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Jul. 5th, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
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I can't believe I only have a week of school left!!! Then I take my exit exam, go on a much needed vacation. I'll still have to take my board exam and get married before actually starting work. Today I'll have to force myself to study, which I sooo don't want to do. Last weekend I was in Kentucky to celebrate Bobby's Bday... he got this tent that is so big that I can't touch the ceiling, and it has closets... seriously the coolest tent ever. I also stopped by to see my grandparents, who are doing well. However, I found out that my grandmother stopped paying for my mother's cable, which makes me leary of sending her my wedding invitation, because it will certainly just make her more angry. I decided to send it, but without some of the details about my life that I had originally included in a letter... such as moving away to Atlanta...
I'm enjoying this long weekend without travel. I've spend the last three weekends driving between Kentucky and Georgia. Thursday night Jason and I went to Rusan's, a sushi bar that has fabulous music, lots of young people, saki bombs, and the most delicious sushi I've ever eaten. It's perfectly fresh, and the sushi chefs make the sushi in front of you, making jokes and occasionally drinking saki bombs. I'm drooling just writing about it... man, that stuff's good. We didn't do much yesterday... just went to Chinatown for lunch and then went took a walk. We did get started on our online scuba diving class... Jason's attention span didn't last too long though =) We still have a long way to go.
I'm planning on going for a run after I finish this post... I've been running about a mile in our neighborhood, which isn't as satisfying as the 1.8 miles I was doing at the farm, but still keeping me active. I bought a treadmill so I could run inside, but it was a cheap one that isn't motorized, and I still haven't gotten the hang of how to run on it without falling off! |
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Dragon*Con 2008: Whose Line gets cut
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Jul. 4th, 2008 @ 04:41 pm
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Oh heck.
I just got an announcement via Facebook telling me that there will be no Whose Line Improv competition at Dragon*Con this year.
That has consistently been one of my favorite parts of the con, and it will be missed.
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Some ramblings inspired by Hancock...
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Jul. 4th, 2008 @ 12:31 am
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Snippet just for fun.
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I used to stare at the sun for hours, waiting to go blind.
Although I knew that I wouldn't, some part of me kept hoping that I would. As though if I just gazed long enough, perhaps for half a day or more, the sun might pierce through me and change me back into what was supposed to be human. Change me into something that belonged in nature.
I would try other things, growing up. Fall out of trees on purpose, landing at odd angles in an attempt to break my legs. I thought of throwing myself in front of cars, but I didn't want to hurt anyone accidentally, so I threw myself off of bridges instead, or rooftops, or anywhere that was high enough really. It never worked. I would hit the ground - or cement, or metal - and still I would stay the same. Not even a break in the skin.
The kids all knew I was different. The adults did too, though they did a better job of hiding it. Who would want to be friends with a freak, anyway? That's why I would watch the sun; because maybe if I went blind, I would at least know that I was normal. Human. Just one of many. Then I could go to the hospital or the clinic and feel like I belonged there, like I needed help just like everyone else. That it was okay to be vulnerable, because I was built that way. Instead I find myself observing life rather than experiencing it, watching as others run back and forth, fearing for their loved ones and then loving all the more. And then me, on the sidelines, pathetically trying to learn what I cannot feel, and which comes so easily to others.
The doctors told me I was a miracle. That if God had made a perfect human, it would have been me. That if evolution had a peak, I was its apex. If only I could feel the same way.
If only I could be blind.
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Mmmmeat; weekend news
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Jul. 3rd, 2008 @ 09:33 pm
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Today we had dinner at a churrascaria, an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse where waiters bring around various cuts of meat on giant skewers and slice them for you, at your table, using small machetes. The effect is like being served meat with swords, which is pretty awesome. The meat was pretty darn tasty, too. A little pricey, but fun.
And now I head into a family weekend. July 4th is my grandma's birthday, so we'll be going up to Santa Rosa for that, and then we head over to Davis for T's family reunion. It's one of those big "all the aunts and uncles and cousins and everyone but the kitchen sink" type reunions, so it's fun, but also a bit draining because a lot of these are people I either don't know at all or have only met once or twice. I do like T's family, but his father is one of 13 children, so there are an awful lot of those aunts and uncles and cousins and so forth running around.
