Friday

Amusingly accurate quiz...

How did it know? hehe.

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English

20% Yankee

15% Upper Midwestern

0% Dixie

0% Midwestern

Sunday

Most beautiful custom EVAR.



I would first like to point out that I am generally NOT a fan of fairy-winged customs, eyeshadow, or facial markings.

Second, I would like to say that this is the single most gorgeous custom pony I have seen. Ever. I saw a thumbnail in the customizer's signature on the Arena and followed the link to her e-bay listing...

Simply amazing.

Anyway.

Here's the link to the auction--seriously, go check it out, she's got a ton more photos on there.

*drools a little over the prettiness, but in a feminine and hygenic manner*


**ALSO: Christmas tree photos coming soon!**

Thursday

Things to make Jon smile...

Well, hopefully. :)


^This sign is right by Jamba Juice...it's a bit hard to read but says "Pick-Up Line Begins Here". There's got to be someone out there who'll take advantage of that! (After all, the girls who work there are pretty cute. hehe.)



^A car parked somewhere in Wyview--I saw it while walking over to Sarako's apartment today. Body piercings!



^Not mine, of course, but funny nonetheless.



^Click to view larger. (Does this even need an explanation? =D)


(Hope you're feeling better now!)

Stardust

Was even better the second time through--there's a lot of stuff you miss when you just focus on the plot. Like Primus borrowing his brothers' coats... well, the poor guy was naked when he died, can you blame him?

Captain Shakespeare is like so the most awesomest pirate. Evar.

In other news, my room is 30% clean now. And I'm working on setting up my laptop on my desk so I can use it. Like with a chair.

So I don't resemble L from Death Note so much, that is...

I've been watching way too much of that show anyway. Now I want apples.

Sunday

The very best way to make hot chocolate...

You know how mint hot chocolate is good, but nearly impossible to make well? I have solved that problem. Yay me!

Just make a cup of peppermint tea, let it sit 5-6 minutes until the flavor is reasonably strong, and take out the tea bag. (You can heat up the water again at this point, but I don't because it's usually the perfect temperature for me.) Then use the mint tea in place of the water for some instant cocoa mix, and top with whipped cream and sprinkles or something yummy like that.

It tastes even mintier than the tea alone, and if you put in enough chocolate, that is some gooooood stuff. (It should be chocolatey enough that it doesn't taste watery at all--don't be afraid to use more mix than usual!)

Yummy!

And, on a mostly unrelated note, light whipped cream doesn't really count as light if you put three cups of it on something like, say, a piece of pie. Ugh. Don't try it, 'kay?

Thursday

7 things about Thanksgiving...

...that really piss me off.

1. Sloth: Lazy bums who sit around watching TV all morning...
2. Greed: ...until you ask them whether they plan on using the oven in the next forty minutes, at which time they become incredibly busy just so you can't use it to cook your own part of the meal. Which, as stated previously, only takes 40 minutes. Whereas they are taking over the cooking of the turkey, which really was assigned to another cousin. @$$-holes.

3. Envy: I hate those people that actually get to spend Thanksgiving with their families. Especially when those people were supposed to be taking care of you to begin with, and decided to go off and do their own thing, leaving you all alone with a bunch of freaks. I miss my family, too, you know.

4. Gluttony: While binge eating will be a change from my current state of semi-starvation (I have had two actual meals since Grandma left, if one does not count Japanese snacks and fast food), I am not at all sure that it will be a positive one. Especially if the Greedy cousins (see #2) decide that they have a right to the leftovers afterward. I NEED that food!

5. Wrath: Close the lid AFTER you flush, leave the seat DOWN, and for pete's sake STOP leaving hair in the sink! Honestly, is this too much to ask?

6. Lust: Okay, so they're married. But that does not make Grandma's house their personal Cuddle Zone (TM). Seriously, someone needs to tell those two that the rest of us DO NOT CARE and would appreciate it if they stopped acting so freaking cutesy with each other. Or at least did it where no one else could see. It's rather off-putting to see two grown adults acting and talking like kindergarteners... (Note that I use the term "adults" rather loosly in this case.)

