exsequar

I myself would call this one a WIN WIN WIN.



Someone over at BMW got a raise! Hee.

Testing out the DW crossposting thingamajig... success!

Two DW questions: How does one edit a post without having to search for it through "Manage entries"? Also, most of my imported icons were inactivated since I didn't buy a paid account, but I just tried to use an inactive one on this post and it worked the first time, but has now reverted to the default as I'm editing this. I'm confused!

Ack, this test is ENORMOUS. It's past midnight and I haven't even finished reading through (and summarizing) my notes for the FIRST time. *facepalm* We're covering a huge swath of time and places - going straight from precolonial through colonialism and all the way into decolonization in East and South Africa. Big focus on Kenya, Congo, and South Africa, but other places poke their heads in too - Tanganyika, Uganda, Ethiopia. So many places and names and themes and ack, I am so overwhelmed! It doesn't help that my teacher talks so bloody much and I am a very thorough note taker, so one day I had 9 single-sided pages of notes for 90 minutes of class. O__O You better believe my hand was killing me afterward! Meep.

I haven't even gotten to his list of short answer questions that we should be able to answer to be prepared for the essays. I'm not optimistic about this test being a 99 like last time! >.<

It also doesn't help that I'm bloody exhausted. I just fell asleep over my notes for the second time. Sigh.

Er, on the bright side, this is my last non-final-exam test in my entire college career? \o/?

Oh, on an actual bright side, I got another email about another award! This one's called the Rawnsley Science Prize, and "is presented to a senior(s) who, by her or his actions and attitude while a student, will use the scientific knowledge he or she has gained to best advantage." I think I'm most touched by this one, because that's something I really pride myself on, the desire to do something meaningful with my skills. So the fact that they're giving me an award for it is really wonderful and validating. Also, "prize" to me implies money, which is always yay. ;)

Back to the books....

Place holder post until I figure out what the frak is going on! I'm kind of aflail with all the new stuff (and busy with real life to boot) so it'll be a while until I settle down and figure out exactly what I'm going to do with this place. In the meantime, friend away if we're buddies from LJ!

Things!

- I gave blood today! \o/ For the first time since before I went to Dublin! I loved giving blood sophomore year, did so about 4-5 times (and have the scars to prove it), but then I went abroad and got a tattoo so that put a kibosh on things for a while. But now I'm finally eligible again and I have successfully sucked a pint of my life away! I know, it's weird to enjoy giving blood, but at least I'm doing a public service right?

- I got two emails that I thought were repeats of each other, but instead I was being notified that I've been awarded TWO separate awards by the college! One is the "Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society Prize" and the other is the "American Institute of Chemists Award". I'm more than a little blown away. I'm not lying at all when I say I completely didn't expect anything like this - as far as I'm concerned, there's much better scientists in my class. But um, someone (my department!) disagrees, and I'm humbled and flattered and so pleased. Yay.

- I've found a house that I'm very seriously interested in! It's a four-bedroom beautiful old house right near downtown Ann Arbor. There are two guys living in it already, one from Germany and one from Poland, and they've got a girl from Arizona confirmed to move in for next year. I've been talking to the German guy a lot, and he seems really awesome, very down to earth and interesting - he's a math major and he biked from Germany to Nepal! Crazy! The bedroom that I would get is up on the top floor of the house and looks pretty damn huge, with a peaked ceiling and really nice natural light coming in. The rent is even lower than I was hoping to spend, AND includes all utilities, which is pretty rare and important for Michigan winters! I emailed one of the guys' old roommates, and she sounded very positive about the place and the guys, saying "I cherish very warm memories of the friendships I formed with Florian and Simon, who are sly, funny, very sweet guys." I think it would be a whole lot of fun to live with them. (European guys for the win!) There are a few minor drawbacks. It's not in the exact area of town that I wanted to be, but it's still close enough. It doesn't start until late August, so I'd be living with my uncle for almost two months. I exchanged an email with the girl that will be moving in, and she seemed... shall we say, flighty? You obviously can't always judge a person from their email tone, but it gives me some idea what she's like. We might get along but I don't think we'd be super close. All that said, it sounds like a really great place. Florian's going to call me this afternoon so I think after that conversation I'll be maybe more ready to make a decision? If I'm leaning towards yes, I'll post the pictures to get your opinions!

- I watched some of LOTMS today. Ugh, BOYS. Still my favorite piece of canon EVER. I love all of them so ridiculously much.

