Cognizant

Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:38:25 GMT

Me: *studying for Cell Bio; reading a section header* "Secretory Vesicles Bud from the Trans Golgi Network".
Jaime: Secretory vesicles also fall in love with sales vesicles and are pestered by managerial vesicles.

So in case you couldn't tell, we're kind of hooked on The Office. It's hilarious, and the Jim/Pam storyline certainly doesn't hurt. Girl in a long-term relationship meets a guy who becomes her best friend and later falls in love with him, leading to confusion and strife, but it works out for them eventually... yeah, I like Jim/Pam. Even outside of the deja vu, Jim's great, Pam's great, together they're great... but Dwight might just be the greatest character ever created.

I wish Belles, Bourbon, & Bullets was a real game.

Anyway, this day officially marks the point where things get more awesome. As mentioned at the start of this post, I've spent the past couple days studying for the Cell Bio final. Well, that was at 3pm today, and it was the last of my finals. I'm done until next term. Exhilarating for all of you, I know. I'll give you a moment to catch your breath.

...

I got instrumentality's card in the mail today! :D Thanks so much, Madeline! ~~Can I call you Maddie? I have this thing about nicknames, and that one just feels right...~~ A card will be winging your way, um, soon? Ish? Thoughtfully late, so that your holiday festivities will last longer, not because I'm lame and lagging, of course. That goes for the rest of you who are expecting cards from me, too - I haven't had time to draw any, and I doubt I will, but I did purchase some that I think are awfully cute and that I might doodle in before dropping in the mail. Sorry I'm so behind, guys; hope the joy of card receiving outweighs the annoyance of belated gestures.

Well, let's close this out with three random points of glee, shall we?

- I was scouring Torrid the other day for this amazing skirt (which I'm doubly in love with because it reminds me of a skirt in Jay's PR collection - always a good thing) and found that they only had sizes way too large for me and one that was one size smaller than me left. I decided to nab the smaller one and give the fitting room a shot; lo and behold, it fit like a dream - a skosh big, if anything. So not only did I snag the skirt, but I walked out with a pretty nice ego boost too. Love it when things work out like that.

- Oh. Hells. YES. Season one was too good for words (though I'm still a bit teary that SPOILERS Nina didn't win it END SPOILERS). I'm really looking forward to this. Judging purely from the pictures, I'm putting Morgan, Jujubee, and Mystique as my starting top three. Let's see if that changes once the show's on and their personalities come out full force.

- Someone's filling one of my old prompts on the P4 kink meme! :D To celebrate, I think I may fill one I've been eying for a while...

In which I reveal my true colors.

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:59:36 GMT

I missed one point on the Cancer Bio final. No, you don't understand. I had 100%. 100% on every homework, 100% on the midterm, 100% on my paper and presentation, and I missed one point on the final. Jaime's reaction to my despair is, "Don't be that person," but! One point! Nooooo.

For the rest of my life, I will never, ever forget that alkylating and platinating agents are not phase-specific.

Physiology final scores are back as well. I was having issues logging into the grade site with my lab computer, and I really wanted to know how I did (as I wasn't sure if I'd managed to eke out enough points to finish with over 90% in the class), so Jaime logged in as me from his lab. And told me my score. And I was skeptical. And he sent me this:

Big, I know, but I wanted to keep my reaction in the IM window in there. See that final score at the bottom? Yeah. I have no idea how I did that. I've since looked at the site with my lappy, and it's true. Somehow, I scored myself a 100. I still don't know if I believe it.

I have one final left. Jaime says if it was him, he'd be content knowing that his GPA would be okay no matter how he did in the third class. I, on the other hand, have decided that this means the bar has been set and I have to absolutely kick ass on my last final. Ah, school. And here I thought my perfectionist tendencies had faded with age.

Shifting gears here, has anyone else seen the Rodarte for Target lookbook? I first caught it on Project Rungay (which also recently posted this delicious editorial - you're welcome). I have to say, it's more appealing to me than the other big-designer-for-Target lines have been, even if the ice blue dress with leopard print belt makes me think of Robert's Banana Republic design in season one of Project Runway and choke back laughter. For the first time, there's even a piece I want: the sequined ribcage dress. Seriously. Sequined. Ribcage. So effin' cool. I'm not even sure if the cut would flatter my figure at all, but it's just such a neat design.

Out of curiosity, nothing to do with gift crafting or anything, of course not, but... does anyone know what sort of markers will draw on baked polymer clay and not smear with glazing? Sharpies and Faber-Castells smudge, and while Bic permanents will hold, I only have thick tip ones. Maybe paint pens or something? I have a different plan A, but if that falls through, I'm going to be scrambling for other options, and it would be great to have a point to jump off of. Any ideas?

I wonder what those little white flecks actually are.

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:28:01 GMT

Came in today with the intention of making a phantom and a few targets to run tomorrow and reconstruct next week. Unfortunately, when I went to the faucet, what came out was milky, opaque, and thick with frothy bubbles. It appears our deionized water hasn't been run yet and the pipes are full of some sort of sediment. Yeah. Ick. Since it's deionized water, the faucet handle is one of those that doesn't stay open - it takes active pressure to get a stream. I rigged up some strips of duct tape to hold the handle and let the pipes get flushed out. It's been running for, oh, three and a half hours now, and while the water's looking a lot better, it's still not clear. There goes that schedule, I guess.

