It's time for a Christmas-themed KITTENPAUSE.
So being confined to a tiny apartment is just no fun. I realize I should probably be working on Goldwater and my poster and REU applications, and the various and sundry things I have to do, but motivation level is low and that's my excuse.
I'm done with Siah and the first semester from Hell! Surprisingly (at least for me), ObLab was not the worst part about this semester, and the one class that I quite enjoyed going to, was actually my worst grade (take "worst" with a grain of salt, I'm a perfectionist).
I thought I'd share some of my Christmas traditions and maybe other people can share their Christmas/whatever holiday you celebrate traditions.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the traditional Polish Wigilia. We have home-made pierogie (cheese and sauerkraut, yum!), mushroom soup, fish, mashed potatoes, and other stuff I'm probably forgetting. Usually my family hosts, because we rotate holidays among the family at large, but not always (for instance, this year there just isn't the room). Sometimes we have traditional pierniekes - polish anise cut-out cookies, though those aren't specific to Wigilia. We also do Oplatek (Oh-pwah-tek) which is a sharing of the Christmas wafer during which you wish every other individual good things for the new year (in our household, it's usually "health, wealth, and happiness"). This is also the time my family exchanges gifts with my Dad's parents and siblings.
Christmas Day
Wake up really, obnoxiously early because you're soooooo excited for presents! Wait at the door to the parents' room until they finally come out, and Dad sets up the video camera so we can open presents. Open everything possible, go to Mass, come back for some of Grandpa's Polish sausage, scrambled eggs, and rye toast.
Around 3 o'clock it's time to go to "The Estate," the house in the city where my great aunts and uncles live, and where my Dad's father grew up. Here we have a Christmas dinner, also generally Polish food, and open more presents! But you get a number and you have to wait until your number is up to open them. Also I generally get deigned "Santa's Helper" and have to run the gifts to everyone.
So that's what I do for the two days of Christmas. There's also the tradition of watching Rudolph, A Christmas Story, and The Santa Clause while eating Boy Scout caramel popcorn, which happens over the duration of the Christmas season, but hasn't started here yet...
What does anyone else do? Favorite gift ever? Christmas decorating with carols and dancing? Percy the Puny Poinsettia singing?
all right, you go have a very Merry Christmas with your family!
KITTENPLAY
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Fail.
Kittenpause!
I'm back from the deceased! And by that I mean I've finally gotten around to posting something again. Yay for finals and interesting ways of procrastinating!
My thermo teacher is still evil, by the way. We had our last test before the final that's on Saturday. I made two silly mistakes but hopefully he doesn't take too much off for it.
okay so I came up with three ideas to talk about:
1. Improbability of the moon and the Universe in general
The moon, our moon, is precisely the right size and at the right distance to allow total eclipses. What is the significance of this? Does it imply that life needs total eclipses? Does it imply that the moon didn't form naturally? IS THE MOON ACTUALLY A SPONGE (obviously not).
2. The weirdness of the internet culture. Just in general, but in specific the fact that you can know pretty much anything about another person and they can have no clue you exist. This was always weird with movie stars and such, but now even more "average" people are becoming well known, and that's kind of skivvy. I mean, for all I know, you all have figured out every last detail about me - where I go to school, how old I am, my favorite place to read... and I mean you've learned this about me not from seeing me face to face, but just from what I like to call "facebook-stalking" - you make friends with someone and then look at all their pictures and try to figure out what kind of a person they are... whether to decide if you want to be "real" friends with that person or you have a more nefarious purpose in mind... Just in general, it's weird how much someone can know about you without you ever knowing anything about them.
3. Stargate - SG-1 - About a month or so ago (maybe 3 weeks? not sure...) I started watching SG-1 on Hulu because Stargate Universe just came out and I wanted to get more background for the series. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with SG-1. I'm in season 3 now, and the plots seem to be better thought out, moving away from cultural encounters to scientific adventures... it's on Hulu if you want to join me in my adventure. It's going down March 5 I think, and there are a ton of seasons, so get started as soon as you're done with finals!
Okay. Good luck on finals. Enjoy life.
SG-1 current episode: 3.13
kittenPLAY!
I'm back from the deceased! And by that I mean I've finally gotten around to posting something again. Yay for finals and interesting ways of procrastinating!
My thermo teacher is still evil, by the way. We had our last test before the final that's on Saturday. I made two silly mistakes but hopefully he doesn't take too much off for it.
okay so I came up with three ideas to talk about:
1. Improbability of the moon and the Universe in general
The moon, our moon, is precisely the right size and at the right distance to allow total eclipses. What is the significance of this? Does it imply that life needs total eclipses? Does it imply that the moon didn't form naturally? IS THE MOON ACTUALLY A SPONGE (obviously not).
2. The weirdness of the internet culture. Just in general, but in specific the fact that you can know pretty much anything about another person and they can have no clue you exist. This was always weird with movie stars and such, but now even more "average" people are becoming well known, and that's kind of skivvy. I mean, for all I know, you all have figured out every last detail about me - where I go to school, how old I am, my favorite place to read... and I mean you've learned this about me not from seeing me face to face, but just from what I like to call "facebook-stalking" - you make friends with someone and then look at all their pictures and try to figure out what kind of a person they are... whether to decide if you want to be "real" friends with that person or you have a more nefarious purpose in mind... Just in general, it's weird how much someone can know about you without you ever knowing anything about them.
3. Stargate - SG-1 - About a month or so ago (maybe 3 weeks? not sure...) I started watching SG-1 on Hulu because Stargate Universe just came out and I wanted to get more background for the series. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with SG-1. I'm in season 3 now, and the plots seem to be better thought out, moving away from cultural encounters to scientific adventures... it's on Hulu if you want to join me in my adventure. It's going down March 5 I think, and there are a ton of seasons, so get started as soon as you're done with finals!
Okay. Good luck on finals. Enjoy life.
SG-1 current episode: 3.13
kittenPLAY!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Internet Successes
KITTENPAUSE time!!
So I'm, once again, well overdue for a post. Did you miss me?
I'm sure you'll all be glad to know that the crisis from the previous post has been averted. I passed my test! Yay! But I'm not really sure that I'm any closer to determining life goals, &etc. Something to deal with at a later date.
Goldwater Scholarship – I really should apply for it, but I just can’t motivate myself to write the darn essays and fill out the application… FAIL. Oh well.
Right now, I’m doing this because I should be writing an Ethics essay (or, for that matter, researching for ethics, researching REUs, or doing that Goldwater application…) but I really just don’t want to. I’d rather stay on the couch doing nothing.
I keep being struck by how well people are doing for themselves by starting out on YouTube. Or at least becoming popular through YouTube. It started with Hank Green of the vlogbrothers. I had heard of his brother John Green, and really enjoyed his book, but Hank Green has since started an independent record label and I guess is starting an independent publishing company. Then there’s Charlie McDonnel (charlieissocoollike) and Alex Day, both of whom now have started an internet attempt to take over the British music charts and who are working with BBC Switch. Kristina Horner isn’t doing so bad herself. She’s got friends on nearly every continent, had a free car with free gas for six months, and has now been working with ApartmentRed and may have a chance to do the whole acting thing. Speaking of which, Darren Criss of A Very Potter Musical fame now has a role on the new ABC show Eastwick.
So basically, I find it amazing how much people have managed to do with YouTube and just networking. At the same time, that kind of scares me because for all those people who manage to make successes of themselves via the internet, there are plenty that have been victims of liars and cheats. The question is whether I can make myself a success via the internet, whether I want to make myself that kind of a success, and whether I would be happy with that. I’m thinking about doing a variety type show on my YouTube… WE SHALL SEE.
Anyone have Wrock music they can share? I need to acquire more of it since I’m in charge of music for the Yule Ball.
HALLOWEEN IS COMING AND I’M SO EXCITED.
KITTENPLAY.
So I'm, once again, well overdue for a post. Did you miss me?
I'm sure you'll all be glad to know that the crisis from the previous post has been averted. I passed my test! Yay! But I'm not really sure that I'm any closer to determining life goals, &etc. Something to deal with at a later date.
Goldwater Scholarship – I really should apply for it, but I just can’t motivate myself to write the darn essays and fill out the application… FAIL. Oh well.
Right now, I’m doing this because I should be writing an Ethics essay (or, for that matter, researching for ethics, researching REUs, or doing that Goldwater application…) but I really just don’t want to. I’d rather stay on the couch doing nothing.
