Do Not Apply To Open Wounds

Five hours straight of applications ick is about all I can take for now, I think I need lunch and then a bout of grading before I dig back in.

Now the quesiton is: Will my recommenders be able to stifle their anger at my screw up long enough to write a recommendation quickly and without the phrase, "Student is a freaking twit who will nevermake a deadline. Do not admit."

On the plus side, on the internets there is a USB powered nerfgun-thingie. That's good, right?

If I Told You You Had a Beautiful Quiz, Would You Hold It Against Me?

Well, just ‘cause I’m insaaaanely busy don’t mean I can’t do a quick quiz :)

From yesterday’s results, it looks like I’m making these too easy! Hehe

Back into the past!

#1 –

The time has come for me
To break out of the shell
I have to shout

#2 –

When tragedy befalls you
Don't let them bring you down
Love can cure your problem
You're so lucky I'm around

#3 –

I spent a lifetime looking for you
single bars and good time lovers were never true
playing a fools game, hoping to win
telling those sweet lies and losing again

#4 –

It's kind of a special feeling
When you're out on the sea alone
Staring at the full moon, like a lover

#5 –

And here we go again, we know the start, we know the end
Masters of the scene
We've done it all before and now we're back to get some more
You know what I mean

#6 –

Look at us baby, up all night
Tearing our love apart

#7 –

Romantic Lady, single baby
Mm sophisticated mama

#8 –

They made a record and it went in the chart
The sky was the limit

#9 –

I promised you, dad, not to do the things you done.
I walk away from trouble when I can.
Now please don’t think I’m weak, I didn’t turn the other cheek,
And papa, I sure hope you understand:
Sometimes you gotta fight when you’re a man.

#10 –

And the years rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends

Dead Lines

I need to stop believing myself. I distinctly wrote down that XXXX School’s deadline for applications was December 15^th. I distinctly wrote down that XXXXXXXX School’s deadline for applications was February 15^th. Boy, was I wrong. XXXX’s was December 1^st! and XXXXXXXX’s is December 5^th!

Poop.

Luckily I caught my wonderful advisor as he was trying to escape for his weekend. Seriously. I stopped him in the hall. Good times. He not only very graciously said he would get the recommendation for XXXXXXXXXX out super-quick, but he said that I should go ahead and apply to XXXX late, and he’d get that recommendation out toot-sweet too. He said that the department over there might not care that much about being a bit late.

I guess this is a psychic manifestation of my ambivalence toward XXXX School. The thing is that they’ve got two really great people that I’d love to work with, and it is a very well-respected school that would get me great connections and such, but… Ah… but but but… It’s in a place that I really don’t like. I’ve never lived there, but I’ve been through a few times, and it always frustrated me in heaps of ways. I shall apply. I hope I get accepted. I hope I get accepted somewhere else too.

I guess this is good because it’s a kick in the pants that’ll get me running on all the applications (7 total as of right now. Oh, 8 if we include XXXX). For those of you playing at home, that’s a minimum of $50 per application, plus another $15 per of the fine upstanding folks who extort from their GRE monopoly.

Now I’ve got to find the other reference-givers and oh, yeah, finish off my statement of purpose/research so that they’ll actually know where and for what they are referring me.

Bad Overread! Bad! Bad! Bad! This was all supposed to be done a long time ago!

Then there’s the stack of papers that didn’t get graded during Thanksgiving. And the paper for my seminar. And all the finals to grade when they come in next week. And a can’t miss photo gig on Sunday right in the middle of the day.

Can You Hear Me Now?

With the weather turning a bit icky, I think I need to be putting time in at the gym on the treadmill, but here's the rub - I need distractions. All the treadmills face the window that looks out on... well, nothing. Music's good, but I think I need to be distracted more.

It comes down to this: Has anyone tried Audible.com? I like the idea of just hopping on the treadmill for an hour and getting a chunk of an interesting book out of it too. They seem to have a good selection... They say they can be put on an MP3 player...

hmm...

Whoopsie!

We let one slip by!
She's so High was by Tal Bachman instead of Depeche Modecq.

Also, if it's raining, I don't have to go to work, right?

Where did I put my poncho?

Thanks to Jayfish for uncovering my shame. :)

Playing With The Quiz of Hearts

Early quiz tonight, as I’ve got an early day tomorrow.

I’m happy to see that the tradition of Depeche Modecq lives on! Jayfish actually has a point about the Furs and Heaven – it’s a tough call :)

The misses though… Let’s see, we’ve got Hot Cha by They Might Be Giants at #10, and Mendi-la was getting close on #11. I mean, come on, everyone knows that Madonna likes the Hanky Panky, right? Hanky Panky… You know, from the Dick Tracy Movie? Hehe…

Newness!