On the other hand, I'm done with two of my three finals, got to sleep in this morning, did work on some Christmas gifts last night, and am planning to scope out Torrid in hopes of finding this one awesome skirt on clearance and visit a few other stores in search of the final few gifts I need to pick up after work, so... that's all good.

Time to go check the water again. C'mon, tiny particles; please be gone.

Another day, another zzzzz...

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:42:38 GMT

Cancer bio - vanquished! Not a bad exam, either. I think I did quite well.

Credits earned: 3/9

... That doesn't look nearly as impressive as the Tech stuff used to. Ah well. Remaining finals are Physiology (which is tomorrow and I'm studying for while simultaneously running image reconstruction for my research right now) and Cell Bio (which is next Wednesday and... I don't even want to think about). Alright. Can do this.

Back to textbookin'. Blargh.

Finals and feces - a perfect match.

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:31:53 GMT

Jacks pooped on Jaime. Tee hee.

For my own reference: To do...

Tonight
- Finish Cancer Bio studying

Tuesday
- Cancer Bio final
- Study for Physiology
- Run test reconstruction on t4
- Run reconstruction on all targets
- Make ppt for group meeting

Wednesday
- Physiology final
- Group meeting
- DO NOTHING.

After that
- Study for Cell Bio final
- Take Cell Bio final (12/16)
- Run another set of phantoms
- Make holiday cards
- Gift gathering and creation
- Mail everything out!

Looks like all those appointments paid off.

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:14:05 GMT

Ferritin is a protein that holds onto iron. By measuring ferritin levels, you can tell how much iron a person has. From what I've gathered from a modest amount of internet reading, normal levels are 30-300 ng/ml for men and 15-200 for women, and the minimum amount recommended for a healthy individual is about 50.

Apparently, my ferritin is 3.

This explains a lot.

I am thankful for friends and family and bitchin' consumerism!

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:31:22 GMT

Back from Thanksgiving, caught up on projects, and finally taking a moment to breathe! The trip to Port Charlotte was actually quite nice. Unfortunately, Jaime was sick through most of it, and now that he's almost well, I've taken up the mantle of household invalid. Ugh, my throat. Sigh. I had much work to do, too, but now it's mostly done (or at least everything that's due before this weekend is done) and I'm just curled up and watching TV. Jaime and I have recently (and belatedly, I know, shut up) discovered the wonders of The Office (U.S. version), so... whoo!

Jacks is doing well, the little beast. He's taken to climbing up onto a ledge near the top of his tank and chilling up there until he inevitably falls. I don't think he's trying to escape or anything, as he seems very comfortable with his burrows and is calm and chill the vast majority of the time; he just goes up there during his active exploration phases. If it makes him happy, I guess. We fed him again before we left, and he nommed that pinkie down before Jaime even had a chance to set him in his feeding tub. Seriously, the first two times we fed him, he went for the strike and started eating while we were still holding him. No feeding shyness here. We got him a bigger feeding tank, and though it took him a minute to settle down enough to pay attention to the feeding tongs, he did find the pinkie pretty quick and ate it up no problem. Also, we've started doing real handling sessions with him, and it is awesome. He's far more calm than I expected - doesn't strike or act skittish or anything. I think he's going to grow into a fine little fellow.

So as I mentioned, I don't feel great. As a pick-me-up, I decided to take a few minutes and put together my ultimate Christmas list. The usual disclaimer applies - I don't actually expect to get most of this stuff. Maybe one or two of the reasonably priced items, but that's it. I just like window-shopping, and what better place for that than the internet?

Gameage
- PS2 memory cards
- PS2 wireless controller
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)
- The Legendary Starfy (DS)
- Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)
- Dragon Quest IV (DS)
- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS)
- Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories (PS2)
- PSP, Rock Band pack. And if I get a PSP, then...
- Shin Megami Tensei: Persona (PSP)
- Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP)
- Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP)

Boosh Swag
- Seasons 1-3 Special Edition DVD set
- Future Sailors Tour Limited Edition DVD set - I know it's Region 2, but the bonus stuff is too good to pass up. Surely I can find some way to make my laptop play it, right?
- The Mighty Book of Boosh

Gadgetry
- Macbook Pro, 13 inch, 2.53 GHz, 500 GB hard drive, + AppleCare
- iPod Touch, 64 GB
- EyeTV 250 Plus
- 1 TB external hard drive - brand doesn't matter. :p
- Minato's headphones!
- Calculator watch

Girly Stuff
- BPAL oils, full size Hellcat, imps of anything jasmine-y, vanilla-y, and/or booze-y
- Hooded peacoat, XL in gray
- Large Pegaso print bag, either Laureando or Matricola
- Astronauta print handbag
- Shiatsu massage cushion
- Foot bath
- PedEgg
- Barbie Loves Stila palette
- Fragrance sampler

Crafty Stuff
- Open coil marker rings
- Creepy Cute Crochet - available at most bookstores; the signed version from Etsy isn't necessary. I just want the book. :3
- Boo pattern
- Knitfelt kit, lobster
- Needlefelt kit, penguin
- Yarn yarn yarn yarn yarn. Seriously, one's yarn stash can never be too big. <3

Thiiiiink that's it. Without fail, Jaime will point out something I've missed as soon as I post this, so it's open for update. *shrug* It's mostly just for fun, so s'all good.

Whoo! Slacké!

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:45:17 GMT

Have you ever hit that point where you have so much to do that you feel okay not doing any of it for a bit?

Yeah.

