to do homework on the carride home as to free up weekend for further activities. Deeply resentful of the chemistry professor at the moment but also wondering about the paper lily that showed up in the lounge. And the people. Them too.
[edit 4:21]
Am at home, have just completed the required 100 pt QUIZ for chemistry online. For NOMENCLATURE. Got 96%. Am ridiculously proud of myself, esp. since I was struggling with the slow modem and was worrying if I'll be dropped offline in the middle but it didn't so I didn't so that was over. Thank. God.
Also, there is this one very messed up question, last of the multiple choice section:
If every person on earth told one joke, how many jokes would there be?
My reaction: ... ... ... what the hell?
And yes, we had numerical answers to choose from, and one "none of the above", which made it that much more evil.
More dealing with the consequences of loosing one's wallet today. Will attempt to do homework on the carride home as to free up weekend for further activities. Deeply resentful of the chemistry professor at the moment but also wondering about the paper lily that showed up in the lounge. And the people. Them too.
[edit 4:21]
Am at home, have just completed the required 100 pt QUIZ for chemistry online. For NOMENCLATURE. Got 96%. Am ridiculously proud of myself, esp. since I was struggling with the slow modem and was worrying if I'll be dropped offline in the middle but it didn't so I didn't so that was over. Thank. God.
20060126
Recap: For all values of P greater than 0
Taken from an email from my bio TA, to us, regarding the quiz this morning:
Salutations
I just wanted to let you know that you may bring simple calculator if you
wish for the quiz in my sections. You may or may not find a ruler useful.
Happy studying.
It's wonderful how helpful he is trying to be. And I think I failed that quiz, by the way, because we had to do these problems on water potential and I completely do not remember how it works with two molarities instead of one and was trying to derive it on the spot and had absolutely NO IDEA how to calculate pressure potential. (Usually, open beaker=pressure potential=0, but not so with these problems.) So now my only hope is that no one else remembered how to do it either, which I'm 99% sure won't happen, or that other people will miss a bunch of other problems so the curve will be, as Victoria had once put it "WHACKING low", except since a bunch of the problems were about metric (METRIC!) I don't think the chance of that happening is in my favour.
Heavens, chem midterm tomorrow morning, what fun.
First-
-time wearing a chef coat, which was a bit too large, and the stupid, stupid chef hat which kept on falling off and was of no help of whatsoever.
Salutations
I just wanted to let you know that you may bring simple calculator if you
wish for the quiz in my sections. You may or may not find a ruler useful.
Happy studying.
It's wonderful how helpful he is trying to be. And I think I failed that quiz, by the way, because we had to do these problems on water potential and I completely do not remember how it works with two molarities instead of one and was trying to derive it on the spot and had absolutely NO IDEA how to calculate pressure potential. (Usually, open beaker=pressure potential=0, but not so with these problems.) So now my only hope is that no one else remembered how to do it either, which I'm 99% sure won't happen, or that other people will miss a bunch of other problems so the curve will be, as Victoria had once put it "WHACKING low", except since a bunch of the problems were about metric (METRIC!) I don't think the chance of that happening is in my favour.
Heavens, chem midterm tomorrow morning, what fun.
First-
-time wearing a chef coat, which was a bit too large, and the stupid, stupid chef hat which kept on falling off and was of no help of whatsoever.
20060125
Recap: The magic of side remarks
One last stab at my fear of public speaking, which hopefully will be fatal to it this time (ha. ha.) since I've been struggling with THIS particular phobia since when I had to first deal with public speaking. May my love for stories override whatever other nervous tics that my psyche has in store for me. This is reassuring. If I don't at least have faith in myself, I at least have faith in fairytales.
Yes I realized that there's something deeply ironic about that sentence.
Busy day today (since Wednesday has, once again, turned out to be my most filled day of the week) what with bio quiz and chem midterms (in that order) arriving. Also need to do a journal prompt on plant pathogens but at least I found that interesting.
Trevor and David are, I think, now a Miller-floor-3 joke, in that they have taken over the lounge. Last night, being Molly's friend, Enbo's birthday, he and his friend, Steve, had something going on and I only caught the part about them retaking over the 3rd floor lounge from Trevor and David. Which I find funny. Which is also sadly necessary since it seems whenever I walk past the lounge at least one of the two guys are ALWAYS sitting there (don't they have classes?). Strange, strange folks.
My marigolds are blooming nicely though, despite of me forgetting to water them on Monday and therefore nearly causing fatal dessication. People appear to like my plants, but then again, I think most people here like anything strange that shows up in the lounge, which reminds me to mention tha the plastic skull on a stick had disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared.
Yes I realized that there's something deeply ironic about that sentence.
Busy day today (since Wednesday has, once again, turned out to be my most filled day of the week) what with bio quiz and chem midterms (in that order) arriving. Also need to do a journal prompt on plant pathogens but at least I found that interesting.
Trevor and David are, I think, now a Miller-floor-3 joke, in that they have taken over the lounge. Last night, being Molly's friend, Enbo's birthday, he and his friend, Steve, had something going on and I only caught the part about them retaking over the 3rd floor lounge from Trevor and David. Which I find funny. Which is also sadly necessary since it seems whenever I walk past the lounge at least one of the two guys are ALWAYS sitting there (don't they have classes?). Strange, strange folks.
My marigolds are blooming nicely though, despite of me forgetting to water them on Monday and therefore nearly causing fatal dessication. People appear to like my plants, but then again, I think most people here like anything strange that shows up in the lounge, which reminds me to mention tha the plastic skull on a stick had disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared.
20060124
Recap: Diem perdidi
Having a midterm followed by a three hour chem lab is tiring in terms of stress level. Though the lab was interesting in itself, since my partner and I finished early so I get to try more strange stuff and re-test the one combination of the unknown (with permission from the TA, of course), which was very fun. Ammonium hydroxide smells awful, as usual, and people had a habit of borrowing reagents from each other so you have to go and hunt down six molar acids which is...well, first time for everything, right?
Chemistry midterm Friday. My week will be dedicated to midterms and presentations. Depressing.
Chemistry midterm Friday. My week will be dedicated to midterms and presentations. Depressing.
20060123
Recap: A thousandth of a wish
I wonder if the wish is made
One per thousand paper cranes
How much magic can each crane take
If magic can be explained...
Lovely, lovely weather today (which, I feel, is never the less ruined by the fact that it's a Monday. There is something about the sheer Monday-ness of it that is bound to cast a shadow on all things beautiful). I have a class in exactly 44 minutes, a midterm this afternoon with 499 other students (yay gigantic lecture halls) and here I sit, trying to remember the exact wordings to Dread Mary the Mermaid's song:
No gold or silver but buttons for me
No gold or silver but buttons
Gold and jewels are fine for fools
But buttons oh buttons oh buttons
No sanity, doesn't quite factor in either. It seldom does. Yesterday morning I, being strange and unusual in a dorm of other college students, got up early and went by, on my way out, to check up on my plants which are in the lounge and noticed Trevor sleeping on the floor by the coffee table. One learns, after a while, not to question such things. While on my way out there is a girl running around in an evening gown. One learns not to question those types of things too. Or why there's a plastic skull on a stick on the lounge table. College dorms, no matter where you are, have very cryptic factors built into it's very...er...wooden planks (was going to say 'stones'). I was contemplating (yesterday) writing a story about the elves who reshuffle your flashcards and steal your socks. It will be like the tale of "The Elves and the Shoemaker" except, obviously, not.
Good luck, Lucy, with your class scheduling (I'll have to start worrying about mine again in approximately one month). And as for the online catalogues...when I draw things chances are, more likely than not, that I'm hiding in the lounge where internet is not an option, so I was thinking more along the lines of a convenient way to just conjure cloth images in my head. I've realized that if there're guys around I'll just copy the style of their clothing. It made it easier. So that's a way to, if not solve, then at least prudently avoid the problem.
Everyone around me is going apartment hunting now. Alas, the season has begun!
[edit 19:15]
I focus too much on visual and audio input when writing descriptions. It reflects my own perception, but I shall make an effort to start mentioning all the other senses as well.
One per thousand paper cranes
How much magic can each crane take
If magic can be explained...
