It's been gradually getting colding still, in Davis. Last year, I didn't think much about it on the account of it being two people (occasionally three) in a small room in a dorm room where our temperature control was a range of four degrees F. This year I suppose I can keep track of how cold it can get by the amount of time we've used the heater. Multiplied by an unknown factor, M, for malfunctioning, since according to Kate the heater's not working as it's suppose to. (I really have no idea since I spend about twelve hours home on the weekdays, and eight to nine hours of those time I spend sleeping.)
Rose has taken to hidding under my covers and sleeping during the day time, when no one's around. I suppose that's another indication of the temperature: coldness variable equals the number of times a heater is used, times M, plus the hours spent under the covers by one heat-loving kitty. Plus or minus the uncertainly values, of course, such as how hungry she's feeling at the time and whether or not she's stoned on catnip (random note: stoned kitties are funny).
Report, quiz, report, quiz, report, finals, rewrites, finals. In that order. For some reason the chem finals always end up the last, especially the undergrad pre-req finals. I think we get the lowest priority when it comes to finals-scheduling which is completely understandableon the overall scheme of things and, therefore, totally inexcuseable.
Out. Class now.
20061130
20061123
Recap: Holiday at home
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, even if it isn't the holiday you'd traditionally celebrate. It's always good to have a day where you can take a moment aside and reflect on what you have and be thankful for it.
Of course, most of the people I've encountered in the past few days never looked beyond the food and the shopping of today and tomorrow, but that's beyond the point.
So-- it's Thanksgiving, and I'm at home. The tomatos are somehow miraculously alive still, and have even given out little fruits that are green and about the size of sugar-peas. I still have a paper (formerly ten pages, now holding at eleven) to finish editing and half a bio report to type up. Mostly though I'm just amused by my lit teacher's side comment, on a certain section of the paper, as it being "too academic." After eight hours of drilling about scientific, i.e. academic writing, I can't just dismantle everything I know and switch gears at a snap of the fingers (though I'm at the point where I wish I could because oh--how much time that'd save me, to say nothing of the efforts). The easiest way to go about it is probably to go and read something that's actually literature, and not scientific text, but at the current stage that might still take too long.
That's my Thanksgiving so far, my parents are off working on something or the other and most of the cacti that I brought home the other time have died, how's yours?
I got another cmera. I think. (The sudden and inexplicable sentence parallels the sudden and inexplicable arrival of the camera.)
Of course, most of the people I've encountered in the past few days never looked beyond the food and the shopping of today and tomorrow, but that's beyond the point.
So-- it's Thanksgiving, and I'm at home. The tomatos are somehow miraculously alive still, and have even given out little fruits that are green and about the size of sugar-peas. I still have a paper (formerly ten pages, now holding at eleven) to finish editing and half a bio report to type up. Mostly though I'm just amused by my lit teacher's side comment, on a certain section of the paper, as it being "too academic." After eight hours of drilling about scientific, i.e. academic writing, I can't just dismantle everything I know and switch gears at a snap of the fingers (though I'm at the point where I wish I could because oh--how much time that'd save me, to say nothing of the efforts). The easiest way to go about it is probably to go and read something that's actually literature, and not scientific text, but at the current stage that might still take too long.
That's my Thanksgiving so far, my parents are off working on something or the other and most of the cacti that I brought home the other time have died, how's yours?
I got another cmera. I think. (The sudden and inexplicable sentence parallels the sudden and inexplicable arrival of the camera.)
20061121
Recap: A little extra time
This week there are no labs, as far as I know, for any of the UCD classes. Consequently that means that I got four extra hours yesterday to cram for my bio midterm (which I still possibly flunked, because on top of the technicalities of plants having both haploid and diploid phrases of life, there was a cladogram that I had to fill in and I DID NOT remember where each character of the land plants evolved from). End of sneaky parenthetical rant. Really. Another indirect result is me getting off of work early now with three and a half extra hours, since half of my job is, supposidely, to prep for the student's labs. Therefore, after packaging the pepper seeds for half an hour (aka sneezing off your nose for half an hour) I'm able to go home and, apparently, sit in front of my laptop and type up this blog entry. Don't think I have to go to work tomorrow, either, which is nice because it means my day will end at ten. In the morning. Such a thing does not often happen.