I keep being struck by how well people are doing for themselves by starting out on YouTube. Or at least becoming popular through YouTube. It started with Hank Green of the vlogbrothers. I had heard of his brother John Green, and really enjoyed his book, but Hank Green has since started an independent record label and I guess is starting an independent publishing company. Then there’s Charlie McDonnel (charlieissocoollike) and Alex Day, both of whom now have started an internet attempt to take over the British music charts and who are working with BBC Switch. Kristina Horner isn’t doing so bad herself. She’s got friends on nearly every continent, had a free car with free gas for six months, and has now been working with ApartmentRed and may have a chance to do the whole acting thing. Speaking of which, Darren Criss of A Very Potter Musical fame now has a role on the new ABC show Eastwick.
So basically, I find it amazing how much people have managed to do with YouTube and just networking. At the same time, that kind of scares me because for all those people who manage to make successes of themselves via the internet, there are plenty that have been victims of liars and cheats. The question is whether I can make myself a success via the internet, whether I want to make myself that kind of a success, and whether I would be happy with that. I’m thinking about doing a variety type show on my YouTube… WE SHALL SEE.
Anyone have Wrock music they can share? I need to acquire more of it since I’m in charge of music for the Yule Ball.
HALLOWEEN IS COMING AND I’M SO EXCITED.
KITTENPLAY.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Failing Tests, Evaluating Life Goals, and Harry Potter
It's time for a big, fat, KITTENPAUSE.
Or at the very least, it's time for me to ramble on aimlessly for a bit of a while during which time you procrastinate doing your work (or perhaps I'm interesting to you, what with my woes of life and Harry Potter obsession.)
Which brings me to the topics of today's post: Failing Tests, Evaluating Life Goals, and Harry Potter.
Failing Tests
For those of you not aware of where I go to school and what I do (do I have any of you yet? I think most everyone who reads this knows me "irl") I'm currently taking a class entitled "Thermodynamics" although I think a more apt name would be "Thermodynamics is only a third of this class and you're going to fail." The professor of this class is the bane of many a student's existence and, I am given to understand, grades more based on whim than on demonstrated understanding of course topics. This past Wednesday was my first experience taking one of his tests and, despite studying for nearly 5 hours the night before, getting to bed by 1 A.M., and eating a breakfast the next morning, I'm fairly sure I failed the test. The thing of it all is, I needn't have failed the test. I probably would have passed (and still could have, I suppose) if not for the fact that on the easiest problem of the test, I neglected to actually copy the equation properly. This is pretty much the silliest reason I can think of to fail a test and, hopefully, my crazy teacher will agree and allot me two-thirds credit for the question because, really, I understood how to solve the problem I just couldn't help my brain from running through the final song from "A Very Potter Musical" We must unite, so we can fight, turn the battle around. We must unite so we can fiiiight. Voldemort is going DOWN. I am not alone in the failure of this test, but I'm fairly sure I'm the only one who will fail for such a ridiculous reason.
Which leads me to Part II: Evaluating Life Goals
Failing a test is a big deal to me. You have probably already guessed this, as you most likely actually know me, but doing well is incredibly important to me. If I failed this test it leads me to wonder if I'm actually pursuing the right career. I mean, it's only a second year course and I'm on scholarship so if I fail this class (extrapolating, I know) then I could conceivably lose my scholarship, have to drop out of school, and find a nice place to live in some alleyway with a couple of cats. Yep. This led me to asking myself what I want to do with my degree when I get out of here and the truth is, I have no idea! I don't really fancy being a professor or a teacher, and the only real vision I had for my future was a bookshop of my own with a resident cat. That's not to say I don't love learning about the universe and how it works and doing math equations and generally searching for life's existence elsewhere but somehow... I can't really see my life past getting my doctorate and I'm starting to wonder if I'm just putting myself through school because it's expected and because I never saw another way of doing it. I mean I'd really like to be the next Bill Nye, but how does one get that to happen? So I figure, getting my doctorate is a good place to start. If a realllly long course of action. And all because I think I failed a test. Sometimes my imagination just gets ahead of itself.
Harry Potter
While I was evaluating my life goals I asked myself: What do I really love? And the only answer I can come up with is Harry Potter. And by that I mean the series, not the actual character. I spend most of my life thinking in terms of Harry Potter, quoting Harry Potter, and finding other awesome things that people who love Harry Potter have done. (A Very Potter Musical, anyone?) If I could just figure out how to make a living off of my love of Harry Potter, I'd be golden (This is possible, besides the boatloads of money Warner Bros. has made, there are Wizard Rock bands, Vloggers, the Mugglenet and Leaky Cauldron people... I could do that!) The only problem is I can't quite figure out how to make that awesomeness a reality. The advice I'm constantly thrown is "do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life." I can't help wondering how I know what I love... it seems to me at this point that I won't figure it out until it's too late.
If not astronomy, then what?
Okay, enough of my depressing (if witty?) banter.
It's time to PLAY.
Or at the very least, it's time for me to ramble on aimlessly for a bit of a while during which time you procrastinate doing your work (or perhaps I'm interesting to you, what with my woes of life and Harry Potter obsession.)
Which brings me to the topics of today's post: Failing Tests, Evaluating Life Goals, and Harry Potter.
Failing Tests
For those of you not aware of where I go to school and what I do (do I have any of you yet? I think most everyone who reads this knows me "irl") I'm currently taking a class entitled "Thermodynamics" although I think a more apt name would be "Thermodynamics is only a third of this class and you're going to fail." The professor of this class is the bane of many a student's existence and, I am given to understand, grades more based on whim than on demonstrated understanding of course topics. This past Wednesday was my first experience taking one of his tests and, despite studying for nearly 5 hours the night before, getting to bed by 1 A.M., and eating a breakfast the next morning, I'm fairly sure I failed the test. The thing of it all is, I needn't have failed the test. I probably would have passed (and still could have, I suppose) if not for the fact that on the easiest problem of the test, I neglected to actually copy the equation properly. This is pretty much the silliest reason I can think of to fail a test and, hopefully, my crazy teacher will agree and allot me two-thirds credit for the question because, really, I understood how to solve the problem I just couldn't help my brain from running through the final song from "A Very Potter Musical" We must unite, so we can fight, turn the battle around. We must unite so we can fiiiight. Voldemort is going DOWN. I am not alone in the failure of this test, but I'm fairly sure I'm the only one who will fail for such a ridiculous reason.
Which leads me to Part II: Evaluating Life Goals
Failing a test is a big deal to me. You have probably already guessed this, as you most likely actually know me, but doing well is incredibly important to me. If I failed this test it leads me to wonder if I'm actually pursuing the right career. I mean, it's only a second year course and I'm on scholarship so if I fail this class (extrapolating, I know) then I could conceivably lose my scholarship, have to drop out of school, and find a nice place to live in some alleyway with a couple of cats. Yep. This led me to asking myself what I want to do with my degree when I get out of here and the truth is, I have no idea! I don't really fancy being a professor or a teacher, and the only real vision I had for my future was a bookshop of my own with a resident cat. That's not to say I don't love learning about the universe and how it works and doing math equations and generally searching for life's existence elsewhere but somehow... I can't really see my life past getting my doctorate and I'm starting to wonder if I'm just putting myself through school because it's expected and because I never saw another way of doing it. I mean I'd really like to be the next Bill Nye, but how does one get that to happen? So I figure, getting my doctorate is a good place to start. If a realllly long course of action. And all because I think I failed a test. Sometimes my imagination just gets ahead of itself.
Harry Potter
While I was evaluating my life goals I asked myself: What do I really love? And the only answer I can come up with is Harry Potter. And by that I mean the series, not the actual character. I spend most of my life thinking in terms of Harry Potter, quoting Harry Potter, and finding other awesome things that people who love Harry Potter have done. (A Very Potter Musical, anyone?) If I could just figure out how to make a living off of my love of Harry Potter, I'd be golden (This is possible, besides the boatloads of money Warner Bros. has made, there are Wizard Rock bands, Vloggers, the Mugglenet and Leaky Cauldron people... I could do that!) The only problem is I can't quite figure out how to make that awesomeness a reality. The advice I'm constantly thrown is "do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life." I can't help wondering how I know what I love... it seems to me at this point that I won't figure it out until it's too late.
If not astronomy, then what?
Okay, enough of my depressing (if witty?) banter.
It's time to PLAY.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Service Days, Harry Potter Club, and Being Ahead of Schedule
ready... set... KITTENPAUSE!