Lovely, lovely weather today (which, I feel, is never the less ruined by the fact that it's a Monday. There is something about the sheer Monday-ness of it that is bound to cast a shadow on all things beautiful). I have a class in exactly 44 minutes, a midterm this afternoon with 499 other students (yay gigantic lecture halls) and here I sit, trying to remember the exact wordings to Dread Mary the Mermaid's song:
No gold or silver but buttons for me
No gold or silver but buttons
Gold and jewels are fine for fools
But buttons oh buttons oh buttons
No sanity, doesn't quite factor in either. It seldom does. Yesterday morning I, being strange and unusual in a dorm of other college students, got up early and went by, on my way out, to check up on my plants which are in the lounge and noticed Trevor sleeping on the floor by the coffee table. One learns, after a while, not to question such things. While on my way out there is a girl running around in an evening gown. One learns not to question those types of things too. Or why there's a plastic skull on a stick on the lounge table. College dorms, no matter where you are, have very cryptic factors built into it's very...er...wooden planks (was going to say 'stones'). I was contemplating (yesterday) writing a story about the elves who reshuffle your flashcards and steal your socks. It will be like the tale of "The Elves and the Shoemaker" except, obviously, not.
Good luck, Lucy, with your class scheduling (I'll have to start worrying about mine again in approximately one month). And as for the online catalogues...when I draw things chances are, more likely than not, that I'm hiding in the lounge where internet is not an option, so I was thinking more along the lines of a convenient way to just conjure cloth images in my head. I've realized that if there're guys around I'll just copy the style of their clothing. It made it easier. So that's a way to, if not solve, then at least prudently avoid the problem.
Everyone around me is going apartment hunting now. Alas, the season has begun!
[edit 19:15]
I focus too much on visual and audio input when writing descriptions. It reflects my own perception, but I shall make an effort to start mentioning all the other senses as well.
20060122
Recap: Blustery
Biking around at random and subsequently discovering what might be the most beautiful neighbourhood in Davis, where giant trees lines the paths and houses looked like they stepped out of fairytales. Figures. The unexplanable things happening unexpectedly, both good and bad.
Will get back there to take pictures the weekend after next weekend, possibly. (Will be in Cupertino next weekend just in time for New Year's which happens to fall, much to my relief, on a weekend.)
Bio midterm tomorrow. Peptidoglycan is my new word. It sounds funny even though its definition is humourless (the stuff of bacteria walls).
[edit 11:24]
Noted that A, I missed stochiometry for some reason. I was dreading the practice problems where you have to balance the redox equations (meaning with negative E charges!) and found that I was calmer after 3 problems than I was the entire two days. Stochiometry is therapeutic, this is disturbing in itself.
Noted B: I am attempting to draw half-full bodied pictures right now, since continuous practice generally does mean improvement for me (except with the negative sign issue), and realize that having no grasp of fashion is becoming a very big problem. I spent five minutes staring at the half-finished picture because I can't conjure a mental image of shoes that are not sneakers or tennis shoes. All my characters will be dressed in ugly t-shirts and jeans unless someone figures out a solution for me that does not require an indepth hour-long study with a fashion magazine.
Will get back there to take pictures the weekend after next weekend, possibly. (Will be in Cupertino next weekend just in time for New Year's which happens to fall, much to my relief, on a weekend.)
Bio midterm tomorrow. Peptidoglycan is my new word. It sounds funny even though its definition is humourless (the stuff of bacteria walls).
[edit 11:24]
Noted that A, I missed stochiometry for some reason. I was dreading the practice problems where you have to balance the redox equations (meaning with negative E charges!) and found that I was calmer after 3 problems than I was the entire two days. Stochiometry is therapeutic, this is disturbing in itself.
Noted B: I am attempting to draw half-full bodied pictures right now, since continuous practice generally does mean improvement for me (except with the negative sign issue), and realize that having no grasp of fashion is becoming a very big problem. I spent five minutes staring at the half-finished picture because I can't conjure a mental image of shoes that are not sneakers or tennis shoes. All my characters will be dressed in ugly t-shirts and jeans unless someone figures out a solution for me that does not require an indepth hour-long study with a fashion magazine.
20060121
Ranting: There's nothing wrong with the compass
We're always trying to get somewhere, some goal, some destination, something just out of reach. Some people have some vague idea of what they want to get, and others don't, resulting in a permanent state of subconscious agitation, feeling like they 'want more' even when they can't put into exact words what 'more' they want...
Then there're those who say that they're not getting anywhere and, liable to despair, they would repeat, like a mantra of hopelessness, "I'm not getting anywhere...I'm not getting anywhere...I'm not getting anywhere...."
But, ask yourself this, WHERE is it that you're trying to get to? Far too often you would receive blank looks, thoughtful pauses, and a grudging, "...good question." If you don't even know where you're trying to get to, then how can you possibly get there? And if you don't know how to get there, then how can you know what you must do to get there? Thus, answering the "I don't know what to do" side of the question....
Inevitably without directions we're doomed to travel in a circle, aimlessly wondering first one way, then another, eventually realizing and puzzling over why the scenary isn't changing and why the same grounds are being covered, over and over and over again. Pick a direction, any direction, because you can't know if you're going in the wrong direction, even, unless you're GOING in a direction, and the first step must begin somewhere.
Yet, the saddest thing is most people have already taken the first step, which is realizing that they're not going where, and there they hesitate....
Then there're those who say that they're not getting anywhere and, liable to despair, they would repeat, like a mantra of hopelessness, "I'm not getting anywhere...I'm not getting anywhere...I'm not getting anywhere...."
But, ask yourself this, WHERE is it that you're trying to get to? Far too often you would receive blank looks, thoughtful pauses, and a grudging, "...good question." If you don't even know where you're trying to get to, then how can you possibly get there? And if you don't know how to get there, then how can you know what you must do to get there? Thus, answering the "I don't know what to do" side of the question....
Inevitably without directions we're doomed to travel in a circle, aimlessly wondering first one way, then another, eventually realizing and puzzling over why the scenary isn't changing and why the same grounds are being covered, over and over and over again. Pick a direction, any direction, because you can't know if you're going in the wrong direction, even, unless you're GOING in a direction, and the first step must begin somewhere.
Yet, the saddest thing is most people have already taken the first step, which is realizing that they're not going where, and there they hesitate....
Recap: Life happens
...in accidents and surprises, as we have learned time and times again in bio.
First:
-time to loose wallet, thankfully the credit card's already invalid and the checking card needs PIN to get in so my biggest worries are my two library cards (reduced to one since no one from Yolo and use the Dr. King library card) and my driver's license...which you can't exactly 'use' directly. Still worried, still looking, needless to say. We'll see what happens.
-pay check. For work. For around 130 dollars. And yes these two happenings on the same day occurred to me as ironic. Also made me feel idiotic but that's in an ironic kind of way too.
Meanwhile (before discovering the loss of wallet) did have some fun with Annie yesterday when we went to check on our crops (taken picture of the field, now being over-taken by weeks, will post eventually) of plant bio. Then she went and 'introduced' me to SIMS2 and after a while we decided I should create a sim there and so I asked her to choose one from four names: Gary, Mike, Nick, and Zach, she picked Zach, so now there's now a strange version of Zach Dawson wandering around in her SIMS2 University (and I say strange because some workshop thing wasn't working on her computer so Zach ended up with strange, strange bright red hair and green eyes because hazel wasn't an option). A house is being built for him, I'm requesting a screenshot for obvious reasons.
And thank you Annie, for getting up early for me today and offering to go and check the bookstore with me. I know you are not a morning person.
[edit 18:38]
First W2 form, for the random day of job training that they paid me for. I'm filing a tax form over 33 dollars?
First:
-time to loose wallet, thankfully the credit card's already invalid and the checking card needs PIN to get in so my biggest worries are my two library cards (reduced to one since no one from Yolo and use the Dr. King library card) and my driver's license...which you can't exactly 'use' directly. Still worried, still looking, needless to say. We'll see what happens.
-pay check. For work. For around 130 dollars. And yes these two happenings on the same day occurred to me as ironic. Also made me feel idiotic but that's in an ironic kind of way too.
