Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Knowing where you stand is nice, even when you don't like where you are.

Monday, June 27, 2005

It's looking like the mail room may have lost my rent check. I just got an email saying I haven't paid yet - but I did. Grrrrrrr.

Edit: The mail room was not at fault, for once. Facilities did receive the check, but forgot to enter it into the computer. At least that problem is solved now.

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Sims 2 is highly addicting. For my own sake, I'm going to have to try to limit my playing to weekends or something, otherwise all real productivity will cease.

Every time I've played a version of Sims, I've always tried to make a normal, successful, well-balanced Sim. Today I created Chris Emo, however. Painfully shy, quite serious, nice, super-neat (if there's nothing else to do, he takes out the trash), and romantic aspirations. I was thinking the shyness and romance would contradict each other, but I guess he's not shy enough. Mr. Emo swept 3 girls off their feet, managing to seduce one. With this success rate, he's not going to get any quality song material soon. At least he has his day job.

Saturday, June 25, 2005

The Sleater-Kinney show was really good. Siyuan and I arrived early, so we were pretty close to the stage, which was cool. I am now sweaty, tired, and dehydrated, however. Must drink lots of water...

Thursday, June 23, 2005

I've been feeling pretty out of it for the past few days. Came home right after work yesterday and took a long nap. When I woke up around 9ish, I went up to see Ken and Alex and place my lunch order for Baja Fresh, and they gave me leftovers from dinner. Yay. Today at lunch I at aforementioned Baja Fresh and watched a little kid do lots of backflips. It was impressive. Took another nap after work and going to the co-op, then managed to make myself go to the pool. I saw for about 45 min, then hung out with people and hit a beach ball around.

Tomorrow: Sleater-Kinney concert(!), and my copy of Sims 2 should also be arriving.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Fought a losing battle with the basement freezer in which I tried to regain possession of my sorbet (nowhere to be found). I barely succeeded in the battle to close the door and not have it pop back open. My fingers are cold, and I am still without frozen treats. Grr. Now is the time when I really wish my freezer actually kept ice cream and such cold. It's fine with other things, but not ice cream. It can handle Klondike Bars (barely), but that's the extent of its skills. Of course, there's probably a very high correlation (and most likely a causation) between the lack of ice cream available to me and the fact that the jeans I recently bought are now rather loose...
Cillian Murphy: damn good-looking when not super-creepy as Dr. Crane/Scarecrow. And his eyes are not as insanely blue as they are in Batman Begins, which is comforting. No one should have eyes that blue naturally - it's disconcerting. He and Christian Bale are both married and vegetarians. *sigh* I just want a pretty single boy to share a steak with, is that too much to ask?

Back to looking up what movies McCabe has that I want to see. (Cillian is in Girl with a Pearl Earring, which led to me looking up what else he's been in, which led to the various other information in this post.)
I have a bit of a song stuck in my head, but I have no idea what song it is, what the lyrics are, or who it's by. It is a bit annoying.

Watched Amelie last night - it was very good. I started to watch Chocolat, and got about halfway through, but then there was a bit of technical difficulty. I'm sure McCabe probably has it, so I'll check it out on Monday and watch it then. What I saw I really enjoyed, so I was sad that I didn't get to see the rest.

I finished reading A Clockwork Orange last night. It was good, though I'm not sure how I feel about the last chapter, which isn't in the movie and wasn't in the original American version (but was always in the British version). That's the second book I've read this week (the first being High Fidelity), and the next one to be read is Fight Club. Then perhaps I will move on to books that have not been made into movies.

Saturday, June 18, 2005

According to their websites, neither Target nor Best Buy seem to have Sims 2 for Macs. *grumble* Therefore, I cannot convince myself to make the 30 minute walk to buy the other things I was going to pick up, because none of them are really essential. I will instead order Sims 2 online, hope it comes quickly, and spend the rest of the day reading A Clockwork Orange.
Saw Batman Begins, which was quite good, with the added bonus of Christian Bale being as gorgeous as ever.

In bad news, my cell phone is on the fritz again, randomly turning off and being grumpy. Also, what Jessica Simpson did to "These Boots Were Made for Walking" is a crime. Nancy Sinatra doesn't even get the privilege of rolling over in her grave -- instead, she gets to live in this hell. Because you know that the song will be popular, if only because of the scantily cladness in the video.

