27.12.05

In some people’s hands, Occam’s Razor becomes Occam’s Chainsaw.

19.12.05

I don't have a whole lot to post. Ash got in on Saturday and we spent Sunday in Ulm and Esslingen with Jeff, Ronda and Monica. I had uni today and one more class tomorrow, and then Ash and I are taking off to Vienna on the first leg of a two-week trip. So, there's your warning that there won't be many updates on this page.

The one thing I did want to post was this chain-mail thing I got from my ex-roommate Michelle's live journal. You're supposed to Google the phrase " looks like"... and then look at the results and choose the most amusing or interesting one. Then post it at the end of the list:

36) Amy Looks like she's about two rhinestones away from a wardrobe malfunction.
37. Tai looks like she knows what she's doing. We can only hope.
38) Thomas looks like he's content to be Sheriff Joe Arpaio's handmaiden
39) Tanya looks like Barbie, she's The same height, 11.5 inches, she even wears the same size clothes
40) Amanda looks like something from the poltergeist
41) Amber looks like an uninspiring mass of ROCK.
42) Doug looks like a pretty mellow guy, but I'll lay 2:1 odds on Jackie being cutinto hamburger with a chainsaw on the day that Doug finally snaps.
43) Michelle looks like she's North Korean. Given that North Korea is part of the "Axis of Evil."

And mine, number 44, is the following:

44) Kyla looks like some sort of tropical fish...in other words, she looks likea character from a science fiction movie....

My runner up was "Kyla looks like she's thinking "Back away from my man!". " That one was good too.

Well, have a merry merry Christmas, my faithful readers. Hopefully I'll have the chance to update while Ash and I are on the road.

16.12.05

I have the best boyfriend in the world.

12.12.05

I wanted to post this as soon as its author, my neighbor Tihomira, gave it to me. But I never got it, so here it is, a birthday wish from exactly a month ago:

I wish you to go to a place where you are nothing and everything
that exists between here and nowhere.
I wish you to find a place
where the sky opens to your prayers.
Where you can hold the intangible
and let go of the pain with all your might.
I want to give you a present-
a place where you're suspended in ecstasy
a beautiful... a beautiful...
place...
Five minutes ago I walked out the door of my building. I was surprised to feel on my face a very slight mist, almost undetectible, but refreshing and almost soothing. I don't have the words to describe it. I'm just glad I got to experience it...

... that's what I get for taking the cardboard out to the Altpapier dumpster.

And that, folks, is my glorious return to the world of blogging. Off to see the Chronicles of Narnia in Stuttgart now. So... bye.

1.12.05

woo! so the speech went wonderfully, better than I could have ever imagined. The ladies loved it, totally ate it up in all of its glorious corniness, mostly since I delivered it in German, and now I've been invited to more events. One involves American college students, and the other a bunch of American ladies new to Stuttgart. I even got invited to a ski weekend! Too bad I can't ski. And in this case, trying _would_ hurt. but I might as well...

Oh man. Takes just one of these events to really boost your esteem. I walked around the Stuttgart Weihnachtsmarkt for a few hours afterwards with this feeling that I truly had a handle on the German language. After all the praise from the old ladies, I was convinced I was, in all things German, untouchable. Course, I've come down from my high now, but I should be able to comfortably coast into tomorrow's festivities and on into the weekend of fun with the other American DAAD scholarship kids.

Whee!
going to Stuttgart this week for another Verband seminar. Should be really fun to see all of the crew again. Only thing is that I have a speech to give today for a Christmas Tea in front of a whole bunch of little old German ladies... hopefully I don't mess it up too bad.

Somehow Jeff and I managed to miss class this morning. You'd think with each class being once a week, we could make it to every one. Oh well, we'll just have to get the notes from somebody. Probably Scott.

Have a great weekend everyone!

26.11.05

I love panini! it was a delicous mini-baguette with mozzarella and tomatoes, topped with pesto, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, heated in the oven to perfection.... I really talk too much about food.

Also made some brussel sprouts. it's one of my family's traditional Thanksgiving foods, and I missed it this year, sadly. but now i have my own batch!

24.11.05

dang it! I just wrote a nice long post about the post office, my really great salad I'm having at the moment for lunch, and walnuts. Now Blogger deleted it. I'm angry.
Sometimes it hits me how delightfully old-fashioned German can sound. If you were to directly translate some of the phrases, they come out quite British-sounding, and very charming. For example, the following which I recently wrote in a letter:

"Ich freue mich auf den Besuch von meiner Tante und hoffe sehr, dass mein Vater und meine Schwester ihre Reisepaesse bald besorgen und mich auch besuchen."

When I read this, my translation is something like "I'm excited that my aunt is coming to visit and I really hope that my dad and my sister get their passports soon and visit me too." But run through the automated-translation-gamut, it comes out sounding like this:*

"I look forward to the attendance of my aunt and hope very much that my father and my sister procure their passports soon and also visit me."

Isn't that nifty? So when I speak German, I'm speaking British, the only differences being 1. that I know how to do it and 2. it's in German.

Well, today it looks like I'll take my turn hasseling with the German post office to get them to allow me to send Christmas presents home for the low, low price of 32 Euro (does that make any sense?). Then I'll probably go to my cell phone company, 02, and yell at them for giving me a defective phone that shuts itself off every 5 minutes, and demand a replacement. (That sounds so much more successful and assertive on this blog than it will really be in real life.) Last plan is to go to the gym, and then find somewhere where I can dance tonight - for some reason I've been hit with a big wave of Tanzlust. Then tomorrow I'll be going on a shopping trip to Reutlingen with some other Amis to look for winter Strumpfhose (long underwear). I didn't think they'd be necessary but they really are - it's ridiculously cold here, and it's only November!

Til then, lieblings - tchau!

*The translation had a little help from me in the grammatics department. Didn't change the words, though.

21.11.05

There seem to be no good avocados in Germany. While this should theoretically save me money over the course of the year, I am still bitter about spending up to 10 euros on avocados, both at the fresh markets and the supermarkets, that have not once proven to be any good. At least I won't waste another cent on them here in Europe.

On the flip side, however, they have very tasty pomegranates here! Each one takes, of course, about 15 minutes to shell, and cost about 2 Euros each. But - they are so worth it.

I solemnly pledge to stop blogging about inconsequential and irrelevant things that no one wants to read about.

20.11.05

did I mention I saw the 4th Harry Potter in Stuttgart on Thursday? It was awesome. Harry got pretty hot in these last couple of years... I joined the facebook group that declares the sentiment.

I'm bored.. I have stuff to do but I don't want to do it. At least i made it to the gym yesterday. I'll probably go back tomorrow before class at 2.

Kay, I guess I'd better read for class.

19.11.05

Justin reflecting on his 21st birthday:

Justin: yeah, Itll probably kick me in the ass later though...I guess I called someone's mom too when I was drunk calling people....
Me: haha you don't remember doing that? that's great
Justin: she was raging pissed....i think I called her a cockbag though so that would make sense

ahahhaha. J-dawg cracks me up....

in other news: my sock is almost finished. then I can start making the other one. i have DC++ up and running and now can't stop listening to "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie. I had it on repeat for a while. I had to add "Soul and Body" into the mix, else I'd go crazy. I'll probably put those on my iPod, and Weezer's Pinkerton, which I have been recently obsessed with, and go to the gym in a bit here. Tonight I will see a choir concert in the Stiftskirche, and then choose from 3 different party options. I kinda want to go to the Die Aerzte fan party, but I'm afraid it will suck and I'll never want to listen to Die Aerzte again. The other options are going to SudHaus with some of my dorm mates and dancing the night away, or hanging out with the Americans from last night's party.