Meanwhile (before discovering the loss of wallet) did have some fun with Annie yesterday when we went to check on our crops (taken picture of the field, now being over-taken by weeks, will post eventually) of plant bio. Then she went and 'introduced' me to SIMS2 and after a while we decided I should create a sim there and so I asked her to choose one from four names: Gary, Mike, Nick, and Zach, she picked Zach, so now there's now a strange version of Zach Dawson wandering around in her SIMS2 University (and I say strange because some workshop thing wasn't working on her computer so Zach ended up with strange, strange bright red hair and green eyes because hazel wasn't an option). A house is being built for him, I'm requesting a screenshot for obvious reasons.
And thank you Annie, for getting up early for me today and offering to go and check the bookstore with me. I know you are not a morning person.
[edit 18:38]
First W2 form, for the random day of job training that they paid me for. I'm filing a tax form over 33 dollars?
20060120
Recap: The 'ic' of nomenclature
(which I still can't spell, thank you very much.)
It's time to balance those equations again, unavoidably, inevitably, painstakingly. The girl who sits next to me today was quite impressed that I knew combustion reactions make carbon dioxide and water. I wonder if she'd be so impressed if she knew how many mistakes I usually make trying to balance the charges on either side of the reactions, especially when you have to add electrons because, as you all well know, electrons have a negative charge and there are some neurons in my brain that gets hiccups from trying to ingest the idea of the little dash before the numbers.
I have given up all logical attempts to explain this glitch. Practice does not get rid of it, double checking does not get rid of it, writing out the problem in a tediously slow manner does nothing for it. In short, it's, I think, a system flaw.
Oh dear, and rebooting doesn't work either.
The lounge was more occupied than usual lately, possibly because of the sudden increase in studying preceeding the midterms. I wonder what that guy was doing throwing a ball of socks around though. But the first floor piano music goes on and my roommate comes back late as per usual and Ian's hair is bluer than ever so life here is still, more or less (ambivalence as a way of life, yes), normal.
And the aphids are still at the mums.
It's time to balance those equations again, unavoidably, inevitably, painstakingly. The girl who sits next to me today was quite impressed that I knew combustion reactions make carbon dioxide and water. I wonder if she'd be so impressed if she knew how many mistakes I usually make trying to balance the charges on either side of the reactions, especially when you have to add electrons because, as you all well know, electrons have a negative charge and there are some neurons in my brain that gets hiccups from trying to ingest the idea of the little dash before the numbers.
I have given up all logical attempts to explain this glitch. Practice does not get rid of it, double checking does not get rid of it, writing out the problem in a tediously slow manner does nothing for it. In short, it's, I think, a system flaw.
Oh dear, and rebooting doesn't work either.
The lounge was more occupied than usual lately, possibly because of the sudden increase in studying preceeding the midterms. I wonder what that guy was doing throwing a ball of socks around though. But the first floor piano music goes on and my roommate comes back late as per usual and Ian's hair is bluer than ever so life here is still, more or less (ambivalence as a way of life, yes), normal.
And the aphids are still at the mums.
20060119
Recap: Virtual everything
My chem class has chem labs, that you do in class, where you touch the glass equipments and measure out things and attempt to teach people how to use burets and light bunsen burners. My bio class has bio labs, that you do not do in class, where you drag micropippets using your cursor into RGB labeled testtubes and watch the animation of the bubbling happen as the liquid slowly turns dark brown to indicate the presence of sugar. (Benedict's solution over fire to detect maltose, for those of you who are curious). It is very virtual. It is called a virtual lab. It's available on the CD that came with my textbook which also came with a password for me to register online where we have more online things such as quizzes and graphs that we're required to complete online for points (some 'quizzes' are over 40 problems long). Which reminds me to mention that, did you know, my entire chem postlab write up, complete with calculations, are to be completed and turned in online under a specific website? This is, of course, not counting the daily annoucements and emails the teacher use using the school's very nifty, but very unusual online system.
One has to wonder, with the so readily-available online interactions, at the state of health of real-life interactions.
Virtual lab sure as heck are safer though. No need to re-memorize the poison control number (which is probably different here, anyway).
Random note: this is it, David and Trevor have officially moved into 3rd floor Miller hall now. Random free guitar concerts though. (aHEM).
Also, thank you, Ms. Uji, for allowing me to get 100% on a quiz in a class where supposidely 50% of the students are failing.
And thank you, memory, for recalling the crucial difference of the oxygen on the hydroxyl group from the second carbon of the deoxyribose sugar (I am in all honesty, and yes, it's as tedious to memorize as it sounds like it might be).
Happy Thursday.
One has to wonder, with the so readily-available online interactions, at the state of health of real-life interactions.
Virtual lab sure as heck are safer though. No need to re-memorize the poison control number (which is probably different here, anyway).
Random note: this is it, David and Trevor have officially moved into 3rd floor Miller hall now. Random free guitar concerts though. (aHEM).
Also, thank you, Ms. Uji, for allowing me to get 100% on a quiz in a class where supposidely 50% of the students are failing.
And thank you, memory, for recalling the crucial difference of the oxygen on the hydroxyl group from the second carbon of the deoxyribose sugar (I am in all honesty, and yes, it's as tedious to memorize as it sounds like it might be).
Happy Thursday.
20060118
Recap: Leaning
College is a place, I'm convinced, where you can learn the most random things provided that you have the time and patience for them.
I'm making a note on the decreasing average hair-length of the girls in my dorm, though I don't expect I'll be conforming till about June, at which point, I suppose, if I'm still set on majoring in plant bio (which is very likely), I'll have to significantly decrease my hair length.
Also, I think our building is starting to develope its own microclimates. How is it possible for one room to be colder than the hallway, then another warmer, when our control of room temperature is limited to about 4 degrees F? It must be the windows. Except I think for the colder room the windows were closed.
Mysterious. Yes.
I'm making a note on the decreasing average hair-length of the girls in my dorm, though I don't expect I'll be conforming till about June, at which point, I suppose, if I'm still set on majoring in plant bio (which is very likely), I'll have to significantly decrease my hair length.
Also, I think our building is starting to develope its own microclimates. How is it possible for one room to be colder than the hallway, then another warmer, when our control of room temperature is limited to about 4 degrees F? It must be the windows. Except I think for the colder room the windows were closed.
Mysterious. Yes.
20060117
Recap: Untitled
I'm convinced that writing longhand will save my eyes a lot of trouble (staring at the screen for long periods of time = bad idea), but after attempting that continuously I've noticed that there's the on-going problem with me working out the story while writing then forgetting things by the time I got to writing them. My writing speed by hand does not match my thought process speed. And my cursive is crabbed enough as it is and there's no way I can speed THAT up. Consequently, over the past few weeks, I think I'm learning to write out entire (short! of course) stories in my head, which is slightly unnerving because I can visualize each word exactly and then go back and almost edit them...sort of memory commitment before I DO write them down on paper, then get them (eventually) into the computer.
It doesn't do alot for making me sleep at night, and it doesn't work well when I'm stressed but I can say this--if I DO manage to get this skill down perfectly I'll be saving a LOT of paper in the future.
We Davis folks are very environment-friendly. We also recycle and have rabbits the size of small cats. (Grande!)
All's quiet on the western front. The approaching silence signifies the approaching midterm, coming soon to a campus near you.
(No I don't know why I sound this way right now either.)
[edit 10:53]
Friended by Susan Zhang from Canada.... This is a very strange experience for me.
It doesn't do alot for making me sleep at night, and it doesn't work well when I'm stressed but I can say this--if I DO manage to get this skill down perfectly I'll be saving a LOT of paper in the future.
We Davis folks are very environment-friendly. We also recycle and have rabbits the size of small cats. (Grande!)
All's quiet on the western front. The approaching silence signifies the approaching midterm, coming soon to a campus near you.
(No I don't know why I sound this way right now either.)
[edit 10:53]
Friended by Susan Zhang from Canada.... This is a very strange experience for me.
20060116
Recap: More chickens
I got to work in the kitchen where they served what people generally referred to as "traditional American food" and last night was the night of rosemary chicken. Until the smell started to make me feel faintly nauseous at which point I diverted my attention into psychoanalyzing the people when they came to pick up food (what I do is put so much potato, vegetables, and chicken per plate and then set the plates out on the hot...plate (!) to keep warm and the people come and pick up a dish). After explaining it to the guy who was working with me, we amused ourselves for the better part of the shift by watching people choose their plate of chicken out of the corner of our eyes and ranking them on the level of decisiveness. Some people look over the entire selection first, pick a dish, and then go, that's decisive. The most indecisive people would touch several dishes, finally pick one, then maybe put it down again and pick another one. Most people fall somewhere in the middle unless they're the ones who don't even bother looking and just randomly grab something and go, in which case they're probably running out of time for something.