Bed soon, Target tomorrow -- I'm going to treat myself and Athena to Sims 2 in honor of her being fully functional.

Friday, June 17, 2005

My computer is back, with a working trackpad, so that's good. The guy also discovered an extra 256 MB of RAM that I didn't know I had. Sadly, it wasn't installed correctly or was screwed up, so he removed it. However, I'm not sure why it was even there in the first place. I certainly didn't put it there, and when I bought the computer from Apple, it was supposed to have 256, not 512. But I bought a refurbished computer, so maybe the previous owner had put it there and Apple just didn't notice. Not really sure.

Anyway, now that my computer is back, I'm going to go catch up on webcomics and such. Yay!

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

As I plan to take my dear Athena (aka my laptop) in tomorrow (to finally get the trackpad fixed), I have reverted back to traditional sticky notes to remind me what I need to do. Because of this, there is a strip of neon orange across my desk, reminding me to do things like pay for housing, start looking into internships for next year, balance my bank accounts, etc. They're harder to ignore than the virtual version, which is probably for the best. Having my computer gone for a few days will be tough but probably (hopefully) result in me being productive. This will of course be countered by when I get my computer back, as I plan on going out and buying Sims 2 very soon.

Now to bed.

Monday, June 13, 2005

Random nice thing as aftermath of Saturday night: in the basement kitchen, washing dishes. Guy who I've seen around the library (he works in circ) comes to use the sink. He asks me how I'm doing, shares his own drinking horror story, we chat. I now feel less asocial, which is nice. It's easy to get into a bubble where you don't meet new people, and having that bubble broken now and then is a very good thing.
I have created my own pet project at work, which I'll work on in the little bits of time I have between bigger jobs -- cleaning up/organizing the comics section. Someone donated his comics collection a few years back, and they're all in the old coffee bar area. They are not very organized, since people pick them up, leaf through them, and toss them anywhere. There are also some graphic novels there (maybe half of what McCabe has?) in no particular order. It is painful to see the disarray, and this will also let me see what sort of comic selection McCabe has.

This area is also where the popular novels, etc. are kept. These are apparently done through a borrowing service, and we only add a fraction of them to the permanent collection. Anyway, I went through those today, pulling some off the shelves to get sent back or moved up to the normal stacks. I also alphabetized the books as I did this. When 2 of my bosses learned of this, they laughed and said I was definitely a librarian. Comments like this are becoming more common, it seems.

I drug myself to the gym today and worked out for about 30 minutes. I've decided to go back to the M, W, F weight-lifting plan, with maybe running on T and Th. It's too hot to run a lot, and since taiko isn't hurting my arms as much (knock on wood), I should be okay lifting weights before and after.

Time to make some dinner.

Sunday, June 12, 2005

After hearing this song on the radio a few times, as well as seeing the video, I give up. What the hell is this song about?! I thought actually looking at the lyrics might help, but no. Well, the spelling of "bananas" makes a bit more sense now, but that's about it.

Uh huh, this my shit
All the girls stomp your feet like this

A few times I've been around that track
So it's not just goin' to happen like that
Because I ain't no hollaback girl
I ain't no hollaback girl
[2x]

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit [4x]

I heard that you were talking shit
And you didn't think that I would hear it
People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up
So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack
Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out
That's right, put your pom-poms down, getting everybody fired up

A few times I've been around that track
So it's not just goin' to happen like that
Because I ain't no hollaback girl
I ain't no hollaback girl
[2x]

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit [4x]

So that's right dude, meet me at the bleachers
No principals, no student-teachers
All the boys want to be the winner, but there can only be one
So I'm gonna fight, gonna give it my all
Gonna make you fall, gonna sock it to you
That's right, I'm the last one standing, another one bites the dust

A few times I've been around that track
So it's not just goin' to happen like that
Because I ain't no hollaback girl
I ain't no hollaback girl
[2x]

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit [4x]

Let me hear you say, this shit is bananas
B-A-N-A-N-A-S
[4x]

A few times I've been around that track
So it's not just goin' to happen like that
Because I ain't no hollaback girl
I ain't no hollaback girl
[2x]

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit [4x]


Gwen Stefani, you make no sense to me.
Last night? Never doing that again. I have confirmed what I always thought - drinking that much only leads to badness. So let's just chalk this up to a learning experience and move on, shall we? Many thanks to Jamison, Kyle, Emily, and whoever else helped me out (because yeah, there's a lot of fuzziness) - especially Kyle and Emily. Thanks guys. And yes, Mom, I'm okay.

