list time!

Things I have done in the past two weeks or so:

1. Teched, opened, closed, and struck a show.
2. Started rehearsal for another show.
3. Slept through an exam. (Oops.)
4. Had my photographic ego stroked by one Director Shady.
5. Written and turned in a really good paper.
6. Spent the night in the design area of TI.
7. Started the process of installing Leopard on my HP laptop.

It is mostly items 1, 2, and 5 that have kept me so radio silent. I have a paper due Wednesday and a final on Friday and then I will be free, free, free to do whatever I please. Hooray?

I kind of miss New York.

I sure wish it would get warm around here again.

-@

relapse

I guess I felt entitled to a little bit of indulgence, since I had taken a stab at chipping away at my stack of reading. I’ve read less than half a book and skimmed another, though: progress which definitely does not justify my purchase of two more books this afternoon. I was in Barnes & Noble searching for a book the University bookstores didn’t carry that I need for research on a final paper and I succumbed to the temptation of Rushdie and Keillor.

I know.

So, on my way home from the bookstore, books in hand and tail between legs, I came up with a set of goals for spring break, which starts officially in a few weeks and practically Monday afternoon when I finish my last class and move to reading week and finals.

And here they are.

A Set of Goals for Spring Break

• Give my apartment a thorough shakedown. I’ve been so busy lately that my feeble efforts to combat the clutter are failing pretty miserably. I need to clean out my massive mail pile, recycle my collection of old newspapers, do a bunch of laundry, vacuum, mop, the works.
• Read three more books. This entails finishing the book I’ve started and removing three more from my reading list. I can tell you right now, the three I tackle will most likely be this one, this one, and this one.
• Finish Super Mario Galaxy and Super Paper Mario. And get some work done on Zelda. I’m behind the times, I know, I know.
• Cook a lobster loaf. And while I’m at it, write out the history of my logo/emblem/blog name. It’s pretty boring, but it lets me draw stupid pictures, so it’s worth a blog post of its own.

There you have it. I’ll let you know how it goes.

This photo is in honor of the birth of Wanda Sykes, exactly 44 years ago.
It makes sense. Just trust me on this one.

-@

I wish I were my cat right now

She’s fast asleep in a sunny spot, somewhat twined around the wheel mechanism of my desk chair. I’m afraid to move because I don’t want to roll over her tiny sleeping paws. She will never know what I give up for her.

I did end up sleeping last night, because I was able to finish the Hamlet text adventure game rather quickly. I have read Hamlet a few times, as well as most of the other Shakespeare plays referenced in the game. I also worked on the New Student Week production of The Compleat Works of Willm Shkspr (Abridged) this year so even for the plays I haven’t read, I know what parts are comedy fodder and that’s all you really need to get through this game with a score of 100%. I found upon further exploration of the site that Hamlet was written simply as a proof-of-concept for the game engine. No wonder it was so easy!

The other text adventure by the author, though, is another story. Aunts and Butlers is (or so far seems to be) a  full-length text adventure comedy of the highest degree. I’d explain further, but frankly, I’d rather get back to playing it, and I suggest that you do the same.

A hastily-chosen photo to satisfy the day’s requirement:

Ting-a-ling-a-ling!

Happy birthday to Shaq!

-@

it’s spring.

No matter what you try to tell me, the little men in my head have decided that it’s finally spring and my mood today reflects that proclamation. I feel great today.

For starters, I have a new favorite song. Not an all-time favorite song, mind you – Madonna still has that market cornered for me. I just have a new song of the moment. I bought Brandi Carlile’s most recent album The Story yesterday after “Turpentine” was playing on the radio when I woke up, and I’ve been listening to that song ever since. Take a listen in a background window while you read the rest of this entry, and you will be afforded a multidimensional sensory image of my current state.

Another great thing about today, aside from the bright sun and the thirty-five degree weather, was something that happened to me at the Rock as I was coming out of my first English class on the way to my second. I generally ignore whoever’s out there when I pass by – they’re trying to get me to sign up for their club or come to their event or do something else I have no interest in – but today, there were dueling causes. One kid was sitting at his dinky little table trying to sell baked goods for the benefit some human rights protest somewhere. I can’t be sure. He didn’t even have a sign.

happy national grammar day!

Tuesday, March 4th is more than just Antonio Vivaldi’s 330th birthday and my half-birthday, ladies and gentlemen. It is, apparently, National Grammar Day. From the website:

“We believe language is something to be celebrated. March 4th is the perfect day to do it. It’s not only a date, it’s an imperative. So March forth on March 4th! Celebrate your mother tongue!

Also, there’s already a National Punctuation Day, and it didn’t seem fair to leave clauses and such things by the wayside when the commas that embrace them get such attention.”