7. Pride (Unjustified): "This will be the best Thanksgiving ever!" Sure it will be. Oh, and Satan just dropped by on a flying pig to wish us a Happy Christmas....he said it's been a bit chilly Down There lately, and the imps are engaged in a massive snowball war. Gosh, who knew?

You know what? Forget the sweet potatoes. Someone else can make them. And the relatives, well, they can go toss snowballs with the imps. I'm gonna go level up my druid, and Heaven help anyone who tries to interrupt me.

Have a FAN-freakin'-TASTIC Thanksgiving, y'all. Now get outta here before I get REALLY mad.

Sunday

It's been a good week...

It really has.^^

I have my schedule taken care of, the Thursday lecture was excellent, I'm learning how to play World of Warcraft, and I've been able to hang out with Jon quite a bit. He's just so fun to be around--really smart and really funny--that even when things don't go quite as planned, it doesn't matter, because we can still have a good time. :)

Today was quite fun... I made a horrible mistake with breakfast (I couldn't remember which canister Grandma keeps the pancake mix in, and which one she uses for flour), but it was pretty much edible...we picked up the game, and got it installed...had lunch, played DnD, got lots of treasure and XP and stuff...hung out and played Guitar Hero for a while, got dinner at Subway, played WoW....

I didn't get home till 12:00 or so, so it was a really long day, but it was fun. I feel really happy now, which means it was a good day. :)

I don't think I'll have any trouble falling asleep, though!

Tuesday

Insert clever title here...

Not much has been going on lately. I mean, a fair bit has, and it's been pretty good for the most part, but nothing earth-shatteringly exciting.

Saturday was fun, I think I've already told the four or five people who read this blog all about it already. :) Sunday was good, too, in a different way--much more relaxing. Imade it to church, and even managed to stay awake through Relief Society and most of Sacrament Meeting....Sunday School is still a toughie, though. And late Sunday night I decided to try out WoW, so I started downloading it... it was finished by the time I woke up, but there were still quite a few patches to download, too. I think that's the one thing that will make playing this very tiresome--it took forever!! But I guess if it's only once a week or something, I can survive.

I made it to all of my classes on Monday, a nearly unparallelled feat, and managed to get an extension on my social security draft. Which I should be working on right now, but...meh. Jon spent some time helping me get started on WoW, which was fun... I'm playing as a troll Hunter right now, which means I have to get used to keeping my distance so I ca used ranged attacks. I'm getting a bit better, but I am beginning to suspect I did not pick the best class for me. Oh well. At least with this game playing on a PVP server doesn't mean that everyone automatically tries to kill you... just the other side. XD

The graphics are fun, and I am enjoying myself--it's just a lot harder than I would like; even though I'm doing okay, it's really challenging. I'm not sure whether I'll be buying the game and getting a subscription or not, though... it would take up a lot of time, and it's kind of pricey. Maybe if I start getting really into it in the next few days... after all, I've got about a week left of the free trial.

In other news, you might remember that I said I was going to talk to my geology instructor today to get more information about majoring in geology. It went quite well; I got a lot of info, especially about possible careers and how much time I could expect to put in before being likely to be hired somewhere. I'm pretty sure this is what I want to do--I've got a really good feeling about it.^^

Thursday

Crazy Utah Drivers, Part II

So, you just might remember my post a couple months ago about nearly getting run down... well, they're still at it!

I've been noticing more and more how few drivers actually obey the traffic laws...and I haven't seen a single cop. <.< I swear, next time I'm gonna get a shot of the license number.

For instance, last night I was crossing the street--please note that the little white person sign was even on--and a car passed BARELY behind me...so yeah, he ran a red light and nearly ran down a pedestrian. How fun. It happened again like twice while me and Jon were walking around later, too, although not as bad.

But the part that really gets me is, it's not just cars. Now I can understand cyclists not wanting to ride on the roads--although I do anyway, because I have GUTS (which will, I am sure, end up all over the asphalt sometime soon). But here's the thing: they ride on the sidewalk, and bring their bad habits with them. This morning, I was passed--excuse me, NEARLY MOWED DOWN BY four students on bicycles, about five minutes apart, traveling at maximum speed. (I was on my way to school at the time, walking.) The first passed me, on the right, within INCHES of my face and elbow, with NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. The next did pretty much the same thing, and since he came up directly behind me and swerved at the last minute, so I didn't know which way to jump. And the BEST pert? Well, that was the next time it happened. It was a COUPLE, and they decided to ride up behind me, split and go around LEAVING ME NO SPACE AT ALL, and then speed off insto the distance, laughing wildly. (Well, maybe not wildly.)