It was either that or recite the locations and functions of glycoproteins in my head, and this was much more interesting.
I also should mention that most of the people should (theoretically) be returning today and that Molly stayed here the entire weekend (and watered my plants for me on Saturday because I wasn't here). Speaking of which, I haven't a clue where she went last night and her radio alarm went off this morning and I hope I turned it off corectly (having never had to deal with that particular type of alarm clocks before).
It's a grey sort of day today.
[edit 10:19]
I'm being friended by a namesake from a sister institution.
... ... ...
It was either that or recite the locations and functions of glycoproteins in my head, and this was much more interesting.
I also should mention that most of the people should (theoretically) be returning today and that Molly stayed here the entire weekend (and watered my plants for me on Saturday because I wasn't here). Speaking of which, I haven't a clue where she went last night and her radio alarm went off this morning and I hope I turned it off corectly (having never had to deal with that particular type of alarm clocks before).
It's a grey sort of day today.
[edit 10:19]
I'm being friended by a namesake from a sister institution.
... ... ...
20060115
Recap: By chance...
I went to check my email and saw this message:
Susan Zhang has requested to add you as a friend, but before we can
do that, you must confirm that you are in fact friends with Susan.
To confirm this request, go to:
http://ucdavis.facebook.com/confirminvite.php
Thanks,
The Facebook Team.
And my first reaction is, of course, oooookay, what is this all about? A system error? And then it turns out that there's another Susan Zhang from OHIO STATE (?!) who's going around to see how many people have the same registered name and friending them. She's Chinese and about a year older than me and her major's poli sci and her listed interests are...well...mind boggling for me:
Interests: Rabies , Scaring Babies , Hellsing , Yoshitoshi Tsukioka , Guns , Martial Arts , Sharp Shiny Things , Cheese , Indian Food , Japanese Food , Good Food , Roses , Finding My Homework , Epic Literature , Satire , Misanthropy , Narcolepsy , International Crime , Eating Vegetarians , NCIS , Guns , Sleeping , KOTOR
But she also likes CATCH-22...so that's something.
A Susan by any other name...
This is a heck of a way to get back to hi-speed internet. (Oh yes, hi from Davis.)
To Lucy: I found out about the credit card because there were things on my bill that I didn't buy. (There was something from Florida. FLORIDA.)
Susan Zhang has requested to add you as a friend, but before we can
do that, you must confirm that you are in fact friends with Susan.
To confirm this request, go to:
http://ucdavis.facebook.com/confirminvite.php
Thanks,
The Facebook Team.
And my first reaction is, of course, oooookay, what is this all about? A system error? And then it turns out that there's another Susan Zhang from OHIO STATE (?!) who's going around to see how many people have the same registered name and friending them. She's Chinese and about a year older than me and her major's poli sci and her listed interests are...well...mind boggling for me:
Interests: Rabies , Scaring Babies , Hellsing , Yoshitoshi Tsukioka , Guns , Martial Arts , Sharp Shiny Things , Cheese , Indian Food , Japanese Food , Good Food , Roses , Finding My Homework , Epic Literature , Satire , Misanthropy , Narcolepsy , International Crime , Eating Vegetarians , NCIS , Guns , Sleeping , KOTOR
But she also likes CATCH-22...so that's something.
A Susan by any other name...
This is a heck of a way to get back to hi-speed internet. (Oh yes, hi from Davis.)
To Lucy: I found out about the credit card because there were things on my bill that I didn't buy. (There was something from Florida. FLORIDA.)
20060114
Recap: All in PINs
My house is slightly warmer now, either because Spring is coming or the heavy cloud-layer which no doubt is insulating the atmosphere quite well. Either way the fungi are still running wild around here.
I have reasons to believe that my mother cleans my room every week, even when I'm not living in it, which I find very touching, especially since it means no dusting for me when I come back. And no mushrooms growing anywhere either, that might've been a bit disturbing.
Not much else from home, since home means peace and quiet and householdy tales such as when father got attacked by the crab when he tried to cook it or my grandmother's over-the-phone report of how she did the laundry and left it out (freeze-dry in Beijing, where it gets very cold) and then when she tried to separate the frozen-together articles of clothing the cloth tore or mother's mid-night adventure with the clock's too-loud ticking. Ah the memories.
According to my agenda today's New Years of the Russian Orthodox, so happy new year's to all my friends who celebrate it out there. Also according to my agenda today's Pungol of the Hindu tradition, which means much less to me because I don't know anyone who follows that tradition.
First:
-issue with credit card. Someone got my account number so the card has to be closed down and a new one issued. How exciting. (Pardon my sarcasm.)
I have reasons to believe that my mother cleans my room every week, even when I'm not living in it, which I find very touching, especially since it means no dusting for me when I come back. And no mushrooms growing anywhere either, that might've been a bit disturbing.
Not much else from home, since home means peace and quiet and householdy tales such as when father got attacked by the crab when he tried to cook it or my grandmother's over-the-phone report of how she did the laundry and left it out (freeze-dry in Beijing, where it gets very cold) and then when she tried to separate the frozen-together articles of clothing the cloth tore or mother's mid-night adventure with the clock's too-loud ticking. Ah the memories.
According to my agenda today's New Years of the Russian Orthodox, so happy new year's to all my friends who celebrate it out there. Also according to my agenda today's Pungol of the Hindu tradition, which means much less to me because I don't know anyone who follows that tradition.
First:
-issue with credit card. Someone got my account number so the card has to be closed down and a new one issued. How exciting. (Pardon my sarcasm.)
20060113
Recap: Mike & Ike
Note to self: when management feels bad about something, they get you candy.
Also, I'd like to make another note that rice should not be cooked in ovens. Or at least, in whatever manner that they were being cooked generally in the ovens here. They were ROCK SOLID and first a guy, then me, had to use a METAL spatula (originally we had plastic, but the other guy decided that metal'll make the job easier) to chop at it. And stab it. And jab it. Repeatedly. The rice was dying twice. It wasn't so much trying to serve rice as waging a full-scaled war against it and trying to kill it. While attacking a particularly vicious lump Daniel (the cook there) mimicked the noise of a dying creature.
I wish. I never got that clump of rice to unclump so it had to go out there like that.
There it is now, probably still in a clump and causing indigestion somewhere.
Life here in the dorm has settled back into its usual (for I hesitate to use the term 'normal', especially as what might be considered 'normal' in one building might be considered 'insane' in another. Each building has their own theme, it seems) pattern. Meaning that our lounge is usually empty save one or two people or the occasional nighttime moments where people suddenly aggregate there (from nowhere, and VERY suddenly, it feels like). Meaning passing people in the hallway who you may or may not know and smiling at them anyway and have them smile back. Meaning academic jokes in the hallways and bleary-eyed floormates in the morning (or noon, in some cases). Meaning random thumping and screeches and laughter.
Yep, a quarter does not officially start until the second week.
[edit 16:26]
Greetings from fair Cupertino, and blessings on my father's continuous willingness to drive long distances.
Also, I'd like to make another note that rice should not be cooked in ovens. Or at least, in whatever manner that they were being cooked generally in the ovens here. They were ROCK SOLID and first a guy, then me, had to use a METAL spatula (originally we had plastic, but the other guy decided that metal'll make the job easier) to chop at it. And stab it. And jab it. Repeatedly. The rice was dying twice. It wasn't so much trying to serve rice as waging a full-scaled war against it and trying to kill it. While attacking a particularly vicious lump Daniel (the cook there) mimicked the noise of a dying creature.
I wish. I never got that clump of rice to unclump so it had to go out there like that.
There it is now, probably still in a clump and causing indigestion somewhere.
Life here in the dorm has settled back into its usual (for I hesitate to use the term 'normal', especially as what might be considered 'normal' in one building might be considered 'insane' in another. Each building has their own theme, it seems) pattern. Meaning that our lounge is usually empty save one or two people or the occasional nighttime moments where people suddenly aggregate there (from nowhere, and VERY suddenly, it feels like). Meaning passing people in the hallway who you may or may not know and smiling at them anyway and have them smile back. Meaning academic jokes in the hallways and bleary-eyed floormates in the morning (or noon, in some cases). Meaning random thumping and screeches and laughter.