#1 –

My Munequita, my Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa

#2 –

We went searching through thrift store jungles
Found Geronimo's rifle, Marilyn's shampoo
And Benny Goodman's corset and pen

#3 –

I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too

#4 –

Suck it in suck it in suck it in
If you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn

#5 – We haven’t done this one before, have we?

I never saw no miracle of science
That didn't go from a blessing to a curse
I never saw no military solution
That didn't always end up as something worse

#6 –

I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it any other way

#7 –

Have I been blind?
Have I been lost inside myself and my own mind?
Hypnotized, mesmerized, by what my eyes have seen?

#8 –

Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus

#9 –

My hands are tied
My body bruised, she's got me with
Nothing to win and
Nothing left to lose

#10 – There is one of the best misheard lyrics for me on this one. I could have sworn that there is a point in the song where they sing, “She’s so popular.” It’s actually the title of the song in French. Oh, the embarrassment.

Andre has a red flag, Chiang Ching's is blue
They all have hills to fly them on except for Lin Tai Yu

Shouldn't This Go Into the Spam Folder?

Email: (no salutation or closing - there's no need for any silly formalities between you and the guy evaluating your progress this time around, right?)

"Hey! This is Stu Dent [he takes Russian Violet's classes, too, I believe] from your XX Gruub class. Can you tell me what my grade is so I know what to get on the final to get an A?"

Response:

Well, first off, a quick check of your grades (which you also have, by the by) shows that you aren't getting an 'A' unless the spirit of Laurence Olivier posesses your body and you give the Hamlet sililoquey before you take the final. Not that that would prove you've grasped the class material at all, but hey, it's got to be worth a lot of extra credit points somehow.

That being said, I'll repeat, you have all the numbers that I have, save one: your participation grade. Now, I know you didn't do the reading, and I know that you very rarely opened your mouth in discussion, and that when you did it was generally because you were called on. So, if I know this, I hope you do too. So you could probably ballpark your participation grade too.

Finally, even if I could, through some magical brew of freshmen guts and 6th-year-senior brains, conjour up a projected grade, how would that inform your studying for the final? If I told you you had a, say, 'C,' would you study harder than if I told you you were on a track for an 'A'? What about a 'D'? Would you give up or study like a madman, forsaking sleep and the company of others?

I'm skeptical.

Are you sending this email simply to remind me that you are an 'A' student and that I'd better keep that in mind while grading, or are you simply coming to terms that while you may have been an 'A' student in high school, doing it at university may be a mite bit harder?

Quiz. James Quiz.

Camera Obscura, as far as I can tell, out in the heartland or anywhere else, it’s all Clear Channel. I don’t know if there really are actual radio stations anymore. They’re all just little boxes that repeat the correct tunes that have been approved by the marketing gods.

Ick.

That being said, I would mind hearing some music from Depeche Modecq. I think that’d be keen. :)

Misses from yesterday:

Suzanne was right, # was Erasure, the song is called Ship of Fools – good tune.

Only other miss was #4, Alkaline Trio’s Heaven – it’s another good tune, go check it out :)

Ok, we’re going into rare territory tonight, I’ve been looking into new stations, so who knows what’ll come up. Well, I guess it’s not that surprising – I’m pretty predictable, really…

#1 –

I won't be held responsible
She fell in love in the first place

#2 –

I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

#3 –

Hangin' round downtown by myself
And I had too much caffeine
And I was thinkin' 'bout myself
And then there she was
In platform double suede

#4 –

She's blood, flesh and bone
No tucks or silicone
She's touch, smell, sight, taste and sound

#5 –

We laugh just a little too loud
We stand just a little too close
We stare just a little too long

#6 –

You say I only hear what I want to.
You say I talk so all the time so.

#7 –

Though I’m far away
I’ll whisper your name into the sky
And I will wake up happy

#8 –

A man walks down the street
It’s a street in a strange world
Maybe it’s the third world
Maybe it’s his first time around

#9 –

You got it down and you’re well
On the way to the top
But there’s something that you forgot

#10 –

If that honey would come back
We would throw such a party
Drink and cook the prodigal son
Fondue forks for everybody

#11 –

Some girls, they like candy, and others, they like to grind,
I’ll settle for the back of your hand somewhere on my behind.

Finish Line in Sight

Whew. I just finished my last marathon 3 in a row discussion section. We did a review session even though I’m pretty ambivalent about that.