WHAT IS THIS? I mean, whatever happened to THOU SHALT NOT KILL YOUR NEIGHBOR, EITHER BY THE USE OF A SPEEDING BIKE WHERE IT SHOULDN'T BE, OR THROUGH SHEER TERROR. Because, seriously, that ought to be one of the commandments. <.< Maybe take out the coveting part, no one around here really seems to care about that one anyway.

*sigh*

Yeah, I'm still upset. Honestly, those kids should be ARRESTED. <.<

Nifty!



Check it out, people and get your own! (Don't forget to tell me about it.^^)

Friday

This Has No Purpose

Okay, I swear the Halloween post is coming soon, but tonight (this morning?) I'm too lazy. So randomness.

--

How many letters in your name (not including spaces)?
24, and one hyphen

Name a person, place or thing that shares your initials.
Kosciusko, Mississippi

What color is the letter E? The number 3?
Yellow, and also yellow.

What is the first thing people notice about you?
Don't know. Clothes?

What do you think is your most noticeable feature?
Clothing style--big, baggy sweatshirts.

What do people always get wrong about you?
My name. It's Kate, not Katie.

What's one fact that most people know about you?
I play D&D.

What's one fact that very few people know about you?
I enjoy watching reverse harem anime.

What do you want for Christmas this year?
A kotatsu!!!!! ^^

What do you think you'll get for Christmas?
Erm... dunno... ponies?

Who is your best friend?
I... don't have one...

Who is your worst enemy?
The Rabid Fangirl-o-matic 5000.... <.<

Do you have any frenemies?
Er...I hope not...no?

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Maybe flying? I dunno.

What would your superhero/villain name and outfit be?
Umm... dunno. Might wear something warm but fitted, probably black. And a mask or goggles.

What would you fight for/against?
Against people who don't update links... <.<

Would you have a sidekick?
HECK NO!!!!!!

Why don't you like sidekicks?
...how did you know how I was going to answer the last question... 0.o ...oh wait never mind....

Pirates or ninjas?
*sneaks up* *stabs* *sneaks away*

Werewolves or vampires?
Werewolves... at least they're alive. XP

Brittany Spears or root canal?
The pain... T.T *cries*

Last question: Star Wars or Star Trek?
DIE, Emokin Skywhiner! *phasers*


...

That is all.

Sunday

Bento!

I finally decided to start making bento lunches....despite the fact that I have very limited cooking skills. Hopefully this will help expand my repertoire a bit. :)

I've ordered a really cute bento box--no, it does NOT have Hello Kitty on it--along with some basic supplies...rice, nori wraps, mini-octopus hot dog maker. I figure I can probably get most of the extra stuff here, or find substitutes, and small stuff really isn't worth paying shipping costs for. I am getting a couple of fun things, though, including little chocolate-dipped mushroom-shaped cookies, and Pocky, and some other assorted Japanese candy.

My box isn't here yet, since I just ordered it a couple days ago, but I've decided to "practice" using Tupperware and mini-foods and leftovers....no rice, though, or anything that needs chopsticks. That's waiting until I get my box. :)

The plan for tomorrow's lunch is as follows:
Bread ~ Mini-pancake jam sandwiches (not sure how this will work, but... cute!)
Veg ~ I'm not sure yet. I'm trying to figure out what flavors will go well, and it's not working. Leftovers from dinner tonight?
Meat ~ Chicken salad would be PERFECT, but unless someone brings that for the family dinner tonight, it'll probably be a rolled omelet. Maybe the colorful kind, even,
Fruit ~ Plum slices; we have a ton of plums downstairs. :)
Treat ~ Something from my Halloween candy swapbox. Maybe Pocky, or a mini Caramilk bar!