I think my erratic schedule this week is scaring Kate a little. (I have a very light schedule once you've taken off work and all the labs. Such is the life of a science major.)
Have to send Rose to Gabrielle's place tonight and am feeling a little depressed about that, especially since she's making so much progress right now and sending her away to an alien environment might actually force her to take a step back in terms of socialization. She's gotten used to me to the point where she knows she can walk all over me (literally) in the middle of the night and suffer from nothing more than an extremely disgruntled "Rose, ge'off" (and a light push when I'm feeling more energetic). She has just jumped onto my lap and bumped her head against the table in the process. Yep, still a little uncoordinated. That goes for both of us.
To Thanksgiving and the blessed holidays we go.
I think my erratic schedule this week is scaring Kate a little. (I have a very light schedule once you've taken off work and all the labs. Such is the life of a science major.)
Have to send Rose to Gabrielle's place tonight and am feeling a little depressed about that, especially since she's making so much progress right now and sending her away to an alien environment might actually force her to take a step back in terms of socialization. She's gotten used to me to the point where she knows she can walk all over me (literally) in the middle of the night and suffer from nothing more than an extremely disgruntled "Rose, ge'off" (and a light push when I'm feeling more energetic). She has just jumped onto my lap and bumped her head against the table in the process. Yep, still a little uncoordinated. That goes for both of us.
To Thanksgiving and the blessed holidays we go.
20061119
Recap: Sunday fun
This weekend we had fun with doors.
More specifically, this weekend Annie and I had fun with our bathroom doors (and by "fun" I mean "various issues").
The bathroom has two doors, one of the sliding type and one with a regular doorknob. Yesterday, while Annie was trying to close the sliding door, something broke and door suddenly lost its ability to slide which, as you might imagine, is an issue for a slide door. Upon investigation we have discovered that the door has no track to roll on at the bottom, and apparently whatever broke broke at the top, where the door is set into the wall. We can't see what's wrong, and it was only by partially lifting and shoving the door that we managed to close it at all. We left a note with the management who promised people who will come and resolve the issue, hopefully on Monday.
So, one door down, one more to go, said some unknown god of Murphy's Law.
This morning, when Annie tried to enter via the other door to take a shower (we have the habit of leaving that door closed, now that Rose is being trained to the living room and the hallway) she found the door locked. As in locked out. Consequently I had to take apart the outside half of the lock so she could get in and after I reinstalled that it was discovered that that door didn't, in fact, lock. So post shower, post morning, post everything, I took down both sides of the lock (knobs, screws, and all) and discovered that the inside half wasn't aligned properly. Re-installation was needed-- but at least this, unlike the sliding door, was something I could do. Now the bathroom of two doors has one functional door and it remains to be seen what will become of the other one.
Alas, the poor striken door.
On the other hand, I have called Gabrielle from FFO and she's very nice and agreed to cat-sit Rose over Thanksgiving (Winter Break remains a mysterious nightmare that I have yet to deal with). Charleen called the other night and after some quick decisions we'll also be temporarily fostering another kitty after Thanksgiving, until a permanent foster home can be found for him (or, as Charleen has hinted, we decide that we'll foster the other cat too). He. Yes, it's a 'he'. Short-haired orange tabby of undetermined age and name. At least he's already fully socialized and can be treated just like a normal cat. Rose is still getting there and so this new temp will be Annie's reponsibility.
We'll see how this goes.
More specifically, this weekend Annie and I had fun with our bathroom doors (and by "fun" I mean "various issues").
The bathroom has two doors, one of the sliding type and one with a regular doorknob. Yesterday, while Annie was trying to close the sliding door, something broke and door suddenly lost its ability to slide which, as you might imagine, is an issue for a slide door. Upon investigation we have discovered that the door has no track to roll on at the bottom, and apparently whatever broke broke at the top, where the door is set into the wall. We can't see what's wrong, and it was only by partially lifting and shoving the door that we managed to close it at all. We left a note with the management who promised people who will come and resolve the issue, hopefully on Monday.
So, one door down, one more to go, said some unknown god of Murphy's Law.