18.11.05

Today we went to the Ritter Sport Chocolate Factory in Waldbuch, to test out the very real concern of the human limits of chocolate consumption before one dies of cocoa poisoning.

We all survived. But I did buy a lot of chocolate. Enough to last me for a few months and send a good amount home for Christmas. So much that I had to describe it to Jeff in terms of kilos, to which he replied, "you know what else is sold in kilos? Cocaine."

"Yeah," I replied, "but only dealers buy in kilos."

I know, I know, I set myself up for that one.

Really, I did buy a lot of chocolate today. It's easy to get there from Tuebingen. The 826 towards the Stuttgart airport leaves from the Hauptbahnhof , and it's just a few Euros to get there. The factory is in Waldbuch, and the stop is "Postamt". From there, you turn left and walk down the street until you come to a big factory. Congratulations, you've made it.

Well, to continue in the theme of doing unuseful but fun things today, I'm going to a birthday party. Ciao!

17.11.05

Oh man. I shouldn't have started with this site, but now that I have, I have to show you the best ones:

Rejected Bond Girls

What I Like About You

State Songs, If They All Suggested the Apathy of Idaho's "Here We Have Idaho"

Things Hagrid the Half-Giant Would Say If He Served Jesus Instead of Harry Potter

And last, but certainly not least (it is, in fact, my favorite because it made me laugh out loud):

Not-So-Good Names for Murder Mysteries

In other hilarity, the Word Verification for this post is "heeey". I think it's really time for a nap now.
mmmm! I just made a big batch of basmati rice. I was taught well, as Javod's dad told me once that basmati is to be washed 3 times with cold water, then cooked. I screwed up the end part, though, where I'm supposed to put butter at the bottom of the pan and then let cook. Either I mixed the butter too much or I didn't let it cook long enough. That, and I added way too much saffron. Why didn't anyone tell me how potent that stuff is? Guess I should have known - after all, I know it produces a yellow color (mellow yellow, if you will), and when I opened the package, I found a little vial of completely red powder. Sprinkled a lot of it on my rice, and now it's almost completely yellow. Oh well. I'll try again next time when I make rice to go along with my first attempt at Kabab Koobideh. I can hardly wait!

But for now, I have my basmati and a nice salad with tomato, cucumbers, feta and a homemade balsamic vinagrette. So I'm good, and quickly becoming sleepy. Probably won't go to the gym today. But I'll make time to see Harry Potter in Stuttgart... and to work on my newest knitting project. Socks.

I should rename this blog to reflect my love for food. That's what most of the rest of the blog is about, anyway...

16.11.05

just found out the German word for "worst-case scenario". It's "Gau".

I think that's great. So short! So concise! And so very German.

Admittedly, it's a acronym of the full phrase, which is "groesster anzunehmender Unfall". But I think they say "Gau" in place of that, because it's shorter and awesome. And it rhymes with "cow".

Gym time! then class.

15.11.05

Is Steve still eligible for the Distinguished TA award at UW, even though he's finished his PhD there and is doing a postdoc at U of A? If so, I recommend everyone who ever had him as a TA (and even if you didn't, but you go to UW) to nominate him here.

Wait, maybe they don't care about your submission if you never had the guy as a TA. Whatever. Steve rocks. I nominated him.

14.11.05

Somewhere back there was my 400th post. Too bad I didn't think to commemorate it...

Today is the day after my birthday, which means I am now 21 and hung out with friends in the kitchen last night. The party was kind of a quasi-surprise, meaning I knew about it but I didn't know who was going to show up or what was going to happen. Two girls, German and Turkish (their names are Clara and Ilif, respectively), made me what I think was a rum cake, and everyone else brought something more or less indicative of their homeland. Not that we had too many international kids - it was 5 Germans, Ilif from Turkey, Irene from Italy, Tihomira from Bulgaria and Nizar from Syria. And Jeff and I. I had forgotten to buy a case of beer like I'd been planning, and stores are closed on Sundays, so I had to offer what I had, which wasn't much. Oh well. It was still a lot of fun! And towards the end, the German conversation was almost completely understandable. I was proud of myself, because they were speaking normal speed (aka fast), and I could keep up. Ilif and Irene were proud of themselves, too, I think - we kept exchanging smiles when we pulled off sentences in German that were almost normal speed and perfect grammar.

I came away from it all with about 40 facebook greetings on my wall and in my message box, a dozen beautiful roses, a yummy Greek dinner, a book on brewing beer and a photo of Tihomira and me overlooking Tuebingen. She wrote what she called a "wish" for me on the back, which I will later have to transcribe onto this website, because it is so cool and so beautiful for someone who doesn't speak English natively (she was the only one at the party who doesn't speak German, so she wrote the wish in English).

Well, it's time for class and then the gym, so I'll leave you all with this little gem:

"Modern English is the Wal-Mart of languages: convenient, huge, hard to avoid, superficially friendly, and devouring all rivals in its eagerness to expand." -Mark Abley, journalist (1955- )

13.11.05

FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT THE IDAHOAN CONGRESS IS A JOKE

"...WHEREAS, tater tots figure prominently in this film thus promoting Idaho's most famous export; and WHEREAS, the friendship between Napoleon and Pedro has furthered multiethnic relationships; and WHEREAS, Uncle Rico's football skills are a testament to Idaho athletics..."

You can read the entire resolution here. It really is a real resolution, and furthermore, it passed, probably due in part to the fact that anyone who voted against it would be labeled as a, and I quote, "FREAKIN' IDIOT" by the rest of the House. Really. It's in the last part of the bill.

Whatever.

Oh well. Time to get ready for my "surprise" party.
I can't believe these people, with their criticisms of television. I mean, it's one thing to not like certain shows. But to pick out horrible, horrible shows for the Top Ten, and then banish some of the greatest shows on TV to the Ten Worst list... It's too bad they can't appreciate the hilarity of Family Guy, the lightheartedness of That 70's Show, or the absolute genious behind Arrested Development. The only shows on their Top Ten list that I would even give a nod to are Bernie Mac and Seventh Heaven - and they are numbers 7 and 9 on the list, respectively.

At least the most recent episode of Family Guy made fun of these people and their rating system. That's what I heard, anyway - I haven't been able to get Family Guy here. Yet.
I discovered on Friday night that spouting catch phrases in German convinces people that you are a very clever foreigner, indeed. One that got me a lot of success was "Mein Name ist Hase", which means "My name is Rabbit" and apparently means "I don't have a clue." I've also learned that it's what the German Bugs Bunny says instead of "What's up, Doc?"

Also, when I introduce myself to Germans, they don't understand how to say my name. But if I follow it up with "Kyla, die Geile" (which is actually my new screen name, too, without spaces or punctuation), they laugh because it's funny and it rhymes. ("Geile" is pronounced "Guy-la", so it rhymes well.) And they'll remember my name, too. (It translates loosely as "Kyla, the Awesome", but the word "geil" can also mean "horny", so I'm not sure which one is the correct translation when you use it in this way. I'm hoping for "awesome".)

That was a lot of parentheses.

In other news, today is my birthday. AND MY BOYFRIEND BROUGHT ME FLOWERS THIS MORNING! I was so surprised, because it was 10:30 AM. That's quite early to be brought flowers on a Sunday. He also took me out to Greek food last night. :) What a good boyfriend... Other plans for the day included going to the monk closter in Bebenhausen (which I've eliminated from the list, cuz I don't feel like going), going to the gym (which I definitely will do before it closes at 6), and going to my "surprise" birthday party in the kitchen at about 9 tonight. I wouldn't have known about it if I hadn't been part of the group PLANNING it. But who knows, maybe there's more to it that I don't know about...