The cousins will be getting here soon, so I have to hurry and finish posting. <.<

Anyway, on a completely unrelated note, I had a GREAT time last night! Despite being mind-bogglingly tired, I managed to get up in time to get to D&D, only a little bit late (2:25) but pretty well soaked from the rain. My hoodie kept most of it off--can you believe I got that thing on sale for $25? *loves it* Anyway, the game was hilariously fun. I really love this group, it's completely crazy but we all work together really well, and we can be serious and silly at the same time. Of course, this is despite obvious alignment differences... we have a Lawful Good (but not "nice") dwarf fighter who owns her own town, a Chaotic Good (mostly just chaotic) gnome sorceror who can read magic but not detect it, and loves explosions and shiny stuff, a True Neutral human ranger (me!) with twin kukri who works as a bounty hunter, and a Neutral Evil human monk who really likes killing NPCs but hates getting his clothes messy. XD

It's pretty darn fun, and sometimes we'll say the most random things...for instance, "NPCs are not like a movie theater!" from our DM, who was a little frustrated with our (mine and the monk's) attitude that villagers are just XP that has yet to be collected. And there were some pretty funny conflicts of interest, and confusions about what certain words actually meant...some paraphrased examples follow..

DM: He [a human wizard Aklif, the dwarf, was fighting] steps back and begins to make offensive gestures at you. Roll a Will save.
Me: *chokes* ...offensive...gestures...!?!
Monk: He flips her off? Whoa...he must really not like dwarves...
Me: *still laughing*

That one happened several times. XD There was also some interesting confusion about what "interrogation" consisted of...

The dwarf thought it meant taking the prisoners to jail and questioning them.
The monk preferred the idea of breaking a few fingers, and kept count.
The ranger wanted to threaten them with her kukri. ("How fond are you of your ears?")
The gnome asked where a good place to go shopping was... 0.o
The DM suggested a "good gnome, bad dwarf" routine.

In the end, we split the party, with the Good characters taking the prisoners, and the Neutral and Evil characters going off to catch their own.

Of course, the dwarf ended up threatening her prisoners as much as we did.... XD

Other funnies included LOTS of tentacles--and getting caught in the middle of a gang war between Bell cultists trying to summon creatures "man was not meant to know" and members of the M faction who are planning on bringing about the end of the world in another way. (Apparently these factions weren't originally intended to portray Taco Bell and McDonalds. I'm still gonna draw a Taco Bell Cthulhu, though. XD)

After the game--we ended at 7 when another group came for the room, right after I froze the Bell cult leader (and myself) with one of his own magical grenades--the monk (it's REALLY frustrating but I can never remember that player's name!) and I went over to another Quarkie's house to catch the tail end of the Trigun marathon. Onlera (Sarah 2) was there, along with some people I didn't know...it was quite fun, if a bit confusing. :)

I got home around 10:15, to discover a package waiting for me...my Halloween Candyswap box! Decorated with all kinds of cute stickers, and full of tasty Canadian stuffs. Mmmmm, mini Caramilk! And maple cookies and ketchup Pringles and Pocky and Kinder Eggs and TONS of other stuff. *very happy*

Thursday

Anime Randomness

AMVs I want to see:

--The first opening of Full Metal Panic, with the song Houki Boshi
--The Last Unicorn, with the song Ichirin no Hana

Situations I think would be funny:

--Rukia (Bleach) meets Momiji (Fruits Basket)
She has an obsession with cute bunnies, he turns into a rabbit when hugged... =D
--Winry (FMA) meets Lavi (Last Exile)
They'd either hate each other or be instant best frieds. Either way, they boys would be in for trouble.
--Ayame (Fruits Basket) meets Olivie (Angelique) and Narumi (Gakuen Alice)
Actually, forget that last one. I need to go scratch my eyes out now.

Wednesday

This is fun. :)

Currently watching: Full Metal Panic

Very, very funny, if a bit odd. Pretty animation, nothing special. The opening theme is reminiscent of Houki Boushi (an ending theme of Bleach, i love that song!) but not as good, and the ending theme is nothing special. Still, amusing.

References so far: Hitchiker's Guide(ep 1), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (ep 6, very well done imo), the Princess Bride (ep 7, music--not sure on this, but it seems so similar)

--

I'm getting together with the other members of the Shinigami Women's Association cosplay group for dinner tonight, and then there's a Quark film forum (Trigun) which should be fun.

Life's still weird, though.

Tuesday

Raaaaaar.




I drew a dinosaur. Hooray.