For some reason I’m not sure I’m comfortable spending precious class time going over what folks should be already on top of. I know it’s needed and a good way to solidify information and get them thinking about how they’ll do their studying for the final, but there’s so much more new material we need to be discussing! There’s really important misunderstood guy and huge catastrophic event and then of course there is her. Alas, we simply haven’t the time.

I really shouldn’t say this, but I’m cautiously optimistic about their chances on the final. I think they’ll make me proud.

Sigh, 7:30pm = nose + grindstone

You Can't Eat Soup With A Slotted Quiz.

Wow, I didn’t expect #1 to cause so much grief :) hehe. It was, of course, Bad Moon Rising by CCR.

You guys are too good!

Funny story – in basic training, there was a guy with the last name, ‘Moon.’ One drill sergeant loved that, and so he made the entire platoon sing Bad Moon Rising at some assembly. Sad, but also kinda funny.

Back at it – I also promise there will be more substantive blogging in the future, but it’s not happening right now. I’ve had requests for the ‘remote control vibrating panties’ story and the ‘how I got hit by a car on my bicycle’ story. I should also tell the ‘how I got an AK-47 pointed at my head in Moscow’ story, the ‘I got robbed in Napoli’ story and maybe the ‘168 mile bike ride’ story.

But there’s no time for that now. There is only time for:

THE QUIZ!

#1

Misjudged your limits
Pushed you too far
Took you for granted
I thought that you needed me more

#2

Girl of sixteen, whole life ahead of her
Slashed her wrists, bored with life
Didn’t succeed, thank the lord
For small mercies

#3

He was the baby of the class you know
He really didn’t know that one and one was two
Two and two were four

#4

there's a hole in the sky
where the sun don't shine
and clock on the wall
it counts my time

#5

Strummin’ my six-string
On my front porch swing

#6

I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime

#7

When I get lonely,
And I'm sure I've had enough
She sends her comfort,
Comin' in from above

#8

I don’t believe in Peter Pan
Frankenstein or Superman

#9

So let's sink another drink
'Cause it'll give me time to think

#10

Wearing her high-heel shoes
And her low-neck sweater

Between a Rock and a Quiz Place

Dang! You guys did really well on that one – only misses were:

#6 –

Olivia Newton-John – Xanadu! Oh, c’mon – there’s some body out there who loved the couples skate!

#10 –

Crystal Gayle – Half The Way. Well, ok, I’m not sure I’d admit to knowing that one either :)

Enjoy!

#1 –

I fear rivers over flowing.
I hear the voice of rage and ruin.

#2 –

And I’ve got one more silver dollar,
But I’m not gonna let them catch me, no

#3 –

I been up, I been down.
Take my word, my way 'round.
I ain't askin' for much.

#4 –

You know you got to go through hell
Before you get to heaven

#5 –

Then I guess she had to crash
Valium would have helped that dash

#6 –

I’m gettin’ bugged driving up and down the same old strip
I gotta find a new place where the kids are hip

#7 –

I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun...

#8 –

I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and...

#9 –

No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue

#10 –

You fill up my senses
Like a night in the forest

Shamed Into Running

This weekend showed me that I need to get running again. Both because it was a lot of fun to run Jayfish and Zerodoll, but also because I ate like an animal that eats a lot on a day in which it ate a particularly large amount of things that it really likes to eat.

So, I ran.

7.7km - 50'

It was another treadmill run (my, but doesn't it get dark early now?), and I'm still not sure if I actually like that. I tried one of the pre-set courses and I didn't really know what I was doing. The ramp would whirr and chug and put up a higher incline and then slide back down all at odd moments. The machine also told my that my heart rate was alternately around 32 and then 247. I don't think I particularly agree.

Anyway, the really odd thing is that you choose how long you want to run. Well, I guess you don't have to, but I did. I'm sure that's good if you have a specific training goal or something, but it feels a bit underwhelming to me. Oo! Oo! Another 5 minutes! I don't think that will ever compare to making it past the bend in the trail where you can finally see where you are going to end the run over there next to that tree.

Also, I end all of my runs in a sprint because it gives you a great sense of finishing something, and it seems to help with my cool-down somehow. Anyway, that's tougher to do on a treadmill (I did try though - I was punching that 'Speed Up' button like a wild man at the end).

Although, I do have to admit that I feel great now, so I guess it can't be all bad.

Holy Poop.

This is real.
The penny is for scale.
It was tasty.

