Figments of my Imagination

Ahahahahaha

2009-05-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a year! Hooray!

I ended up at Drew. I guess I knew I would as soon as I bought a teddy bear from the bookstore, but I'd have bought a teddy bear no matter what, because that's just the sort of person I am.

Not entirely sure what I thought the point of creating a blog was in the first place; guess I was just bored one day, but since I hardly ever post here at all, ever, in my life, I might as well not stress about it. Because no one reads it anyway.

University life is phenomenal. A lot has happened in the past year. I've changed a good deal, I think for the better. I know some of the things that have happened this year have definitely been the best things to ever happen to me, and I'm so incredibly glad I ended up where I am right now.

Cliche talk over. Now I shall summarize my reaction to the casting of the Eleventh Doctor in one emoticon:

O_O

(You'd better not fuck it up, dude.)

Graduated!

2008-06-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

Ahahahahaha! I am completely done with school forever! until college. Which is just about the most exciting news EVER! *does dance* I have also managed to pass all my classes, and not become too very addicted to Battle Edge, although I'm still inclined to believe that that one's a losing battle either way I go.
Also, I am completely immersed in the worlds of Pratchett and Gaiman, specifically the one in which they coincide, called Good Omens. Read it. Really.
Well... Graduation is tomorrow, and I have to be up at 7 ish, so I should sign off now. Hooray for pointless posts. Now bed.

Another Procrastination Rant

2008-04-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

Yep, this is me, putting off my homework yet again.
I think I may have senioritis.

This has been an interesting week. I was off visiting various colleges over the weekend--Ursinus and Drew, which I got into, and Muhlenberg, at which I was waitlisted. It was interesting. I couldn't remember a lot about them, so it was nice to have a second look. I didn't really like Muhlenberg the second time around, so I'm not planning on sending back my waitlist card thing. Ursinus and Drew were the ones I was seriously considering, and it's pretty much down to the two of them now. There are pros and cons...

Drew:
Pros:
-Really, really great theatre program
-Lots of trees
-Housing is really pretty nice

Cons:
-Academics...not so great
-Kind of preppy
-Annoying technology thing....

Ursinus:
Pros:
-Really good academics
-Awesome campus
-Awesome people
-Just put a lot of money into theatre--building all shiny and new....

Cons:
-Theatre program still really small
-Not sure about housing
-The name. I mean, seriously. Who wants to come home with a sweatshirt that says "Ursinus?" It sounds like a decongestant, or a disease you get from bears.

Can you see the kinds of issues I have to put up with?

Why my brain shouldn't be allowed outside without supervision

2008-03-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

I logged on with the intention of making this a random compilation of news and thoughts on news, but I've just found that I have nothing to say. I suppose that is not, in fact, entirely true. I have quite a bit to say, but I can't remember any of it.
I suppose I should start with a follow-up relating to my last post. I did, in fact, get into college. I applied Priority Select to Ursinus and Drew, and Ursinus sent me an acceptance letter (in a THIN envelope--bastards) just...I dunno... a couple weeks ago, I guess. It's a great place, despite the unfortunateness of the name. That's pronounced er-SIGH-nus. That's right, it has the word sinus in the name. Get over it. So far everyone I've seen read the name has looked at it and said "yoursinus?" and I'm like "no..." I'm pretty happy about it, though. It's a great place.

it is past 11:00 pm and I haven't slept properly since I got put on show crew, so my typing skills are deteriorating exponentially. So this is where I should sign off. I'm not sure what the point of writing this was. Maybe it was to rearrange my thoughts to try and make better sense of them, maybe it was to put off finishing my homework (OK...on second thought, it was definitely the latter).
All right, that's it. I really need to get back to work....

Well, I'm back...