Gotta go to Welsh soon...

My latest wallpaper...




















Screencaps taken from Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, episode 8. Kyouhei can be so dang cute in chibi form.... and Yuki's expression is priceless.
..
I want rice, but Teriyaki Stix doesn't open before 11:00, and on Tuesdays everything shuts down from 10:45 till noon. Boooo!

Monday

Day of good friends...

I ran into Julia today, just as I came out of the Wilk and it started raining. It was nice to finally see a familiar face--I honestly hadn't realized just how much I missed having people around that I know. She seemed happy to see me too (I'm still not sure how she recognized me with my hood up and my hat on), and we exchanged phone numbers. We're gonna get together for lunch sometime soon. :)

I left my Kon hat on during American Heritage, and afterwards this guy came up and asked me if I liked Bleach a lot. We talked for a while, it was kind of fun to FINALLY meet someone with similar interests...I think he felt the same way. I might have been just a tad too enthusiastic, though....man I love that show! I think his name was Dray or Drey or something like that, I'm not sure how he spells it.

Yay. Happy day.

Sunday

All I want for Christmas...

Okay, I'm a little homesick. Not so much for home, as family... (I miss you guys!)

I'm really glad I'll be able to come home for Christmas, even if it's just for a little while. Especially since I'm not even really going to be spending Thanksgiving with family (again). Grandma's going to be out of town and an aunt I barely know and a couple of annoying cousins doesn't count.

I miss my real family.

So, this combined with the watching of large amounts of anime has made me decide that there's one thing we really need. At the very least, it would be awesome and warm, and a lot less smoky than the fireplace.

I want a kotatsu.

Maybe not this year, since I won't exactly have time to make my own once I get out there, but maybe next year when we're all here. It seems simple enough, and I think it would be really nice. =)

Come on, guys, comments?

Thursday

And more oddness. Plus, things I want to buy, but won't.

Two things:

First, I just started watching Ouran High School Host Club, and I feel like I already know the main character...for one thing, give it a few more days and I really will look just like she does in the first episode. All I need is clothing slightly worse than what I'm wearing now. No joke. (But hey, think of the excellent cosplay opportunities...)

Here's a picture, just so you can see for yourself. The hair and glasses, and lack of expression, they are me.



Second. The following isn't so much a Christmas wish list or anything, as a list of nifty things I kinda want, but am probably not going to be buying for myself. Mainly because I've already completely covered my walls (and most of the celing) with posters, Bleach and otherwise, along with a good part of the ceiling. Items are in no particular order.

--Bunny plush. (Honey's, from Ouran High School Host Club.)

--Also, a Beelzenef hand puppet would be awesome. I know I've seen one somewhere. I'll add a link later.

--A Stardust movie poster. Even a little teeny one.

--Serenity paperback promo poster. I've seen one on ebay, but was stupid and didn't buy it. Go figure.

--Cute cycling tights. I know, I make fun of them all the time, but if I could find a cute floral pattern or something, it would look great with a denim miniskirt and wouldn't get caught on my bike...it'd be nice.

--Collapsible metal bike baskets. I saw someonw with these on her bike, and they are TEH AWESOME. They fold up against the rack when not in use. Nifty!

--Onigiri pendant necklace. (From Fruits Basket. Just a cute little necklace featuring Tohru's rice ball persona.)

--RED Fullmetal Alchemist hoodie. The black ones are easy to get, if a bit pricey, but the red ones are near impossible...and so dang awesome. If you've seen the show, you'll understand. Sarah Langreder has one. I have no idea where she got it.

--A pony and a plastic rocket.

--World peace.

Crazy Days

Yesterday my first alarm went off at 7:00. I hit snooze, went back to sleep, and woke up at 10:02 to Grandma knocking on my door, already late for my first class. Somehow, my 8:00 alarm hadn't gone off...I think I probably set it wrong or something. Grandma claimed that this was "my decision" and refused to give me a ride so I could actually make it there before class ended. She also offered me pancakes.

Odd.

So I tore out of the house less than ten minutes later, barely dressed (same stuff I slept in, plus pants and a hoodie) with truly awful hair, and managed to get halfway to school before snagging my pant leg on my grears. Lovely. At least it's a small tear, though I'll probably have to fix it before it gets any worse. Did I mention that I can't sew?

