Finally!!

It's what I've always wanted. . . a flat panel e-book reader. How many times have I asked for something I can use to read pdfs and bring them to class?

Sony's new Reader

At last! Someone has been eavesdropping on my public rants and made my dreams come true!

I did absolutely nothing!

What is Spring Break? In what way does it function in society? And how the hell is it supposed to make you feel better about the rest of your semester?

Right now I am procrastinating my studies by procrastinating cleaning my apartment. I just left my SO and my family and other friends behind in Colorado for cold Madison. If Madison were in Colorado, or if everyone I knew were here, I would be 200% happier.

The difficulty with being an English major pack rat is that you accumulate an insane amount of paper and books that could possibly take over your entire apartment. Apparently, I need more bookcases. Blah.

My old advisor told me to revise and submit my papers for publication.
-- What? Are you serious?
-- You'd honestly be surprised.
I would definitely be surprised. Because right now, I find so much wrong with my work. . . I guess I will once again relegate these things to the summer.

First, I need to clean my apartment. Then I can clean up everything else.

I swear. . .

This baby is evil!

You Are 58% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side. Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

For Christina

I finally found it. James Lipton does PopoZao:

CSI, how you amaze me

I watched the newest episode of CSI tonight. . . I think it's called "I Like to Watch." Anyway, I've been over-using the term "Post-Modern" as a way to describe any text that leaves its own diegetic realm and pops over to our side. When CSI makes fun of forensics shows like it, that definitely makes an impact on the viewers. Initially, you laugh -- you are also aware of the shortcomings and unrealistic expectations that these shows produce. Then there is a moment of silence when you wonder if fans like you encourage this kind of sensationalist behavior that makes everything into a spectacle (and makes that spectacle a social commodity). . . and, of course, you do. So you come out of part of the episode laughing, but you also realize that you are laughing at yourself. And that's the kind of laughter that hurts in the not-so-good way.

I'm really excited to go back to Colorado tomorrow. I'm worried that this weeklong vacation is going to encourage bad habits during the remainder of my semester. I will try to not let it get to me. I've also packed light in terms of my homework. Well, four books is considered light. I doubt I will get to all of them, but I figured it would be better to be safe than sorry. Besides, I swore to myself that I would not do any research or paper-writing during my break. No problem.

With that, this will be my first true Spring Break since . . . freshman year of undergrad. Whoa. It's been about 11 years. Yikes!

Support Hoth 2014!

Sign the petition for Hoth as the next Winter Olympics City/Planet!

A vote for Hoth is a vote for the Jedi!

Osteo BiFlex Frankenstein

Okay, this is also just really funny. . . Unfortunately, I couldn't find a way to embed the video into this entry. Sorry! But, it's definitely worth a click:

The new "Frank"

One to cheer up many

One of my school friends says this video is the treat he grants himself for studying:

The day before tomorrow. . . Today!

I'm really excited, yet really nonchalant about returning to Colorado tomorrow evening. Maybe it's due to the long road trip to Chicago and the wait in Midway that I have to look forward to. Or maybe it's because I know I have to clean, do laundry, and pack when I return from classes today. Or maybe it's due to the weather right now (all fog). Thank goodness I didn't schedule my flight for today.

This week hasn't been the greatest, but it hasn't been the worst either. . . I'm pretty sure that I've been rather hormonal in my reactions to random things. . . Blah.

I wonder what would happen if I didn't go anywhere I intended for spring break -- I could go to Vegas or NYC or anywhere but Colorado and Wisconsin. . . What purpose would that honestly serve?

Last night, I was speaking to my friend about how odd some people find their niche when they are very young. I wondered about whether or not people had personalities to match the careers they eventually choose in life. . . Have I chosen the career that matches my personality yet? Have I even been exposed to what that is? I don't know. . . My friend said that she could ferret out problems and possibilities that many people do not think of because of her previous experiences with the underworld of crimes and misdemeanors. . . Now she gets paid to find mistakes. I don't ultimately know what my talents and skills are good for. . . Perhaps I was born to be a Rock Star and missed my calling. Damn. I knew I should have taken choir.

Ad creates a live Simpsons intro

This is crazy awesome:

Getting me on "Medieval"

Well, today I lead class discussion in my Chaucer class. I even read a little middle English (poorly, of course) in front of all my classmates. Discussion went ok. Or did it? Everyone afterward said, "Great job on discussion" but none of them were smiling when they said it. . . What the hell?

I also spent way too much time at the library today. I even fell asleep reading Swift, which should never happen. I think it's simply the power of Husnus for lunch. . . Sadly, I only ate half of my plate, and I forgot my leftovers in the restaurant. . . Very sad. I was looking forward to leftover grape leaves stuffed with lamb and rice. That's some good eatin'!

Happy Birthday to Somebody Else

So, my significant other's birthday was this week. It was a strange experience because I couldn't celebrate the day with him. However, I plan on taking him out for dinner (and possibly getting an ice cream cake) when I visit during Spring Break.

In other news, I've been at home in my pajamas all day today. . . I've finally had the opportunity to watch all the CSI's I've missed this past semester and that child molester edition of Dateline NBC, which is simultaneously disgusting and entertaining. I can't believe how many men are interested in hooking up with young children. . . It is absolutely appalling, and I wonder if it is part of the increasing feelings of inadequacy that Susan Faludi describes in Stiffed. I shouldn't assume that this behavior is specifcally a product of this culture. . . Many novelists describe similar inklings in men of different cultures, histories, etc. Oddly, Dateline even commented on how women did not engage in this activity whatsoever. It's definitely something to think about.