Yep, a quarter does not officially start until the second week.
[edit 16:26]
Greetings from fair Cupertino, and blessings on my father's continuous willingness to drive long distances.
20060112
Recap: But for the chameleon's dish
Have had my first bio quiz today (we get one weekly, doens't this just bring back the memories...) and had no clue what was about to be tested on and spend too much time memorizing the diameter of starch granules under the microscope (75 nanometers, thank you very much) but as always it didn't turn out as expected.
My life, if written out as an equation, has a permanent serendipity factor just to the left of the equal signs.
Covered 6 chapters of bio in 5 lectures though. That is something.
Also, I'm 90% sure I'm developing a case of insomnia, which means that I should either learn to sleep soundly (but I shouldn't, considering the amount of random knocking that comes before, around, or after 2am) or learn how to control my thought process enough so when I need to stop thinking, I can. This is probably what I'll aim for. No doubt will take a lot of work and give myself a headache trying, but I'll get a headache anyway, attempt or no, so it all figures.
They re-varnished part of our lounge again, the other day. It's all shiny now.
First:
-issue with management at work (on what turned out to be my third day, yes)- they changed my shift schedule without telling me, so halfway through studying for bio the manager called me and asked, "Hey, aren't you coming to work today?"
-time late late for work (see above)
My life, if written out as an equation, has a permanent serendipity factor just to the left of the equal signs.
Covered 6 chapters of bio in 5 lectures though. That is something.
Also, I'm 90% sure I'm developing a case of insomnia, which means that I should either learn to sleep soundly (but I shouldn't, considering the amount of random knocking that comes before, around, or after 2am) or learn how to control my thought process enough so when I need to stop thinking, I can. This is probably what I'll aim for. No doubt will take a lot of work and give myself a headache trying, but I'll get a headache anyway, attempt or no, so it all figures.
They re-varnished part of our lounge again, the other day. It's all shiny now.
First:
-issue with management at work (on what turned out to be my third day, yes)- they changed my shift schedule without telling me, so halfway through studying for bio the manager called me and asked, "Hey, aren't you coming to work today?"
-time late late for work (see above)
20060111
Recap: It actually looks like January...
With luck, by the end of this week, I will know exactly what's expected from me for each class. Also, with luck, all my books would have arrived by Friday. A little bit of a strain on luck, perhaps, but there's been worse.
And then I can also stop getting up way too early for every thing and show up only 10 minutes ahead of time instead of, say, 20 minutes ahead of time because I'll know exactly where the places are and what the road conditions and how long it'll take me to get to a class at 8 in the morning as opposed to, say, 3pm in the afternoon.
And THEN the quarter will have officially started, and the proper inaugurations, in the form of the first round of midterms, will occur.
Storytelling is very awesome, just a general note to self. Some of the people are VERY good at public performances while I'll be trying to get over my fear of public speaking, still. For my first fairytale I'll be doing the Golden Bird (yes, the thing from writers' circle, a year ago, because I already sort of know the story and therefore would have less to memorize) and so I'll be ...practicing telling the stories to people for the next few days, I imagine.
This should be interesting.
First:
-plant of mine to survive (because I'm sure it is going to keep on living now) about 6 hours in the car, two transplants, and two changes of environment (African Marigold, Tagetes erecta). I'm noting it because it symbolizes my promotion to the next level of gardening skills. Right.
-guy to salute me. Who is from my bio class, has blue hair (copper-sulfate-hue), and lives on my floor and somehow the three are not mutually exclusive.
And then I can also stop getting up way too early for every thing and show up only 10 minutes ahead of time instead of, say, 20 minutes ahead of time because I'll know exactly where the places are and what the road conditions and how long it'll take me to get to a class at 8 in the morning as opposed to, say, 3pm in the afternoon.
And THEN the quarter will have officially started, and the proper inaugurations, in the form of the first round of midterms, will occur.
Storytelling is very awesome, just a general note to self. Some of the people are VERY good at public performances while I'll be trying to get over my fear of public speaking, still. For my first fairytale I'll be doing the Golden Bird (yes, the thing from writers' circle, a year ago, because I already sort of know the story and therefore would have less to memorize) and so I'll be ...practicing telling the stories to people for the next few days, I imagine.
This should be interesting.
First:
-plant of mine to survive (because I'm sure it is going to keep on living now) about 6 hours in the car, two transplants, and two changes of environment (African Marigold, Tagetes erecta). I'm noting it because it symbolizes my promotion to the next level of gardening skills. Right.
-guy to salute me. Who is from my bio class, has blue hair (copper-sulfate-hue), and lives on my floor and somehow the three are not mutually exclusive.
20060110
Non Sequitor: Firsts
On the same impulse as the first tree-hug, I'm going to list some firsts as they happen this year. It should be interesting record-keeping, especially at the end of the year. It's January. It's a good time to start.
For the first long distance bus trip without parents, the first time on a roof, first struggle with college schedule, first job, first truffle, first harvest of radishes when the season for it was past....
So far this year...
First:
-article of clothing bought with my own salary. Black shoes with non-slip soles as required of working. Actually sort of comfortable if not for the new-shoes hardness, which is why I'm going to wear it all the way till my next shift on Friday, in hope to wear it out.
-slice of banana cream pie (very interesting. At least that's what I hope it was).
-time inside large walk-in fridges (freezing. Literally. I grabbed the stuff and bolted out.)
-day of work. (Yeah my list isn't in order.) Bewildering. But I was polite and people were disturbingly helpful so it went rather well.
-try of Carribbean food (crepe of some sort with pineapple chutney. Which reminds me that all in this school year, thanks to the DC, I've tried my first Italian and French crusine, which were rather strange.)
-lessons in Latin (thank you, Annie)
-lesson outside of classroom, (as in actual lecture, not lab or fieldtrip, that is listed in my course schedule as a class and that is giving me 4 credits towards my GE requirement) from beginning to end, while sitting on the ground (considering my major, however, this will be occuring rather more often later, I think)
For the first long distance bus trip without parents, the first time on a roof, first struggle with college schedule, first job, first truffle, first harvest of radishes when the season for it was past....
So far this year...
First:
-article of clothing bought with my own salary. Black shoes with non-slip soles as required of working. Actually sort of comfortable if not for the new-shoes hardness, which is why I'm going to wear it all the way till my next shift on Friday, in hope to wear it out.
-slice of banana cream pie (very interesting. At least that's what I hope it was).
-time inside large walk-in fridges (freezing. Literally. I grabbed the stuff and bolted out.)
-day of work. (Yeah my list isn't in order.) Bewildering. But I was polite and people were disturbingly helpful so it went rather well.
-try of Carribbean food (crepe of some sort with pineapple chutney. Which reminds me that all in this school year, thanks to the DC, I've tried my first Italian and French crusine, which were rather strange.)
-lessons in Latin (thank you, Annie)
-lesson outside of classroom, (as in actual lecture, not lab or fieldtrip, that is listed in my course schedule as a class and that is giving me 4 credits towards my GE requirement) from beginning to end, while sitting on the ground (considering my major, however, this will be occuring rather more often later, I think)
Recap: Purple syrups and orange detergents
Ended up working from 7 to 12 today in the Grill (one of the open-walled kitchens in the DC). It was very dark when I got up and Molly (if she woke up then) probably thought I was insane. After taking a glance outside of the campus at 6:30 in the morning (or 6:23, as my self-timed waking up went), I figured that I was probably insane too.
But hey, if you're a morning person, you might as well take advantage of it. I can probably work any shift I have time for in the morning, since no other self-respecting student would want to get up this early.
Oh yes, the kitchen I was in made pancakes, hashbrown, and two kinds of eggs. I never realized eggs could smell so...eggy when being cooked. And after smelling it continuously for three hours...I think I'll avoid eggs for a while now. The cook randomly asked me while working if I liked the music they were playing, which I had not paid attention to, at all, and it turned out that I had been inhaling eggs and listening to SWING MUSIC all morning long. The cook was happy. It was Benny Goodman or something, his favorite artist. He ranted and I felt utterly lost but at least I've heard of the name before. Then it's toasting bread and preparing lettuces and cheese for hamburgers. I was working right next to the grill which had open fires going on in it to grill the meat and well, I can honestly say that working there means that you'll never be cold, even if you're wearing a short-sleeved uniform in January.