The real question, though, is why I randomly woke up at 6:30 am...

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith - it was a good summer movie, some nice jokes, lots of action. We smuggled in cake and ate it, which was amusing. Right now some people are playing Halo, while others are playing foosball, and a few went home. I am opting for the sleep myself, which will be quite nice. Yay sleep.

Friday, June 10, 2005

Aw man... I haven't read the graphic novel yet, but as I really liked From Hell, (both book and movie), I was hoping for goodness from V for Vendetta when it comes out. This may be an ill-placed hope, as Alan Moore has apparently publicly disassociated himself from the movie project. More can be read here.

Now off to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which will probably not be great but at least entertaining.
My best idea this week (which, had it failed, would have definitely been my worst idea this week by far): making pasta in my electric skillet. I am pleased, and it is tasty. Mmm.
If all goes according to plan: Mr. and Mrs. Smith tonight, X-Men and fun in ML on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. Weekends are so much better than weekdays.

Taiko last night - my arms hurt a lot, since I hadn't been for awhile. Luckily, they feel much better now. I was floundering a bit, since we were doing rhythms I hadn't seen before... But I got the hang of some of them, and will get the others over time.

The humidity is awful. Blech.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Woke up with a bad headache yesterday, so I stayed home from work. Spent most of the day in bed, finally ate dinner and ended up feeling nauseous. Spent the rest of the evening feeling crappy, then couldn't sleep. Woke up today still feeling crappy, so stayed home again. I'm finally feeling better. I'm still uber-lethargic and such, but that's probably largely due to the weather (hello, heat and humidity)... I will force myself to go to work tomorrow no matter what. Then the weekend will be here.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Super Sketchy Guy is back. He was gone last week, and I began to believe/hope that he didn't work during the summer, that I would be free of him and the creepy feeling. But no, when I came into work today, he was there. Even worse was working in the periodicals section this morning, where he can often be found shelving. Headphones are not enough to deter him from talking to me, sadly. During the morning (he only works mornings, thank god), every time I heard a squeaky book cart approach, I tensed up. Once it wasn't even him, which was a huge relief. The other times it was him, though... *shudder*

Besides SSG, work is fine. I finally got my first paycheck. Yay for money...

The rest of my life is eh at best. This weekend was nice, but the week is not going great right now. I'm fine when I'm with people. When I'm alone in my room, though, it begins to all fall apart. Not sure why. I don't really want to be social, but I don't like feeling alone/isolated/etc. This is the kind of time when having a pet is nice - company without the pressure to be witty or anything. I miss my kitty, along with the rest of the fuzzy ones at home.

Dishes then sleep, I think.

Monday, June 06, 2005

Because Cari requested it, and who am I to refuse? None of these are in any particular order, by the way...

List your current six favorite songs:

1) Longwave - Tidal Wave
2) Elliot Smith - The Enemy is You
3) ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Worlds Apart
4) Beulah - Silver Lining
5) Enon - Disposable Parts
6) TV on the Radio - Staring at the Sun

List your current favorite sounds:

1) Thunderstorms
2) Birds singing
3) Breeze through the trees
4) The electric typewriter at work
5) Crum Creek
6) Taiko drums

Pass it on to six people:

1-6) Anyone who wants to, I don't really care

Just watched Almost Famous; it was good. I watched Rounders last night, which was enjoyable and reminded me how much I like small-stakes poker. So much less pressure...

Explored the Crum Woods some more on Sunday... I drug Robert along. We got hassled by an adorable puppy (who tried to eat my shoe, my shorts, and my hand, then tried to follow us), walked around, took off our shoes and crossed the creek (then cursed the idiotic jerks who leave glass bottles around on the other side), and eventually wandered back to his apartment where we watched MTV with Anita while Nile attempted to get their wireless to work. After that, I came home and napped for about 3 hours, which was lovely.

I've started sitting outside after work and reading for about an hour, then going home... The weather is nice (though really hot right now), and it's better than coming home and getting sucked in by the computer. I'm slowly working my way through Anne Sexton's poetry -- it's quite good.