You know, having the answers to the physics problems I'm studying for my test tomorrow in a PDF file that I have to read on my laptop makes it REALLY hard to focus. I keep clicking over to Firefox and poking aimlessly at the internet, even though I'm basically entirely caught up with everything. LAME.

The studying's going okay though. I'm not particularly worried about the test, just annoyed that it's at 8 AM. Rar.

Have you all seen the pics of the Obamas with the NEW PUPPY? Or reading books to kids for Easter? CUTEST FAMILY EVER Y/Y?! The fact that they live in the White House and that the daddy is one of the most powerful people in the world continues to completely blow my mind.

Have there been any significant developments regarding #amazonfail? I've caught wind of a few different trends in the conversation, but Amazon hasn't said anything else yet, right?

When I got to work this morning I told my (gay, awesome) boss about the Amazon fail, and he hadn't heard about it. Within half an hour he was completely caught up and we talked about it for a while. We then shifted to gay marriage, and he talked about how he and his partner, Ken, are worried because Rick (my boss) is so much older, and therefore likely to pass away first, but he owns the house and because they're not married, Ken would have to pay inheritance taxes. It was just really moving to hear about the difficulties of inequality directly from a person I know quite well, and makes me even more staunch in my gay marriage position (if that's possible).

I really should get back to the books, rar. Next up: the Death of Classical Physics! \o/

Either the apartment just above me or right above that has decided to have an insanely loud party at 2 AM. Right now they're blasting what sounds suspiciously like Nickelback, or something equally obnoxious.

>:(

I haven't been around my computer much today, but when I was? I've been spending my time reading through all of my old Supernatural entries, from the end of season 2 backwards.

One word: SIGH.

An irony: I was super optimistic about season 3, but terrified about season 2. And we all know how THAT panned out.

It's been a really bittersweet walk down memory lane. My participation in Supernatural fandom was so rich and layered and joyous. There were dozens of people around who were ready to engage me in thoughtful conversations about the Winchesters at any time of day. After every episode I made an epic and analytical assessing post - I was thinking every single time, about every single nuance of Sam and Dean. I would watch an episode as it aired, download it at 1 AM or whenever it came online, watch it again in the morning before class, and usually watch it again when I got home. I was completely enthralled by these characters and the fandom, and I miss that joy so much. I've had joy in fandoms since, but never one with such depth and texture. (I was also MUCH more interesting then. No wonder my readership's gone way down!)

My favorite post that I've stumbled upon is a thing I started where I just had people leave comments with Supernatural quotes. We ended up with about 100, and I don't know about other people, but I'm pretty sure I came up with the majority of mine from memory. It's a great blast from the past, all of the highlights of seasons 1 and 2, so take a look if you're feeling nostalgic like me!

Fitting perfectly into this mood, this weekend I get to see MONA!!!!!!!!! mona1347 is my big sister, my mentor, my guiding light, and I met her through Supernatural fandom. ♥ I'm going down to DC for my friend Thomas's birthday, then I'm staying the night and going to Mona's place for lunch and some hi-def Supernatural nostalgia. I am exceedingly, exceedingly excited! \o/

I'm trying to decide what old episode I want to watch right now. I think I've decided on Playthings.

Oh, today we went to the mall to buy a present for Thomas, and I ended up picking up the first season of Mad Men for $20! Impulse buy ftw! I've been meaning to watch the show for a while and this was much easier than downloading. I also got a squishy keychain of the Watchmen doomsday clock, yellow with a splash of human bean juice. Awesome.

I just curled up in my bed, turned out the lights, put on my enormous headphones, and watched Devil's Trap.

( Thoughts on Supernatural and Winchesters, past and present. Spoilers through latest episode. )

Order of business the first: HAPPY BIRTHDAY kashmir1!!!! You are a darling and such a brave soul, and I admire you so very much. I love you sweetie and I hope you have a wonderful day.

The second: HAPPY BIRTHDAY caithream!!!! You are such a sparkly and awesome person, you always make me smile, and I'm so glad we met at Wincon!

The third: I started watching Castle with Michelle! It is SO adorable. I think Nathan Fillion is the only person who could make this character adorable instead of repugnant, but whatever, it works. My favorite part of the show is his family - so unconventional and hilarious! The plots are a little eyebrow-raising, but it's hard to be original in a world inundated with crime procedurals. In any case, Nathan is infinitely adorable and I am very pleased. Thumbs up!