Aghk, bio lecture follows, with a bio seminar. The teacher has a tendency to talk too fast... but I think I've reached a new level in note-taking now:
H-bond:, e.g., part. - of O => part. + of H, weakest of 3, V. impt b/c specl prop. of H20
Translation:
Hydrogen-bound: examplified by how the partially negative charge of oxygen is attracted to the partially positive charge of hydrogen, it's the weakest of 3 chemical bounds, and VERY important because it gives rise to the special properties of water.
But hey, if you're a morning person, you might as well take advantage of it. I can probably work any shift I have time for in the morning, since no other self-respecting student would want to get up this early.
Oh yes, the kitchen I was in made pancakes, hashbrown, and two kinds of eggs. I never realized eggs could smell so...eggy when being cooked. And after smelling it continuously for three hours...I think I'll avoid eggs for a while now. The cook randomly asked me while working if I liked the music they were playing, which I had not paid attention to, at all, and it turned out that I had been inhaling eggs and listening to SWING MUSIC all morning long. The cook was happy. It was Benny Goodman or something, his favorite artist. He ranted and I felt utterly lost but at least I've heard of the name before. Then it's toasting bread and preparing lettuces and cheese for hamburgers. I was working right next to the grill which had open fires going on in it to grill the meat and well, I can honestly say that working there means that you'll never be cold, even if you're wearing a short-sleeved uniform in January.
Aghk, bio lecture follows, with a bio seminar. The teacher has a tendency to talk too fast... but I think I've reached a new level in note-taking now:
H-bond:, e.g., part. - of O => part. + of H, weakest of 3, V. impt b/c specl prop. of H20
Translation:
Hydrogen-bound: examplified by how the partially negative charge of oxygen is attracted to the partially positive charge of hydrogen, it's the weakest of 3 chemical bounds, and VERY important because it gives rise to the special properties of water.
20060109
Recap: Counting time with post-its
The continuum of my academic career (I, at the moment, hesitate at using the word 'progression') can be observed by the colour of post-its. Having started with the pink layer, now I've gradually gone through the green layer and am approaching the blue layer. Eventually I'll end up with green, and then pink again, so it can be nice and symbolic.
A lot of people were over visiting their friends here last weekend. I wonder if it's something commonly observed. Or maybe it's just subconscious practicality--now that they know that the first two weeks of each quarter are the easiest, at no tests, and now that the weather over here seems oddly consistent with blue skies and occasional cloudy moments that were immediately ruined by the high winds, which brings back the blue skies. As someone who stares at the sky when arriving at the class too early, I'm not complaining. It's very pretty.
Slightly panicky at the moment because my cc lab notebook have not yet arrived (they were suppose to come Saturday) and I need them this afternoon. Seldon crises, oh ho. No, not nearly, but we'll see what happens.
A lot of people were over visiting their friends here last weekend. I wonder if it's something commonly observed. Or maybe it's just subconscious practicality--now that they know that the first two weeks of each quarter are the easiest, at no tests, and now that the weather over here seems oddly consistent with blue skies and occasional cloudy moments that were immediately ruined by the high winds, which brings back the blue skies. As someone who stares at the sky when arriving at the class too early, I'm not complaining. It's very pretty.
Slightly panicky at the moment because my cc lab notebook have not yet arrived (they were suppose to come Saturday) and I need them this afternoon. Seldon crises, oh ho. No, not nearly, but we'll see what happens.
20060108
Recap: Wagon-pulling stars
Still have not figured out what's expected of me in my science classes yet, but I HAVE read the book and I HAVE done the practice problems so whatever else that comes will come and there's no point in worrying about it until it gets here.
And I won't even have to wait that long. I've both classes tomorrow.
Noticed that the biology book I'm using is the 7th edition of the 3rd edition that I used in my 11th grade year. The 7th edition involves a co-author. Classic symbiotic relationship. Evolution much? Ha.
As mentioned in the first paragraph, I'm not quite sure what else I should be doing today (have spent morning investigating train stations and book stores), I think I might room clean (my side...anyway, I'm not sure which of Molly's stuff are moveable and which aren't) later, and if there's time left, write/sketch. And if there's STILL time left I'll...I don't know...teach myself coin tricks or something. My backpack is accumulating change again. Maybe I'll meet a leprechaun.(sp?)
Oh yes. In the past week Molly's bike has taken a bite out of her jeans and consequently got stolen. The bike, not the jeans. And no, it's not 'consequently' either (obviously). I just hypothesized that she was so upset about the jeans that she might've subconsciously cursed the bike so it got stolen. But she'll have to get another bike, because the majority of people who goes places in Davis own bikes. The bike lanes are wider than car lanes in parts, anyway.
And I won't even have to wait that long. I've both classes tomorrow.
Noticed that the biology book I'm using is the 7th edition of the 3rd edition that I used in my 11th grade year. The 7th edition involves a co-author. Classic symbiotic relationship. Evolution much? Ha.
As mentioned in the first paragraph, I'm not quite sure what else I should be doing today (have spent morning investigating train stations and book stores), I think I might room clean (my side...anyway, I'm not sure which of Molly's stuff are moveable and which aren't) later, and if there's time left, write/sketch. And if there's STILL time left I'll...I don't know...teach myself coin tricks or something. My backpack is accumulating change again. Maybe I'll meet a leprechaun.(sp?)
Oh yes. In the past week Molly's bike has taken a bite out of her jeans and consequently got stolen. The bike, not the jeans. And no, it's not 'consequently' either (obviously). I just hypothesized that she was so upset about the jeans that she might've subconsciously cursed the bike so it got stolen. But she'll have to get another bike, because the majority of people who goes places in Davis own bikes. The bike lanes are wider than car lanes in parts, anyway.
20060107
Recap: Yesterday of yore
My day yesterday started at what I think must be around 6:30ish, since Molly was making attempts to get up early. Unfortunately, after her alarm went off, she was still in bed and I was wide-awake, lying there until my own alarm went off at 7 so--get up, get ready, and off to class, which is at 8.
I missed almost 15 minutes of my first class.
By going to the wrong room.
Here's how: on my schedule, it says Chem under 8-9 and Chem under 9-10 so I brightly assumed it must be one class and went to the room that has only "Friday" written under it. There's actually another room that has Monday through Friday written underneath it, and it turns out I go to that room first, finish the lecture, then go to the other room (all different buildings too, yes) which is my discussion.
Guess what I learned in chem yesterday? Atomic numbers. They number atoms based on the number of protons. How utterly uncomprehensible. You know what else? Atoms are not solid balls (the teacher actually said this sentence, word for word). Perfectly earth-shattering discovery, I tell you.
There were a few people from my floor who're also in this class and while going back to our rooms we were just making fun of all those stuff. Did you know we're still going by the definition that includes atoms as indestructible particles?
OMG atoms have orbitals? WTH? (Pardon the sarcasm, I can't help it. Ms. Uji, I'm forever in your debt.)
I was tired enough to try to take a nap when I got back, but taking naps during day time just didn't work out for me. Work started at 12pm and my currently assigned role is basically like that of a waiter/waitress except I don't wait on people, but being continuously on your feet and moving is a great exercise if done for a prolonged period of time. Aside from that, I learned three main things from my first day of work: 1. That people have a strange tendency for placing the salt-shakers upside-down in the wire holders, so the first time I move the wire holder I wondered why salt was getting all over the place... And it happened at FAR too many tables. Isn't noon too early to be drinking? 2. Dried ketchup cling to tabletops in astonishing ways. They should consider making a superglue from it. 3. The great magic of uniforms. When you're wearing a uniform you cease being an individual and become one of the faceless, foreign mass that no one recognizes. The job wasn't particularly mentally demanding and so I was forming all sorts of hypotheces (sp?) about that, which I might try at my next shift.
Also, they had me order special (non-slip soles) shoes for work, which came. Which I dropped off afterwork and then went downtown with Annie, where I figured it's a get-clothing sort of day and finally (FINALLY) got a Davis sweater. That was still over-priced, obviously, but not as much as the bookstore, where I think they're selling sweaters at around 50 dollars. A thick fog came up at around four and we decided that riding bikes after dark in a fog was probably a bad idea, went back, dropped off our bikes, and wandered around in the university mall across the street from campus (remember the World Market, Anna? We visited there too, they sell fake bamboo sticks at 10$ each and I don't know why either, so don't ask). Molly's friends came over and camped out on the floor which was...interesting. Four person per room. Wow.