Okay so I've now finished my... fourth(?) week of school? That's two weeks till midterm and um... twelve? until the end of exam week. Technically thirteen but I cut out one week because it's a break anyhow. Anyhow it just seems like school goes by so fast. But I know, it'll get harder, more intense, quickly. I just seem to be hitting the point where that'll happen. The second half of the semester is always harder because the coursework is more advanced and you start getting into tests and projects and such. Ah, to be able to read books and do fun things all day.
so onto the blog content, since I'm sure you're well and bored with the status update on how I see the semester.
1. Service Days:
I'm quite excited because tomorrow is a campus-wide service day which means good food, fun with friends, free t-shirts, and, of course, a general do-good feeling. This will be the fifth service day I've participated in, and hopefully the best! I like the idea of how much good our school is going to be able to do in just one day! Of course, if we were going to an animal shelter, I'd be way more excited. I want to socialize the kitties!
2. Harry Potter Club
Uber-excitement on campus! A Harry Potter Club has finally been implemented and we're doing some seriously cool stuff! It's nice to find other Potterheads on campus. Yay Ravenclaw! I can't wait to get way more involved in the Potter community at large and, hopefully, to get involved with HP Alliance, the not-for-profit young-people led Darfur aid group. Very Very cool.
And I've been enjoying some Wrock listenings. You should check out the Moaning Myrtles, they have this sick a capella piece called "Bathroom Acoustics." There's a toothbrush solo!
3. Being Ahead
Okay, I'm at a really weird point this week. I knew I was going to be doing the day of service tomorrow, and that I have a lot of long term stuff to do so I did like all my homework the day it was assigned. Part of this is due to the fact that my Japanese homework is always due the next day. Anyhow, now I can't do any work until the sun sets, so I'm in this weird place where I feel like I should be doing work and I'm nervous about my Thermo test on Wednesday and I know I need to study, but aside from that I can't really do anything and so I'm antsy. I do have to make a poster type thing for a presentation in a little over two weeks but I want to talk to my professor about that first, so... just argh. My point is I should feel free to do whatever I want but I don't because I feel like I should be doing something but I don't actually have anything I can do... and no books I want to read at the moment. Nervous-making much? I don't like this I can only do some of my homework during a span of like 4 hours if I want sleep, 6-8 if I don't. Very, Very strange.
Let me know what you think. Do you get things done early and then sit around while everyone else is working? Are you a perpetual procrastinator? Would you feel anxiety about not having something to do?
Okay, okay, I think I've rambled on enough.
KITTENPLAY
Okay so I've now finished my... fourth(?) week of school? That's two weeks till midterm and um... twelve? until the end of exam week. Technically thirteen but I cut out one week because it's a break anyhow. Anyhow it just seems like school goes by so fast. But I know, it'll get harder, more intense, quickly. I just seem to be hitting the point where that'll happen. The second half of the semester is always harder because the coursework is more advanced and you start getting into tests and projects and such. Ah, to be able to read books and do fun things all day.
so onto the blog content, since I'm sure you're well and bored with the status update on how I see the semester.
1. Service Days:
I'm quite excited because tomorrow is a campus-wide service day which means good food, fun with friends, free t-shirts, and, of course, a general do-good feeling. This will be the fifth service day I've participated in, and hopefully the best! I like the idea of how much good our school is going to be able to do in just one day! Of course, if we were going to an animal shelter, I'd be way more excited. I want to socialize the kitties!
2. Harry Potter Club
Uber-excitement on campus! A Harry Potter Club has finally been implemented and we're doing some seriously cool stuff! It's nice to find other Potterheads on campus. Yay Ravenclaw! I can't wait to get way more involved in the Potter community at large and, hopefully, to get involved with HP Alliance, the not-for-profit young-people led Darfur aid group. Very Very cool.
And I've been enjoying some Wrock listenings. You should check out the Moaning Myrtles, they have this sick a capella piece called "Bathroom Acoustics." There's a toothbrush solo!
3. Being Ahead
Okay, I'm at a really weird point this week. I knew I was going to be doing the day of service tomorrow, and that I have a lot of long term stuff to do so I did like all my homework the day it was assigned. Part of this is due to the fact that my Japanese homework is always due the next day. Anyhow, now I can't do any work until the sun sets, so I'm in this weird place where I feel like I should be doing work and I'm nervous about my Thermo test on Wednesday and I know I need to study, but aside from that I can't really do anything and so I'm antsy. I do have to make a poster type thing for a presentation in a little over two weeks but I want to talk to my professor about that first, so... just argh. My point is I should feel free to do whatever I want but I don't because I feel like I should be doing something but I don't actually have anything I can do... and no books I want to read at the moment. Nervous-making much? I don't like this I can only do some of my homework during a span of like 4 hours if I want sleep, 6-8 if I don't. Very, Very strange.
Let me know what you think. Do you get things done early and then sit around while everyone else is working? Are you a perpetual procrastinator? Would you feel anxiety about not having something to do?
Okay, okay, I think I've rambled on enough.
KITTENPLAY
Friday, September 4, 2009
A Friendly Return to Doom
Time for a KittenPause
(yes, I know it's been a bit of a while, but I wasn't ever consistent, was I?)
So this post comes in three parts:
PART 1: A Friendly Return to Doom
Two weeks into semester one from hell, and I can't help thinking I've somehow lulled myself into a false sense of security. For instance, my pertinent work this weekend includes practicing Japanese, Thermo homework that's essentially due Wednesday (and doesn't even have to be done correctly or completely), ObLab calibration packet, and hopefully some spectra taking Saturday night. Which, all things considered, doesn't seem so bad. I've already finished Astro homework and Ethics, so it's all a big yay.
The problem with the friendliness of this all is that it makes me think I can handle doing other things (a capella group, acting, harry potter clubbing), and these are decisions I may (read probably) regret later. Which is, in effect, causing me not to make said decisions. Anyhow, the false sense of not too much homework also results in a greater amount of procrastination (that ObLab homework? I really should have started it yesterday...). So I'm trying to schedule myself and get stuff done as early as possible so that I can relax (read: sleep an acceptable amount of time) later on in the semester. And then things happen like my summer research grant decides to tell me I have to have a poster prepared for October. The day before my first big ObLab assignment is due. Not okay? Not to mention it's partly during one of my classes... So I'm trying to balance the having a life (I mean by this, reading and watching Hulu, and being in Pastorals) with the getting homework done earlier so that I don't have so much later (when the ethics papers come calling).
And I miss home. I miss knowing that there's a place I actually want to visit for Thanksgiving instead of a smelly place to sleep on a couch. I look forward to my parents being settled in a new place with pretty colors and warm weather. But balancing all that... right now I feel like I'm too calm. Like my routine hasn't hit home yet.
And to add to the friendliness, the lovely new freshmen are an eclectic group, and it's interesting to see how they're integrating into the department. Namely, some are not integrating, some are partially, and some seem to fall into the I'm-here-all-the-time camp. By the time we settle in, I'll start feeling the pain, I think.
PART 2: Harry Potter Prequel & etc
As your resident Harry Potter news source, I'd like to share with you some new-to-me information that you may or may not care about.
Firstly, Jo (read: J.K. Rowling) wrote a short, 800 word prequel last August, that was not very well publicized in the US, but which you can find if you do a bit of digging. It's pretty fun, a glimpse into the antics of James and Sirius.
Secondly, apparently on September 15th we're due to find more about Universal's Harry Potter world, which I, for one, am anxiously anticipating!
Thirdly, there are rumors flying about Jo's Scottish Book (read: Harry Potter Encyclopedia). Apparently she is doing some work on it, so it may appear... in the next 5 years?
Finally, if you know about jkrowling.com, you may know about the secret door you can get to if you click on the pink eraser. It appears they have added a time turner to the site, so you can go back to all the door openings that you may have missed. Anyone want to take the W.O.M.B.A.T.s
PART 3: Glee!
Okay, the fall tv season is due to start soon/has already begun. And my most-anticipated new show is Glee. I think the combination of adult-ish humor and High School Musical energy should prove to create very interesting and fun plot lines. I look forward to Hulu having it up next Thursday.
And I'm looking forward to Heroes, Fringe, and Big Bang Theory returning this fall.
Anybody have thoughts on the above? It's only my second week, so maybe the pain will have caught up to me next week...
KITTENPLAY
(yes, I know it's been a bit of a while, but I wasn't ever consistent, was I?)
