User: liebe_maus Date: 2009-12-17 14:38 Subject: OH GOD I HATE DECEMBER! Security: Public Mood: stressed Music: Futurama - "A Leela of Her Own'

Can't you tell it's finals time? Yeahhhh. Good stuff. I've got one paper turned in (that isn't my best work, it's a little reliant on What's the Matter with Kansas?, but when you're writing about partisan activity in a given state, i.e., Kansas, WHAT ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO READ?) and another one that I'm working on.

Remember the Chomsky paper I had to do over the summer? The one where I wrote a whole bunch of circular logic and rambling stuff about Pat Tillman, but still inexplicably got an A on? Same professor, different class. This time, I get to babble about education as a facet in a voter's economic profile and how that determined their voting behavior in the 2008 election. He is more interested in seeing that we can conduct research, rather than us having super scientifically correct work. It's an interesting perspective, but really the only fair way to grade us, since we're the first group to take this course in the 4-credit curriculum. The course presupposes a lot of exposure to statistical analysis software from previous classes, and we spent 4 or 5 periods just learning how to use the damn software, so we're getting graded on ~lowered expectations~ and that is always awesome.

And then I have to finish my English papers. One is a free fiction piece, 3000 words. The other is my reflection on a semester of leading the Scribe to our ridiculous success this semester...and all the oh-my-god-I-want-to-throttle-everyone moments that got us there :DDDD

(Seriously, I would never wish this job on anyone who doesn't have nerves of steel.)

In other news:

• Research in Motion experienced some kind of massive server crash overnight, so Blackberry users in the US and Canada aren't getting any email. Thank Heathus I found an article about it from some tech blog before I called the Verizon store in a panic! I can get my email through the lappy, because Gmail itself works, but RiM's email service has like, a 12 hour backlog to weed through, and with the constant flow of communication, it doesn't seem to be getting any shorter. All the other data-sending apps work, though. I've been able to use TwitterBerry and Facebook and the IM apps all day with no problems.
• It's like 20 degrees outside, with dry winds. I AM SCALY. My skin has never been this dry (or maybe I haven't noticed it before) and I've been coating myself in lotion every couple of hours to combat it. Everything feels better except my elbows. Stupid elbows.
• I don't know how I feel about the status of healthcare right now. Part of me is totally Team Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders, in that the bill is so flippin' watered down that there's hardly anything left worth voting for. Part of me is getting on board with Team Paul Krugman because he calms my rage by explaining that passage of the bill as it is will at least get a legislative foot in the door and make way for other reform later on. I see the merit to both sides, but still have the sneaking suspicion I, at 23 years of age and facing losing my insurance in May, am getting screwed. 
• Tangentially related - seeing Ezra Klein on "Countdown" almost every night makes me happy and optimistic that I don't need a fancypants advanced degree to be credible on political matters, because I certainly will not have one for quite some time*. 
• I still have so many cookies in my kitchen. So. Many. It is...ridiculous. They're still delicious, though.

User: plumbob78 Date: 2009-12-15 22:32 Subject: Christmas Security: Public Mood: pensive

I need to make a decision.

This year, because my brother is coming home (and because I can), I have pu in leave for the entire week of Christmas. After Friday I ahve nine days wherein I can do basically anything I want, with the only restriction being that I need to see my family on Christmas day. Normally I go out on Christmas Eve, spend that day and the holiday and then punch out that eveing or the day after if where the holiday falls permits it. This year I have a lot more flexibility. I don't think I can stand much more time with the whole family, though. I'd like to spend as much time as possibly with Mike, but ideally most of that should be sans parents. Bug, on the other hand, he's going to be staying there. If I call him up to hang out with just us, our folks might find that weird. Annoying.

I think I'm going to use the rest of my time off to seriously, really, I-truly-mean-it-this-time clean my apartment and to get my mind right. I feel like I've been drifting, rudderless, for a while now.

User: seanlily Date: 2009-12-14 08:32 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public Tags: books, television

 I finished re-watching season 4 of Stargate SG-1. Still love it.
Watched the first 3 episodes of season 1 of Mad Men.  Not sure I want to continue that right now, the only character I like at all is Peggy.

I finished reading Cryptonomicon by Stephenson, and yes I did enjoy it but it also felt like it would never end. I enjoyed the history part of it most, but I did kind of wonder what was the point in the end, I'm sure I'm missing something.

So, on to mindless adventure as a break, the Alexandria Link by Steve Berry. I've never read him so no idea what to expect, but it's a lot shorter than the Stephenson.

User: keieeeye Date: 2009-12-14 10:55 Subject: I am in fact alive Security: Public Mood: frustrated Tags: faith in humanity, lj drama, nothing in particular, the blues

1. My rabbit is totally awesome. Except when it's raining I have been spending a few hours outside with him, lying in the sun reading or cuddling him. A few days ago he climbed all over my copy of Watership Down when I was reading it in front of the open fence door and he got curious.

2. My sister's been dragging me out of the house - to the pub, natch. Sundays is 3-for-2 tap pints so she and a friend get their Guinness and I have a Speights and we're quite ridiculous.

