Yeah, this is directly from Facebook.

25 random things about me:

1. I’m super awesome at procrastination. Seriously. It’s an art form with me. I’ve also been known to create art when procrastinating. Yeah, that takes skill.

2. I’m sarcastic. Oh wait, if you’ve ever met me you probably know that.

3. I’m a total pack rat with exactly two things: books and CDs. I would be willing to part with pretty much everything else (clothes, computer, iPod, car), but never books or CDs.

4. I’m by no means a technophobe (I own the following: 2 laptops, a GPS, an iPod, a cell phone, etc.), but I honestly want to get rid of it all. I’d be happier with records, a turntable and a typewriter.

5. When I write a book (and I will write a book), it will be written on a typewriter.

6. Things that aren’t on paper aren’t real to me. Seriously. IChat convos aren’t real, neither are books in PDF format, or online calendars…you get the picture.

7. I’m horrible at doing things like writing thank you notes, replying to emails, returning calls. I think this goes back to #6, because if I see you in person I have no problem remembering to get back to you. You should remember this for when something really important happens and I’m not answering my phone.

8. I love it when things don’t match. I love patterns that clash and colors that don’t go together.

9. I love visual chaos (see #8). Like when the house is all cluttered and lived-in looking and there’s stuff all over the walls. That makes me unbelievably happy.

10. I will collage anything not nailed down. And a few things that are. And yes, I’m aware that it looks tacky sometimes, but I don’t really care.

11. I spent about half of my life being a vegetarian and now I’m compensating for it by eating a lot of turkey. And cheeseburgers. And pepperoni pizza.

12. I grew up in a house with no walls. Not for any normal reason (read: we didn’t live in a cool loft) but because my dad tore them down when I was 4 and didn’t finish putting them back up until I was 17. Peeeing behind a towel isn’t all its cracked up to be.

13. I used to be a drama geek. Now I’m just a geek with no actual excuse.

14. I think reading is sexy. I also own a shirt that says that.

15. I secretly love bad young adult fiction, like Sarah Dessen and Kate Brian. For me, it’s like watching a fun chick flick except without the rental fees and the stupid line at Blockbuster.

16. I know how to cook, but it’s not something I enjoy or do very often. Because of that, I view pizza bites and macaroni and cheese as a perfectly acceptable meal.

17. I wish that #16 wasn’t true.

18. This is the happiest I’ve been in years.

19. I LOVE all my friends, but I OD on social interaction rather quickly. This is why I’m kind of bitchy sometimes.

20. I love cold rainy days where I don’t have to go outside and can bum around in my sweats all day looking gross and reading and watching movies.

21. I’m kind of obsessed with weather. Or, maybe I should say that I’m extremely effected by it.

22. Someday, I aspire to have actual free time.

23. I almost never watch TV, but the thought of not having cable makes me sad.

24. I love taking really random pictures of things and making people guess who/what/where they are.

25. I have a fake dog named Rowdy.

Anyone?

Needed: free labor to do menial things like change the cat pan, clean the bathroom and kitchen, etc. so I can focus on more important things like finding out where my money is (ahem, bursar’s office!) and trying to read annoying things in Spanish.

Anyone?

Yup, that’s what I thought.

Long Division

Ny: You’re not holding the paddle right!

Me: For me, sports are like long division, as long as you get the answer right nothing else matters.

Ny: Can we leave now to write that down?

Happy Inauguration Day!

In case you’ve been living under a rock, today was the inauguration of the 44th president, Barack Obama.

In a continued attempt to remain a-political (not just here but with my freinds and in general–I have grown to hate political banter [read:annoying political conversations]), I’m simply going to repost what the BBC News had to say about the occasion. And yes, they had a lot to say.

Obama vows to meet US challenges

US President Barack Obama has used his inaugural address to pledge a “new era of responsibility” in a time of crisis at home and abroad.

Mr Obama spoke after taking the oath of office as America’s 44th president – and its first African-American leader.

More than one million people gathered in the National Mall in a wintry Washington DC, to see Mr Obama take the oath shortly after 1200 (1700 GMT).

He later joined a parade, smiling and waving en route to the White House.

Mr Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama travelled in the armoured presidential limousine as the motorcade travelled at walking-pace towards 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Crowds cheered and waved as the cars rolled slowly past.

Then the motorcade stopped and the couple stepped out of the car and walked, waving to the hundreds of wellwishers lining the route – many of whom had waited 10 hours in the cold.

After climbing back inside the limousine – so heavily armoured it is known as The Beast – the president and first lady emerged once again amid loud cheers and screams from the crowd.

The BBC’s Gavin Hewitt, in the crowd on the parade route, said the happy and smiling Mr and Mrs Obama finally seemed able to celebrate their achievement.

Many thousands of people who braved the cold to stand for hours in the streets to catch a glimpse of Mr Obama will be able to go home happy, our correspondent says.

After reviewing the inaugural parade as it marches past the White House, the couple were due to attend a series of balls.

Meanwhile, Senator Ted Kennedy, whose collapse during an inaugural lunch at Congress threatened to mar the celebrations, is said to be feeling well again after suffering “simple fatigue”.