I arrived on campus at about 10:15, but as I reached the top of the large hill near the stadium a couple stopped me to ask for directions. Actually, I think he might have just been her last guide. She wanted to know how to get to Helaman Halls to visit a friend before she left--apparently she was from England, on "holiday", and was going home the next day. When a simple "thattaway" did not suffice, I offered to walk her the rest of the day. She looked pretty desperate...

So I got her to Helaman Halls, feeling rather generous, then hauled my butt over to the testing center (I have no idea why we have writing there, but it is) and arrived with ten minutes left in the class. Hooray. And did I mention that I hadn't done the reading yet?

Oh well. At least I got to help someone out. Maybe that's why I missed the second alarm.

Anyway, now I've got a ton of stuff coming due, all at once:

--American Heritage: Common Sense essay (I'm on page 15 of the book, with no writing done yet...luckily it's only 500-600 words.) Due 8:00 am tomorrow.
--Honors Writing: Draft of my critical analysis paper. The title may or may not be "Mrs Turpin's New Clothes". I have a previous version done, but I need to add a lot. Must be posted online by noon tomorrow.
--Book of Mormon: I get to organize the devotional on Tuesday. That means song, prayer, and scripture/thought. Should be fun though, I really like the class.
--Geology: "Application" papers, chapters 3 and 4. (Yeah, I forgot the one for today.) How are igneous rocks related to my daily life? And what about volcanoes? Tune in next Tuesday for an update...
--Welsh: Learn to speak Welsh. Must be complete by next Thursday or I get turned into a sheep.

Nahh, not really. The sheep part, anyway.

But I do need to start rolling my Rrrrs and spitting on people. Too bad we didn't have class yesterday on Talk Like A Pirate Day, eh?

Oh, and dairy-free mousse is HEAVEN. I'm telling ya, it's all about the tofu. And the chocolate. And the tofu-chocolate goodness. It's kind of like a bad fanfic, only it's good. Did I mention the chocolate?

Er.

What were we talking about?

Saturday

Secret Custom Plans of DOOM!

...what, you really thought I was going to tell you? They're secret!

But I can tell you, TAF Sundance is to be my next victim.

-

In other news, I actually cooked dinner for Grandma and Chris last night--Pad Thai noodles with red peppers, red onions, and shrimp. Very tasty, and Grandma's agreed to let me cook whenever I feel like it, which will likely be every Friday or so. I now have an awesome vegetarian cookbook, so I feel quite confident.

Of course, the bookstore actually marked it up by a dollar from the price printed on the back cover. <.<

I also picked up a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone....in Welsh! It's kind of hard to understand, seeing as I can barely introduce myself in Welsh much less read it, but I figure that since I plan on sticking with this language for a good long while, having a little extra incentive to succeed wouldn't hurt. Here's what it looks like:




Hopefully I will be reading it around this time next year...if not, it'll be because I've already finished it. (I hope!) I'm joining the Welsh Club (yes, it exists), so that should help me get some extra practice in anyway.

At least I won't be bored anymore. While I still enjoy watching Bleach in my spare time, I'm getting REALLY sick of the Bounto arc. Oh well, only 14 more episodes to go...

Wednesday

The truth about...

...women's restrooms.

I know, it's kind of an odd topic, but I got lost in one this morning.

Really truly. I know it sounds a little bit silly, but perhaps you've never encountered this particular restroom. While it doesn't have the all-too-common two mirrored rooms of stalls, it is quite large, and confusing, and has an extra door where the exit should be but isn't. I think it might be a closet. In any case, I looked rather silly when I tried to open it.

Exiting the bathroom wasn't the only difficulty, of course: On entering, I found myself in what looked like someone's very nice living room, minus windows. It even had a couch and a couple of comfy chairs. (I think this is the real reason you see women going to the bathroom in herds--so they can sit and socialize and not have to deal with all the annoying men. Just a thought, though.) For a couple of minutes I wasn't sure I was in the right place--it took me a while to find the door to the real bathroom from the first room, and even then the stalls were neatly hidden away in a corner.

All in all, a nice, pleasant design, if a little bit frustrating for anyone in a hurry.

..