2008-01-16T15:32:00.000-08:00

It's a new year, everyone! and I'm still alive!
*audience groans*
So, anyway, about the whole "New Year's Resolutions" thing:
What's the point?
I mean, seriously, what is the point? We all know we're going to break them. And if we resolve to try, well, how is that any different from last year? And if you make serious decisions that you really are going to try and keep--won't you just become depressed when you don't? "Dammit, I resolved to lose ten pounds before June and I didn't! Bugger!" What kind of motivation is that? I don't think I'd get very far with motivation like that.
*sigh* I should resolve to not make blogs. I never write anything interesting, which doesn't really matter because no one reads it anyway. I should also resolve to stop watching choppy episodes of Psych. I mean, it's still in the first...minute and a half at most. And it's frozen eight times. Without restarting for ages. But I'm watching it anyway. Is that wise? no. It is undoubtedly the biggest waste of time that I can think of. It doesn't even restart after five anymore, it pauses for more than five. But it still pauses every five seconds (or maybe a little less). What am I supposed to do with that?
Complain on my blog.

In other news, I was just in District choir. We had the most brilliant director. We were the highest scoring singers in the district.
Basically, it did not go well. Star-spangled banner was brilliant, and it was the first one. I knew something was wrong during the three flower songs, which were less than perfect. But the moment I really knew we sucked, I mean SUCKED, was during "the Wild Honeysuckle." It has this big, amazing, climactic ending, in which we sing the line "For when you die you are the same."
I was thinking we could rally when we got to the big climactic ending. Everyone always loved that ending. But then we got to it.
"For when you die you are the SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSame...."
We sucked. We sucked so bad even the parents noticed (and we know how bad they are at noticing when their kids are bad). TK must have hated us by the end, but he was still smiling and aknowledging us when the concert was over. I wanted to yell "TK, you don't actually have to do that. We sucked. You know we sucked. We know we sucked. It's OK. Say we sucked."
He didn't say we sucked. But he should have.

I should probably end this post here, but I'm in a slightly emo mood, and I can't quite put my finger on the reason. So I'm just going to ramble on. And on.
Actually, I'm going to talk about college apps, and how they've ruined my life. I think I may never, ever want to read or hear the question "What will you bring to this college?" EVER AGAIN. (although I must say the chances of this are slim).
I wish the episode would unfreeze.
Well, I'm going to end this here. Hope it wasn't too horrible.

TV Shows vs. College apps...

2007-12-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

Soooo... as most people who know me know, I cannot watch TV at home. So what I do is: I go to the library/video rental, I rent all the seasons of the TV show that are available, and I watch them. Actually, I watch about half of them, and then I have to return them. My mom, on the other hand, watches them all in one sitting. That's right--about 16 hours of Monk and Psych in a row. Which is not only incredibly unhealthy and unproductive, but it makes me really jealous that she's sitting there surrounded by the bliss-inducing bliss that is Monk and Psych. The two best shows ever created. Ever. And, since it's a bit pricy to rent Monk enough to see all the episodes, and since there's only one season of Psych out, I'm being deprived of some of life's greatest pleasures.

And then there came the miracle that was yesterday.

I was working on my college apps. Really, I was. And then this pop up window came and it was this thing saying I could watch free episodes of Psych and Monk.

OK, I tell a lie, I was actually googling pictures from an episode of Monk WHILE AT THE SAME TIME doing my college apps. And one of the pictures came from this site that allowed you to see clips of episodes--as well as full episodes. Of Monk. And Psych. (and a bunch of other shows I really don't care about). So now I'm sitting here (on my blog) watching an episode of Psych that is really funny, really cool, and really time wasting. I'm SUPPOSED to be doing my college apps, but I consider Psych to be a lot more important. Really. Sort of. I mean, isn't it more important to have lasting childhood experiences?
I mean, at least it's lasting. Not really a childhood experience.

The pathetic part is the quality. The show takes about twice as long as it's supposed to because it pauses literally (actual literally, not just exaggerating literally) every five seconds FOR five seconds. So it's really hard to watch, and I'm wasting even more time. And it's hard to understand what they're saying when it keeps on breaking like that. AND I'm ont getting any work done. Which sucks just a little. The good news is that I'm supposed to be writing about a character from fiction that's influenced me. I can always do Lassiter if my big literary Don Quixote essay falls through.
(Actually I'm not doing a Don Quixote essay, I'm doing a Terry Pratchett character. But it's a big ole intellectual character, so that's all right).
(Not al that intellectual after all, but sort of).
(Um, I have to go. The episode's unfrozen--I mean, I have to finish my apps.)
(Um, bye.)
*runs*

'Tis the Season (to wish you weren't home)