The rage over mammogram screening recommendations is insane and really troubling to me. Mammograms use x-rays. X-rays are ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation causes cell damage which can lead to cancer. I don't see what's so crazy about cutting back on screening to lower risks. No one's saying you shouldn't get a mammogram after you find a lump. It's about weighing the risks and benefits of screening in younger women. This article does a pretty good job of explaining some of the other nuances of the issue as well.

On a lighter note, since I've been meaning to do this for a while and can't stand the thought of looking at more Fortran right now, a meme!

Comment and I'll give you three fandoms, for which you must answer these:

01: What got you into this fandom in the first place?
02: Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on?
03: Favorite episodes/books/movies/etc.?
04: Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?
05: Do you think that more people should get into this fandom?

instrumentality (who has teh c00lest username ever) gave me Neon Genesis Evangelion, Death Note, and Persona!

Neon Genesis Evangelion
01) What got you into this fandom in the first place? My friend Cam was absolutely smitten with it and insisted that I would love it (and that one of the characters sounds like me when I speak Japanese. I figure he meant Misato or Asuka, but I'm not sure which...). I didn't actually watch it until Jaime expressed some curiosity too and pointed out that his brother has the DVDs, so we could borrow them. We pretty much marathoned it, and boy. I fell in love.
02) Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on? I think this is the sort of series that will stick with me forever and always be one of my favorites, but at the point, I'm pretty much oblivious to the fandom.
03) Favorite episodes/books/movies/etc.? Oh jeez. My favorite episodes are probably "Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!", "Magma Diver", and "The Beginning and the End, or 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door'", and I'm particularly fond of The End of Evangelion.
04) Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)? I don't. I ought to. There's a lot to be explored there.
05) Do you think that more people should get into this fandom? Honestly, I haven't spent much time in the fandom, and what little I did was limited to kink meme and a Shinji/Kaworu community, so I can't really say. Uh... sure, why not? I suppose Eva can always use more love.

Death Note
01) What got you into this fandom in the first place? I'd seen the title batted about on TAFL a bunch, so when I saw it in a bookstore, I picked up the first volume and flipped through it. The art and the synopsis on the back caught my attention. I figured it was worth the $8 to give it a shot.
02) Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on? Well, I'm out of the fandom at this point, so that answers that, yeah? I still love the source material, though. So much.
03) Favorite episodes/books/movies/etc.? The whole second arc is a big winner for me. I know, that's pretty much fandom sacrilege, but I did say I left the fandom, yes? As far as specific volumes go, I'd have to go with 1 and 12. The introduction and finale really were the strongest parts of the series.
04) Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)? I used to discuss some, and I made a few icons that have circulated out from my personal set to a couple other people. That's enough for me. :)
05) Do you think that more people should get into this fandom? ~~Only if they're smart.~~ Hard to say. The way the fandom is right now leaves a lot to be desired, and I'm not sure if higher volume is a solution.

Persona
01) What got you into this fandom in the first place? P3 seemed like it was popping up all over the place for me. mysticnocturne's rec was the straw that broke my humped back. Needless to say, I kind of got hooked.
02) Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on? I WILL BE HERE FOREVER. Okay, seriously, there's a bunch of games and they're all really good, soooo I doubt this one'll run short on inspiration for me any time soon.
03) Favorite episodes/books/movies/etc.? Persona 4. PERSONA 4. Holy crap, I love that game. I've enjoyed all the SMT games I've played so far (P4, P3, DDS 1&2, and parts of Nocturne, P2, and Devil Summoner), and the Persona ones are big winners in my book, but P4 is like a treasured friend to me.
04) Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)? Yes. Yes, I do. I've written a fair amount for megatenkink and badbadbathhouse, which I've actually... uh... kind of owned up to by archiving it at starsinrafters. There's one more I have yet to post there, too. I've taken part in a few contests at megaten_awards as well.
05) Do you think that more people should get into this fandom? Yesyesyesyesyesssss. In fact, if you're reading this and you're not part of the fandom, step away from your laptop, go to your nearest electronics store, and pick up either P4 (if you're strapped for time) or P3 and P4 (if you want to do things right and enjoy P3 before the improvements in P4's system ruin its gameplay for you). Play it/them. NOW. Then go to one of the kink memes linked above and write as fast as your little fingers will fly. And message me. WE MUST CHAT.

Seriously, guys. Persona deserves more fans than there are people in the world. No lie.

I shall close this post with a bit of a cliffhanger (Mom, you can't answer. You've already heard about this.). We have a new addition to our household. Here's your ~~very obvious~~ hint:

The tags might spoil it, as well...

More on that to come!

What to take, what to take...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:20:51 GMT

Help me out, friends!

View Poll: Decide my schedule!

C'est la vie, non?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:07:37 GMT

What a weird week this has been.

Last week started out alright. I can't remember much of it, but I do remember that I was pretty pleased with my midterms. Then there was group drama. Forcing school away for a bit, Jaime and I unwound by making slightly belated sugar skulls for El Dia de Los Muertos (which I may post pictures of, if I'm ever motivated and emotionally stable enough at the same time). But the day after I made a skull in Odie's honor, Stitch died. So I spent a lot of time crying, over her and over school and over everything in general. Add onto that some health issues (nothing serious, but annoyances - GI + girly + mental - add up, y'know?), and I was in a pretty sorry state.

Then a strange thing happened.