So this post comes in three parts:
PART 1: A Friendly Return to Doom
Two weeks into semester one from hell, and I can't help thinking I've somehow lulled myself into a false sense of security. For instance, my pertinent work this weekend includes practicing Japanese, Thermo homework that's essentially due Wednesday (and doesn't even have to be done correctly or completely), ObLab calibration packet, and hopefully some spectra taking Saturday night. Which, all things considered, doesn't seem so bad. I've already finished Astro homework and Ethics, so it's all a big yay.
The problem with the friendliness of this all is that it makes me think I can handle doing other things (a capella group, acting, harry potter clubbing), and these are decisions I may (read probably) regret later. Which is, in effect, causing me not to make said decisions. Anyhow, the false sense of not too much homework also results in a greater amount of procrastination (that ObLab homework? I really should have started it yesterday...). So I'm trying to schedule myself and get stuff done as early as possible so that I can relax (read: sleep an acceptable amount of time) later on in the semester. And then things happen like my summer research grant decides to tell me I have to have a poster prepared for October. The day before my first big ObLab assignment is due. Not okay? Not to mention it's partly during one of my classes... So I'm trying to balance the having a life (I mean by this, reading and watching Hulu, and being in Pastorals) with the getting homework done earlier so that I don't have so much later (when the ethics papers come calling).
And I miss home. I miss knowing that there's a place I actually want to visit for Thanksgiving instead of a smelly place to sleep on a couch. I look forward to my parents being settled in a new place with pretty colors and warm weather. But balancing all that... right now I feel like I'm too calm. Like my routine hasn't hit home yet.
And to add to the friendliness, the lovely new freshmen are an eclectic group, and it's interesting to see how they're integrating into the department. Namely, some are not integrating, some are partially, and some seem to fall into the I'm-here-all-the-time camp. By the time we settle in, I'll start feeling the pain, I think.
PART 2: Harry Potter Prequel & etc
As your resident Harry Potter news source, I'd like to share with you some new-to-me information that you may or may not care about.
Firstly, Jo (read: J.K. Rowling) wrote a short, 800 word prequel last August, that was not very well publicized in the US, but which you can find if you do a bit of digging. It's pretty fun, a glimpse into the antics of James and Sirius.
Secondly, apparently on September 15th we're due to find more about Universal's Harry Potter world, which I, for one, am anxiously anticipating!
Thirdly, there are rumors flying about Jo's Scottish Book (read: Harry Potter Encyclopedia). Apparently she is doing some work on it, so it may appear... in the next 5 years?
Finally, if you know about jkrowling.com, you may know about the secret door you can get to if you click on the pink eraser. It appears they have added a time turner to the site, so you can go back to all the door openings that you may have missed. Anyone want to take the W.O.M.B.A.T.s
PART 3: Glee!
Okay, the fall tv season is due to start soon/has already begun. And my most-anticipated new show is Glee. I think the combination of adult-ish humor and High School Musical energy should prove to create very interesting and fun plot lines. I look forward to Hulu having it up next Thursday.
And I'm looking forward to Heroes, Fringe, and Big Bang Theory returning this fall.
Anybody have thoughts on the above? It's only my second week, so maybe the pain will have caught up to me next week...
KITTENPLAY
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Coupons and Freebies
okay everybody, I know you've been waiting ages so here it is...
IT'S TIME TO KITTENPAUSE!
Between working, not working, and not having internet because I was staying in my parents' new apartment that smells like nicotine (or whatever part of cigarettes it is that just smells awful) it seems I have gone nearly a month without a blog post, and this is just UNACCEPTABLE! Failure to make a vlog, okay that's one thing, that's a lot of editing and such. But no blog? really? FAIL
Those of you who know me (I think at this point in time the only people actually reading this are people who know me,) know that I am a coupon hound. Going out to dinner? Here's a coupon for a free appetizer. Going to the mall? Hey, I have like five free things to pick up from various stores. Grocery store? Don't buy that brand, I have a coupon for this other brand! And don't get me started about the free samples that arrive in my mailbox with a fair amount of regularity.
So how, you ask, do I do it? How do I manage to attain such a level of free stuff? I have some quick and easy rules for such attainment.
RULE #1:
If you're going out to eat someplace, and you have computer access, check their website for any free offers. Places like Red Robin and Applebee's and the like often are running promotions.
RULE #2:
Sign up for free store clubs, like Godiva's Chocolate Lover's Club (free piece of chocolate every month!), for girls, Aerie's A-List (free gift on one Thursday of your choice each month), also for girls Victoria's Secret Pink Nation, and more... (anyone have a good site? Let me know!) These give you free emails and offers, often without having to spend a cent to join the club or even purchase anything at the store (although I'm sure they want you to...)
RULE #3:
Find a good freebies blog like shop4freebies.com. This enables you to reap the rewards of free stuff without having to do all the hunting for it.
and finally,
RULE #4:
Surveys and opinion panels are a great way to procrastinate effectively. If you can get into an opinion panel like utalkback, they will give you gift cards for your time. I think there's a new site that is advertising on TV, but I haven't checked it out yet. And there's always the swagbucks method, that many of you read about on Kyle's blog. You search with their engine, and you get random points. These points let you get cool things like Amazon gift cards. The more you use it, the more chance you can "buy" stuff.
Happy free stuff-ing!
PLAY
IT'S TIME TO KITTENPAUSE!
Between working, not working, and not having internet because I was staying in my parents' new apartment that smells like nicotine (or whatever part of cigarettes it is that just smells awful) it seems I have gone nearly a month without a blog post, and this is just UNACCEPTABLE! Failure to make a vlog, okay that's one thing, that's a lot of editing and such. But no blog? really? FAIL
Those of you who know me (I think at this point in time the only people actually reading this are people who know me,) know that I am a coupon hound. Going out to dinner? Here's a coupon for a free appetizer. Going to the mall? Hey, I have like five free things to pick up from various stores. Grocery store? Don't buy that brand, I have a coupon for this other brand! And don't get me started about the free samples that arrive in my mailbox with a fair amount of regularity.
So how, you ask, do I do it? How do I manage to attain such a level of free stuff? I have some quick and easy rules for such attainment.
RULE #1:
If you're going out to eat someplace, and you have computer access, check their website for any free offers. Places like Red Robin and Applebee's and the like often are running promotions.
RULE #2:
Sign up for free store clubs, like Godiva's Chocolate Lover's Club (free piece of chocolate every month!), for girls, Aerie's A-List (free gift on one Thursday of your choice each month), also for girls Victoria's Secret Pink Nation, and more... (anyone have a good site? Let me know!) These give you free emails and offers, often without having to spend a cent to join the club or even purchase anything at the store (although I'm sure they want you to...)
RULE #3:
Find a good freebies blog like shop4freebies.com. This enables you to reap the rewards of free stuff without having to do all the hunting for it.
and finally,
RULE #4:
Surveys and opinion panels are a great way to procrastinate effectively. If you can get into an opinion panel like utalkback, they will give you gift cards for your time. I think there's a new site that is advertising on TV, but I haven't checked it out yet. And there's always the swagbucks method, that many of you read about on Kyle's blog. You search with their engine, and you get random points. These points let you get cool things like Amazon gift cards. The more you use it, the more chance you can "buy" stuff.
Happy free stuff-ing!
PLAY
Sunday, July 19, 2009
PSA for Height
You may have already read this on my friend's blog. But I'm double posting!
Today's issue of Interesting News is brought to you courtesy of the good ol' kittenpause. Find me at kittenpaws33.blogspot.com.
A Public Service Announcement on behalf of tall girls and short guys everywhere
What is it about tall guys (particularly of the over 6'2" variety) that they tend to be attracted to absurdly short girls? It just isn't fair. I mean really. I would like to put forth the theory (and I believe my dear host Aaron is in agreement with me) that ideally a girl/guy relationship should consist of a shorter girl who is within five or so inches of the respective male's height. This is preferable for several reasons, most of which I will attempt to illustrate with anecdotes.
1. This is better for the guy's neck. Looking down at girls that much shorter all the time can really give you a crick in your neck. My one uncle, who I estimate to be about 6'8", although I forget which uncle it was so he could have been 6'5", once asked my 5'11" mother to dance with him for a minute. He decided that that was the ideal height a girl should be - low enough for cuddling, but not so short that awkward leaning was necessary... I think the woman he married was about 5'4". Really people, it's bad for all of us.
Actually all my uncles are ridiculously tall and married ridiculously short women...