The thing that I love about this day that I’ve just discovered, other than having cause to celebrate one of the nerdy things I enjoy on my half birthday, is the name of the organization behind it: SPOGG. The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. Join here. You’ll be glad you did.

In other news, I wish I had a motorcycle, and that it was warm enough to drive one up and down Lakeshore Drive. That would be perfect. Speaking of which:

My theoretical bike would have to be that shiny.

-@

various items of the day

Google search term of the day:
“lobster harness vault”

Photo of the day:

(It’s a post. Get it? A post!)

Historical birthday of the day:
Frank Wigglesworth (1918). Best name ever? I think so.

-@

argh.

For whatever reason, I can’t get at my old deviantart page right now, so here’s one from the newer vault. I like it solely for its potential.

It’s a bench. Did you notice? Because it is.

Tech for Tattoo Girl starts today. I’m already completely burned out. Usually it takes me until about the Wednesday of tech week, when we’re in dress rehearsals, to be exhausted and sick of this crap. But I’m there now, a few days early, wishing I could just …. skip rehearsal for the next week. Which is completely not possible.

The last week of school is also bearing down on me. That, I’m more pumped for, because that means it will soon be reading week, when I’m going to sleep in til ten (that’s late for me these days, except for today), work leisurely on some papers or something, and go to rehearsal. It’s going to be relaxing and great and I can’t wait.

But one week stands between me and that bliss. One week. Tech, I will vanquish you.

I will vanquish you very slowly, and I’ll probably complain about it the whole time.

-@

we’re halfway there!

WHOOO-OOA! LIIIIVIN’ ON A PRAAA-AAYER.

Sorry. Sometimes the little Bon Jovi cover band in my head just has to be heard.

About three more inches of snow last night, I see from looking out my window… but my computer says it’s 34 degrees outside! Above freezing! Heat wave! I couldn’t be more excited.

Well, I’d be more excited if I weren’t so hungry, but as soon as I sign this post I’m heading over to breakfast. So by the time you’re reading this, you may rest assured that I couldn’t be more excited.

Here’s today’s photo.

Full view it here for it to look way, way cooler.

I love the contrast between the inside areas of the leaves and their edges in this photo. But that’s not all that I love about it. I just can’t put my finger on the rest.

Anyway, it’s time for school. Did I mention that this quarter is almost over? Next week is the last week of classes (and tech week for my winter show). After that comes reading week (which is also the first week of rehearsals for my spring show), then finals week and then spriiing break.

(This side has birds on it.)

-@

we could use a little soulshine?

Listen to this in the background while you look at today’s photo. I named the photo after the album this song is from, and for whatever reason it just works really well for me.

This is some building in Manhattan. Somewhere in Midtown. I was wandering around and I thought the spheres were really interesting, so I snapped a few photos before being told to skedaddle by some security guard. It was the day of some sort of protest – I forget what was being protested at the time – so he probably mistook me for a Hooligan ™ or something.

Anyway, I love the photo, and I love the song you should be listening to right now if you’ve followed my instructions. The sound quality of the YouTube video is pretty crappy, but if you like it you can buy the album here. Yes, you read that properly. I suggested that you purchase music if you like it. I think I’m part of a dwindling minority of my generation that would rather pay for music than hit up the Pirate Bay. But that is a topic for another day.

If you like cats want to laugh really hard, take a look at the World’s Heaviest Harness pool on Flickr. I’m still giggling.

-@

clandestine class blogging

I try not to bring my laptop to class because it’s so distracting (see: updating my blog in class), but I had to this morning because my registration time for spring quarter classes falls during Restoration & 18th Century Lit.

So here I am.

Photo du jour!

This was taken near my mother’s old apartment in Manhattan. I like the colors.

Anyway, here’s what I’m taking next quarter:

English 359: Victorian Lit
English 298: Intro Sem in Reading & Interpretation
Slavic 255: Intro to Slavic Civ
English 351: Romantic Poetry

Yep. Three English classes and a random Slavic Studies class, because it’s a historical studies distribution class and it fits in my scheduling scheme for the quarter.

Winter quarter’s scheduling scheme had me in class all morning and free all afternoon. I was out by 1pm every day. It was nice – it helped me get up in the morning and therefore be more productive in the afternoon. Spring quarter, I am only in class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Three classes back-to-back-to-back from 9:30-2, then an hour and a half in which to eat and do the reading for my 3:30-5 class.

For the four weeks next quarter when I’m in rehearsal or tech for the Bacchae, Tuesdays and Thursdays are going to suck. I’m going to leave my apartment at 9AM and get back at 11PM (poor kitty will be lonely!). But I think it will be worth it for a four-day weekend and a free Wednesday every week.

Two days on, and five days off? Survey says: definitely yes!

-@