New team

Barack Hussein Obama became America’s newest president at a ceremony on the steps of the Capitol building where, his hand on a Bible, he repeated the traditional oath of office, promising to “preserve, protect and defend” the United States.

In his speech, he acknowledged that he faced many serious challenges but pledged to begin the work of “rebuilding America”.

He also spoke of his desire to usher in a new era of peace and of America’s readiness to lead once more.

In one of the administration’s first moves, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel asked all federal agencies and departments to stop any pending regulations pending a review.

The US Senate approved six members of the new cabinet on Tuesday.

Among those confirmed in their posts were Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary and Steven Chu as energy secretary.

However, Hillary Clinton’s approval as secretary of state was postponed after a republican senator demanded a debate beforehand about foreign donations to a foundation headed by her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

That debate is due on Wednesday and Mrs Clinton’s nomination is now expected to be confirmed in a vote immediately afterwards.

Giant web event

The Associated Press estimates that about one million people attended the inauguration, based on a visual comparison with past events in the city.

Millions more Americans watched the inauguration online through live video streaming across their computers, the agency says.

It notes that essentially every major news outlet offered live feeds on what was potentially the most web-driven coverage of a significant news event yet.

Tens of millions more people watched the inauguration on television across the world and Obama fans in other countries had their own celebrations.

In Barack Obama’s Kenyan ancestral village, Kogelo, thousands danced under a massive banner which simply read “Congratulations our son, our hope”.

While many from the Obama family were in Washington to witness the swearing-in, their neighbours were watching it on massive TV screens, the BBC’s Karen Allen reports.

“We expect that Obama is going to change the world and as Kenyans we are going to follow in Obama’s footsteps and change the world,” said one woman.

Like it’s going out of style…

I just found out something really not awesome.  Apparently, when you’re cooking in the kitchen (read: when my roommate boils cabbage and fries bologna like it’s going out of style), the smell reaches my bathroom first.  This means that my bathroom has acquired a permanant cabbbage & bologna smell.

How did I find this out?

I got in the shower and wondered if my apartment complex had started recycling sewage water.

It’s pretty nasty.

Mr. Bubble

Dustin: I’m folding t-shirts.

Me: Sweet.

Dustin: Ok, I understand that they’re trying to be eco-friendly and everything, but having samller washers is not being eco-friendly.  Because, you’re the still the same size as everyone else.

Me: Excuse me, I have to go blog this.

Spring 2009: The Goods

Because I know every single person who reads this (all 4 of you) want to know what classes I’m taking this semester in the continuance of my persuit of a career in education, here ya go:

FREN2600: Intensive French…It pretty much is what it sounds like. We go through 4 semesters of French in 1. Which is about 3 chapters a week.  Luckily, this is totally a review for me and I love my prof.

SPAN6700: Modern Latin American Lit…This is nothing like what it sounds.  It’s more like literature and culture.  Which would be awesome, except for the fact that the prof (who seems like a cool person) is treating it like a PhD-level class and that is scaring the shit out of me.  Be prepared for multiple rants in the near future.

ANTH6050: Cultural Anthropology…Mostly the history of anthropological theory.  Kinda dry, but I think it will end up helping me in what I want to study.  A class I wish I’d taken as an undergrad but didn’t have the opportunity to.

ANTH6225: Cultural History of Mexico…Now this class is cool.  My prof is really awesome and totally loves this topic (it probably doesn’t hurt that he actually is Mexican).  The text is a bit dry, but there are a lot of fun pictures of rocks and stories about people decapitating one another.  Also, since I want to focus on Latin American studies, this is right up my ally.

CMLT6050: The Novel…I’m actually auditing this class because I just don’t have time to write MORE papers.  I am happy about it though, and desperately need face-time with the prof since I have to ask him to be on my committee (he’s the only Latin Americanist in the department, which is funny since he’s German).

Float On.

No, don’t you worry, we’ll all float on.
Alright, I’m ready, we’ll all float on.
Alright, don’t worry, we’ll all float on.

Bienvenue à janvier.  It’s the 17th, and it’s been a long month already.  Not in that bad, will-this-month-ever-end, kind of way.  More like in the i’ve-been-so-busy-and-gotten-so-much-done-that-i-can’t-believe-it’s-still-the-same-month kind of way.  I’ve finished my allotted time at two different bookstore jobs (for which I get to go collect my paychecks on Friday, hurrah!), had my academic advisor revamp my entire academic career (in only 45 min!), met a ton of cool people and rediscovered others, and had a lot of fun and not a lot of sleep.  How is it only the 17th??

So, for your reading pleasure, a few highlights:

• My gay best friend arrived from California
• My washing machine broke and spewed water over my kitchen floor
• I had different guys in my bed 3 nights in a row (there’s a totally non-slutty explanation for this, but it sounds better this way, haha)
• I’m accidentally stuck with a W in a class I don’t need because the computer system freaked out on me
• My good friend got his heart broken en route to Belgium
• I rediscovered a friend who I thought was long-lost (or at least long-gone)

It’s currently 28 degrees out there, my house reeks of cabbage, the electricity keeps shorting in my room whenever I use my space heater, I’m pretty much drowning in homework after one week of classes, and I’m feeling pretty good about things.  For real. It’s going to be a good semester. :)