Well, better get going to that gym. Have a good day folks, and thanks to all those who sent their birthday wishes my way - they were much appreciated. :)

10.11.05

To continue the barrage of posting that I have started today, I had to throw this in there. I discovered this using the online dictionary while going through my German-Jewish Lit notes.

Know the phrase "A penny saved is a penny earned"? Or "Every little bit helps"? I just found out the German equivalent of that:

Kleinvieh macht auch Mist.

To the best of my translating ability, the literal meaning of this sentence is "Even small livestock create manure."

People actually say that to each other? Without cracking a smile? And it means "every little bit helps"??? Wow. To quote McDonald's: Ich liebe es...

Alright, back to homework. If I keep posting at this rate, the spam bot blocker's going to flip out on me. Like a ninja.
So I went out and bought a lot of stuff. One was that membership to the gym I was talking about. It starts tomorrow and I'm so excited! Two was stamps, so I can send my love and musings home to the US. And three:

A BASIL PLANT!

Yup, that's right. A basil plant. Somehow it is everything I have ever wanted, its wonderful green leafiness all right there in its little pot of dirt. Now I just have to figure out how I can keep it from dying. Since it's winter and the days are going to be getting progressively less sunny, I'm probably an idiot for buying it now. But whatever. I can enjoy it while it lasts...

And I just ate my wonderful afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) in the kitchen. it was absolutely fantastic, because in the course of sitting there and eating it, a bunch of my German friends came in (one brewed herself a cup of coffee, too) and we made plans for this weekend. Tomorrow I'm going to a party with them at Fichtenweg 11, and then Sunday apparently we are celebrating my birthday. Not sure how that's going to play out yet, but I think I'll go to the store Saturday, get a crate of beer, chill them in my fridge, and then bring them to the kitchen on Sunday night. I love hanging out with Germans, because I'm getting closer and closer to understanding most everything they are saying. Maybe someday soon I'll be able to contribute to the conversation... right now, it seems like I'll think of something appropriate or even witty to say, but the converstation moves so fast that by the time I think of it, the moment has passed.

But conversation with other Germans, the ones I don't know - that is going far better than before. I had a hold-up for a while there, still kinda do, about talking to German sales people in situations such as at the store or the post office. But I've realized some things about this topic, and the mind tricks I need to pull with myself to get over this. Here's a few:

"The second I open my mouth, they'll know from my accent that I'm foreign/native English speaking/American."
Big deal. Tuebingen has so many international students and residents, they're used to accented German. They might be a little snippy with you because of it, but they're like that anyway, even with most Germans. Plus, since they know you're not native, they'll speak a little clearer, simpler, and slower, which can only be to your advantage. Worse case scenarios: you won't be able to understand what they're saying, or even will start speaking to you in English in some cases. A simple "Noch mal, bitte" can fix the first problem, and the second may or may not be a problem, depending on your German skill level and how flustered you are at the moment.

"What if I use the wrong vocab, or mess up in my grammar?"
Again - big deal. The main thing is to get your point across, and that you and the sales person each understand what the other is saying. I tell myself the following: "Well, at least I'm not trying to buy these groceries in France." Also, I speak too fast sometimes in German, a problem I also have in English. If I slow down, I have enough time to think and usually get the grammar and vocab right, plus I tend to enunciate better, a value which lends itself to the German language. Many Germans speak fast, but many also speak naturally slow, and they don't sound dumb. So sloooow down.

"Crap, I hate asking questions, because what if they just gave me that information?"
Doesn't matter. Would you rather go away and not know the answer to your question? Sometimes that's a tempting idea, but it's better to go ahead and ask.

The bottom line for me is that I just need to reassure myself that I probably speak better German than 98% of Americans, so just chill out and use your skills. Also, if they start speaking English to you, speak German back. Don't give in.

Time for a nap before tonight's activites. If you need some music recommendations, see last post's blurb on Weezer, or listen to John Mayer's cover of Kid A. Or Rockapella's "Don't Tell Me You Do." Ahhh, music.
Going to a concert tonight at the university! A local philharmonic orchestra will be playing Beethoven, Grieg, and Dvorak! Should be fantastic. Afterwards, there is the weekly Clubhaus party, a crowded meeting point for the Uni students. You get mostly the same crowd there every week, but it isn't usually a bad thing. On the contrary...

Other plans for today include grocery shopping, mailing some letters, and buying a membership at Planet Fitness, which is a local gym. The semester special is only 130 Euros for 6 months. Better act now while the offer stands... I also bought some Johannisbeerkuchen (red currant cake) to have with coffee this afternoon. It's a dumb thing to plan into your day and be excited about, but really, did you expect anything else from me? Plus, I think it's really quite German of me, to plan on having cake and coffee at about 3 in the afternoon.

Another very German thing I did today was eat a buttered pretzel and a "belegtes broetchen" after I got home from lecture (about 20 minutes ago). Picked 'em up fresh from the baker's! Delicious. I forget what kind of broetchen I got - the names are all so different and strange and hard to remember - it might have been Malzbroetchen. In any case, I need to remember because it was whole wheat and wonderful. Ashley, the bakeries here give Great Harvest a run for their money... I want to try every kind of bread these people can offer me.

Well, off to start of my weekend. I love having Fridays off! Rah!

music of the day: Weezer - Falling For You (seriously, I have this song on repeat)

german word of the day: mehrsprachig (English - multilingual)

8.11.05

I am worth $1,386,066 on HumanForSale.com
Taking my laundry off the hang-dry thing today, I was reminded of a short conversation I had with a German guy in my dorm about laundry here (in German but I'll translate). This was just after the first time I'd completed a round of laundry, by the way:

Me: Laundry here sucks! It takes so long to wash, then hang dry, and then iron. Does it always take so long?

Armin: It's okay. After a while, you learn some tricks that make it go faster.

Me: For example?

Armin: I don't iron anymore.

Well, that's not what I was hoping for... but now that another round is dry, I don't know if I really want to go through the trouble of ironing, either... maybe Armin was on to something.

7.11.05

Apparently, the riots in France have inspired copycat riots in Germany and Belgium. You can imagine that this is exactly what I want to hear. Hooray.

6.11.05

back from the Kennen-Lernen-Wochenende. Was fun. More on that later.

3.11.05

My week is at an end! And I escaped, thanks to All Saints' Day, with only 8 hours of academic class this week.

For all my UW friends who might be interested, this scholarship provoked my attention:

"International studies (FELLOWSHIP)
Applications for the National Security Education Program's 2006 David L. Boren fellowships, which are intended to enable students to pursue the study of languages, cultures, and world regions deemed critical to U.S. national security, but less frequently studied.
Deadline: January 30, 2006
Contact: Academy for Educational Development
Phone: (800) 498-9360
E-mail: nsep@aed.org
Web: www.aed.org/nsep"

Sounds like a good way to get people to pay for your education. Woot! and it doesn't necessarily mean you'll be studying in Iraq or Iran, either, or even South Korea...