My agenda tells me it's Christmas, The Blessing of the Water in Armenia yesterday. Um. Happy holidays, Lucy?
The calendar these two days have been cultural events and tips about carrying your passport.
I missed almost 15 minutes of my first class.
By going to the wrong room.
Here's how: on my schedule, it says Chem under 8-9 and Chem under 9-10 so I brightly assumed it must be one class and went to the room that has only "Friday" written under it. There's actually another room that has Monday through Friday written underneath it, and it turns out I go to that room first, finish the lecture, then go to the other room (all different buildings too, yes) which is my discussion.
Guess what I learned in chem yesterday? Atomic numbers. They number atoms based on the number of protons. How utterly uncomprehensible. You know what else? Atoms are not solid balls (the teacher actually said this sentence, word for word). Perfectly earth-shattering discovery, I tell you.
There were a few people from my floor who're also in this class and while going back to our rooms we were just making fun of all those stuff. Did you know we're still going by the definition that includes atoms as indestructible particles?
OMG atoms have orbitals? WTH? (Pardon the sarcasm, I can't help it. Ms. Uji, I'm forever in your debt.)
I was tired enough to try to take a nap when I got back, but taking naps during day time just didn't work out for me. Work started at 12pm and my currently assigned role is basically like that of a waiter/waitress except I don't wait on people, but being continuously on your feet and moving is a great exercise if done for a prolonged period of time. Aside from that, I learned three main things from my first day of work: 1. That people have a strange tendency for placing the salt-shakers upside-down in the wire holders, so the first time I move the wire holder I wondered why salt was getting all over the place... And it happened at FAR too many tables. Isn't noon too early to be drinking? 2. Dried ketchup cling to tabletops in astonishing ways. They should consider making a superglue from it. 3. The great magic of uniforms. When you're wearing a uniform you cease being an individual and become one of the faceless, foreign mass that no one recognizes. The job wasn't particularly mentally demanding and so I was forming all sorts of hypotheces (sp?) about that, which I might try at my next shift.
Also, they had me order special (non-slip soles) shoes for work, which came. Which I dropped off afterwork and then went downtown with Annie, where I figured it's a get-clothing sort of day and finally (FINALLY) got a Davis sweater. That was still over-priced, obviously, but not as much as the bookstore, where I think they're selling sweaters at around 50 dollars. A thick fog came up at around four and we decided that riding bikes after dark in a fog was probably a bad idea, went back, dropped off our bikes, and wandered around in the university mall across the street from campus (remember the World Market, Anna? We visited there too, they sell fake bamboo sticks at 10$ each and I don't know why either, so don't ask). Molly's friends came over and camped out on the floor which was...interesting. Four person per room. Wow.
My agenda tells me it's Christmas, The Blessing of the Water in Armenia yesterday. Um. Happy holidays, Lucy?
The calendar these two days have been cultural events and tips about carrying your passport.
20060106
20060105
Recap: Conversions
I'd almost forgotten how much conversion and math we had to do in chem, what with the sig figs and all that. Apparently for this class I should start memorizing the English-metric-scientific converions...5/9 x(F-32) for C and reverse going from Celsius , 273.15 from C to K, 2.54 cm per in and .4536kg per lb. Happy stuff. According to my previous quarter of psychology, I will remember much better if I were emotionally excited about the information processed, but it's very hard to be excited with something like this.
Oh look: it's a hectare! Gasp. No really.
All science classes so far are very strange, still don't know what the teacher's expecting (any of them). Dorm was very eventful last night because people were watching the Rose Bowl (I think) and you can hear random cheering all over the place. Of course there're random thumping noises. There're always random thumping noises in a student dorm. Sometimes punctuated by yowls and screams.
Oh look: it's a hectare! Gasp. No really.
All science classes so far are very strange, still don't know what the teacher's expecting (any of them). Dorm was very eventful last night because people were watching the Rose Bowl (I think) and you can hear random cheering all over the place. Of course there're random thumping noises. There're always random thumping noises in a student dorm. Sometimes punctuated by yowls and screams.
20060104
Non Sequitors: Just because
I really have weird quotes saved in my old notebook:
From the college-essay sleepover:
"This is what we talk about during slumber parties--"
"--'truth or dare'--"
"--what's your greatest school crush--"
"--my APUSH book."
From 1st period Lit H.:
"Embrace the materialism...it's fun!"
...
"Any questions?"
"...we're depressed...?"
"That's not a question, that's a fact."
...
"You know what? The girl's BLIND!"
...
"Oh look the guys is dead."
...
"That's the bell--now you get away (from me)."
From random moments during the year:
"I'm insane, don't mind me."
...
"I think thinking about death is very unproductive."
...
"How can she (Aurora) know anything about love and romance if she's being living in a forest with three old ladies her whole life?"
"It's the hormones."
...
"Oooo disorders!"
...
"I'm feeling happy! Sorry I stepped on you. I'm feeling happy!"
...
"You guys look like bums it looks so cool!"
From APUSH book:
"It is a choice betwen evils, and I'm going to shut my eyes, hold my nose, vote, go home, and disinfect myself."
...
"...you go home and wring personality out of your clothes." (I think this's refering to meeting Teddy Roosevelt.
With regards to HAMLET:
"I know what happened--they all die!"
For the records.
And it really is very amusing.
From the college-essay sleepover:
"This is what we talk about during slumber parties--"
"--'truth or dare'--"
"--what's your greatest school crush--"
"--my APUSH book."
From 1st period Lit H.:
"Embrace the materialism...it's fun!"
...
"Any questions?"
"...we're depressed...?"
"That's not a question, that's a fact."
...
"You know what? The girl's BLIND!"
...
"Oh look the guys is dead."
...
"That's the bell--now you get away (from me)."
From random moments during the year:
"I'm insane, don't mind me."
...
"I think thinking about death is very unproductive."
...
"How can she (Aurora) know anything about love and romance if she's being living in a forest with three old ladies her whole life?"
"It's the hormones."
...
"Oooo disorders!"
...
"I'm feeling happy! Sorry I stepped on you. I'm feeling happy!"
...
"You guys look like bums it looks so cool!"
From APUSH book:
"It is a choice betwen evils, and I'm going to shut my eyes, hold my nose, vote, go home, and disinfect myself."
...
"...you go home and wring personality out of your clothes." (I think this's refering to meeting Teddy Roosevelt.
With regards to HAMLET:
"I know what happened--they all die!"
For the records.
And it really is very amusing.
Recap: What's matter
First chemistry class after 4 years feel VERY strange. The class began with two TA setting two hydrogen-filled balloons afire. Yes explosion. Yes two large balls of flame. Grand entrance by the teacher who apparently likes very, very bad jokes. (I zoned out by the time he was telling something about why an elephant can't be on TV.)
I went inside our sci lab building for the first time today and it's NICE. As in, the floors are shiny and it looks rather modern for a science building. There's also a sort of lounge place on the first floor with a cafe (in SCIENCE LAB BUILDING!! Makes you wonder about the food...) and of course it's lovely and warm in there which makes it all the nicer, as far as I'm concerned.
Someone took the "Academics" posting board on our floor and wrote mock-assignments on it that looks like it's from calc mostly because it's followed by some of the really long integration formulas (for those of you who know what I'm talking about, these were the formulas that Mr. Ferrante told us we DIDN'T have to memorize that we worked by referencing them constantly from the back of the book, yes, THOSE ones, with u and A and B and C). I wonder what that's about. Also, two guys made name tags for themselves, mimicking the style of the nametags we have on each of our doors, and stuck them on the lounge. Because they don't live here, but they visit here very frequently. They can draw kites. I'm impressed. (I think the whole kite-theme is from having to read THE KITE RUNNER...the other halls didn't have these type of nametags.)
And I have another class at 10, so I'll get ready for that, shall I?
I went inside our sci lab building for the first time today and it's NICE. As in, the floors are shiny and it looks rather modern for a science building. There's also a sort of lounge place on the first floor with a cafe (in SCIENCE LAB BUILDING!! Makes you wonder about the food...) and of course it's lovely and warm in there which makes it all the nicer, as far as I'm concerned.