2. This is ideal for the girl in the relationship because she can wear heels and still be comfortably shorter than the guy (and leaves the guy looking very manly I might add). Generally this is not a problem for short girls. They can almost always wear heels and be shorter. But tall girls, who are say, 5'8" really need those extra inches so that the guy's eye level is never at, say, her boobs.
3. What about the short guys? They need to feel acceptably manly. If the short girls go run away with the tall guys then the short guys are left only with medium to tall girls. And any of these cases result in the guy being shorter. Add heels into the equation and well... it's trouble!
Listen, short girls, I know tall guys are attractive. And tall guys I understand that it's nice to feel so powerful standing next to a girl. But you're tall anyway! You'll be taller than most any girl! And if it's bad for a 5'8" girl, what about the 6'3" girls? Really, please, please, try to fight the draw of domination and being dominated. Tall girls would like their love interests to be well above boob level...
I do have a theory that this is evolution's fault. I have a feeling that the tall/short matches happen to normalize the offspring. But I can't help feeling that the other matches in which the girls are tall and the guys are short rarely happen. And this indicates to me that it isn't all evolutionary. There must be a societal influence. Either that or short girls and tall guys are just more attractive... but then why are models 5'9" or taller? Society has royally effed this one up.
I propose the coalition of short guys/tall girls to combat this societal issue. Short guys want the short girls and tall girls want the tall guys. We must unite in the attempt to stop these bonds between tall guys and short girls from forming. I keep seeing my short friends who are 5'4" with guys 6'2" or taller. It's not fair girls, it's just not. Please, on behalf of tall girls and short guys everywhere, cap the height difference at approximately one tenth of your height. If the top of your head is below his chin, it's just too much of a difference.
And tall girls are sick of scrounging for the short girls scraps!
Short guys, do you have any comments? Any ideas on how to remedy this situation?
All right, thanks for taking this not-so-brief kittenpause.
Today's issue of Interesting News is brought to you courtesy of the good ol' kittenpause. Find me at kittenpaws33.blogspot.com.
A Public Service Announcement on behalf of tall girls and short guys everywhere
What is it about tall guys (particularly of the over 6'2" variety) that they tend to be attracted to absurdly short girls? It just isn't fair. I mean really. I would like to put forth the theory (and I believe my dear host Aaron is in agreement with me) that ideally a girl/guy relationship should consist of a shorter girl who is within five or so inches of the respective male's height. This is preferable for several reasons, most of which I will attempt to illustrate with anecdotes.
1. This is better for the guy's neck. Looking down at girls that much shorter all the time can really give you a crick in your neck. My one uncle, who I estimate to be about 6'8", although I forget which uncle it was so he could have been 6'5", once asked my 5'11" mother to dance with him for a minute. He decided that that was the ideal height a girl should be - low enough for cuddling, but not so short that awkward leaning was necessary... I think the woman he married was about 5'4". Really people, it's bad for all of us.
Actually all my uncles are ridiculously tall and married ridiculously short women...
2. This is ideal for the girl in the relationship because she can wear heels and still be comfortably shorter than the guy (and leaves the guy looking very manly I might add). Generally this is not a problem for short girls. They can almost always wear heels and be shorter. But tall girls, who are say, 5'8" really need those extra inches so that the guy's eye level is never at, say, her boobs.
3. What about the short guys? They need to feel acceptably manly. If the short girls go run away with the tall guys then the short guys are left only with medium to tall girls. And any of these cases result in the guy being shorter. Add heels into the equation and well... it's trouble!
Listen, short girls, I know tall guys are attractive. And tall guys I understand that it's nice to feel so powerful standing next to a girl. But you're tall anyway! You'll be taller than most any girl! And if it's bad for a 5'8" girl, what about the 6'3" girls? Really, please, please, try to fight the draw of domination and being dominated. Tall girls would like their love interests to be well above boob level...
I do have a theory that this is evolution's fault. I have a feeling that the tall/short matches happen to normalize the offspring. But I can't help feeling that the other matches in which the girls are tall and the guys are short rarely happen. And this indicates to me that it isn't all evolutionary. There must be a societal influence. Either that or short girls and tall guys are just more attractive... but then why are models 5'9" or taller? Society has royally effed this one up.
I propose the coalition of short guys/tall girls to combat this societal issue. Short guys want the short girls and tall girls want the tall guys. We must unite in the attempt to stop these bonds between tall guys and short girls from forming. I keep seeing my short friends who are 5'4" with guys 6'2" or taller. It's not fair girls, it's just not. Please, on behalf of tall girls and short guys everywhere, cap the height difference at approximately one tenth of your height. If the top of your head is below his chin, it's just too much of a difference.
And tall girls are sick of scrounging for the short girls scraps!
Short guys, do you have any comments? Any ideas on how to remedy this situation?
All right, thanks for taking this not-so-brief kittenpause.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Pre Movie Hype (And Why Books Are Better)
Does anybody know what time it is? That's right, it's time for a KITTENPAUSE
So a couple of little minimercials before I dive into the meat of this post:
1. Later this week (July 18th to be exact) I'll be appearing as a guest blogger on my friend Aaron's blog, Interesting News, and I won't be around to double post that particular gem of my brain blabber until Sunday night, so this is a little heads up for everyone.
2. I'm going to Otakon this weekend and I'm a little leery of the whole adventure. It seemed like a much better idea back in January. Now I'm not even sure who's going, and I wish it was just a huge Harry Potter Con. I want to go to LeakyCon next year :(
3. All aboard the failboat! I have not succeeded in my plans for YouTube domination! All I have managed to do is post one rather crappy video of a song I wrote in which the sound is terrible and I apparently and unable to change chords in a reasonable amount of time. On that note, does anyone care if I ever post anything on YouTube ever again? Should I become a brilliant skit star? What will boost the rocket of my internet fame? Why am I even worried about that when I have school?
ALL RIGHT - to the crux of this post! Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out tomorrow night!
I am rather excited about this movie, but it has chiefly served as a source of nostalgia for Harry Potter midnight book release parties of awesome (I've been to all of those since the fourth book came out - thanks for driving me mommie :) ), jealously of the actors who get to pretend to be Hermione, et al., and get paid for it and become ridiculously wealthy and just have a generally awesome existence, and finally anger over what the movie is just going to leave out because there simply isn't time in that medium to cover all the details of the book - all the glorious, delicious details.
Normally that wouldn't bother me so much. Okay, the movie doesn't have all the amazing parts that the book has (Hermione and the potions in Sorcerer's Stone, blast-ended skrewts, Rita Skeeter is an animagus, Winky the house-elf in Goblet of Fire, Cho Chang isn't a dirty traitor in Order of the Pheonix...) but it's still pretty good. The problem arises when I meet the people (you know who you are, and I'm mad at you!) who have never tried to read the books, who couldn't care less about Potter mania, and particularly those who love the movie but won't read the books because "reading is for lamebrains."
This just makes me mad. For one, reading is awesome. I am a strong proponent of reading, particularly reading just for pleasure and not analyzing the heck out of books. After all, much of my childhood was spent with my nose in a book. I think the results of my bibliophilia (Is that a word? It should be...) are obvious in my academic record and large vocabulary. But aside from the general awesomeness of reading, Harry Potter is in a class all of its own. J.K. Rowling may take a lot of flack for luring people to the evils of witchcraft, but she does not even remotely decry the beliefs of Christianity (His Dark Materials author Philip Pullman has been known to do this on occasion, but I love his books too. They're works of fiction people! So what if occasionally I want to pretend I can do magic? I'm an astrophysicist-in-training; there are weirder things out there). Aside from that, there has been many a friend of mind who did not enjoy reading but loved Harry Potter. I get it if you aren't a fantasy lover. Okay if you want to read realistic fiction. But if you love the movies and refuse to read the books? You're missing out on so much of Jo's writing style and minor characters that films just don't have the time to which to devote the detail. There are all the funny little lines and bloopers and plot holes (in the first edition of Goblet of Fire, Jo's editor had told her to switch the order that Lily and James came out of the wand. James came out first and then Lily. This led to much speculation about Lily/James Polyjuice potions, as the characters were supposed to come out in the opposite order they were killed).
All I have to say is: Read the books first, they're better. YOU get to imagine what the characters look like. Even if this results in anger when the actors don't look the way they were supposed to look, at least you can still have your separate vision of them. They aren't just Rupert Grint or Emma Watson or Daniel Radcliffe.
On a side note, I have plans to give people copies of books to read as gifts. Then they'll have to read them because they were gifts. Good idea, no?