On a more positive note. . . has anyone played Sudoku? Why is this game so addictive?

H&M with Stella McCartney!!!

I hate to advertise, but even Scary Go Round is excited at the prospect of H&M!

How exciting is that?! Plus, Madison will be opening one soon. . . along with a PF Chang's! Woo-hoo! I'm such a consumer whore! Normally, I wouldn't care. . . but I am absolutely starved for eating decent (but standardized) pseudo-chinese food and shopping at trendy fashion mcfashion stores. . . meh.

When procrastination's lost its fun, you're f*ing lazy!!

It's only about th 5th week of school, and I am already beginning to procrastinate my work. As I'm typing out this blog, I'm supposed to be working on a 5pg book review of a Pope scholar.

I just got back from the AAAGS movie night. . . We watched Robot Stories, which is an excellent flick. If you ever get the chance to view it, definitely take that chance. The progression of the movie is through 4 short segments on completely different people. But, it's pretty good.

Frostbitten and Frozen

I learned a few new things about Madison this week:

• Thundersnow: When a big snowstorm hits, sometimes you hear thunder and see lightening. Apparently that's what the term means
• Bitter Cold vs. Regular Cold: Bitter cold is actually a scientific term used by meteorologists in Madison for really F*CKING cold. Brutal cold is also used synonymously.
• Never complain about the cold to someone from Minnesota. That just goes without saying.
• You can get frostbite from just standing outside for 20 minutes. Think about that as you're waiting for the bus.
• Colorado ain't got nothin' on us. I laugh at your meagre five inches. Ha!
• You can have a blizzard in Madison while you have a tornado and 60 degree weather in Chicago. We're only 2 hours away. . . That's almost like Colorado weather.
• Grad students don't get breaks. There were safety concerns for undergrads, so classes were cancelled for them. Did any of my classes get cancelled? Yeah. Right.
  

All the cold does is make us stronger (unless it kills us, of course).

Two in One

Here's my general post on wishing my mom a Happy Birthday today and everyone else a Happy Valentines (or Anti-Valentines) Day tomorrow. Yay!

Tonight I had no homework for the first time in a while. Although I could have worked ahead like a smart (and good) grad student, I opted for watching the TV and vegging out in front of my computer.

Don't worry, folks. . . I'm working right now. . . hehe.

Getting "Medieval" on me!

I've spent the last day or so reading part of The Knight's Tale. I'm tired. So tired. And yet, I have about 5 pages left. . . and I can't bring myself to finish! What is wrong with me!
I've also spent the entire weekend in my pajamas. I haven't seen the outside world since Friday. Blah.

The Maid of Honor Deliberate Gentle Love Master (DGLMf) Appreciated for your kindness and envied for all your experience, you are The Maid of Honor. Charismatic, affectionate, and terrific in relationships, you are what many guys would call a "perfect catch"--and you probably have many admirers, each wishing to capture your long-term love. You're careful, extra careful, because the last thing you want is to hurt anyone. Especially some poor boy whose only crime was liking you. Your exact opposite: Half-cocked Random Brutal Sex Dreamer We've deduced you're fully capable of a dirty fling, but you do feel that post-coital attachment after hooking up. So, conscientious person that you are, you do your best to reserve physical affection for those you respect...so you can respect yourself. Your biggest negative is the byproduct of your careful nature: indecision. You're just as slow rejecting someone as you are accepting them. ALWAYS AVOID: The False Messiah, The 5-Night Stand, The Vapor Trail, The Bachelor CONSIDER: The Gentleman, someone just like you. Link: The 32-Type Dating Test by OkCupid - Free Online Dating. My profile name: blackeyedmonkey

the Cutting Edge (57% dark, 42% spontaneous, 36% vulgar)

your humor style: CLEAN | SPONTANEOUS | DARK Your humor's mostly innocent and off-the-cuff, but somehow there's something slightly menacing about you. Part of your humor is making people a little uncomfortable, even if the things you say aren't themselves confrontational. You probably have a very dry delivery, or are seriously over-the-top. Your type is the most likely to appreciate a good insult and/or broken bone and/or very very fat person dancing. PEOPLE LIKE YOU: David Letterman - John Belushi The 3-Variable Funny Test! - it rules - If you're interested, try my latest: The Terrorism Test

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 59% on darkness You scored higher than 41% on spontaneity You scored higher than 48% on vulgarity

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Strange bad but good occurrence

I just started using Library Thing to catalog all of my books online. It's a great service! You can catalog up to 200 books for free, but memberships will let you catalog as much as you want. Now, I recently (in the last week) put up about 200 books from my collection (which is a little less than half so far). When I returned to the site to tag some of my books, I noticed that most of them were gone. It turns out that they had a major server crash and lost about 160 of my books. Which is a little disappointing. However, to make up for it, they gave me a free membership! I was planning on purchasing a membership eventually, and now I don't have to for at least another year.

If you look to the right of my blog, you'll notice a random sampling of some of the books in my collection. Well, right now it's a random sampling of about 20 books in my collection. I'll have to get cracking on that again sometime next week.

Year memberships are $10, Lifetime ones are $25