3. My internet activity is totally old school. I'm playing my MUD again, I have a level 15 myrmidon in the temple of order, law and balance (warrior-mage, essentially, and in the later levels they can work with runes, she's badarse) and a level 10 cleric in the nature temple. She isn't quite as badarse, but she's no slouch either. ALSO I'm totally playing virtual pet sites again. I'm mostly active on http://www.wajas.com and http://www.khimeros.com. This is actually good because most of the sites have games and between them there's like mahjong, solitaire mancala, mastermind, minesweeper and that sliding-tile game where you have to rearrange them to form a picture in a 4x4 grid with 15 tiles. (Khimeros also has sudoku but it doesn't give you pretend money.) So they're all thinking games, and they're fun.

4. Fandom on LJ consists of me usually being very laidback until humanity sucks and I get rage. So, pretty much normal. I write things or put together video clips to music and people tell me they like them. It's a good arrangement.

5. Speaking of, I have rage.

6. I'm on the waiting list for the anxiety outpatients unit. The waiting list is nine months long. Story to be updated in September.

7. Animals are pretty damn awesome.

User: seanlily Date: 2009-12-10 18:26 Subject: Work Fire Update Security: Public Tags: work

 So, it's been a week and a half since the fire. I was over there today to get a few other things and there's still a smoke smell. 

I'm settling in at the new place, but I'm seeing times of boredom, because they are not as busy, and some of my work, I can't really do, so I'm not sure what I'll do to pass the time. 

It could be 6 months. The director wants to do some remodeling with the place, which makes sense, but I hope it doesn't take that long. I guess we'll know more in January after the architects and all that information is clearer.

On the plus side, the new coworkers don't seem as crazy, so the stress level should be less, and I can walk to work.

User: newcomers (posted by drexielle) Date: 2009-12-09 20:30 Subject: Newblet is new. Security: Public Location: In Bed Mood: tired Music: "Hunting for Witches" - Bloc Party

Hey there! I'm Drexi, I'm 19, and I'm incredibly awkward when it comes to introductions. I've lived in several cities across the U.S., and spent six months overseas.

I'm an Anime-geek, prone to strange references, cosplay and having emoticons accompany my text. >//////<;;

My other, half-assed interests include art, writing (obviously), food-consumption, travel, sleep, roleplay and procrastination. ;>__>

I'm sarcastic, a moderate-pessimist (often enough that I can't call myself a realist), but I try not to be too abrasive to strangers.

...And though I love having people to talk to online, I'm not particularly fond about talking about myself, especially on such an easily-accessible venue, so if you're interested in starting a conversation, feel free to message me. I promise to be nice~

User: newcomers (posted by ryan_e_f) Date: 2009-12-06 04:00 Subject: good night...or morning Security: Public Mood: sleepy Music: electric funeral // black sabbath

hey, new on here, haven't had a journal since hs, but I love to write and chat with new people.
21/heartland,USA; reading, writing, music (both listening and making), the outdoors, and cooking are some of my passions

I'm a currently a student, hope to become a teacher, writer, psychologist, concert pianist...or superhero. obsessed with traveling, and have actually been very lucky and have had the chance to visit a lot of different places in the world...always on the lookout for the next destination or adventure.

User: xenakat13 Date: 2009-12-05 19:54 Subject: Lost In The Dungeons... Security: Public

Once again, nothing much has happened out in the real world.  Work is the same as ever, except busier because of all the holidays just past, and coming up (American Thanksgiving two weeks ago, Haunukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Festivus, Christmas, First Night/New Year's and Three Kings Day).

One stressful incident: I looked up from where I was trying to finish typing something in while I was on duty at the desk because the supervisor had called my name. I looked up to see him cradling a little old lady on the floor and when he caught my eye he told me to "Get BossBoss NOW!!

I had no idea what had happened, if she was sick, had slipped on something that had spilled, if someone had knocked her over, or she'd keeled over dead. So yeah, I paged BossBoss to come to the front of the store "IMMEDIATELY PLEASE!!!eleventy!"  Ok, I didn't actually say "eleventy," I just put that there for dramatics.  BossBoss had chided me the week before for paging him so dramatically when I needed him for a signature.  The reason for that was because LadyBoss had given me the death glare, thinking I was disturbing BossBoss for something silly, and the panic and defensiveness came out in my voice.  Both of them laughed about it after, so I figured there would be no problem for the real drama this time.

Thankfully, LittleOldLady was fine...she was just tired, and had overdone it with running errands.  Her legs just collapsed under her from exhaustion.  BossBoss got her a hot cup of tea (tea cures everything!) and helped bundle up her groceries.  Then he put her and her bundles in his car and drove her home.  He also carried her bundles up the stairs, and called one of her neighbors to come stay with her for an hour or so, and to cook her supper that night.  Yeah, it was above and beyond the call of duty, but that's the kind of thing that cultivates customer loyalty.  Naturally, she'll tell her friends and family, and that will bring even more loyal customers into the fold.

Meanwhile, I've spent the last two weeks or so with my new addiction...an MMPORG {That's Massively Multi-Player Online Roleplaying Game).  The one I found happens to be free, or I wouldn't have bothered.  It's fun!  It's rather old, so the graphics are kind of hinky, and if you decided to play the quest they offer, it won't save your progress if you leave.  That is, it won't save your progress on the quest...if you sign up as a member, it will save any items you are carrying and your experience level.  I've been playing a little bit each night to get my level and experience up, then some day when I have the day off from work, and Mini-Me is at school or out with friends, I am going to sit down and try to complete the quest.  I'm glad I found it now, with the yukky winter weather starting up, instead of back when we still had good weather.