Thanks for entertaining this little whim of mine. I think I'll probably include a reaction to the movie later.
Oh and if you're in the kittenpause book club and you haven't read Harry Potter, that's assignment number one. Get back to me in a month, I'll graciously accept your thanks :)
KITTENPLAY
So a couple of little minimercials before I dive into the meat of this post:
1. Later this week (July 18th to be exact) I'll be appearing as a guest blogger on my friend Aaron's blog, Interesting News, and I won't be around to double post that particular gem of my brain blabber until Sunday night, so this is a little heads up for everyone.
2. I'm going to Otakon this weekend and I'm a little leery of the whole adventure. It seemed like a much better idea back in January. Now I'm not even sure who's going, and I wish it was just a huge Harry Potter Con. I want to go to LeakyCon next year :(
3. All aboard the failboat! I have not succeeded in my plans for YouTube domination! All I have managed to do is post one rather crappy video of a song I wrote in which the sound is terrible and I apparently and unable to change chords in a reasonable amount of time. On that note, does anyone care if I ever post anything on YouTube ever again? Should I become a brilliant skit star? What will boost the rocket of my internet fame? Why am I even worried about that when I have school?
ALL RIGHT - to the crux of this post! Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out tomorrow night!
I am rather excited about this movie, but it has chiefly served as a source of nostalgia for Harry Potter midnight book release parties of awesome (I've been to all of those since the fourth book came out - thanks for driving me mommie :) ), jealously of the actors who get to pretend to be Hermione, et al., and get paid for it and become ridiculously wealthy and just have a generally awesome existence, and finally anger over what the movie is just going to leave out because there simply isn't time in that medium to cover all the details of the book - all the glorious, delicious details.
Normally that wouldn't bother me so much. Okay, the movie doesn't have all the amazing parts that the book has (Hermione and the potions in Sorcerer's Stone, blast-ended skrewts, Rita Skeeter is an animagus, Winky the house-elf in Goblet of Fire, Cho Chang isn't a dirty traitor in Order of the Pheonix...) but it's still pretty good. The problem arises when I meet the people (you know who you are, and I'm mad at you!) who have never tried to read the books, who couldn't care less about Potter mania, and particularly those who love the movie but won't read the books because "reading is for lamebrains."
This just makes me mad. For one, reading is awesome. I am a strong proponent of reading, particularly reading just for pleasure and not analyzing the heck out of books. After all, much of my childhood was spent with my nose in a book. I think the results of my bibliophilia (Is that a word? It should be...) are obvious in my academic record and large vocabulary. But aside from the general awesomeness of reading, Harry Potter is in a class all of its own. J.K. Rowling may take a lot of flack for luring people to the evils of witchcraft, but she does not even remotely decry the beliefs of Christianity (His Dark Materials author Philip Pullman has been known to do this on occasion, but I love his books too. They're works of fiction people! So what if occasionally I want to pretend I can do magic? I'm an astrophysicist-in-training; there are weirder things out there). Aside from that, there has been many a friend of mind who did not enjoy reading but loved Harry Potter. I get it if you aren't a fantasy lover. Okay if you want to read realistic fiction. But if you love the movies and refuse to read the books? You're missing out on so much of Jo's writing style and minor characters that films just don't have the time to which to devote the detail. There are all the funny little lines and bloopers and plot holes (in the first edition of Goblet of Fire, Jo's editor had told her to switch the order that Lily and James came out of the wand. James came out first and then Lily. This led to much speculation about Lily/James Polyjuice potions, as the characters were supposed to come out in the opposite order they were killed).
All I have to say is: Read the books first, they're better. YOU get to imagine what the characters look like. Even if this results in anger when the actors don't look the way they were supposed to look, at least you can still have your separate vision of them. They aren't just Rupert Grint or Emma Watson or Daniel Radcliffe.
On a side note, I have plans to give people copies of books to read as gifts. Then they'll have to read them because they were gifts. Good idea, no?
Thanks for entertaining this little whim of mine. I think I'll probably include a reaction to the movie later.
Oh and if you're in the kittenpause book club and you haven't read Harry Potter, that's assignment number one. Get back to me in a month, I'll graciously accept your thanks :)
KITTENPLAY
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
How to Catch Fireflies: A Brief Tutorial
It’s time for a brief kittenpause!
I know you all have been dying to hear from me! I mean, it's been several weeks. Illness (and sunburn) can be distracting!
My guest post on InterestingNews is coming up soon! -July 18-
I think I asked for a vote last post and with a rousing two votes it had something to do with fun in the summer. I have decided that this necessitates a quick tutorial on capturing those flighty fancies with the sulfur butts - that's right this is a HOW TO CATCH FIREFLIES post (or lightning bugs if you prefer)
STEP 1: First of all, make sure fireflies are in your area. This can't be done without the little buggers, after all.
STEP 2: You need to be outside when the fireflies are out. Generally speaking, they appear around dusk. Sometimes you have rogue fireflies that like to stay out late - The teenagers of the species if you will...
STEP 3: Pick a firefly. Track its movements by attempting to predict where it will next glow. Move slowly toward it. If possible have low lighting around.
STEP 4: Once you've picked your firefly, attempt to sihlouhette it against the low lighting so you can see it not only when it blinks. Continue moving towards the firefly in a low crouch with both hands slightly extended and cupped.
STEP 5: When you're close enough to the firefly quickly attempt to entrap it in your cupped hands, as if your hands were a Venus Fly Trap. Once you start moving in, they'll try to evade you by going higher.
Hurrah! You have caught your firelfy (lightning bug)! There are other techniques such as the come-from-under and just make it land on your hand, and the downward swipe grab. As you advance in the circuits, you will have time to refine your technique.
Also, if you fail to catch one on your first attempt it's okay to target another specimen! I suggest naming them, but that may just be me.
Don't forget to free your new friend! The fun is in the catching, not the keeping!
I hope you've enjoyed your quick break. But now it's time to press PLAY on your life!
I know you all have been dying to hear from me! I mean, it's been several weeks. Illness (and sunburn) can be distracting!
My guest post on InterestingNews is coming up soon! -July 18-
I think I asked for a vote last post and with a rousing two votes it had something to do with fun in the summer. I have decided that this necessitates a quick tutorial on capturing those flighty fancies with the sulfur butts - that's right this is a HOW TO CATCH FIREFLIES post (or lightning bugs if you prefer)
STEP 1: First of all, make sure fireflies are in your area. This can't be done without the little buggers, after all.
STEP 2: You need to be outside when the fireflies are out. Generally speaking, they appear around dusk. Sometimes you have rogue fireflies that like to stay out late - The teenagers of the species if you will...
STEP 3: Pick a firefly. Track its movements by attempting to predict where it will next glow. Move slowly toward it. If possible have low lighting around.
STEP 4: Once you've picked your firefly, attempt to sihlouhette it against the low lighting so you can see it not only when it blinks. Continue moving towards the firefly in a low crouch with both hands slightly extended and cupped.
STEP 5: When you're close enough to the firefly quickly attempt to entrap it in your cupped hands, as if your hands were a Venus Fly Trap. Once you start moving in, they'll try to evade you by going higher.
Hurrah! You have caught your firelfy (lightning bug)! There are other techniques such as the come-from-under and just make it land on your hand, and the downward swipe grab. As you advance in the circuits, you will have time to refine your technique.
Also, if you fail to catch one on your first attempt it's okay to target another specimen! I suggest naming them, but that may just be me.
Don't forget to free your new friend! The fun is in the catching, not the keeping!
I hope you've enjoyed your quick break. But now it's time to press PLAY on your life!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
YOU DECIDE
KITTENPAUSE TIME!!
So a weekend without a computer (it was lost in an epic virus battle) left me very bored and very appreciative of my laptop. *huggles to my compy*
It occurs to me to ask what YOU the reader want to read about/me to do... So I have some options and, of course, you are not limited to said options:
1. post about kitties - why they're adorable, why I want one, why I can't have one, and why people should adopt older kitties.
2. I write a song a put a video of it on youtube. My keyboard has this nifty accompaniment thing, so it could be pretty awesome.
3. post about fun things to do in summer (add your suggestions, please!) this includes a how to catch fireflies and make your own failure of a flashlight, smores: what color should your marshmallow be?, beach time, picnics, balloon wars, creek adventures, and more!
4. Book suggestions time! I start a lovely book club and give you suggestions and you give me suggestions. Current read: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
5. WILDCARD - I go on bing.com or google or something and search random and pick the seventh link as a topic. only if it's pg-13 or lower. hehehe
and of course, any lovely topics or challenges you have.