I slept. Okay, so that wasn't good as it sounds at first blush - one of the medications I got put on disagreed with me pretty strongly, and I spent the weekend nauseous and dizzy and so tired I could barely drag myself around the apartment. Needless to say, I stopped taking the drug (and haven't told my doctor yet - I will, I will! Jeez.). At this point, I think it's pretty much out of my system. Somehow, coming off of that, even with some lingering group drama (though there's a spark of hope there that appeared earlier today I'm absolutely giddy about) and health monitoring (again, nothing serious - this one was actually left up to me as to whether I wanted it or not, because the doctor doesn't think there's anything wrong, but anxiety makes me craaaaaaaazy, so I went for it. So far? Nothing wrong.), I'm almost energized. Yeah, life can suck sometimes, and I really want more than anything to just be healthy and have everyone I love be healthy too, but nothing's ever perfect. You have to take what beauty you can from the quiet moments and hope that the chaos ends in your favor.

Well, and sometimes you have to not be a pretentious twat and just have light-hearted fun.

...

And on to the light-hearted fun!

Ever since the kink meme punted me face first into this hilarity (Note: Spoiler-free! :D You don't even have to know P4 to laugh at it, either - just know that the guy in the suit eats a lot of cabbage...) earlier today, I've been all about the P4 fanvids. So! I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you lovely people.

Warning! The following videos have MASSIVE Persona 4 spoilers!
Eyecatches, Gurren Lagann style - Such suiting poses. Rise with the heart-mouth, d'awwwww.
Hero Get Down - Never fails to make me bust out laughing. If only it had a different intro...
Caramelldansen - Always a classic. I love poor frozen Kanji.
Azumanga OP! - Probably my favorite P4 vid ever. Everything just... fits. And it's adorable. And I love both things involved. Whee!
End P4 Spoilers

Just to let those of you who haven't played P4 in on the fun, here are a couple spoiler-free vocal edits I found amusing:
Yosuke's Descent into Madness - He's more the awesome type, y'know?
Teddie has a Panic Attack - Damn that party. Always in danger. You're stressing poor Teddie out, guys!

So that was today's entertainment. Last night's, on the other hand, was a heaping helping of Boosh in the background while we puttered about the house. I didn't tell Jaime at the time, but the reason I got such a strong sudden urge to rewatch some Boosh was because I watched a fanvid online. A... um... kinda cheesy, fairly slashy vid set to a Panic at the Disco song. I know, I know, but I enjoyed it, so maybe you will too: check it. Oh, fair warning - it does contain scenes from all of the series, so I guess you could call it spoilery. It's not like Boosh is OMGPLOT or anything, but better safe than sorry. It does contain that one moment from season three that everyone reacts to strongly one way or the other, so if you want to stumble into that one blind, don't watch it. Otherwise... eh, whatever. I'm done blathering. It's just a fun little video. It doesn't merit such a frothing preamble. Watch if you want. *shrug*

Oh yes, and I managed to get caught up with SYTYCD and stay caught up with Project Runway. I have thoughts.

SPOILERS FOR PROJECT RUNWAY

Eliminating Gordana over Althea was bullshit.

END SPOILERS FOR PROJECT RUNWAY

Okay, so I didn't have many thoughts on that one. This one's bigger, promise!

SPOILERS FOR SYTYCD

Why do they keep insisting that this is the first time they've had tappers in the top? Season: First. Name: Sandra Colton. Dance Style: Tap. WTF. On the other hand, I'm really glad the tappers weren't the first ones gone this time, though we have lost two of the three already. At least the one left is Peter. I think he's my favorite so far this season. I'm also pulling for Mollee, Nathan, Ellenore, Russell, and Karen pretty hard. There's a lot of good people this time around, though not as many stand-out individuals, I'd say. Makes it tough. It's the same issues I've had with Runway this season - if I marginally like everyone, victories are never particularly sweet, and while losses are never too brutal, they're always a little painful. Damnit, I don't want to root for everyone! There's no fun in that!

Anyway, here's hoping Peter keeps his tapping little self around for quite a while longer. Full disclosure: tap was my speciality, so I may be a bit biased. Tap is love. <3

END SPOILERS FOR SYTYCD

Okay, moving on to more TV fun...

SPOILERS FOR THE VENTURE BROTHERS

I SO CALLED IT.

I was like, "21's gonna go all path-to-darkness on us, and I love it." So last episode, when he kidnapped Hank and Dean, I was approximately like this through the whole episode: d o_o b I think there's still more to his development; sure, he seems to have backed away from the vengeance thing for now, but given the freaky after-credits bit, I doubt he's going to be stable through the rest of the season. Ooo, I love this season so much. I was a bit skeptical all through last season and not loving it as much as the first two, but this one so far... oh yeah. Excellent.

END SPOILERS FOR THE VENTURE BROTHERS

And that other show I watch via the beauty of AdultSwim.com on Monday nights...

SPOILERS FOR METALOCALYPSE

Charles! <3 I was so fucking worried. Augh, you don't even know. The start of that episode broke me. I kept gaping at Jaime and whining, "He can't really be dead, right? They have to bring him back, don't they?!"

Aside from the badassery that is Cool-Dude-Scar-CFO, how interesting was that little flashback at the beginning? So Toki wasn't there at the start? You just know they're going to delve into that some more. I don't want to anticipate it too much, to avoid a letdown of Dethlessons caliber again, but... but... eeeee, backstory. Metal.