This webcomic sums things up quite nicely, I think:
http://www.dungeoncrawlinc.com/comic23.html

Life Is Good

School's been going well so far, in that I've somehow managed to not fail out on the first day. Not that it's so bad I think I'm going to fail anything, even BoM, but it's a little early to be sure. =) Geology seems like it'll be fine, though I still have to buy the correct textbook for it... Book of Mormon is my worst so far but I've got some plans to take care of that. And Welsh, of course, is teh awesome. As for the others, well, Honors 150 is in an hour and American Heritage is at noon. The other honors course isn't until tomorrow.

To save my back, I've rented a locker in the Wilkinson Center. Yay lockers!

I don't have any friends yet, but I'm surviving.

Given my lack of social interaction, it's understandable that I spend my free time watching anime... currently I'm on episode 86 of Bleach, and loving it. I mean, the Bounto arc is mostly filler, but at least it centers around one of my favorite characters. Now Ishida just needs to get his Quincy powers back and I will be happy... Bleach, like Welsh, is teh awesome.

Speaking of Bleach, I had a really funny (as in weird) dream last night. I can't remember what it was about exactly, but I know I woke up about a dozen times and it involved Romans, Abarai Renji, and a tea party.

Yeah, seriously odd.

Anyway, I finally -really- woke up to my cell phone going off (I use it as an alarm clock) followed by the crash of thunder. We had some seriously scary weather this morning, I was almost ready to just email my instructors and tell them I couldn't make it...

I'm here now, though. Prayer really helps. Srsly.

Although the fact that you have to put an effort in (carrying an umbrella) before being able to expect intervention (no more rain) makes one look rather silly. XD

Anyway, life is good.

KAWAII!

http://www.janetstore.url.tw/

This site has such cute stuff... (hint*stockingstuffers*hint). I have to say my absolute favorite item, though, is this...


Yes, it's a Hello Kitty knife. Buy it here:

http://www.janetstore.url.tw/product_info.php?products_id=4408

Summer Is Over

It's not as hot as it was a week ago, and the mountains are starting to turn even browner than usual. I was late to class this morning after picking up my textbooks; there are so many more people here than I'm used to, and it feels really strange. I now have everything I need for Fall Semester, except for pencils and a binder. Daphne's leaving this week, too, so pretty soon I'll be moving upstairs. (I won't be able to tell people I live in my grandmother's basement anymore.)

We had class for about three hours--an hour of discussing the text, and then two of watching Masada. It was, really truly, the most ridiculous movie I have ever seen. It was funny, but it wasn't supposed to be--we all kept laughing at innoportune moments, not only because it's incredibly inaccurate, but because of unexpected similarities to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Srsly.

Here are just a few:

-After the Roman commander is injured, he's lying in bed trying to discuss strategy with his officers....they keep being interrupted by these guys wearing sheets (I think they're supposed to be mystics of some sort), singing loudly. He is, of course, quite irritated. Unfortunately, they didn't get eaten later, though they do show up repeatedly.

-A rebel leader is captured and paraded through the streets of a town in a large wooden cage. Several village women start poking him and exclaiming "That's the bandit! Let's kill him!" But how do you know he's a bandit?

-When the Romans arrive at Masada, the defenders catapult large, tan, cow-sized rocks at them. This part is especially funny because of the similarity of the angle...

-They also line up along the top of the walls taunting the Romans.

-The architect of the siege tower is working when, out of nowhere, he is struck by an arrow. (No note attatched to it, though.)

-When the Romans finally finish their siege tower and start rolling it out, it somehow manages to look wonderfully similar to the large wooden rabbit. It's awesome.

And the best line in the whole movie? "You stupid bastards!" delivered by a Roman with what sounds like a British accent. (I'm sure YouTube must have a clip of that one.) It was so completely unexpected, and really out of character....hilarious.

After we finished, Dr. H took the whole class out to lunch at this little hot dog stand called J-Dawgs. Best. Place. Evar! Not only were the hot dogs themselves delicious (I had a Polish sausage), the buns were bread, like Subway buns only real, and they had this awesome special sauce that's like the best barbecue sauce ever. And all kinds of other toppings, though I just had onions. And did I mention that they had apple beer? YUM.