OH and fairly soonish (in July, I think?) I'll be guest posting on my friend's blog, so I'll be sure to link to that then!
that was just a quick kittenpause!
PLAY!
So a weekend without a computer (it was lost in an epic virus battle) left me very bored and very appreciative of my laptop. *huggles to my compy*
It occurs to me to ask what YOU the reader want to read about/me to do... So I have some options and, of course, you are not limited to said options:
1. post about kitties - why they're adorable, why I want one, why I can't have one, and why people should adopt older kitties.
2. I write a song a put a video of it on youtube. My keyboard has this nifty accompaniment thing, so it could be pretty awesome.
3. post about fun things to do in summer (add your suggestions, please!) this includes a how to catch fireflies and make your own failure of a flashlight, smores: what color should your marshmallow be?, beach time, picnics, balloon wars, creek adventures, and more!
4. Book suggestions time! I start a lovely book club and give you suggestions and you give me suggestions. Current read: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
5. WILDCARD - I go on bing.com or google or something and search random and pick the seventh link as a topic. only if it's pg-13 or lower. hehehe
and of course, any lovely topics or challenges you have.
OH and fairly soonish (in July, I think?) I'll be guest posting on my friend's blog, so I'll be sure to link to that then!
that was just a quick kittenpause!
PLAY!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Selling Houses
KITTENPAUSE!!
It's been a while, I know, but since there aren't too many dedicated readers, I don't feel tooo bad.
A couple of things to talk about in this post.
Part 1: Selling Houses
For the entirety of my two weeks at home for this summer, my house was on the market. Mind you, the house went on the market just as soon as I got home. Thanks Mom and Dad :) heheh anyway a couple things you should know about selling houses since it'll probably happen at some point in your life... 1. Make sure to take care of your house, that little nick on your baseboard won't be such an issue to fix now, but if you let it get away from you, that means lots of trouble later. 2. It doesn't matter what your taste in houses is, it matters what potential homeowners want. This means, if you want Top Dollar, you need to invest a little into making the house look like a hotel penthouse instead of your home. It also means not leaving your stuff out and minimize your impact as a person living there.
Selling houses also means you can't be in your house... which was icky for me because EVERYONE was busy! All my friends have summer jobs, and since I was only home for two weeks, I obviously didn't. So sitting in cars for 5 hours was a commonplace occurrence for me. As was sleeping on the couch/floor so I didn't have to make my own bed. hehehe.
Part 2: Up
I just think everyone should see this movie because it's adorable. Tear-jerking, laugh-inducing, adorable.
Part 3: The Hills
The past two days I have, aside from working on Art homework and some research research (haha), been watching the Hills. I am astounded by the jerkiness of the guys, the prettiness of the girls, and I am left wondering why I can't have a cat if LC can have two. I want one!!! Ah to have a brain numbing job... NOT
Anyhow, I hope my ruminations have brought you a little bit of humor :)
PLAY
It's been a while, I know, but since there aren't too many dedicated readers, I don't feel tooo bad.
A couple of things to talk about in this post.
Part 1: Selling Houses
For the entirety of my two weeks at home for this summer, my house was on the market. Mind you, the house went on the market just as soon as I got home. Thanks Mom and Dad :) heheh anyway a couple things you should know about selling houses since it'll probably happen at some point in your life... 1. Make sure to take care of your house, that little nick on your baseboard won't be such an issue to fix now, but if you let it get away from you, that means lots of trouble later. 2. It doesn't matter what your taste in houses is, it matters what potential homeowners want. This means, if you want Top Dollar, you need to invest a little into making the house look like a hotel penthouse instead of your home. It also means not leaving your stuff out and minimize your impact as a person living there.
Selling houses also means you can't be in your house... which was icky for me because EVERYONE was busy! All my friends have summer jobs, and since I was only home for two weeks, I obviously didn't. So sitting in cars for 5 hours was a commonplace occurrence for me. As was sleeping on the couch/floor so I didn't have to make my own bed. hehehe.
Part 2: Up
I just think everyone should see this movie because it's adorable. Tear-jerking, laugh-inducing, adorable.
Part 3: The Hills
The past two days I have, aside from working on Art homework and some research research (haha), been watching the Hills. I am astounded by the jerkiness of the guys, the prettiness of the girls, and I am left wondering why I can't have a cat if LC can have two. I want one!!! Ah to have a brain numbing job... NOT
Anyhow, I hope my ruminations have brought you a little bit of humor :)
PLAY
Sunday, May 10, 2009
TRAINS
IT’S TIME TO TAKE A KITTEN PAUSE
Anyone else think my pausing theme is getting a little obnoxious? If you have jokes involving the word pause, you can feel free to let me know… if you want me to completely get rid of that intro, I can do that too.
Okay, so in honor of National Train Day (Saturday, May 9) I had this grand concept to talk about how trains are the forgotten form of travel in an age of planes and cars. Of course, I figured I’d talk about how many different exhibits they had at 30th Street and NYC’s Penn Station and how important the railroad is for America’s Economy and blah blah blah. Of course, now I’m on the train for about 10 hours and I just don’t feel that love for trains right now. Particularly when trees fall across the track and we have to stop for them to move it. ARGH. I think we might actually be on schedule now, but I’m not sure. In any case I have a full 5 hours on this train to look forward to and I’ve already eaten all my food and taken two hours worth of naps, so I guess this is just one of many attempts to distract myself from the next few hours of my life without the internet.
I guess I can still say a few good things about trains. As Sheldon would say that are superior to planes because of the lulling click-clacking. Of course, Sheldon is also slightly insane and a television character. They do offer some pros though – no security and no worries about liquid limits. Actually, that’s kind of worrisome. They’re really best for short distances. Sadly there is no smiling witch pushing a cart full of wizard treats. They do have a dining car, and I think dinner today is scallops! But I’m not paying for that. There’s plenty of leg room on this train and you do get to see some pretty amazing vistas – of course this depends on the train you ride. Still, the convenience of traveling short distances by train is not to be denied. You’re never really stranded if you live by a train station. And there are also good books that have to do with train rides – John Green’s Christmas collab for instance. And you get to use your cell phone!
But enough about trains, even if it is National Train Day, I want to talk about being done with school! Hooray! Sometimes I thought I’d never get through this past week, but I have and I’m happy I made it. It’s a little sad to realize that I’ll never see some of my senior friends again and that the room I spent about 8 months of my life in will probably never be open to me again. All the same, I am excited to begin the adventures of summer research, an acting class, and even going to Otakon (which reminds me, I need to check some dates on that). I loved getting to meet new people this year, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with many that I’ve become good friends and less time with those that I find cause more friction in my life. Breaks are nice :) And maybe there will be a little music playing/recording/singing if things go the way I want them to. Look out for interesting projects from me this summer!
Anyhow, I’ve filled your life with enough of my nonsense, go back and experience your life!
PLAY
Monday, May 4, 2009
The Black Hole of Studying (or is it not studying?)
*kittenpause* (as in *pause*"You said what?")
As I'm sitting at my computer employing the myriad ways to procrastinate during finals, it occurred to me what a black hole finals week is in the life of a student.
No, really. The only thing I have any idea about that's going on in the world is swine flu and that's largely because my mom told me about it (and the other people around me... the point is I didn't find out about it until the panic was well underway).
Finals week has always seemed really obnoxious to me. Does a teacher really need to give me a final test to see if I've learned the material? Shouldn't my grades over the semester indicate that? I'm either going to do the same as I've done all semester or I'm going to fluke and the test is going to bring me down. I'm convinced they only do it to make sure we pay attention the last week of class... in retrospect perhaps there is a point to finals...
But all this is brought on by the fact that instead of studying for my Theology and ACS finals, I've spent my day StumbleUpon-ing and watching Doogie Howser, M.D. But there's only so much stumbling a person can do. I can almost feel my brain frying... I thought maybe writing would help me feel intelligent again. I did look at my review sheet, realized it was much harder than I had anticipated, and promptly stopped paying attention.
So either way it goes, I fry my brain. There's the black hole of studying that I will be in for the next four or so days or there's the black hole of Stumbling. Or the black hole of minesweeper and spider solitaire. Agh! I open those games and I don't even realize why!!
Okay, I've wasted enough of your life. Maybe tell me how you like to waste your time/what's a black hole for you?