2007-12-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

Terry Pratchett, an extremely wise man, wrote a book called Hogfather. Not only is it a brilliant book in many, many ways, it is absolutely true. For instance: It takes place during the holidays, and in one scene there is a discussion among wizards concerning the holidays of their past.
--------------------------
"Just shut up, will you?" [Ridcully] said. "It's Hogswatch! That's not the time for silly arguments, all right?"
"Oh, yes it is," said the Chair of Indefinite Studies. "It's exactly the time for silly arguments. In our family we were lucky to get through dinner without a reprise of What A Shame Henry Didn't Go Into Business With Our Ron. Or Why Hasn't Anyone Taught Those Kids To Use A Knife? That was another favorite."
"And the sulks," said Ponder Stibbons.
"Oh, the sulks," said the Chair of Indefinite Studies. "Not a proper Hogswatch without everyone sitting staring at different walls."
"The games were worse," said Ponder.
"Worse than the kids hitting one another with their toys, d'you think? Not a proper Hogswatch afternoon without wheels and bits of broken dolly everywhere and everyone whining. Assault and battery included."
"We had a game called Hunt the Slipper," said Ponder. "Someone hid a slipper. And then we had to find it. And then we had a row."
"It's not really bad," said the Lecturer in Recent Runes, "I mean, not proper Hogswatch bad, unless everyone's wearing a paper hat. There's always that bit, isn't there, when someone's horrible great-aunt puts on a paper hat and smirks at everyone because she's being so bohemian."
"I'd forgotten about the paper hats," said the Chair of Indefinite Studies. "Oh dear."
"And then later on someone'll suggest a board game," said Ponder.
"That's right. Where no one exactly remembers all the rules."
"Which doesn't stop someone suggesting that you play for pennies."
"And five minutes later there's two people not speaking to one another for the rest of their lives bcause of tuppence."
"And some horrible little kid--"
"I know, I know! Some little kid who's been allowed to stay up wins everyone's money by being a nasty little cut-throat swot!"
"Right!"
"Er..." said Ponder, who rather suspected that he'd been that child.
"And don't forget the presents," said the Chair of Indefinite Studies, as if reading off some internal list of gloom. "How...how full of possiblity they seem in all that paper, how pregnant with possibilities...and then you open them and basically the wrapping paper was more interesting and you have to say 'How thoughtful, that will come in handy.' It's not better to give than recieve, in my opinion, it's just less embarassing."
"I've worked out," said the Senior Wrangler, "That over the years I have been a net exporter of Hogswatch presents--"
"Oh, everyone is," said the Chair. "You spend a fortune on other people and what you get when all the paper is cleared away is one slipper that's the wrong color and a book about ear wax."
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather, pages 230-231.
----------------------
...which basically sums up everything about the holiday season that doesn't get put on seasonal wrapping paper.

So why do people get together with family over the holidays? Is it to make us appreciate our jobs? Is it some sort of biological evolutionary reaction to make sure we remember not to breed with members of our own families to ensure strong combinations of DNA? Is it a secret plot by aliens to take over the world (world domination plot number 1,537?)
Whatever the reason, we often end up cursing it. I mean, I enjoy the holidays very much. In fact, I love this time of year. I really do. I love giving people things. I love the feeling of the world during the holiday season. But when we spent the holidays with the extended family--a bunch of strange, tan people that I've never seen before but that all know me, which is pretty frightening, especially when they'd pinch my cheeks (YES, people actually do that)--then I just wanted out. But we kept going back, and I still didn't know anyone, and we still got on each other's nerves. But there's something that drew us together, again and again. Personally, at this point I would not be prepared to accept any explaination involving 'family ties' or anything similar. I think it would be more like a sense of having an obligation. As we purchased the tickets we would be thinking "I mean, it's the holidays. And they're family." Regardless of the fact that said family makes you crazy even by telephone.

Now don't get me wrong--I know tons and tons of people get along really, really well with the rest of their families during the holidays. I know I might be the odd one out with this rant (although it sounds like Terry Pratchett is with me on this one). But I just thought I'd put that out there. Because I just got a flyer that says "Twelve days until the holiday!*" which reminded me of various "the holiday"s of my past. While (hopefully) surrounded by "the holiday" snow, listening to nonstop "the holiday" songs on the radio (until I smash it, which will be soon) I will be spending "the holiday" (and all the other holidays--I'm something agnostic-ish, personally, but my family celebrates "the holiday" known as Christmas because we like decorating trees with shiny things :D) with my immediate family only (that was one hell of a sentence). Happy holidays to the rest of you, whomever you spend them with.

