one more miracle

So there's a guy in my PhD program who's a decade older than I am and served in the Navy. He's gruff and funny and really cool. Today I asked him if he and his fellow Navy dudes ever danced and made idiots out of themselves on Youtube, and he said Youtube didn't exist when he was in the service! Shocking. Then I mentioned I'd been watching some Marines be ridiculous and he said "Well it's Marines, there's your problem right there." Then he told me this: "You want to get a Marine mad? Tell him Marine means 'My ass riding in naval equipment.' You wanna get him real pissed off? The alternative definition is 'Muscles are required, intelligence not essential.'" Ahahahaha! I was so amused. What a genuine piece of boys being boys. ♥

My morning has been fine, including a quite nice lecture by a real smart woman. It would have been much better, however, if I hadn't forgotten my coffee on my desk at home, and therefore wasn't in an exhausted daze right now. It would have been much MUCH better if I hadn't ALSO forgotten my wallet, and therefore can't even buy myself a latte like I was planning. I can get free coffee when I get back to lab but I've got my priorities and I'm using my extra time from class ending early to chill in a common area and read my book.

My meeting with Jason was moved once again, to tomorrow, due to a sudden scheduling conflict. AHHHH! *headless chickens some more* One way or another this is gonna be resolved soon...

Thank you crediniaeth for the adorable Peep bunny virtual gift!! I am nomming on it happily. :D You are so sweet! <33333

I just finished watching the Buffy series finale (well, last two episodes) (for, to clarify, the 80 billionth time). So many tears!!! ;___; Willow's transformation is still one of the most striking images I have ever seen. "Oh. My. Goddess." SRSLY TEARS. But man, my Buffy/Angel OTP heart still beats so. fucking. hard. When he appears and her face is just glowing and they kiss all sexy and beautiful and just kind of gaze at each other for a while? sldkfjlksdjf my heart grows like 20 sizes. And then I rewind and rewatch and it grows ANOTHER 20 sizes. Seriously, I love them with alllll of me. ♥___♥ The cookie dough speech is so ridic but also so lovely, sigh. I love themmm. I also love Faith and her mountain of issues, and how Robin starts to help her through them with a bit of tough love, they're very much great together. And Giles and Xander and Dawn and Spiiiiike and Anya and Andrew and LITTLE FELICIA DAY and everyone! Man, I kind of really really love this show. Still #1 in my book.

Also tonight, I received a most spontaneous invite from Francisco to go to the movies with him and Steffen and Kate, and I was very excited about this! Because I have been home and quarantined and sad and unsocial. So we went to see How to Train Your Dragon in 3D, an animated film from Dreamworks. It was very, very adorable, and included a lot of awesome dragons. It was kind of extremely weird in that the human characters were supposed to be Vikings, but the adults had Scottish accents while the children were American (seriously? um) so I had to seriously handwave that, but a major benefit of the Scottish thing is that CRAIG FERGUSON IS ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS. I had no idea and I totally called it during the movie! I looooove him ridiculous amounts. <3 So yes, another fun, lovely movie from those wacky animation folks!

Then I kind of really wanted to have some time with Francisco and watch either Inglourious Basterds or Band of Brothers, both of which we've been wanting to do for a while. But a girl in our program had organized a night out at a bar, and both Francisco and Steffen wanted to go, so I said okay. We went to the bar, I couldn't even drink cause I'm on penicillin, and we just kind of hung out for a while. It was nice enough, but I just don't feel super duper comfortable in that friends group, at least not like I can let go and totally be myself. And without any alcohol at all, that was kind of accentuated. So I stuck around for about an hour and a half, but eventually I just left. I was kind of over it. It was one of those unfortunate cases of feeling kind of lonely in a crowd. I don't know if Francisco's uncomfortable around me right now or what, because of the whole lab issue thing, and it's all just kind of awkward. One way or another, things will be resolved on Tuesday (Francisco and I are both meeting with Jason separately), and I'm kind of scared.