Now get out there and PLAY.
edit: sorry for the lack of links... the black holes have sucked out my brains...
As I'm sitting at my computer employing the myriad ways to procrastinate during finals, it occurred to me what a black hole finals week is in the life of a student.
No, really. The only thing I have any idea about that's going on in the world is swine flu and that's largely because my mom told me about it (and the other people around me... the point is I didn't find out about it until the panic was well underway).
Finals week has always seemed really obnoxious to me. Does a teacher really need to give me a final test to see if I've learned the material? Shouldn't my grades over the semester indicate that? I'm either going to do the same as I've done all semester or I'm going to fluke and the test is going to bring me down. I'm convinced they only do it to make sure we pay attention the last week of class... in retrospect perhaps there is a point to finals...
But all this is brought on by the fact that instead of studying for my Theology and ACS finals, I've spent my day StumbleUpon-ing and watching Doogie Howser, M.D. But there's only so much stumbling a person can do. I can almost feel my brain frying... I thought maybe writing would help me feel intelligent again. I did look at my review sheet, realized it was much harder than I had anticipated, and promptly stopped paying attention.
So either way it goes, I fry my brain. There's the black hole of studying that I will be in for the next four or so days or there's the black hole of Stumbling. Or the black hole of minesweeper and spider solitaire. Agh! I open those games and I don't even realize why!!
Okay, I've wasted enough of your life. Maybe tell me how you like to waste your time/what's a black hole for you?
Now get out there and PLAY.
edit: sorry for the lack of links... the black holes have sucked out my brains...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
ipod touch and Kristina Horner's new album
STOP! kittenpause!
So if you've been following my blog (which you obviously should be - if you haven't it's like 2 more posts to read, just do it!) you'll be aware that I was on a pretty big 5AG kick which has resulted in my following (in a most fangirl manner) Kristina Horner (italktosnakes). I'm wicked excited because she just came out with a new album which should also be on itunes shortly (next month maybe?) This is a new geeky dance type music album along the lines of Mrs. Nerimon, an extremely catchy ode to italktosnakes' boyfriend, which is included on the album (yee!). You can listen to the album music for free on their (and by they I am of course referring to the new band she's formed called ALLCAPS) myspace right now. Anyhow, I think she's a really worthwhile youtuber/blogger/twitterer/singer to follow. The best part is she's only 21 and she's earned everything she has now completely out of her own determination. Yay technology!
On the note of technology I'm looking at getting the ipod Touch, but I've heard rumors that there may be a new one coming out in June. Obviously, the price will decrease a lot from the $199 refurbished price, so there's no sense in buying it right now. That gives you (right now nobody, but maybe more people will read) approximately two months to convince me whether I should actually buy an ipod touch or if you think something is better.
Oh, and yay for school being almost over but shame on those final exams. A few weeks of doom and then FREEDOM.
And can we discuss how defunct the whole housing lottery system is? Why in the world do I have to live on the remote corner of south campus with a girl I don't really know? How am I supposed to stay awake on that walk home?
All right, that's enough, you can press the "play" button on your life again ^_^
So if you've been following my blog (which you obviously should be - if you haven't it's like 2 more posts to read, just do it!) you'll be aware that I was on a pretty big 5AG kick which has resulted in my following (in a most fangirl manner) Kristina Horner (italktosnakes). I'm wicked excited because she just came out with a new album which should also be on itunes shortly (next month maybe?) This is a new geeky dance type music album along the lines of Mrs. Nerimon, an extremely catchy ode to italktosnakes' boyfriend, which is included on the album (yee!). You can listen to the album music for free on their (and by they I am of course referring to the new band she's formed called ALLCAPS) myspace right now. Anyhow, I think she's a really worthwhile youtuber/blogger/twitterer/singer to follow. The best part is she's only 21 and she's earned everything she has now completely out of her own determination. Yay technology!
On the note of technology I'm looking at getting the ipod Touch, but I've heard rumors that there may be a new one coming out in June. Obviously, the price will decrease a lot from the $199 refurbished price, so there's no sense in buying it right now. That gives you (right now nobody, but maybe more people will read) approximately two months to convince me whether I should actually buy an ipod touch or if you think something is better.
Oh, and yay for school being almost over but shame on those final exams. A few weeks of doom and then FREEDOM.
And can we discuss how defunct the whole housing lottery system is? Why in the world do I have to live on the remote corner of south campus with a girl I don't really know? How am I supposed to stay awake on that walk home?
All right, that's enough, you can press the "play" button on your life again ^_^
Monday, April 20, 2009
Doctor Who and BEDA
hit the "kittenpause" button and enter into this little snippet of the past:
Doctor Who is my new life. Well not all of it, but I am certainly enjoying having seen all the current episodes, as well as watching the spinoffs. I still have to get a hold of the originals, but I'm not really sure where to get a hold of them... ideas, anyone?
And in addition, my Harry Potter kick is still alive and well. I bought a new Hogwarts hoodie at Hot Topic and it is uber-love :)
OH and this weekend was adventure weekend. That means that I GOT TO MEET JOHN GREEN!!! YAY!! Albeit, it wasn't the most fabulous introduction and he had a ton of people there (which is good for him, yay Nerdfighteria!) but I got my copy of Papertowns signed, so it was well worth it! Yay John Green!
I can't believe I only have eight days of classes left of my freshman year of college! It's been so long, yet so short! Of course, this means finals are coming up but... what will you do? It'll be nice to enjoy things.
And in regard to BEDA (Blog Every Day in April) - clearly I fail. But I think it's still a nice idea, and I'm enjoying reading italktosnakes' blog!
s'all for now. You can hit "play" on your life button now...
Doctor Who is my new life. Well not all of it, but I am certainly enjoying having seen all the current episodes, as well as watching the spinoffs. I still have to get a hold of the originals, but I'm not really sure where to get a hold of them... ideas, anyone?
And in addition, my Harry Potter kick is still alive and well. I bought a new Hogwarts hoodie at Hot Topic and it is uber-love :)
OH and this weekend was adventure weekend. That means that I GOT TO MEET JOHN GREEN!!! YAY!! Albeit, it wasn't the most fabulous introduction and he had a ton of people there (which is good for him, yay Nerdfighteria!) but I got my copy of Papertowns signed, so it was well worth it! Yay John Green!
I can't believe I only have eight days of classes left of my freshman year of college! It's been so long, yet so short! Of course, this means finals are coming up but... what will you do? It'll be nice to enjoy things.
And in regard to BEDA (Blog Every Day in April) - clearly I fail. But I think it's still a nice idea, and I'm enjoying reading italktosnakes' blog!
s'all for now. You can hit "play" on your life button now...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
My Life... RIGHT NOW
Hey all and welcome to my blog, hopefully to be in connection to my upcoming blog. Right now it's just going to discuss random things that I have found especially interesting in the land of the interwebs.
This past weekend I started watching Five Awesome Girls, which, if you don't know, is a really amazing vlog featuring two wizard rock artists and some other musically inclined Harry Potter loving girls. Since then, I've had a lot of difficulty getting work done that I needed to do... because I'm going to Georgetown this weekend with my music group! And I have a lot of stuff coming up in this next week and a half (2 tests, an essay, an outline and bibliography, MY BIRTHDAY), so I really need to get certain things done each day. Tonight is finish my Freud paper night - I'm almost halfway done page wise (although I haven't actually gotten very far in what I need to say yet). Anyhow, right now wizard rock is making my life really happy. And inspiring me to get back into my writing music/acting/Harry Potter loving life. So check out those links if you're interested, and I'll keep you updated!
(you might also want to check out vlogbrothers or fiveawesomeguys if you like those sites - just YouTube seach them :) )
This past weekend I started watching Five Awesome Girls, which, if you don't know, is a really amazing vlog featuring two wizard rock artists and some other musically inclined Harry Potter loving girls. Since then, I've had a lot of difficulty getting work done that I needed to do... because I'm going to Georgetown this weekend with my music group! And I have a lot of stuff coming up in this next week and a half (2 tests, an essay, an outline and bibliography, MY BIRTHDAY), so I really need to get certain things done each day. Tonight is finish my Freud paper night - I'm almost halfway done page wise (although I haven't actually gotten very far in what I need to say yet). Anyhow, right now wizard rock is making my life really happy. And inspiring me to get back into my writing music/acting/Harry Potter loving life. So check out those links if you're interested, and I'll keep you updated!
(you might also want to check out vlogbrothers or fiveawesomeguys if you like those sites - just YouTube seach them :) )
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