This one wasn't bad, either... although the financial aspect is somewhat left out:

"Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program
Please share this information with your students and colleagues! Seniors & Juniors in particular are encouraged to attend. Freshmen & Sophomores are also welcome!*****************************
Experience Japan for a year on the Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program!In cooperation with the Japanese government and various local Japanese authorities and organizations, the JET Program seeks to promote internationalization & mutual understanding between Japan and other nations. The program strives to achieve this goal through enhancing foreign language education and cultural exchange at the local level, by fostering ties between Japanese and foreign youth. Each year college graduates are invited to live and work in Japan for a year of exploration and discovery! JET Program Participants act as cultural ambassadors and either as Assistant Language (English) Teachers (ALT) in Japanese junior & senior high school classrooms or depending on Japanese language abilities, as Coordinators for International Relations (CIR) in local Japanese public offices. Positions open to all majors. The ALT position does not require previous Japanese language skills, but a strong desire to learn Japanese & more about the Japanese education system is preferred!
RECRUITERS WILL BE VISITING CAMPUS:
DATE: Wednesday, November 2, 2005
INFORMATION SESSION: Two Special Info Sessions:
Thomson Hall, Room 119, 3:30 & 4:30 pm
Thank you for any assistance you may be able to offer in promoting the JET Program to your students and fellow faculty & staff members!"

I don't need to know how to speak Japanese? I can do something right after I graduate and potentially earn money? Love it!

1.11.05

:)

you've want them all on your side
that just leaves more for doubt to slaughter
I never knew he thought that
he heard you say falling out of the van
don't ask for his opinion
they ought to drown him in holy water
will you remember my reply
when your high horse dies?

31.10.05

Germans don't dress up for Halloween. Not the older ones anyway. Isn't that sad?

Didn't have a costume anyway. But Jeff was going to make a smashing Ace Ventura... maybe next year, when we're back in the U-District.

But since tomorrow is All Saints' Day, there is no school, and I'm sure the Germans will not pass up the opportunity to celebrate tonight. Even if they don't dress up.

::Edit:: When I said "older" Germans, I didn't mean "old". I meant "high school and college age".

28.10.05

Okay. Question time.

I looked up the German word "freischalten". The reason I looked it up is because I signed a contract with O2 and got a cellphone. They sent me about 5 text messages about the different services I got, and one of them reads as follows:

Die Starmap-Option wird fuer Sie zum 26.10 freigeschaltet.

This sentence, as far as I could figure, was that they did something for me involving the Starmap Option on the 26th of October (which is when I signed up with O2). But I didn't know the verb, "freischalten", so I looked it up. Turns out, it has a few meanings.

One is "to activate".

One is "to disconnect".

So what did they do? Activate the Starmap Option? Or disconnect it?



and I'm flying so high
high off the ground
when you're around
and I can feel your high

somehow I can't convey the genious that is Jem

27.10.05

Also, I am determined to start using alternative responses other than the stock phrases we are taught as students of German as a foreign language. To that end, I have already picked out one for "Thank You":

Kein Problem. Ich tu's aus meiner Buergerpflicht.

which in English means "No problem! It's my duty as a citizen."

If you can think of any (in German or English) that I should start using, please use comments or AIM and tell me so.
riding the bus today made me think about some of the things I like about being here. there are naturally several, so bear with me.

- school kids. I'm not talking the obnoxious ones that are old enough to ride the public bus in hoardes and annoy you and everyone else on the bus with their nonstop German rabble. No, I'm talking the ones that are dropped off at school by their mamas and papas, and then walk in pairs with their little box backpacks that are about 150% as wide as the little tykes and almost tall enough to hide their heads, thus nearly producing to onlookers the illusion of a box backpack with legs. It's even cuter when they have something fluorescent, like an orange construction worker vest, wrapped around the outside of the backpack to increase visibility.

- chocolate. Specifically, milk chocolate with whole hazelnuts that I buy at the Penny Markt and eat a piece of with my morning coffee. (At least I'm not buying lattes every morning like I did at UW last year. Or any morning, really - they're just not abundant like they are in Seattle. This way is much cheaper.)

- autumn. Tuebingen is so bright and crisp this time of year, something which I didn't really expect and, as I have learned from some German acquaintances, is actually quite unusual. Glad it decided to strike while I was here - it definitely has made the first week much more bearable.

- Italian ice cream. Granted, it's probably not as good as it is in Italy, but it's something you won't find in the US, at least not on the West Coast. Still have to try the flavor "Stracciato", or at least I think that's how it's spelled. No idea what it means. Edit: The word is actually "stracciatella", and it means chocolate chip. I've now tried it and it's very tasty. (thanks Ella)

- my class schedule. A German guy from my WG (dorm) was teasing me the other day about how all Americans do when they get here is speak English loudly and party. Now, the first part I am trying hard to avoid, but how can you really avoid the second when you only have 10 hours of class a week? And my subjects are generally interesting: one on German pop lit, one on mass media in Germany (veeeery awesome prof for that one), one on German-Jewish lit, one on Germany in the inter-war period, and one on Germany during the rule of the Nazis (which is also going to be a very good class, considering it's a lecture and not a seminar). So, I have pretty good classes, and a lot of down time. What else to do but go out and learn more culture? *wink*

- studying abroad in general. The cool thing about it is that the whole time you're learning more German, both the language and the culture. You're not sitting in a class in the US learning grammar, talking about Lebkuchen and castles or playing endless rounds of "der, die, oder das?" You're learning it in the classrooms here too, sure, but you're learning it at parties, in the kitchen, in the shops and on the street. Study abroads is awesome. *climbs down from soapbox*

- broetchen. This will be my last bullet point about food, I swear, which of course means that I can't write any about Spaetzle, Doener, Mozzarella-Tomaten-Basilikumsalat, or Currywurst (other delicious, if also fattening, things people eat here). Broetchen tops them all though, in that they are made in so many shapes and sizes (from Brezeln to Vollkorn to Backbrot to Laugenstangen), and every day made fresh and ready for you very early in the day (except Sunday, when nothing here is open). They also usually appear in both breakfast and dinner, as Germans tend to eat their big hot meal for lunch and then eat a small cold dinner later. The difference is what you put on it, like butter, jam, jelly, or Nutella (Brotaufstriche), or meat, or cheese or cheese spread. The Germans don't eat meat AND cheese on one Broetchen, now that's just plain silly. Mozzarella and lettuce and tomato on a baguette, that's fine, but the moment any meat hits those buns, and you're the perpetrator, guess what? They know you're American.

- um deine eigenen Sachen kuemmern. This means, literally, "to mind one's own business". Sometimes it gets on my nerves when, in public, no one smiles or talks to people they don't know, and in crowded areas people walk in straight lines and make no effort to move out of your way. But other days I like the fact that no one will harrass you about what you are doing and where you are going, and you can go about your business rest assured that nobody else will try to stick their nose in it.

- oeffentliche Verkehrsmittel. This is the public transportation system. While sometimes costly, it is certainly efficient and favorable to those without cars. It is also widely used by people from every sector of the population, something that cannot be said about public transport in America. And a student card for an entire semester costs only 35.10 Euro, and is good for much of the region.

- beer gardens. This goes almost without saying. It's like a big picnic, where everyone is happy.

- discos and parties. While not the same, these two factions offer good dancing, not the creepy sort of dancing we Americans practice. This is European dancing, where everyone gets their space unless otherwise clearly specified, and everyone makes it their perogative to have a good time dancing, without thinking too many silly thoughts, such as what other people might think.

Of course, there are more, and there are also many disadvantages to living here. I'm sure I'll post a big list of those some other time when I'm fed up with Germany and feeling pessimistic. (Bound to happen sometime, isn't it?) For now, I think I'll choose between cleaning my room up and taking a nap. I think the nap's winning out.