As a result, I don't expect to be around much, or at all, between tomorrow morning and sometime Sunday. So I wish a wonderful weekend to all!Current Mood:  full of meat Current Music: R.E.M. - "Fretless" |
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Art: Achilles and Patroclus
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Jul. 3rd, 2008 @ 06:21 pm
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A drawing that was posted on dA that I found, of Achilles and Patroclus from Troilus and Cressida. And I know that design on the vase! ...I just can't remember....
Achilles and PatroclusCurrent Mood:  pleased |
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Memories of Spring
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Jul. 3rd, 2008 @ 03:00 pm
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Another finished art! Took me maybe 5 hours? I love summer vacation. :)
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New Art
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Jul. 2nd, 2008 @ 09:29 pm
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Finally after eons of doing nothing, I have finally painted some new art.
My Progress:
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This post is mostly for Sev and Nay
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Jul. 2nd, 2008 @ 03:55 pm
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Is this a comment on Will Smith's ego, his acting ability, or ....something else?
Also note some unintentional hilarity caused by British slang in the text.Current Mood: amused Current Music: The Duhks |
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Jul. 2nd, 2008 @ 04:31 pm
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Don't rain!!! I need Tom to fix my breaks uber bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BAH!Current Mood:  anguished |
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Robot quiz
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Jul. 2nd, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
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*grumble*
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Jul. 2nd, 2008 @ 09:49 am
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Gah, network problems! It's all making my chat programs very unhappy. Sorry to everyone I was just online with!
You'd think with the holiday week and lots of people being gone, the network would be more stable without all the extra traffic.
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Done
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Jul. 2nd, 2008 @ 09:08 am
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Yida's wedding is over.
It was beautiful, everything went perfectly, a little drizzle but the bride was so happy that day that she just danced in the rain.
Her parents were so well behaved with each other, it was truly amazing. There was only a little tension in the beginning, which turned into civil ignoring of the other person and honestly in the most polite way.
Her mother came into the room just before Yida went out to the actual ceremony with her father which was very overwhelming for her. Her parents have not been in the same room for years especially without tears or screaming. Her mother even conceded a group hug with her and her father. It was huge to Yida, and very, very amazing to watch. I got the photographer to take a picture.
After we sat on the porch of the inn, 6 of us, shared 4 bottles of really good champagne and smoked cigars while Yida tried to spit over the rail which somehow blew back and kept hitting me among others.
It was lovely, but I am so glad it is over.
I've started dreaming again, which means I'm sleeping well and that's good.
Later lovelies. |
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Floss conundrum
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Jul. 2nd, 2008 @ 12:27 am
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So now that I'm going to be a good girl and floss my teeth every night, I face a serious question: order of operations. I've always brushed first, then used mouthwash, which seems a highly logical order to me, but I can make equally good arguments for flossing either before or after brushing (I'm pretty convinced the mouthwash ought to be last).
Poll #1215778
Open to: All, results viewable to: AllWhich order do you prefer?
Present your evidence! (Or your strong personal opinions, or wild guesses. Those work too.)Current Mood:  curious |
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The clothes make the woman
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Jul. 1st, 2008 @ 12:22 am
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A few moons ago, on the journaling meme, ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) friede asked me to discuss a favorite piece of clothing. I've known from the very beginning what I was going to write about, but I really wanted to illustrate the essay, and I didn't really have a good opportunity to take the photos until now. So here goes.
(BTW, this is the last post in the series prompted by that meme, but the door remains open. If anyone else has any suggestions or requests, feel free to post them in the comments to the post above.)
Fashion sense is one of those things that women are supposed to be born with but which I've had to learn over the years. Only now do I finally feel like I have a sense of my own personal style, of what looks good on me and what I like. But one thing I discovered many years ago, and that's my affinity for jackets -- specifically, for tailored blazers.