I am currently listening to Backstreet Boys thanks to yet another video of Marines dancing and being ridic. I think this is my favorite find of the whole day (thanks to wordsalone!):



And I'll leave you with that. ♥

Reasons why my Francisco is the best Francisco:

1) He has a 42 inch flat screen TV.
2) He loves Band of Brothers and is really excited to do a full rewatch with me.

:DDDDDD

Oh and, 3) he makes me laugh harder than almost anyone in the world. But, you know, I have priorities. *g*

We watched Currahee on his TV tonight. The hearts in my eyes were stupidly huge. Watching Currahee is still so delightful - all their faces popping up in the background! Doc Roe in the cafeteria! Talbert in all kinds of random places! Cudlitz playing basketball! Grant bringing Sink a beer! Shifty adorably trying to defend Sobel! Tipper cracking up at Luz! Lieb giving mohawk haircuts! Guarnere nomming on ice cream! Mama Lip leading the mutiny! NIX NIX NIX! WINTERS WINTERS WINTERS! Ugh iltheirfacessfm.

Before that we watched Hero with Steffen and Kate, because Steffen loves it crazy amounts. It was pretty! There was lots of swordfighting! Pretty cool stuff.

In other news, who knew an acoustic cover of Hey Ya could be so adorable? STARK SANDS WHAT IS YOUR FAAACE. I can HAS his face (and voice omg!) in JUUUNE! *grabbyhands*

:D

Firstly: I'm feeling better. Thank you for your kind words and warmth - I am so lucky to have you all. ♥

Secondly: WINCON!!! I know it's like a million years away, but I just realized that I DON'T HAVE ROOMIES! :O Sooooo...anyone out there going to Wincon in Chicago who doesn't have roommates yet? Or has a room with a space available? I wanna sleep with you! :D

Thirdly: I'm almost finished with Generation Kill. One episode to go. I assume that episode will be a doozy, so it's possible the following opinions could change. It's certainly been interesting and eye-opening, horrifying and delightful by turns. I of course love Brad and Nate and Ray and Poke and Rolling Stone and DOC BRYAN (<333), and they make everything pretty worthwhile. But while I adore those characters and will probably start mainlining fic (Nate and Brad are just MADE for AUs), I can't say that the series has captured my heart? I don't see myself doing rewatches, anyway. It's too hard for me when I hate several of the major characters and am furious/shocked at pretty much every order they're given. I have very little tolerance for stupidity or blind, selfish ambition. It's just - how does the system let such fucked up, incompetent people through? How are they put in CHARGE of people? The whole thing makes me deeply frustrated and angry and I don't think I can take repeat doses of that. I don't care what screwed up past Captain America has - fact is, he's a terrible leader and a danger to his men, and should never been given a gun, much less put in a position of command. And that's just one example.

*deep breath* So - yeah. I find it kind of impossible to get around those issues. And the fact that this is all now? That this is what our troops are going through, what the Iraqi people have been subjected to for years? It makes me sick to my stomach. It's just too close to home. And I haven't even mentioned how the modern American/military notion of "masculinity" makes me really, really uncomfortable.

Don't get me wrong - I'm glad I've watched it. I'm glad I know Nate's serious little face, and Brad's enormous intelligent eyes, and Poke's hate-on for the white man's "burden", and Ray's delightful inappropriateness, and Bryan's complete intolerance of incompetence (PREACH IT BB). I love these boys and I'm glad they are in my life. ♥ Furthermore, the series gave me an insider perspective on something that's very current and relevant. It didn't change my opinions so much as inform them, which is just as important. So - glad for the experience, but not appropriating it as a fandom in the way I did Band of Brothers. (I don't think! I could eat my words, but I doubt it.)

Talk to me about your perspectives on it! (Reminder: don't spoil me for the last ep, though I'll be watching that tonight.) What am I missing?