24.10.05

arg. stayed up too late again! I was going to go to sleep way earlier than 1 am. oh well...

23.10.05

Newest quote from Jeff:

“I think your calves are smaller from when we first met.”

And then, when I laughed:

“Isn’t that a compliment?”
internet's being slow again.

Classes here are impossible to figure out. Nothing's online, all the courses are listed in a book that I had to buy at the bookstore. I found some that I want to take, but they only list the professor and the time. No description, and, more importantly, no classroom. There are no email addresses for the professors. Luckily, the classes I'm taking don't require registration - but I do have to contact the professor and ask in advance if he will write me a "Schein" at the end of the course. If s/he allows me this, I have to go in and take a small test of the professor's choosing - oral, written, or a project - and that will determine my grade for the ENTIRE SEMESTER.

It all makes me wish I could take UW classes here. It's so much easier to find the classes you need, and enroll in them. (Well, the system is set up for it better. No promises on actually getting a spot in the class you want...)

Some of the kids from the California program get to take classes through that. I am uber-jealous. But I know taking actual university classes will be more enriching and interesting for me as a person... and more fulfilling.

Also, getting credits to transfer is a pain in the butt.

Don't think that I'm not excited to be starting classes again. It's been a long summer (from June 10th-ish to Oct. 24th is a long time! Over 4 months), and I'm ready to feel like I'm accomplishing something again. It's just... the start of the semester can be painful.

Well, I'm going to work on this whole class thing for a bit, as it is important. Then I think I'm going to Onkel tonight for their free showing of "Mona Lisa Smile" in German. We'll have to go early if we hope to get a spot.

22.10.05

You are gazing into the pixels of moral decay.

21.10.05

today was good. I need to get out of the habit of waking up at 2 pm, else i'm not going to be able to survive school.

Jeff and I are about to leave for Greek food for dinner. Actually, that sounds a lot better than blogging right now, so I'm gone. Bye!

20.10.05

corn chips are no place for a mighty warrior!
Also, as an update: I posted links to two new blogs. Ashley and Tina. Check it out.
My internet's finally being fast, for once!!! That means I've been on Facebook for about 45 minutes now. I should really be in the kitchen cleaning up the mess from last night. My floor decided to have an international dinner before the Semesteranfangsparty last night, and so we met at 8. Keeping within the theme of "traditional dish or drink from your home country", I of course had no good ideas, since Americans don't have any traditions. So I ended up making a macaroni and cheese casserole, which turned out surprisingly good considering I had no cheddar cheese, because Germans don't sell it, I guess. It was a hit after the party, when people trickeled in from 2 to 3 AM and, hungry, were directed by me to the mac & cheese. I was going to eat it today for lunch but it was far more satisfying watching my German friends enjoy a very American dish. The other American that was there made devilled eggs, which were also very good, but we couldn't figure out how to explain them as we were making them. The translation we came up with was "verteufelte Eier", which doesn't really make sense, but "devilled eggs" doesn't really, either, now does it? So anyway, we have a kitchen full of bottles and dirty dishes and pans, so I'll so see if they need my assistance.

19.10.05

I feel like an ass. I am so sorry.

I just didn't know how else to do it. And now that it's been done...

Can I take it back?

I never want to keep anything from you.

17.10.05

i love germany
I was going to post something clever but my internet is taking freakin' forever right now, and the effect is that I forgot what I was going to say. You happy now, ethernet???

Laundry's finally done. I started thinking about doing it a week ago, started it Saturday, and finished ironing it about 30 minutes ago, 7:30 on Monday night. Wonderful... is it going to be like this every time I need clean clothes?

The semester started today, but none of my classes meet for the first time until next week. Kinda odd, but that's the way it goes, I guess.

I realized today that I've had a relapse. I'm better now.

I'm gonna hit the "post" button now, and we'll see how long it actually takes to publish these thoughts to the world.

14.10.05

School starts next week. I can't believe I've already been here 3 weeks. So far the cities I have visited are Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, Hannover, Bremen, and of course my home city of Tuebingen, and since I haven't spent much time in any one place, it doesn't seem like I've been here that long. But I guess I have...

Today I spent some time getting groceries. Shopping is a little different in Germany, for a few different reasons. For one, you have to bring your own bags - like cloth reusable bags or a backpack - otherwise you have to buy plastic bags there for like 10 - 15 cents a piece. Groceries are generally cheaper but sold in smaller packages. The supermarkets aren't as "super" as they are in America - much smaller, and of course everything is in German, so sometimes I have no idea what I'm buying. You need a 1 Euro deposit to get your shopping cart out from the stack. And there are no baggers - you do your own bagging. Grocery selection can also be quite limited. But for 3 bags of groceries, I spent under 40 Euros, which I thought was pretty good. And avocados are sooooo much cheaper in Germany!!

Other than that, nothing new here. Found out that my foreign language credits are worth more than previously thought. Things are good.

Tonight, I'm headed to the Communist Bar. It's not really called that, but the Americans label it as such because it's got a big ol' portrait of Karl Marx on the wall. Should be good times.

6.10.05

Yay Germany! I finally have internet, thanks to Stefan, a very nice German guy who found out that he could give his user name and password out to as many people as he wanted and everyone could use the internet in the dorm. So I'm online now... IM me!

27.9.05

Now I'm just being lazy, but here's a preview of the email I'm gonna send out:

Things have been going pretty darn good since my last email. I spent the weekend in Amsterdam, which can be very expensive as it is an extremely popular vacation destination year-round. Luckily, I've gotten back into the swing of being a young person in Europe, which means that I buy food in cheap grocery stores far away from the tourist hotspots and stay in youth hostels.
Doing the traveling thing this time around was exciting, because I left without the faintest idea of what I was going to do once I got there. I met 4 other travelers on the train over, each of them from a different country, and together we rented a cheap hotel room for 2 nights. We got in pretty late, but the next morning I checked my email and found out that my cousin Melanie (whom I hadn't seen in 6 or 7 years) was arriving in Amsterdam via plane an hour from that moment! So I found her and her friend James at the airport Sheradon hotel, and we had that Saturday together to hang out in the city, as well as part of Monday.
Another weird coincidence was that I ran into somebody from UW - Ashley and Andy's old roommate Peter. He and his friend from Costa Rica, Gabi, ended up staying the 2nd night with us in our hotel room. Isn't the world small?
Now, any rumors that I had heard up until this point about Amsterdam I had almost completely dismissed. Surely no one really stands around in windows, barely dressed and barely illuminated with a red light, waiting for a 'visitor' with 50 Euros cash, and there's no way they can sell marijuana in 'coffeeshops'. But both of these things are done in Amsterdam's Red Light District, and it makes for a place that has a bustling, never-ending nightlife and some very creepy people (drug dealers and such). Of course, there is more to Amsterdam than the red light district and I spent a lot of the weekend walking the canals, touring the Leidesplein and Dam Square, and visiting famous museums like the Van Gogh Museum and the Heineken Experience. My hostel the 3rd night was a friendly place near the Museumsplein called the Flying Pig, supposedly one of the most famous hostels in Europe. I'd recommend it - It certainly was a fun place, pretty cheap (21 euros for a dorm bed, better rate than the hotel room), free internet, good breakfast and lots of friendly hostelers. I met some Brits, a German, and two really cute Mexicans who are studying in Warsaw, Poland this year and swear they will make good on my offer to crash at my dorm in Tuebingen. But you offer that to lots of people you meet on the road, and I have yet to hear back on any of them, or make good on offers given to me, for that matter...