END SPOILERS FOR METALOCALYPSE

So a few weeks back I picked up FFVIII again. I'm not done with Nocturne yet, but I got this wave of nostalgia one day, and then Jaime was playing a song from the soundtrack... I couldn't resist. I've been playing in bursts as I get free moments - weekends, some evenings, during meals a couple times - and I managed to finish the first disc already. It's just as awesome as I remember. I breezed through the TV Tropes CMoA: Final Fantasy page a couple days ago, and just reading descriptions of some of my favorite parts got me all giddy and choked up. It's a very good pick-me-up when I'm upset about my "professional" life. A Jaime by my side and some Triple Triad under my fingertips - what could be better?

I really don't have much to say here. I just want to pimp both Michelle Phan's make-up tutorials (the "everyday" ones are kind of ridiculous, but the costume ones are great fun to watch) and this spot-on parody. What can I say? I like YouTube stupidity.

The first real bit of my holiday shopping came in the mail today. I'm marvelling at my little stack of goodies and just flat-out bouncy at the thought that I'll get to send these off to the people I care about this year. Having an income is a wonderful thing.

Having a Jaime is also a wonderful thing, especially one who's replaying No More Heroes, as are dark lagers, hard salamis, and cheddar. I happen to have all of them to boogie with tonight. I feel blessed, no lie, no sarcasm.

Ugh. Being happy's kind of exhausting. But there's no time for rest! Gotta get as much in as I can before it's back to the lab tomorrow!

Oh! And if you haven't signed up to get a holiday card from me yet, please do! Sign up for a glittery greeting here!

My beloved rough-and-tumble girl Stitch, 11/11/2002 - 11/04/2009

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:06:54 GMT

She passed away sometime during the night between yesterday and the day before. I found out yesterday afternoon. There is so much to say, and yet I have no words.

Sneak Preview

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:20:19 GMT

More on that later.

Responding to comments and such later as well. For now, it's lunch and then off to the dentist's. Ugh. Almost all fixed up. Almost.

NaNoWriMo - Day 2

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:53:06 GMT

636 / 10000 words. 6% done!

If you haven't filled out my holiday card poll yet, please do! Really, it's like a gift to me to sign up - gives me an excuse to waste some time with pens, pencils, glitter, and glue. So, do me a favor, and get yourself a card out of the deal too! Pretty please?

Jaime's kind of obsessed with Sufjan Stevens right now. It's pretty good. Not bad, at least. I'm not as enamored as him. I miss when he was playing Hazards of Love non-stop. Give me Decemberists any day. Or Bright Eyes. Or Placebo.

... I gotta get him back on one of those. Scheming starts... now!

November Housekeeping

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:40:58 GMT

Let's do this.

282 / 10000 words. 3% done!

I'm not actually signed up for NaNoWriMo, and I don't think I can manage a full 50000, but I'll try to get 10000 words down this month. That's something, yeah?

Aaaaand, it's the second annual "Holiday Cards from Alex" poll!

View Poll: Holiday Cards 2009!

Because my days need more busyness of the fun artistic kind! Sign up, one and all!

We're all mad here.

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:14:58 GMT

Point of Lameness: As soon as I heard non-Latin characters are now being accepted in domain names, I knew I had to. So... uh... I'm now the proud owner of リノア.com. Eh heh. I might be a tad predictable.

Oh, yeah, and... HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Jaime and I didn't do anything for it.

Not a thing.

Wait.

Wait, what happened to the lights?

And what is that?!

It's... it's... a ~~hurdy-gurdy~~ monster!

But let's start from the beginning.

Rather than sorting my hair out neatly so it would lay nicely like I usually do, this morning I tied it up loosely to let the roots lift and the curls do what they do best - curl.

Seriously, man, that's what my hair does naturally. Insanitoi.

Meanwhile, Jaime did what he does best - wear plaid.

But all peaceful afternoons must eventually end... isn't that right, photo-Alex?

Exactly.

So then this happened:

A mad scientist and her faithful abomination. Seemed appropriate.

I had a lot of fun with this. Despite my scientific proclivities, I don't actually have a labcoat, so I had to make do with what I could scrape up that seemed science-y. Thus, an oversized dress-shirt courtesy of Jaime's wardrobe, slacks, and a black-gray vest.

Really, the make-up and hair were the fun parts. They held up pretty freakin' well, too.

What good is a mad scientist without a suitably evil chair?

Who needs sleep when you carry a bit of emergency life force around your neck? Life max upcrease - the ultimate pick-me-up!

Of course, a hip and happenin' monster is good motivation to keep on sciencing the night away as well.

Even monsters love the internet.

Jaime's make-up was thicker initially, but he decided to style it a bit more worn. I think it was the right choice. He looked pretty imposing; most trick-or-treaters saw me through the window and so were suitably stunned when he lumbered up with the candy bowl. There were even a few audible "whoa"s.

By the way, the monster's name is Sufjan. He's a self-assembled monster. Dr. Oberst just gave him a jump-start.

I told him to give me some in-character poses. I got these:

Apparently, monsters are equal parts rumbling rage and bliss.

They also enjoy drinking beer through pink straws so they don't muss their faces. Mad scientists tend to do this as well.

Tiny face!

Spooky face!

Legitimate spooky!

The night wore on, both outside our neon lab...

... and within it.

We got a fair amount of trick-or-treaters, from a tiny baby Pooh, to bright-faced Mario (who offered to perform brain surgery should Sufjan ever need it), to a teen in UF sweats and facemask, squeaking, "Go Gators!" Of course, after a while everything slowed down, so Jaime and I shifted gears a bit.