This morning, when Annie tried to enter via the other door to take a shower (we have the habit of leaving that door closed, now that Rose is being trained to the living room and the hallway) she found the door locked. As in locked out. Consequently I had to take apart the outside half of the lock so she could get in and after I reinstalled that it was discovered that that door didn't, in fact, lock. So post shower, post morning, post everything, I took down both sides of the lock (knobs, screws, and all) and discovered that the inside half wasn't aligned properly. Re-installation was needed-- but at least this, unlike the sliding door, was something I could do. Now the bathroom of two doors has one functional door and it remains to be seen what will become of the other one.
Alas, the poor striken door.
On the other hand, I have called Gabrielle from FFO and she's very nice and agreed to cat-sit Rose over Thanksgiving (Winter Break remains a mysterious nightmare that I have yet to deal with). Charleen called the other night and after some quick decisions we'll also be temporarily fostering another kitty after Thanksgiving, until a permanent foster home can be found for him (or, as Charleen has hinted, we decide that we'll foster the other cat too). He. Yes, it's a 'he'. Short-haired orange tabby of undetermined age and name. At least he's already fully socialized and can be treated just like a normal cat. Rose is still getting there and so this new temp will be Annie's reponsibility.
We'll see how this goes.
20061118
Recap: You have to wonder
Sometimes mail can say very strange things, such as the sentence that went somewhere along the lines of "if you've been unexpected terminated". I suppose, then, that the insurance will not cover expected termination?
Euphemism. The mark of higher society as well as bureaucracy. The wonderful, wonderful ways you can take to say whatever you want without actually saying it. Central cause of paranoia and the proof of the power of words. Dumbledore would've agreed with me: You Know Who sounds much more intimidating than just Voldemort, and a word has no power except what people grant it.
We've given a lot of words more power than they should've have.
Random, but continuous hours of staring at notes does get to one's (already questionable) sanity.
Know what else's interesting? Lactose-free milk. It's like selling citric-acid ( ~ vitaminc c) -free oranges. And no, those do not currently exist (yet), to my knowledge.
Euphemism. The mark of higher society as well as bureaucracy. The wonderful, wonderful ways you can take to say whatever you want without actually saying it. Central cause of paranoia and the proof of the power of words. Dumbledore would've agreed with me: You Know Who sounds much more intimidating than just Voldemort, and a word has no power except what people grant it.
We've given a lot of words more power than they should've have.
Random, but continuous hours of staring at notes does get to one's (already questionable) sanity.
Know what else's interesting? Lactose-free milk. It's like selling citric-acid ( ~ vitaminc c) -free oranges. And no, those do not currently exist (yet), to my knowledge.
20061117
Recap: Untitled
It was very wet this morning, and it wasn't even raining.
The windows (yep, 2, isn't that great?) in my room overlooks the narrow parking lot into the next series of apartment complexes, so looking outside of it, I didn't realize just how foggy it was until later. That was what was wet. The fog. There was a lot of it and from what I saw this morning the residual patches hung around for quite a while. The main things, however, was there and very cold and clammy it was. My hair was actually wet by the time I showed up in my testing room and I did not ride through a rain, just very thick patches of fog.
If it weren't so cold and wet it'd be very neat, actually, because everything outside of the 10 feet zone of me was gray-white and everything familiar looked very alien. Davis this morning looked uncharacteristically exotic.
I blanked out on a problem on the midterm and mixed up the orbitals and possibly declined stuff wrong in the quiz that followed the midterm. On the other hand-- another week over, yay, and my lit teacher has shifted his essay deadlines back (mostly because he hadn't came up with a theme yet).
Rose is at the "tentative-exploration-of-the-house" stage and has stolen one of my pens today, when I wasn't looking, to take with her to her corner of the room to gnaw on. I think I must have very attractive school-things. Or at least, very attractive to household pets school things. Lucy made off with part of my chem lab manual the other time and made an attempt at my chem book last night (which is rather sad, actually, because come on, it's CHEM) and Rose has developed a fondness for my writing implements and on occasions can be caught napping on my binder).
Thanksgiving next week.
Huh.
The windows (yep, 2, isn't that great?) in my room overlooks the narrow parking lot into the next series of apartment complexes, so looking outside of it, I didn't realize just how foggy it was until later. That was what was wet. The fog. There was a lot of it and from what I saw this morning the residual patches hung around for quite a while. The main things, however, was there and very cold and clammy it was. My hair was actually wet by the time I showed up in my testing room and I did not ride through a rain, just very thick patches of fog.