Okay, gotta go pack for OKtoberfest. :)

26.9.05

I think everyone who reads this knows by now, but just for the record, i got to Germany safely and got all moved in to my room. my only issue now is getting matriculated, which, as it turns out, is a fairly difficult and lengthy process. internet and phone don't come easy, either. but i'll get there.

at the moment i'm in Amsterdam at a hostel that provides free internet, so that's a plus. The downside is that there are only 3 computers, so they're almost always occupied.

amsterdam is a crazy city. this is definitely a place to visit, and not to live. Everyone should see it, though. at least once.

well, I gotta check out of my hostel by 10:30 today, and also get breakfast first. So i'm off.

8.9.05

I'm really going for an entire year. I'm not sure how I even got to this point. Really, I'm not even sure how I register for classes. Was I supposed to do it already? I'm pretty sure I do it when I get there, but what if I'm wrong?

I'm so freakin' excited and so incredibly nervous all at the same time. Plus, I have to pack. And then I have to fly. At least I'll have a week in LA. I think that will calm me down a bit and let me relax - Jeff can console me and tell me all the secrets about going to school in Tuebingen, Germany.

Travel plans keep developing every day. Ashley got plane tickets to see me in the wintertime, and we're going to go to the Weihnachtsmarkt in Munich and take part in a psychtrance dance. It's going to rock.

Off to find cheap airfare for in-Europe flights.
4 days. oh man oh man oh man oh man

4.9.05

HAHA! Napoleon Dynamite advertises for the Utah State Fair. (that was my favorite TV ad, and here's my favorite radio ad - the rest can be found here.)
You can't just find cake. Cake isn't naturally occuring.

3.9.05

"The two books of Maccabees relate the exploits of a family of Jewish heroes who deliver the Jews from the persecutions of the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes and establish a line of priest-kings, which endures until Herod the Great. One of these heroes, Judas, wins big against the Syrians, enters Jerusalem, and in 165 B.C. reconsecrates the Temple."

I think I should name my first son Antiochus Epiphanes. Sounds grandious, don't it?
Quote of the day:

"Can I borrow your fork and your pot pie?" -Andrea

Andrea, I will miss you so much while I am away. Continue to grow and change and be your wonderful self. And don't let anybody ever have the best of you unless they really, really deserve it, because you are something special. You are an amazing person, and I'm happy to be able to call you my friend.

Then looking upwards
I strain my eyes and try
To tell the difference between shooting stars and satellites
From the passenger seat as you are driving me home.

"do they collide?"
I ask and you smile
With my feet on the dash
The world doesn't matter

When you feel embarrassed then i'll be your pride
When you need directions then i'll be the guide
For all time
For all time

Death Cab for Cutie, "Passenger Seat"

1.9.05

By the way, I saw movies 1 and 5 on my list. I highly recommend both of them to anybody with a strong stomach.

I also saw The Ring for the first time. It was pretty good, considering I've been around for all the hype. Jeff and I are supposed to watch "Ringu" when I'm down in LA, because he (for some reason or another) has it.

So, Wedding Crashers, and Proof need to be seen before I leave the States.
Two weeks. That's all I've got to do all that I have to do. This is going to be a long haul.

19.8.05

i wanna see some movies.
1. The Aristocrats
2. Ladies in Lavendar
3. Broken Flowers
4. March of the Penguins
5. Boondock Saints

17.8.05

Everybody has a good side. For some it's the left; for some it's the right. It's the side you should use for having your picture taken, or for the first time you meet a person, or for when you are trying to get something you want or need.

I've determined that at least for now, my good side is my right side. The problem with this is, any interactions that take place through the driver's side window always exhibit the left side. The natural extention of this discovery is that I can no longer go through drive-throughs, and if I ever get pulled over by a cop (knock on wood), I will most certainly get the ticket.

All of this was thought as I was pulling away from the drive-through at McDonalds.

4.8.05

i'm in Illinois right now, chillin with relatives. leave a message after the tone.

Seriously, though - I have my cell phone. So you can still call me. Yes.

My little cousin Eddie says "ha" when he means "yeah" or "yes". And the rest of his speech is quite hard to interpret. I swear he speaks Japanese, and a really cute version of it at that. And his sister Emma really likes my grilled cheese. She looked up at me with wide eyes when I suggested it for lunch and said, "you can COOK?" hehe... I'm old enough to cook, but young enough to play. That's why babysitters are so loved and adored...

We have a family reunion this weekend at Mark Twain Lake. Should be full of visiting with people I've never met. Maybe I'll meet a guy.

HAHAHAHAHA I love redneck jokes.

This post is deteriorating in quality (how can the quality deteriorate when it wasn't any good to begin with?), so I'm signing off. Adios!

27.7.05

JEFF IS HERE! yay!!!!!

24.7.05

yay for hiking! This weekend was unique. We went 18 miles, compared to the 17 of the first weekend at Mt. Rainier and the 13 of last weekend at Mt. St. Helens. The views were not as breathtaking as the five-mountain view on top of Goat Mountain at Helens, nor were there as many varied landscapes like those at Rainier. But we did have a spectacular campsite on Lake Boulder, where you woke up and exited the tent to find yourself at the edge of a beautiful lake surrounded by tree-covered hills. The weather was clear the entire time, but not too hot, so the 10 miles on the first day went pretty fast. And the second day was a heavily-wooded 3.5 miles until we hit the hot springs, which were amazing.

Of course, I absolutely love hiking. It's great because you don't remember the bad moments, when you look back at it. You don't remember your aching knees as you decend into the river valley, or the bug bites, or the wet sleeping bag, or your blisters. You remember hiking through snow and quaint alpine meadows. You remember the hilarious story about a research group in China asking their native group leader for kerosene to make fire, and getting a Soviet WWII era flame thrower instead. You remember sitting in the flashlight-lit tent, teaching cribbage to the only group member who doesn't know how to play, and having to mentally track your score. You remember seeing the deer, elk, hummingbirds, rabbits, and grouse. You remember making a delicious curry sauce to go with your rice for dinner. You remember the newts sunning in the shallow end of Deadmen's Lake. You remember the mystic beauty of Ipsut Pass in the fog. You remember the laughs, the songs, and the mishaps.

You remember the good times.

21.7.05

Working today at the office, I realized there is something I really, truly hate.

Now before I go on, I have to say that normally, working at the office makes me feel happy. People are there working to recover from injuries and surgeries, and the physical therapists keep their patients' health as top priority. Spirits are almost always high, and we do our best to deliver excellent patient care. Such should be the goal of every medical provider.

But of course, medical insurance companies do their best to rear their big, ugly heads and deny coverage for everything. Today, there were two people whose insurance I called to check benefits, only to find that they had so much deductible left that they wouldn't see a cent from the insurance until after several visits to our office. One of them even had an allowed amount that was smaller than the deductible!!! Imagine having your insurance company put a cap on visits which you yourself are paying for!! Now that's just adding insult to injury. Literally.

So naturally, we are not seeing either of these fine folks in our office again. Thankfully, one of them was only a one-time visit anyway. But the other person really needed the PT and won't be getting it. It's a shame, folks - it's really a shame.

In other, more upbeat news, I got the new Harry Potter book on loan from a friend who has already finished it. I read it at lunch today while I was eating and then working out. Speaking of working out, I can't decide whether I should go do that, or go clean my room. I'm thinkin I should do the cleaning, seeing as how I will soon be having guests staying in my brother's room, which has much of my crap in there. So the quicker I get my room clean, the faster I can put my college junk from my brother's room into mine... ah, it's going to be a headache. Maybe I should just give all of my worldly possessions over to Goodwill.