We made our own way back to class; I got there around 12:45 and started the final immediately. It was a compare/contrast of the movie and book, so not too hard...I finished at 1:30, right when we were scheduled to start. I doubt anyone really took until 4:30, but in any case I was the first person done. I handed in my blue book, shook Dr. H's hand, and left.

So, it's nearly over. No more class--I really will miss it, we totally bonded as a group and Dr. H is teh awesome--and all that's left of Late Summer Honors is a dance tonight. I wasn't going to go, but Sarah (from class) says she'll give me a ride home afterwards so I'll stick around and have some fun. Great end to a great summer, or at least I hope it will be.

And after a bit of exploring, I've found my quiet place. The lobby of the Science building (you know, with the giant pendulum) has tons of comfy benches, good lighting, and not too many people...plus wireless internet that doesn't keep fading, unlike the basement of the Wilkinson center. There was also an ad up for a student-operated restaurant that serves lunch there, at a fairly reasonable price, so I might just be spending lunch there too on the days I stay on campus. It's just such a nice, peaceful place, and of course it has tons of neat exhibits...giant quartz crystals, optical illusions, a sewer-pipe synthesizer....it's definitely my favorite spot on campus. I spent a few hours there this afternoon, just reading webcomics and checking the map to make sure I know where my classes are. They're mainly in the southwestern section of campus, so I shouldn't have any long hikes between classes...and that's the area I know best anyway.

New Student Orientation starts tomorrow. It should be interesting, if not especially helpful.

I wonder which House I'll be in?

Tuesday

Crazy Utah Drivers

On the way to class on Monday, I am nearly run over by a garbage truck. The trip home, however, is uneventful and I begin to disregard the rumors.

On the way to class this morning, I am more careful. I keep to the bike lane wherever possible, look both ways before turning, clearly signal my intent, and manage not to be startled off my bike when some large dark vehicle roars past with a shout of "Go Cougars!" (I'm wearing my Fully Invested t-shirt, nifty design for $5 from the BYU bookstore. You know you want one too.)

I'm at an intersection about halfway to school, in the left turn lane, when a maroon car pulls up behind me. We have a nice long wait before the light changes, and when it finally does, it's the right turn lane and the straight lane that apparently get to go first. At least, the light for the left turn lane isn't green. I don't know much about the rules of the road, but I think it's safe to assume that if the light isn't green, you stay put. Right?

Wrong, apparently. The diver behind me leans on the horn and starts rolling forward ominously. I take the hint and skedaddle, taking the turn in record time. I make it onto the sidewalk (no way I'm staying on the road with that thing behind me) just as the car whooshes past. Relief.

On the way home today, I somehow end up in the right turn lane when I mean to go straight. I scoot over to the other lane, ignoring the stares from the drivers behind me. (It's kind of hard to move a bike sideways without dismounting.)

I am one of them now.

Green means Go.
Red means Stop.
Yellow is peaches
with cream on top.

Hence The Title

Because I feel like explaining myself. Don't get used to it.

A week ago:

Grandma's been nagging me about my eating habits (apparently a bowl of Froot Loops isn't healthy enough, even when I actually drink the milk) and saying that I need to eat more regularly, with lots of protein. Well, fine. But I don't really care all that much...and the idea of crab casserole and all those other weird dishes just doesn't appeal to me.

So, on the way home from entrance counseling, I stop by Day's Market to mail off a package, and pick up a Naked juice. Normally I get Mighty Mango, but since Grandma has been on my case I decide to go for the Protein smoothie instead. After all, it looks tasty enough--the creamy color makes me think of bananas, and I can't wait to try it. I head through the checkout, step outside into the blistering heat, and gulp down about a third of the smoothie.

It's terrible.

It has next to no flavor, but that's not the problem. There's this grainy, gritty texture to it, and it leaves my mouth feeling cottony-dry. It really is like drinking lint. Shaking the bottle up does not improve matters--aparently the grit is evenly distributed already. Apparently this is what a protein supplement is like. No wonder people loose weight on those diets--I can't imagine anyone drinking much of this stuff voluntarily. But... I did pay over $3 for the bottle, and I know that dinner is going to be weird, old-people food again. I might as well fill up now. So I finish it, swallowing quickly and hoping it's as good for me as the bottle claims.

Dinner is delicious.