I doffed the dress-shirt, since it was getting a bit hot...

... and Jaime got all cleaned up.

That green's a bit tenacious.

Biiiiig doofy grins!

We then settled in for some good ol' fashioned horror gaming. Jaime took the reins and loaded up Silent Hill 4. I snapped a couple more shots before he started:

And that's it!

Now, we're settled in, watching some Adult Swim, and teetering on the edge of slumber. Tomorrow, there will be housework and reading to catch up on, but for now... for now, it's blankets and glowsticks and streaming cartoons.

I can't think of a better way to end the evening.

Slacking with some PhD

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:49:07 GMT

This is true and hilarious.

And this is not so hilarious, but just as true.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:25:46 GMT

It's just flaily time, I guess.

The school issue is still goin' strong, by cracky. Ugh. On the plus side, I'm finished with midterms, and quantum dots are cool. *shrug* You take what you can get.

There's an awesome contest going on at Lush right now, and I have a brilliant idea for it. Only problem is, it requires a bubble bar. I used my last bit of one yesterday. Not. Fair.

Project Runway this week made me literally shout at the TV.

SPOILERS

I'm a Christopher fan, or at least someone who liked his earlier designs and is rooting for him to turn it around, and I didn't even think his outfit this week was that bad. But to keep him over Nicolas? Over Nicolas's gorgeous wrapped top and pants with nifty little pleats? WTF?! And Kors, ooo, Kors, with his snippy criticisms for the sake of making soundbites. What, pray tell, was so Grease about that outfit? I agree that it wasn't very Grecian (though the top did show a bit of that inspiration, in my eyes), but there wasn't a single thing about it that brought the slightest hint of Pink Ladies or Greasers to mind. In the words of a very wise man, now you're getting crazy with this shit. Add onto that Nina disagreeing with Ra'mon's aufing, but agreeing with Epperson's, and I'm starting to wish they hadn't brought the usual panel back. Sure, the revolving technique has a lot of flaws, but Kors and Nina aren't exactly pristine little flowers either.

... I had just started to like Nicolas, damnit! And he really didn't deserve it this week! Yaaaaargh.

Plus, having looked at the final collections, I know who the final three models are, and I think I know who the final three designers will be. I'm not happy with either. This show. Why oh why do I let it do this to me? If only we could have Project Awesome, where Jay, Austin, Chris, and Christian just sit around being flamboyant bitches and knocking out beautiful clothes. Now that would be fashion.

Edit(9:42pm):
Jaime: With special guest Kayne!
Me: YES. I knew I forgot someone.

END SPOILERS

Moving on, after a bit of pestering from a school friend of mine and some online research, I dragged Jaime out to the movies last night for a midnight showing of Paranormal Activity. Long story short, I thought it was good, though not the masterpiece of ultimate fright that everyone led me to believe, and Jaime loathed it. It all boils down to your tolerance for slow pacing. What I found suspenseful, Jaime just found boring, and the moments that I pegged as being creepy (though not scary, despite the screaming in the theater suggesting otherwise), Jaime felt were too little, too late. One thing we did agree on, though, was the ending. It sucked. I hear this one was suggested by Spielberg, and my god, should they have ignored him. When it comes to subtlety, the man's a hack. We watched the original theatrical ending for comparison. Jaime actually liked it and said it made the movie decent, but still forgettable. I loved it. For me, it pushes the film from a creepy little flick to something a tad artistic. If you do go see it, which I'd only recommend if, like me, you're a fan of being in a crowd of the noisy terrified (haunted houses are great fun, y/y?), do yourself a favor and look up the original ending afterwards. Otherwise, hold out for a DVD that includes that ending and just skip the Hollywood one entirely. The original's immeasurably better. Trust me.

Oh, and my mom should never see that movie. She'll be freaked out. Doesn't help that the house in the movie bears some resemblance to the home in Reno. Gives it juuuuust that extra bit of impact that I know would make her shriek.

In other news, I think I may put together a make-up tutorial/suggestion guide of sorts based on the little bits I've managed to collect cheaply that get the job done. Why not cut out the trial-and-error I went through and just spread the knowledge, yeah? Would anyone be interested in that sort of thing?

I'm going to make a revised Christmas list for the hell of it and go all out this time. Apple gadgets, Tokidoki swag, Pullip dolls, the works. Online window shopping is fuuuuun. Anyone else enjoy doing that?

... 13 to 10. Against Mississippi State. Jesus Hernando Christo. Step it up, Gators.

Advice time!

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:14:56 GMT

So say there's this girl who isn't feeling great. She was feeling kind of crummy last night, and it returned today. It's nothing too serious, she tells me, maybe just allergies. A cold or flu at the most. Unfortunately for her, she has an exam tomorrow as well as a long meeting, and then another meeting on Thursday. What she'd really like to do is sleep and hope this goes away soon, but she's torn due to her responsibilities. What do you think she should do? Should she attend the exam and then skip the meeting tomorrow, push through both, or e-mail her profs about taking the exam at a later date and just sleep the day away? The meeting on Thursday is really important, and making it to that is her biggest priority. What's the best course of action to balance her wants, her responsibilities, and her health?

I know where I stand on this, but I figured it couldn't hurt to get some other opinions in the mix.

I will get around to responding to everything later this week, I promise.