Well, whatever I'm going to do, I'd better get started. Better than wasting time here on good ol' Compy. Btw, Jeff, what's the link to your brother's blog?

16.7.05

freakin' emo! sheesh!

15.7.05

In this life, you gotta smile. You gotta laugh. All those things that piss you off, or that you think are totally unnecessary, or are a waste of time, or are sad - you just gotta turn around and laugh at them. It's the only way to keep your sanity.

Unfortunately, in doing so, people will judge you. Walk around with a big smile on your face, and what do you get? Less respect. Isn't it a tragic catch-22?
You know what's dumb? Freak dancing. I think it's really only an American thing, too. In other countries, people actually dance.

Hiking this weekend will be at Mt. St. Helens. A guy that I haven't seen in 2 years will be coming with us. Cool, huh? I hope so.

14.7.05

There were a few moments there where I considered deleting my post of two weekends ago. Of course, I didn't do that. Why amend what's on my mind? No one else does. Really, no one reads blogs. My faithful readership is a prime number less than 4. It's funny that this one doesn't make any splash at all until... oh, man. Free speech is a double-edged sword, I guess.

I can comment on it, though. I won't delete, but I'll comment.

I understand that I wouldn't have been invited on a fun weekend if my company wasn't desired. I never felt like I deserved any of it - probably the exact opposite is true. And that's why I felt the way I did - since I didn't deserve it, there must have been another reason.

I did try to socialize. And I enjoyed hanging out with the people I did, when I did, for the most part. It's just that on the last night I wasn't feeling very social, and I felt that wasn't acceptable. Doesn't everyone deserve some space when they need it? I think it's reasonable for me to publish these sorts of feelings on a blog. Hey, there are worse outlets, right? This is a good place to be critical. And I criticize many things that I'm a part of, for example America, UW, Olympia, and Seattle. I think if I'm a part of the drama, it's good to criticize it, rather than shove it underground and pretend like it didn't happen.

Speaking of outlets, I may need to find another if I keep getting messages on my phone. I guess there's no need to share those messages, but then again, there's no need for them to be left on my voicemail. If it's such a moot point, why was there a second message?

I guess I call all of this "high-school drama" because it only involves people from high school. And it's not the people. It's the connections. Think about it - he said that she said that he heard that she said. How does all this word get around? Because everyone knows everybody else and they all have each others cell phone numbers, and various senses of loyalty to one another. The same sort of thing happens in offices, in small towns - similar settings. The fact that this all happened on the weekend that it did is really just a coincidence. It involves people from high school, and nobody else. Anyone else notice this trend? If it were just the people, I would live with those girls in a heartbeat. We all know that it's the connections that change the atmosphere, and that's precisely what drives me away. It gets to be too much for me. I'm afraid - afraid that I wouldn't be happy. Afraid that I'd be trying to please everyone all the time. Afraid that I'd side with someone when I shouldn't, or not stick up for someone when I should. I guess that's why I run from it. It's the easy way out, I guess... but why would I go the hard way?

So now, some people have opinions on what needs to happen next. I guess this is the part where I stick to my guns and do what needs to be done, not what other people think I should do.

I hope I'm strong enough?

After my small dinner party tonight, I'm a tired girl. It'd be best if I go to sleep now - gotta get up early for work tomorrow.

I recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone
I recommend walking around naked in your living room
Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill)
It feels so good (swimming in your stomach)
Wait until the dust settles
You live you learn
You love you learn
You cry you learn
You lose you learn
You bleed you learn
You scream you learn

You Learn - Alanis Morrisette (back when she was good)

13.7.05

This is such CRAP.

10.7.05

Just had a MUCH better weekend. Wow, I love hiking. It is simply AMAZING. I might update on the trip later, because right now it's quarter to 11 at night and I have work in the morning, and I intend on bathing for a long while in the jacuzzi tub before I actually go to sleep. But yes, updates will be made.

5.7.05

This weekend was a series of mixed reactions. If I told you the details of my vacation, it would sound like the best thing ever: 3 whole days of 85 degree weather at a house on a dammed-up portion of the Columbia, an entire extended family of a friend to hang out with, and boats and jet-skis and wakeboards and sound systems and cold drinks and pool tables and ping-pong and foosball and poker and and and...

And it was. It was a lot of fun. How incredibly relaxing, to have absolutely nothing to do but drive around in a boat in your swimsuit. My only worry was when to reapply sunscreen so that I wouldn't get too burnt. "Work" was going to eat dinner, or leaving to help bring in the boat and clean it out for the night, or wiping down the jet skis. I was just in heaven as I was wakeboarding behind the boat, and the amazing speakers blasted out "Master of Puppets" as I jetted across the surf. I could drink a Red Bull and eat Sun Chips as I lay out on the boat, and I wouldn't have to think about a thing. It was really a great time while it lasted.

But the company situation was less than desirable. First of all, I felt like I was invited along just because I was the only one in our circle of friends who had not been to Sunland yet. (Yes, that was the name of this 200-lot riverside community.) Furthermore, the other invitee was a guy that I have not gotten along with for years. This is no secret; we just do not like each other very much. There's no real reason for the dislike, from what I can see. But there doesn't have to be -sometimes certain people don't get along. It's just a simple fact. But we are capable of being civil, and so I thought things would go smoothly enough to where we'd have an enjoyable weekend. And as it turns out, it's the aspects that I didn't anticipate that slowly soured the weekend. First, there was a slight feeling of alienation from much of the family, where instead of being called by name I was referred to as the "friend", and no one really talked directly to me except for the host and the grandma (who is the coolest grandmother ever. It's been scientifically determined), and no one but the kids would approach me to play games with them. This was made worse by the fact that the other invited friend of my friend's had already been along a few times, and he was loved by virtually all the family. Another compounding factor was the slow realization that the friend who had invited me was becoming increasingly annoyed with me, and I couldn't do anything to fix it. Nothing I did was right, and the worst part was that I couldn't just get up and leave when I wanted to, since we had all come in the same car to a getaway 150 miles from my house. Believe me, if it would have made their vacation better, I would have.

Then, to top it all off, I made a small mistake right after I got back to Olympia due to a miscommunication. That part, I admit, is my fault. But of course, word got back and it resulted in an angry phone message and a few conversations between other friends about the topic before the day's end. And of course, now they're mad at me, and I don't know how much I should fight it. Fight to regain the favor of an acquaintence I don't particularly like anyway? I think I'll stay away from that one. The real question, then, is what to do with my female friend... the one that may not want to talk to me, at least not for a while.

This is why, my friends. This is why I didn't live in the CHS girls' apartment this year, or in their cluster last year. This is why I make such a colossal effort to make new friends at UW. This is why an out-of-state school may have been the better choice. TOO MUCH HIGH-SCHOOL DRAMA.

28.6.05

A patient who knew my grandfather years ago came in for his visit today. When I asked how he was feeling, he said he was doing a lot better. And then he told me I looked sharp today.

After thanking him, I sat down at my desk again, and it hit me. My grandfather used to say that very same thing.

You look sharp.

Ah, nostalgia.

27.6.05

I have rediscovered my love for weight lifting. It is seriously AWESOME. I'm talking hammer-mega-geil here. Once I start working out at the gym, there is no way you will be able to tear me away until I have done my upper body or lower body set to completion - not even a dinner at Outback Steakhouse with my family motivated me to leave the gym early today. An added bonus is listening to music simultaneously... the iPod gets me through the boring Eliptical session, and then Metallica's "Master of Puppets" propels me into my set. Everytime. Und ja, mein Schatz, ich denke immer an dich waehrend des Liedes. Immer. Du und die Band sind zusammen meine Motivation...