Someone took the "Academics" posting board on our floor and wrote mock-assignments on it that looks like it's from calc mostly because it's followed by some of the really long integration formulas (for those of you who know what I'm talking about, these were the formulas that Mr. Ferrante told us we DIDN'T have to memorize that we worked by referencing them constantly from the back of the book, yes, THOSE ones, with u and A and B and C). I wonder what that's about. Also, two guys made name tags for themselves, mimicking the style of the nametags we have on each of our doors, and stuck them on the lounge. Because they don't live here, but they visit here very frequently. They can draw kites. I'm impressed. (I think the whole kite-theme is from having to read THE KITE RUNNER...the other halls didn't have these type of nametags.)
And I have another class at 10, so I'll get ready for that, shall I?
20060103
Non Sequitor: New Year pictures
What happened on New Year's, in all honesty. The really dark one was taken without flash to indicate why candles and flashlight are necessary.
Recap: Working
Have gone and gotten my work schedule today and will be working 7-11am on Tuesday (note to self--when attempting to cluster classes they don't necessarily precipitate where you want them to) and from 12-3pm on Friday. Also received blueberry muffin and one lady's promise to look into the American Sign Language class of the community college extension place on campus, so that should be interesting.
Have also switched from watering plants every 5 days (and still see them getting moldy) to once every day after observing that the soil is very dry and the plants are starting to wilt. Odd, this temperature thing. Odd, needing to take off jackets and things when coming indoors.
[edit 12:12]
The possibility of getting vacinated x3 times is horrifying. Erk.
I've been looking through some old quotes I've gathered from the other years while going through my books. There's a quote where Victoria was instructing me to breed beef-eating pitcher plants so she can use it to catch cattle and there's one from Anna (from 11th grade) where she moaned that we didn't have any classes together that year and it's breaking the class-together-after-lunch tradition and, I quote, "You had beter be in a class with me next year after lunch or ELSE."
Look Anna, we had a class after lunch together 12th grade. Hem.
Have also switched from watering plants every 5 days (and still see them getting moldy) to once every day after observing that the soil is very dry and the plants are starting to wilt. Odd, this temperature thing. Odd, needing to take off jackets and things when coming indoors.
[edit 12:12]
The possibility of getting vacinated x3 times is horrifying. Erk.
I've been looking through some old quotes I've gathered from the other years while going through my books. There's a quote where Victoria was instructing me to breed beef-eating pitcher plants so she can use it to catch cattle and there's one from Anna (from 11th grade) where she moaned that we didn't have any classes together that year and it's breaking the class-together-after-lunch tradition and, I quote, "You had beter be in a class with me next year after lunch or ELSE."
Look Anna, we had a class after lunch together 12th grade. Hem.
20060102
Recap: A million plastic bags
Mother was continuously bothered by the fact that she can no longer keep track of what I have at where ever since she let me do my own packing. This time then, unpacking a suitcase that she has packed reminded me of one of her most puzzling...tendencies. She likes to wrap EVERYTHING individually in its plastic bag.
I can understand sanitary needs, but up to a point. I can sympathize, but now I just have a lot of plastic bags sitting on my desk.
Molly has raised her bed so now it's more of a loft bed which is taller than I am, and her desk got moved to underneath it so the room looks much bigger.
Did you know we have a city hereabouts named Vacaville? Vaca, as in cows. Bless the founding fathers for their bovine loving hearts.
[edit 14:36]
Courtesy of the calendar, from Lucy...I'm going to start adding in places to the travel-around-the-world blog.
I can understand sanitary needs, but up to a point. I can sympathize, but now I just have a lot of plastic bags sitting on my desk.
Molly has raised her bed so now it's more of a loft bed which is taller than I am, and her desk got moved to underneath it so the room looks much bigger.
Did you know we have a city hereabouts named Vacaville? Vaca, as in cows. Bless the founding fathers for their bovine loving hearts.
[edit 14:36]
Courtesy of the calendar, from Lucy...I'm going to start adding in places to the travel-around-the-world blog.
20060101
Recap: First adventure of the year
"I tried to make the dough on New Year's morning, and the dough attacked my mother," I told my parents with the calmness of a news reporter. "Happy New Year."
"Stop being so morbid," my mother tells me, and in the light of the candle, it did indeed look like the dough is attacking her. It clung to her hand and bottom of the pot in hopeless, stubborn clumps. After another half an hour of wrestling she managed to subdue it (the dough yielding with a final, resigned plop back into the pot) and so we're going to have dumpling for dinner, despite of everything. Everything including the candle.
There is a candle there because we had a power-failure this morning, and the kitchen area got very, very dark. I needed light in the kitchen because I got up early this morning to make dumplings, not the kind that you'd normally think of, but the completely rounded kind made with rice flour and semi-liquid, sweet filling. My parents generally consider the crumbly dough and the running filling far too much trouble when you can just buy ready-made ones in the store. I spent an hour making it this morning in lieu of the holiday spirit, and halfway through the electricity disappeared.
An electric stove will not work without electricity, and you can't boil water without a stove and you can't cook dumplings without boiling water, so while my mother went outside to see just how much of our area's powerless (ha--a symbolic killer on New Year morning, is it not?) I wandered around nibbling a bar of chocolate until my father found this portable electric stove from who-knows-where that had emergency natural-gas burning properties and natural-gas canisters to go along with it. It was still dark, we cooked the dumpling on the small stove, occasionalling shining a flash light into the pot to see if it's done. I sang "Happy New Year" and my mother joined in changed the part from "there are singing and dancing..etc." to "there's wind and power-failure"...
After the food's eaten mother decided that dumplings are a good idea and we should have them (the normal kind you'd think of when thinking of Chinese food) for dinner, and set out to make dough. I suggested that I try to make some too because I've done every part of normal dumpling making except the dough making and mother let me and the dough turned out too soft so we had to add more flour to it (or at least, mother decided to dump a whole bunch in and then wrestle with it).
The power came back on approximately 15 minutes ago. This is funny, and ridiculously so. I've never made food under the light of a candle before, so this is another first.
Happy new years. Because yes, I'm happy, in spite of it all. Best of luck to everyone in the new year, a chunk of time which is still new, shiny (I know how my friends like shiny things) and full of possibilities. Cheers.
"Stop being so morbid," my mother tells me, and in the light of the candle, it did indeed look like the dough is attacking her. It clung to her hand and bottom of the pot in hopeless, stubborn clumps. After another half an hour of wrestling she managed to subdue it (the dough yielding with a final, resigned plop back into the pot) and so we're going to have dumpling for dinner, despite of everything. Everything including the candle.
There is a candle there because we had a power-failure this morning, and the kitchen area got very, very dark. I needed light in the kitchen because I got up early this morning to make dumplings, not the kind that you'd normally think of, but the completely rounded kind made with rice flour and semi-liquid, sweet filling. My parents generally consider the crumbly dough and the running filling far too much trouble when you can just buy ready-made ones in the store. I spent an hour making it this morning in lieu of the holiday spirit, and halfway through the electricity disappeared.
An electric stove will not work without electricity, and you can't boil water without a stove and you can't cook dumplings without boiling water, so while my mother went outside to see just how much of our area's powerless (ha--a symbolic killer on New Year morning, is it not?) I wandered around nibbling a bar of chocolate until my father found this portable electric stove from who-knows-where that had emergency natural-gas burning properties and natural-gas canisters to go along with it. It was still dark, we cooked the dumpling on the small stove, occasionalling shining a flash light into the pot to see if it's done. I sang "Happy New Year" and my mother joined in changed the part from "there are singing and dancing..etc." to "there's wind and power-failure"...
After the food's eaten mother decided that dumplings are a good idea and we should have them (the normal kind you'd think of when thinking of Chinese food) for dinner, and set out to make dough. I suggested that I try to make some too because I've done every part of normal dumpling making except the dough making and mother let me and the dough turned out too soft so we had to add more flour to it (or at least, mother decided to dump a whole bunch in and then wrestle with it).
The power came back on approximately 15 minutes ago. This is funny, and ridiculously so. I've never made food under the light of a candle before, so this is another first.
Happy new years. Because yes, I'm happy, in spite of it all. Best of luck to everyone in the new year, a chunk of time which is still new, shiny (I know how my friends like shiny things) and full of possibilities. Cheers.
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