The fourth: I had the most lovely conversation with my Louise (friend from Dublin) this morning. It went thusly:

Louise: it a really good time to come because we will all be on that high
we might actualy explode
Louise: Anne-exams=explosion
me: hee, that was the idea!
Louise: BOOM!
Louise: :D
Louise: everyone is glad you're coming back doll, we miss ya lots
me: aw, thank you sweetheart. that really means a lot.
me: it kind of keeps me going :)
Louise: you really are loved here Anne, you're our American gal! Not just a blow in the wind from across the pond!
me: and i love you all, so very much! I feel at home with you crazy Irish folks
Louise: sure once you catch our craziness your done for life!
and later...
Louise: of course you wont! We'll always be here, and you'll ALWAYS have a place here.

To steal a most eloquent expression from wasoncedelight,

♥_______;

The fifth: tuesdaysgone and discord_harmony, see my last post about The Used! :)

Calling all potential fellow-The Used-goers! So I know that discord_harmony, wasoncedelight, and tuesdaysgone have all expressed interest in possibly going to this show. Have any of you decided for sure yet? I think I should go get tickets soon (I'm paranoid about them selling out) so let me know if you want one!

(Pleeeease someone come with me? *puppy eyes*)

((I realize it is ironic to use MCR icons for my The Used posts. I don't have any Used icons though! *hands*))

I'M GOING TO DUBLINNNNNNNNN! Plane tickets officially booked, "Dublin Redux!" IS A GO!!!

*twirls forever and ever and ever* :D :D :D

I got a really cheap price by settling for a layover in London. I'll arrive in Dublin zombie-like and sleep deprived - if Niall still likes me then, it will be a sign that his affections are true. :D I can't wait to have snuggles omg.

I'll be in Dublin from May 23-June 4th. Then I start grad school in early July. CRAZY. Not a very long summer, but I think Dublin will be enough of a reboot for my soul that I'll be able to face Michigan refreshed and excited.

Today, the trees on campus EXPLODED with flowers. I am pleased.

I found a place in Ann Arbor that I really really want, but I'm not sure I'm going to get it. It's a three bedroom house just north of campus, in a gorgeous little neighborhood, and there's already one female graduate living there. She's quite a bit older than me, doing an awesome degree in American Studies, and she seems really cool, but definitely more mature than me (since I am sometimes a flaily kid, you all know this). She has the power to choose whoever she wants as her roommates, as I'm sure many people will be clamoring for this place, so I'm hoping but not holding my breath.

I also got contacted by another girl looking for a place to live. She's also graduating college, starting her PhD in chemistry, and she seems really sweet and fun. I like her Facebook page a lot - she likes RENT! And Avenue Q! And Bill Bryson! I feel like our personalities would be compatible. So if I don't get the house mentioned above, I think I'll start looking for places with her.

Gleeful ETA: In an email, I asked her "what sort of geeky" she was, and said that I was into fantasy/sci fi, and she said that she's not well-versed but the few episodes of BSG and Firefly she's seen have convinced her that this needs to change. !!! HI NEW BEST FRIEND.

Things are going well! How are you loves?

Hi flist! I have a favor to ask of you.

My roommate and bestest, Michelle, is an awesome anthropologist. She has an assignment for a class called "Language, Power, and Society" and after we tossed things back and forth, she decided to do her project on the power structures in online comments, particularly blogs. She's going to draw from blogs of famous people, "famous" people, people with a tenuous grasp on fame at best (i.e., niche genre authors), and some people who are "famous on the internet". So I want to ask your help in two ways. First, do you have any thoughts to contribute on this phenomenon? From what I gather, she'd like to look at things such as patterns of replies (as in - more fame means no replies to comments, or only replies in subsequent posts, while less famous people often interact more directly, and similar authority dynamics within purely internet communities) and volume. She's really interested in any perspectives you guys might have, as seasoned veterans of the blogosphere!

I'd also love if you'd recommend some blogs that you think might be useful. We're thinking of things ranging from Pete Wentz to Lynn Flewelling to Markos (DailyKos). Any recommendations you might have would be great!

Thanks guys! ♥

A fun icon meme!

1. Reply to this post, and I will pick six of your icons.
2. Make a post (including the meme info) and talk about the icons I chose.
3. Other people can then comment to you and make their own posts.
4. This will create a never-ending cycle of icon glee.

brightedelweiss chose these for me!