( Much more behind the cut, plus pictures! )Current Mood:  okay Current Music: "Judy, Don't You Worry" - Sarah Cracknell |
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Jun. 30th, 2008 @ 01:37 pm
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So I've heard from several UK booksellers (and buyers) that City of Ashes is now out in the UK and Ireland – or, you know, trickling out as books do. I'm not going to be in London for the launch this time, which makes me sad, because I love London and I still get excited seeing my book in bookstores there. And I was hoping to do some signings and meet my readers in the UK. So I am sad about this. But there is a good chance that I will be in London in September, and so hopefully I can set some events up then.
In the meantime, if you're feeling broke, you can pick up free copies of several chapters of City of Ashes at Starbucks all across the UK and Ireland. It's part of a promotion they're doing with the National Literacy Trust trying to get teens (and everyone!) to read more books. Since I won't be over in the UK to actually see my book in Starbucks (a very bizarre idea and one of the few things to have impressed my parents) — anyone who catches sight of the teasers:
in Starbucks and sends me a photo, I'll send you a signed copy of Ashes. :)
ETA: On another note, I'm going to be shutting this LJ down in a short while and doing all my updating over at cassandraclare. I'm suffering from too-many-blogs-itis, and I have to do something to consolidate. So if you're interested in keeping up, I'd love it if you'd friend me over there (and feel free to unfriend here.) |
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Jun. 30th, 2008 @ 09:40 am
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*jealous pout* My other half got to go to Seattle's Pride yesterday. He said the parade was something like two and a half hours long!
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In the name of love
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Jun. 29th, 2008 @ 11:05 pm
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Despite having lived in San Francisco for 8 years, and the Bay Area for either 22 or 13, depending on how you count it, I had never made it to the annual Gay Pride parade. (Mostly because it seems like I'm usually out of town during the last weekend of June.) So as soon as I knew I would be around this year, I was determined to check it out. I think I picked a good year to go, because the mood seemed especially festive. So many "Just Married" signs, tin cans tied to the back of cars, people waving huge pictures of their marriage licenses and their wedding rings -- and wearing huge grins. There was even one couple having their wedding ceremony on a float. I had a moment of wondering whether it was staged, but I got a good look at the guys' faces, and my inclination is to say no, that we were all witnesses to their marriage. Gorgeous. Gavin Newsom got a big hand from the people around me, as did all the other elected officials, lawyers, and couples who were involved. And almost every contingent had at least one person carrying a sign asking us to vote "No" on the anti-marriage amendment. I don't know whether it was an official theme of the event, but it might as well have been. Lots of warm fuzzy feelings.
I took pictures, of course, but I haven't downloaded or sorted through them yet. But I will.Current Mood: good |
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Well...
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Jun. 28th, 2008 @ 04:19 pm
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I quit my job. I had a few significant differences of opinion with my boss concerning oversight and his level of accountability concerning our work as interns, and it ended up being untenable. On the plus side, we worked things out amicably and he's agreed to write me a letter of reccomendation wherever I go. That's more than I expected. I managed to save up al ittle bit of cash before leaving, though things would have been a lot nicer if I hadn't had to put an alternator/fanbelt/battery in my car last month and if I hadn't gone hog wild on CO2 parts for my hand blasters (Shipping from China takes FOR-EV-ER, btw)
But yeah, not bad. So I'm job hunting again. Luckily, I have a year and a half behind me as far as intern-time goes, which means I have only a year and a half left to go. I'm in a much better position than I was the first time I looked for an internship, so even though the market's hurting, I'm optimistic. |
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Wrestler Back Flips
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Jun. 28th, 2008 @ 05:05 pm
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That's just impressive.
(via Digg)
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Commonly confused words test
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Jun. 27th, 2008 @ 04:25 pm
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Ganked from waterowl. FF.net really ought to require people to pass this test before they can post anything on the site...
Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test... English GeniusYou scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 93% Advanced, and 93% Expert! You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!
Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!
For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.
Take The Commonly Confused Words Test at HelloQuizzy
Current Mood: content Current Music: "Half a World Away" - R.E.M. |
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