:)

Ok, I admit that Lawyers in Love has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, but it came to me in a flash this weekend and I just had to include it.

Other hits:
#4 – Thanks for the Memories, Sinatra (et al)
#6 – Eat It, Weird Al

Alrighty then – here comes the new hotness:

#1 –

A love like ours is love that’s hard to find
How could we let it slip away
We’ve come too far to leave it all behind
How could we end it all this way

#2 –

There ain’t no doubt it no ones mind
That loves the finest thing around
Whisper something warm and kind
And hey babe the sky’s on fire, I’m dyin’

#3 –

I am yours, you are mine
You are what you are

#4 –

'Cause you came and you took control
You touched my very soul
You always showed me that
Loving you is where it's at

#5 –

He’s got such a supple wrist.

#6 –

A million lights are dancing
And there you are
A shooting star
An everlasting world
And you're here with me
Eternally

#7 –

It's the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance
It's the dream afraid of waking
that never takes the chance

#8 –

There’s nobody here
It’s just you and me
It’s where I wanna be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side

#9 –

Saving nickels saving dimes
Working til the sun don't shine
Looking forward to happier times

#10 –

So fill me up to the top
don't you stop till I'm over-flowing

#11 – Guaranteed a tear-fest. Oh, yeah Jayfish – you aren’t allowed to answer this one

Through the summer and the fall
we had each other that was all
just she and I together
like it was meant to be
and when she was lonely
I was there to comfort her
and I knew that she loved me

Bonus!

Every streetlamp
Seems to beat a fatalistic warning
Someone mutters
And the streetlamp gutters
And soon it will be morning

Hehe – feels good to be back :)

Homeward Bound - Again

So here I sit in Gargantuan Megapolis Airport (no WiFi – pathetic) almost done with my return trip from the Land of Wonderful Nieces (LWN). I do apologize for the lack of blogging and quizzing in particular. I should be able to pick things up a bit once I get back home.

The trip went really wonderfully, as might be expected from the name of the place. I actually got to hang out with a new-to-me cool person up there. I guess you could even call it my first blogger meet-up. This particular person is dating my brother – Yeah, I know, there’s no accounting for taste. She’s a great and friendly gal. She seems to be treating my brother well, which is a nice bonus :). I’m very happy I got a chance to meet her. I even got to meet her sister and bro-in-law – all very good folks.

One of the best things about heading up to LWN is that my brother knows where all the best restaurants are. The night I got in, Jayfish, Zerodoll and I went to a Japanese Tapas place. Yeah, I know it doesn’t make much sense, but the food was scrumptious. I particularly remember a squash soup that was oh-so-yummy.

We also went to an Ethiopian place where he had taken me before (even though I had forgotten). If any of you out there in blog-land have a decent Ethiopian restaurant in your town, you must go out and try it if you haven’t already. We usually get the veggie combos, which ends up being some steamed (?), some blended, and some who-knows-what. Order everything family style and they’ll put it on a big platter. Then you grab the flat bread and grab the food with the bread – Oh, delish! (random picture goodness)

I should also note that although my bother is a wonderful food guide, due to time problems and various emergencies, we also sampled the subtle delicacies of a wonderful place called Taco Bell, and another called Arby’s.

The best, however, was Thanksgiving dinner at The Official Mother Of The Wonderful Nieces, my equally wonderful sister’s place. There was salmon and chicken and white beets (very yummy) and cranberries and stuffing and potatoes and rolls and pecan pie and lime tarts and birthday cake (My sister had the good taste to be born in November). It was all very tasty, even if I didn’t try the salmon (I don’t handle fish very well).

Luckily, my brother, Zerodoll and I went on a run that morning. Funny thing though, a short run turned into a long run when asked, “how far away is [big monument thing]?” My brother, with an evil grin, said we should just run in that direction and find out. Zerodoll didn’t flinch, and of course I couldn’t admit to being a wimp – damn testosterone! So we ran to the big monument thing. It was actually a great run. It felt really good and makes me feel a little bit better about all of the food I ate this weekend.

We also went out and saw Harry Potter. Maybe I’ll post a review later, but I liked it quite a bit. There was a horrible trailer for some god-awful piece of drek called Monster House (noisy link). Yeesh, folks, when will you producers learn that making a movie in CG doesn’t necessarily make it a good thing. It looked like someone got Maya for Christmas last year and thought they’d see if they could make a movie. Uck.

***

Whew. Finally got back. I stopped off at the office to take care of a couple of things, but I need to get home and take a nap. I only got a few hours of sleep last night and I’m getting loopier than usual :)