Time for some crossword puzzles, then sleep eventually.

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Today: Sleep, video games, trip to Delaware, run to the co-op, bad sci-fi movie, food, Willy Wonka, lots of amazing chocolate, drinks, more food, Iron Chef, friends.

Now: Washing dishes, then sleep.

Tomorrow: Brunch, yum. Then being really lazy, I think. Yay laziness.

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Last night, there was a knock on my door. When I opened it, there stood most of my friends who live in ML, plus Kyle. They were going around collecting everyone. After we had gotten people, we hung out. There was hall/lounge soccer for a few people, while some of the rest of us watched TV (TLC's What Not to Wear, followed by Iron Chef). After Iron Chef, we were all hungry, and I jokingly pretended to gnaw on my leg, which sparked an odd and amusing conversation. People started to drift away and go to bed after awhile, but all in all, it was a lot of fun.

Today: At 2, video games in the science center; dinner with people around 7, then Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (with appropriate snacks) in ML at 8:30.

Tomorrow: Brunch with lots of people.

This summer is going to be really good, I think.

Friday, June 03, 2005

Another day of work... I think I reached new levels of geekiness by having so much fun working on the electric typewriter. Jackie encouraged me (again) to apply for the internship, which is part of a grant program. It's possible that next year is the last year of it; I'm not sure. I had been planning on trying to do a publishing internship next summer, the apply for the library one the year after that... But then I realized that would cause issues and/or force me to take a year off if I decided to go to grad school for library science, since I'd probably want to do the internship before I committed myself to applying/attending grad school. Also, if next year is the last year, I should apply anyway just so I don't miss the chance. So maybe I'll try to do the library internship next year after all... And if I decide to do publishing I could just go straight into it... (i.e. become a lowly copy editor) I feel my externship, though it was brief, gave me a general idea of what I'd be doing... And there's also that month-long publishing program out in Denver, which I would probably try to attend after my senior year, assuming I'm still interested in publishing. That would probably be just as worthwhile as many internships... Though the idea of interning at a place that specializes in graphic novels still seems immensely awesome to me. Hrm. I have no idea what to do...

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Not in bed yet, of course. Decided to do this instead:

Choose a band or artist and use song titles to answer:

Sleater-Kinney

Are you male or female: Modern Girl
Describe yourself: Jenny
How do some people feel about you: Good Things
How do you feel about yourself: The Drama You've Been Craving
Describe your ex girlfriend/boyfriend: Leave You Behind
Describe your current girlfriend/boyfriend: Words and Guitar
Describe where you want to be: Far Away
Describe what you want to be: I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone
Describe how you live: Living In Exile
Describe how you love: What's Mine is Yours
Share a few words of wisdom: God is a Number

Amusing, if not entirely accurate at parts. Now to scrub my hands so they stop smelling like onions, then to bed.
Oddly tired today. Woke up, and could barely force myself to do anything. I kept on wanting to close my eyes and lie down. While working, I felt kind of lightheaded... It got somewhat better after lunch... During the last 10 minutes of my lunch hour, I sat down in a comfy chair and promptly fell asleep, waking up almost 30 minutes later. Oops. After work I stretched out in some chairs by the science center and fell asleep again. This time I set my alarm on my cell, but I woke up before it went off. Kyle came by, he and I went to the co-op, then I went to The House for dinner. It was nice to cook with Anna and Megan and then eat with them and Charlie. It felt very homey. Sebastian the cat was also quite nice today, climbing into my lap and purring when I sat on the couch.

In theory, I should be at taiko right now, but I know I don't have the energy. Instead, I'm going to get ready for bed in a bit and then read until I sleep.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

I discovered PostSecret through a New York Times article the other day... It's strangely fascinating.

I did manage to make myself go running tonight, and I managed to go a bit further and longer than before. Maybe by the end of the summer I'll have some real endurance, just in time to lose it again during the semester...

I officially passed my acting class, whee. The only grade I have left to find out about is Modern British Poetry... Which is of course the one that matters most to me.

Bed soon; work, dinner at The House, and taiko tomorrow.
Much yelling/arguing going on next door, and I believe someone kicked the wall or something -- the wall is thin, whatever hit it actually caused part of the wall to curve out for a second. And now it's quiet. Yay for the end of the argument, whatever it was about.

As soon as my food digests more, I'll head out for a run.