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:55:01 GMT

Jaime and I just tried to walk up to the Reitz Union, but we were stopped by a cop and told that the whole area is closed. Confused, we wandered away and ate/studied outside NEB. Afterwards, upon arriving back at my desk, I decided to check out the UF website just in case and found this.

Huh. How about that.

Welp, back to studying, I guess! Cancer Bio midterm and dental appointment tomorrow, Physiology midterm and group meeting on Wednesday - ~~stressed~~ ~~tired~~ ~~slightly ill~~ busy girl, busy girl.

Scene: 8am, yesterday.

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:46:34 GMT

A: I've never seen fog like this before.
J: It's crazy.
A: Look, you can't even see the road down there!
J: Maybe it's gone.
A: Maybe it hasn't rendered yet.
J: This is either due to the inherent evilness of Gainesville or there's a giant eyeball hiding out there somewhere.

Bonus: I sent a contact form to Publix a few days back asking if there was any possibility they could stock Iberico cheese, which is the best cheese in the world, I swear, and only seems to exist in Trader Joe's stores. I didn't expect much to come of it. About thirty seconds ago, a guy from the Publix we go to called and said they're talking to their cheese vendors and trying to find a way to get it. Holy moly. I guess it really doesn't hurt to ask. Best store ever.

Today was a good day.

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:26:35 GMT

Today was all things that are good. Well, today and yesterday, actually.

- Working towards making a fairly big change that will be so much better for me. It's been progressing in little jolts for a while now, but today marked the first really big step in the process. Don't want to say too much about it, just in case, but... I'm really excited at the possibilities.
- Saw my psychologist, and we actually came to the conclusion that I don't need any more help right now. I didn't have to schedule another appointment with him. He's there for me if/when I need him, of course, but... I'm actually doing good. I'm healing. And I haven't taken a Xanax in over a month now. I was having issues going a day without one for a while, and now it's been a month. I love my life.
- Apparently, courtesy of my mom and her friend, this little book o' cute will be winging its way towards me shortly. That's just bitchin'.
- The cell bio midterm was, to borrow a phrase from Steve, super happy fun time!* Really, I spent about three days straight studying and went to the early morning review, and while it was probably overkill, it did pay off pretty big. Absolute worst case scenario, if everything I wasn't 100% confident on I got wrong and I earn no partial credit, I'll get a 75. Not a bad score to build off of.

And finally, poll time!

View Poll: Halloween 2009!

Next year, I'm totally going as Princess Peach.

*I've come up with a technical definition for Super Happy Fun Time: when you are at least able to understand what every question on an exam is asking you, regardless of your ability to correctly answer it, and you have enough time to put down something for every question. Branola Hovse members, do you concur?

Writer's Block: The one that got away

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:09:03 GMT

Do you believe in the concept of a soulmate? Do you think you've met him or her? Do you ever worry that "the one" got away?

View 1849 Answers

Oh ho ho. Logically, I don't really believe in the idea of soulmates, but... yeah, okay, you got me. One can't always be logical, eh? Yes, I tend to believe that certain people are just made for each other, and yes, I think I've found mine. I usually call him the other half of my soul - it just feels that way.

Somehow, it seems unlikely that someone who "got away" from you was really your soulmate. I suppose there could be exceptions, but generally speaking...

Anyway, last Sunday was my birthday, and I spent it entirely at home. Not for lack of choice, though; it just worked out that way. I got most of my out-and-about fun earlier in the week, what with the Decemberists concert on Wednesday and on Saturday, Jaime and I went and played pool. I did pretty well for the first two racks before all of the ability got sucked out of the room during the third. I might be getting better. More consistent, at least. Just a smidge. Really, though, it's just a lot of fun, so I keep on trying. On Sunday itself, Jaime ran out and got me a few gifties - some bath sponge capsules (vehicles, sea animals, and farm animals, yay! This was apparently my fifth birthday) and Rhythm Heaven, which is awesome. I've been playing it every spare moment I get, and I've almost beat it already. Two more levels to go. Of course, then there's the matter of gathering up the few medals I've missed along the way, not to mention all the Perfects I have yet to claim... Seriously, if you're a fan of rhythm games, you must pick it up. It's too fun to adequately describe here. And the love lizards! So cute! <3

What else have I been doing? Um... reading papers? A lot of papers? Blood flow phantoms and CTCs and melanoma, oh my! Ah, who am I kidding? I love being a science geek.

Class in half an hour, then it's off to the health center for me to get blood drawn. On the plus side, the doctor said it's been long enough that I can knock my panels back to every year instead of every six months, and even though I've picked up a new medication recently, my grad health insurance is better (!!!) for prescriptions than what I had before, so the overall increase in expenses per month is only $10 or so. If only it applied to dental work, too. Sigh.

You bored too? Scour the archives of The Anticraft. The more recent issues haven't been quite as good as the old ones (~~and they have an error in this article that hasn't been fixed yet~~ Whoo, fixed! :D), but much of the archive is great. Or, if you still haven't seen Keith Olbermann's health care special comment, watch some clips. As for me, I'm off to check Craft and NewScientist before Physiology starts. Aaaaand... go!

I was going to write a full post, but I'm just too tired.

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:15:29 GMT

If you missed Keith Olbermann's extended special comment on health care reform last night, get it now before tonight's episode becomes the available podcast. Very much worth your time - I don't think he's ever made a better show.

Review Time!