In other news, Terry Pratchett, the writer of the fabulous book from which I have quoted extensively above, and many other fabulous books of similar kind, has recently been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's. It is frightening news, although he has clearly kept his sense of humor all the while (you can find his message explaining his condition here.) I now take the opportunity to reccommend his books to anyone who might read this (*crickets chirp*), as they are most fantastic and contain some truly wise messages (if you can find them under the layers and layers of brilliant British humor). Hopefully his condition will not prove to be as serious as it seems, and I join fans all over Roundworld in wishing him the very best of luck for the future.

Food!

2007-11-26T14:01:00.000-08:00

Gods, I'm starving. I'm so hungry I could eat a tofu horse. *cue laugh track* Yeah, being a vegitarian has its downsides (for instance, you can't say you're so hungry you could eat a horse) but overall I really don't regret it. I bring this up because lately many people have asked me "since when have you not eaten meat?" (If you're one of the wonderers, I've been off red meat for a while and full vegitarian since...a while ago, I don't know.) I do wonder about people for whom meat is a necessity for every meal. For instance, people who won't eat their eggs without sausage, and who don't believe that a meal isn't a meal if it doesn't have meat in it. They don't view the meat on their plate as the no longer living carcass of some creature--they see it as food. Which I totally respect. I mean, I became a vegitarian after having eaten meat for over a decade, I see meat as food too. I even crave it sometimes. My reasons for giving it up had to do with morals (you put the cow in one end and you get tins of meat coming out the other! smiling man in black top hat demonstrates!), but now that I've gone a while without eating any meat my perception has changed. When I think about eating meat now I usually don't feel any inclination to do so--on the contrary, the thought has become almost repulsive to me, though I can't claim that I don't miss some of my mom's cooking. I don't usually think about it, though--it's just the way things are.
Aargh, this isn't helping the initial problem--I'm bloody starving. We're leaving the library in fifteen minutes--maybe I can convince mom to swing by Antonios or something. Or I could just eat the desk. The world is full of opportunities.

Rambling

2007-11-24T14:45:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've begun to wonder about words, and how they came about. If humans evolved from apes which evolved from lizards which evolved from some sad ugly thing that crawled out of the ocean one day and decided to live here, at what point did language form? And at what point did we decide other things had meaning at all? And eventually we've created these concepts in our mind, such as beauty, and color, which only gives us really useless information. Because, as the biology textbook tells us, the definition of life is, and I quote, "a temporary storage of useful energy." That's all we are. But we, as units of temporary storage for useful energy, experience beauty and color and everything, and some of our experiences leave us feeling enriched, and enlightened, and empowered, and other words beginning with e. And that part of life is extra--in order to fufil our duties as temporary storage, all we would have to do is exist, brain dead. We wouldn't need to think or feel or experience the things that we experience daily.
We've started to take these things for granted, too. I mean, there's so much experience in just...biting into an apple. The crunch it makes as your teeth penetrate the skin, the juices running into your mouth...and the taste alone is so powerful it's enough to make you cry. But we bite into apples every day, while thinking of other things, and it just seems so mundane that we don't even notice it. Our attention isn't arrested by such an action. Somehow, apples have lost their meaning to us, and we've thrown them into the bin marked "boring" in the back of our minds, when in truth not just the eating of the apple but the fact that there is an apple at all is extraordinary.
And the less we get out of life, the more it seems like we really are mere temporary storages of useful energy. Which is probably why humans have spent most of their existance looking desperately to achieve more, to keep pushing the envelope and make everything bigger and better and more there, so that we can continue to feel.
I'm not sure why I just wrote that. Maybe it's something I'm trying to tell the world, or maybe it's something my subconscious mind is trying to tell me, or maybe (most likely) it's just me procrastinating even more on that paper due next week. But for whatever reason, there it is.
...And even if the bio textbook is right, bubbles are still brilliant, and I can enjoy my existance as a temporary storage unit while I have it..