( Defining self-indulgent, wahey. )

Aaaand - go!

I got essentially zero accomplished this weekend... but I'm pretty much okay with that. I went to see Watchmen AGAIN tonight - yay! With my friends Fei and Rob, who hadn't seen it yet. There are still parts I can't watch (severing hands... *shudders*) but Adrian just gets more and more fabulous. I hope there's more of him in the extended cut though. Rob likes to refer to him as "the gay one" now. :P The movie definitely wears well - I still find it fascinating the third go round, but I am looking forward to the extended cut, for even more depth! (And probably even more violence - thanks, Zack :P) The sex scene, however, never gets less hilarious. I'm completely positive now that my favorite scene is when Dan punches the shit out of you know who and he just takes it. *sniff* Rorschach is the most relentlessly compelling character, though. I'm just bored of Jon and Laurie at this point, and Dan is cute but I'm not terribly invested. But Rooooorschach. I love when his little flashlight won't work, n'aw. And JDM is just perfection as The Comedian. The perfect love-to-hate character!

Tonight I also filed my taxes and am going to get $449 dollars in a few weeks. Scooore. That is so going towards my Dublin trip.

Speaking of my Dublin trip, Expedia did it again - I selected a flight, and when I got to the confirmation screen it said "We're sorry, the price of this flight has changed [by FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS]." What the actual bloody fuck. >:(

A couple tentative leads for apartment hunting... this guy who rents out the house next door to his called me to tell me about the place. It sounds interesting, in terms of the facts, but location-wise it's much further from downtown than I want, and now that I've seen pictures I'm really kind of eh about it. But I did get an email from a girl who's looking for roommates, and I'm kind of intrigued because... she's a world-class figure skater. Like, she skated at Worlds this year and there are loads of videos of her skating on youtube (Caitlin Mallory, if you wanna take a look). She's really bloody good. She's almost exactly my age, but still a senior at Michigan because she's going to school part time due to skating, and she studies neuroscience. She seems really nice - not a fangirl or a geek, but friendly and liberal. Definitely someone I could live with, I think. I emailed her back, and maybe we'll talk on the phone sometime. Having someone to look for places with would be a big help I think.

La la, sleepytimes. <3

Today has been profoundly... blah. My head hurts and my eyes are tired from crying. Both of my roommates were gone all day, so it was quiet and lonely. A friend came over and watched the two latest SPN eps, but other than that I was totally alone. I put up some posters in my room, I watched most of the SPN S2 ep "What is and What Should Never Be" (holy crap that EPISODE), I sort of ate some food (grocery trip necessary...), I watched The Lookout (with Joseph Gordon Levitt and Matthew Goode - quiet and powerful, I recommend it for fans of either actor), and I fought with my mom. I just feel like crap.

I might go watch an episode of Friday Night Lights to make me feel better, and to celebrate its being picked up for TWO MORE SEASONS YAY! I still don't understand why not every single person on my flist loves this show, but in another (futile?) attempt at converting, I'll link you to a pimping list. Please look at it? I promise, PROMISE you won't regret giving this show a chance.

Ten Reasons to Watch Friday Night Lights

Seriously, guys. Seriously.

I'm going to go continue being blob-like.

Does anyone have any advice for flight searching? This is frustrating me beyond BELIEF. We had an awesome, low fare chosen, and then as soon as I selected the flight, it said, "We're sorry, the price of this flight has changed" to 200 more dollars!!!!

This is my rage face.

(ETA: Now I tried a AirFrance trip for 322 and when I clicked on it it increased to 2500. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. I have NEVER had this happen to me before.)

So, uh, any advice/tips would be very very much appreciated. I hate the world right now.

Alright, flist. Alright. I was resisting this one but it's a little hard to keep doing so.

So - who's going to the Columbia, MD Fall Out Boy date?

This is just me feeling things out (it's bloody expensive), but I don't want it to slip by without at least thinking about it. There are still GA tickets available.

So yes. Who would be my friend?

Before I run off to bed, I'd like to share a moment of hotness with you all.

( Superheros as civilians! )

....I really should go to sleep. Carry on.

I've only seen the first 20 minutes of Supernatural so far (before class) but I just have two things:

1) Ahahahaha WHAT.

2) ( Maybe one of my favorite Dean lines ever. )

Possibly more later.