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:16:12 GMT

So when I haven't been giving presentations, reading hours and hours of textbooks and research papers, and sitting in either a psychologist's or a dentist's office, this is what I've been doing:

A few weeks back, a new album by Muse dropped, and while it's not my favorite of theirs (that title is split between Absolution and Origin of Symmetry), The Resistance is still a great album. It's a bit cheesy and overblown from start to finish, with more than a touch of Eighties-synth and Queen, but it really embraces all those traits and comes out feeling more fun than anything else. The best tracks are the ones that inspire head-bopping, hand-clapping, and shouting along - I'm particularly fond of Uprising (even though the guitar hits make the Debbie Harry in my head start belting out Call Me every time), Resistance, and Unnatural Selection. In fact, the only tracks I'm iffy on would be United States of Eurasia and Guiding Light, the former because it hedges just a bit too close to being a knock-off of rather than inspired by Queen, and the latter because, well... it's not good. It's a bit too cheesy, too Eighties. Sure, I still sing it when I'm alone, but it's through some cringing and only when I'm alone. A few off notes doesn't spoil the whole album, though. Overall, I approve. This'll probably be best buds with the car stereo by the end of the year.

There's this amazing thing here at UF called GatorNights. Jaime and I have gone twice, first for Star Trek, and then last week for Up. It's hard for me to write a review of Up, because my over-riding urge is to just flail and laugh and bounce. Okay, so that's my reaction to most Pixar movies. What can I say? They really know what they're doing. (Disclaimer: I haven't seen The Incredibles or Cars. From what I hear, the first isn't likely to lower my opinion of Pixar, but the second...) One thing I really love about Pixar films is how genuine they feel. There's no sense of forced marketing or demographic pandering - there are just unique characters, unique stories, and a unique love for the art of storytelling. This really shines through in Up. Is it a stand-out, singular art piece like Wall-E? Probably not. But it's a damn good movie.

One of the interesting aspects I didn't notice until I was leaving the theater is how unusual the character types were. The main hero is an old man - that's something you don't see every day right there. What made Carl even more special is how effective he was. He wasn't a hero despite being elderly; it was essential to his background and shaped both who he was and who he became. A kid in an animated movie isn't exactly ground-breaking, but I think the character of Russell deserves some applause as well. He wasn't a kids' movie kid; he was just a kid. And it worked. Dug and Kevin are both fairly unique as well, but I'll let you find out about them on your own.

The other place Up really shone was in its sense of unfailing optimism in the face of visceral, difficult, very real truths. Yes, this is a movie about a balloon-equipped flying house, but that doesn't mean the world it exists in is pure fantasy. From the impetus that makes Carl set the house afloat to Ellie's story to Russell's badge-earning motivation to the entire character of Charles Muntz, there's a lot in Up to make you cry for very everyday, very human reasons. And cry I did - a lot, too. But I laughed just as much, and I smiled through the tears more often than not. For every setback, there's real determination to go on adventures and find other victories. It's a great message told in a beautiful way. It would be hard for me to recommend Up too strongly - I assume most people who would want to see it have already, but just in case you were waiting for some ranty girl on livejournal to give you permission, here you go. See it! Now! Yesterday! And every time you get disheartened forever after!

So I have someone else to add to my list of celebrities I want to play Mario Kart with: Colin Meloy. I knew the guy was a talented song writer, a quirky lyricist, and a skilled musician. I did not know he's also incredibly funny and one of the best crowd-leaders I've seen live. But we'll get to that - first, Hazards of Love! What an amazing show. I loved the album even more live. The Decemberists definitely pass the Jaime test: "Do they sound the same live?" Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, and when you're talking about an hour of music performed straight through, how incredible is that? Becky Stark was a little weaker than on the album, though I think that has more to do with her type of voice than anything else. She's an ethereal little wisp; in a live mix, she gets a little swallowed up. Shara Worden, on the other hand... holy shit. I got chill after chill listening to her. Recorded format is not grand enough to contain her voice. There were also some neat song specific touches. The Rake's Song, for example, found everyone on stage sans Meloy banging on drums, and at various points, Stark aimed her floating arms at chimes. Even if the show had only been Hazards of Love, it would've been worth the ticket price.

But it wasn't just Hazards of Love - it had another set entirely after that! Whoo hoo! Both Jaime's and my favorite songs were played - Eli the Barrow Boy and Crane Wife 3, respectively - and there was a sing-along to Billy Liar, a guitar duel during The Chimbley Sweep, and a very special performance of the worst song ever written, Dracula's Daughter, coupled with the story of how that awful song caused Meloy to drop his fancy quill pen and God to shed a single tear. Out of that tear, by the way, sprouted gators and mossy trees and Barnes and Noble bookstores and NASCAR-themed restaurants, and that is how Universal Citywalk was formed. Anyway, suffice to say it was a show rich with excellent music and humor, capped off with an earth-shaking cover of Heart's Crazy on You featuring Stark and Worden on vocals and one more sing-along, this time to Sons and Daughters. We didn't get home until 2am, but my god, was it worth it. And anyway, I skipped class the next morning, so my sleep wasn't too impacted, and it gave me something pleasant to reminisce on during my many hours in the dentist's chair. Thanks, Decemberists!

Jaime's been listening to Hazards of Love pretty much non-stop today. Good stuff.

It's a popular time of the year for birthdays.

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:46:24 GMT

Almost forgot - happy birthday, dragonspeaker! Hope you had a wonderful day! :D