If it weren't so cold and wet it'd be very neat, actually, because everything outside of the 10 feet zone of me was gray-white and everything familiar looked very alien. Davis this morning looked uncharacteristically exotic.
I blanked out on a problem on the midterm and mixed up the orbitals and possibly declined stuff wrong in the quiz that followed the midterm. On the other hand-- another week over, yay, and my lit teacher has shifted his essay deadlines back (mostly because he hadn't came up with a theme yet).
Rose is at the "tentative-exploration-of-the-house" stage and has stolen one of my pens today, when I wasn't looking, to take with her to her corner of the room to gnaw on. I think I must have very attractive school-things. Or at least, very attractive to household pets school things. Lucy made off with part of my chem lab manual the other time and made an attempt at my chem book last night (which is rather sad, actually, because come on, it's CHEM) and Rose has developed a fondness for my writing implements and on occasions can be caught napping on my binder).
Thanksgiving next week.
Huh.
20061110
Recap: On the other hand
Annie, the dill has sprouted and I've taken over one of your pots to experiment with the two broken off tips of lycopodium that my disgruntled lab partner thrusted at me, telling me that "here, you can have a new pet."
The weather has been MOST uncompromising. Feel sorry for my parents, they have to drive all the way here tomorrow, and then all the way back.
The weather has been MOST uncompromising. Feel sorry for my parents, they have to drive all the way here tomorrow, and then all the way back.
20061109
Recap: Untitled
This has been the most eventful week since the beginning of the school year, and I'm thankful that it's only four days. Mostly though, I just wish that my comp lit professor will stop giving us impromptu GROUP (yep, required) writing projects. That eat up much of my time like you wouldn't believe. On the other hand, I believe I have achieved a new level of patience.
Will have to go to work tomorrow morning but at least won't have to wake up at seven-- except Rose will probably wake me up at six. Well, won't have to wake up at seven to GO TO CHEM which is really quite an improvement anyway. Have let Lucy out for a bit already earlier, as both of my roommates have gone home for the weekend. Kate, if you're reading this-- I think your rabbit-pouncing has actually made Lucy more sociable. Enough so that I, suffering from a 39-chem-prelab-slides headache, was allowed to rest my head on her for a while. She makes a good pillow (joking, joking-- of course I wouldn't drop the full weight on her, even if she'll let me, which she probably won't). I'm currently very appreciative of the fact that she does not have cat breath.
Rose says "Mrrw?" and then stalks away, apparently offended that I didn't spend 30 + minutes fussing over her tonight like I did last night, after she had been hauled out of my blanket, where she was hiding, to receive her shot.
On the other hand, Annie, I think you did forget your pomegranate, after all. I'm sticking it on the top shelf just so it won't end up morphing away in the cold forgotten back corners of our fridge.
Slightly horrific to-do list tomorrow but you know what-- it's a three day weekend, and I'm training Rose to let me sleep in!
Will have to go to work tomorrow morning but at least won't have to wake up at seven-- except Rose will probably wake me up at six. Well, won't have to wake up at seven to GO TO CHEM which is really quite an improvement anyway. Have let Lucy out for a bit already earlier, as both of my roommates have gone home for the weekend. Kate, if you're reading this-- I think your rabbit-pouncing has actually made Lucy more sociable. Enough so that I, suffering from a 39-chem-prelab-slides headache, was allowed to rest my head on her for a while. She makes a good pillow (joking, joking-- of course I wouldn't drop the full weight on her, even if she'll let me, which she probably won't). I'm currently very appreciative of the fact that she does not have cat breath.
Rose says "Mrrw?" and then stalks away, apparently offended that I didn't spend 30 + minutes fussing over her tonight like I did last night, after she had been hauled out of my blanket, where she was hiding, to receive her shot.
On the other hand, Annie, I think you did forget your pomegranate, after all. I'm sticking it on the top shelf just so it won't end up morphing away in the cold forgotten back corners of our fridge.
Slightly horrific to-do list tomorrow but you know what-- it's a three day weekend, and I'm training Rose to let me sleep in!
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