But working out at the Valley (our local gym) can be annoying sometimes. Like right after work, when all the office workers hit the gym, and there are no machines to work on. Also, the signs around the place have random, dumb grammatical errors, like "Please limit your workout to 30 minutes when people waiting", or "Bring you're kids swimming". No joke; those are true-life examples.

Another element that can be difficult at times is when my sister comes along. It always seems like a good idea, because we can go play basketball together, or swim, or do other fun things. But my normal 75-minute routine needs to be followed first, which Jamie doesn't like, and thus our time at the Valley looks more like this:

Minute 1: Jamie decides she's tired, and doesn't want to work out anymore. She states that she will sleep in the car while I work out. I leave her the keys.

Minute 2: Jamie is following me into the Valley. Apparently she has changed her mind.

Minute 5: I'm starting my workout on the Elliptical machine. Jamie is behind me, making faces in the mirror because there is an old guy on the machine next to me and she can't work out next to me.

Minute 6: Old guy leaves. Jamie gets on the machine.

Minute 7: Jamie has transferred to another machine, one without arms, which is two machines down from mine. She has taken an interest in the programming on the TV on that side of the room. I believe it's a rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond.

Minute 20: Everybody Loves Raymond is over. Jamie walks by me with a questioning glance, as if to say "how much longer?" I point at the timer on my machine. Jamie rolls her eyes and goes to the mat to "stretch".

Minute 21: I glance at Jamie in the mirror. Jamie is on her back on the mat and eating Kashi cereal from a sample-pack she got in the lobby. No stretching is occuring, at least none that I can see.

Minute 35: My Elliptical training session is over. I walk to the mat to stretch. Jamie asks if we can leave.

Minute 36: I say no. I leave to get some water.

Minute 39: I start off my weight lifting routine with bench press. I mouth to Jamie, "Do you want to do this with me?" She wrinkles her nose in disapproval. She won't even spot the lift for me. I think she wants more Kashi.

Minute 50: I'm doing my third set of military press. At this point Jamie has only bugged me once about leaving. She knows not to do it again.

Minute 51: Jamie walks over towards the cardio equipment again. I think to myself, oh good, at least she's making the most of her time. She sits down on a stationary exercise bike. I start and finish my fourth set of military.

Minute 54: I look up between sets of bicep curls. Jamie is on the bike, but the pedals aren't moving. Everybody Loves Raymond is on again.

Minute 58: Tricep time. Raymond is apparently not as interesting this time around, because Jamie comes over during my third set of tricep curls. I assure her that there is only one more set left, and that she should spot me so that I don't bash in my skull if my triceps give out.

Minute 59: Jamie stands behind me and waves her hands up and down under the bar as I do my last 8 reps. I guess no one ever taught her to spot.

Minute 61: Earlier in the workout, say around Minute 20, I had hoped that there would be time for situps. Now I realize there is no chance. Jamie drags me to the locker room. We pass the lobby. Jamie grabs another sample pack of Kashi.

Minute 62: We head to the steam room. Jamie is excited because she's never been in the steam room before, and she's in a 18+ only locker room, which means she could get kicked out. Adreniline rush!

Minute 63: We are in the steam room. Jamie apparently really doesn't like old naked ladies. She tells me so several times until one joins us in the steam room. Jamie is quiet.

Minute 64: Old naked lady leaves. Jamie resumes whining.

Minute 70: Enough of the steam room. Time for more Kashi.

Minute 75: We escape the locker room. As we leave through the lobby, Jamie does a hesitation dance with the Kashi basket.

Minute 77: Jamie finally takes a Kashi sample pack. I tell her she should just take the basket. We leave the Valley.

Now, you can see how such shenanigans might disrupt my workout routine. And the fun doesn't end there. Oh, no. Take, for example, the following gems:

Dinner the next night at the Outback Steakhouse: Jamie states to Dad that there is a reason that people under 18 can't go into that locker room. Evidently it's to "save their vision" (the young people's vision, not the old naked ladies' vision).

After dinner: I come home and look in the pantry. The cereal shelf has a new addition. Kashi.

Well, time to go watch "October Sky". And get ready for tomorrow, which will be a day at work, and then another glorious workout. I probably won't bring Jamie, though. There is too much Kashi to be eaten.

22.6.05

We listen to a classic rock station ALL DAY here at the office. They play a certain set of songs and while the order might get mixed up, the set is the same. But I do like this selection courtesy of The Cars:

I don't mind you comin' here
and wastin' all my time
'cause when you're standin' oh so near
I kinda lose my mind
it's not the perfume that you wear
it's not the ribbons in your hair
I don't mind you comin' here
and wastin' all my time
I don't mind you hangin' out
and talkin' in your sleep
it doesn't matter where you've been
as long as it was deep, yeah
you always knew to wear it well and
you look so fancy I can tell
I don't mind you hangin' out
and talkin' in your sleep
I guess you're just what I needed
I needed someone to feed
I guess you're just what I needed
I needed someone to bleed

17.6.05

Family Guy is awesome:

Peter: "I guess that means I have no use for you anymore, Tink."
Tinkerbell: "So that's it? You're done? You're gonna leave me, just like that?"
Peter (eyes narrowing): "You knew what this was."

First week of work alllll done and over with. I can't believe how busy that office gets. There is NEVER a break. I swear... I don't know how people work there year-round. It's ridiculous.

I gotta make some calls and get some friends over here. Bye now!

8.6.05

Splendid pearl: Does eyeshadow make your eyelids feel heavy?
KillahKyla: nope...
KillahKyla: what kind of eyeshadow have YOU been wearing?

Splendid pearl: LEAD kind
KillahKyla: that's the poisonous kind!!
Splendid pearl: Oh crap
Splendid pearl: I retarded my eyes

i love late-night AIM convos. =)

31.5.05

GOSH. Why am I such a moron... I lost my little ear cuff thing that I got at the U Street Fair a few weeks ago. It was $15 and really pretty, and now it's gone, on the streets. Fell off, just like that. IDIOT.

Our gig tonight also wasn't so good. Couldn't really hear us. Which reminds me, I have to upload the video from the camera.

(am now watching video)

Yeah it's not very good. People are LOUD.
In America, you update your blog.

In Soviet Russia, your blog updates you!

30.5.05

and you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
in the moment of truth in your life
when everything feels like the movies
yeah you bleed just to know you're alive

Is it true? I wouldn't know, and I don't understand. Is that why?

26.5.05

At work today:

My supervisor Steven: "You look super-skinny. Did you lose tons of weight?"
Me: "No. I think these pants are just flattering."
Steven: (insert several mocking comments here)

Leave it to me to take a compliment. For the record, though, I did thank him on the way out. Just a little too late.

Today is gorgeous outside, a beautiful day with the kind of weather that Jeff would despise. It's 85 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celcius?), blue sky, no clouds (not that I believe in clouds anyway) ... and I'm stuck in this office. No windows. Lights off to keep things cool. Sucky!

With the weather comes optimistic thoughts. Thoughts about what I'm going to do this summer - go hiking, watch movies with my brother and sister, swim in Ken Lake, go to concerts, spend occasional weekends in Seattle, go to Lakefair, work out at the Valley 5 days a week, work at my dad's office. My mind is anywhere but here right now. It doesn't care to dwell on what I have to do before school is out - a 10 page paper on a molecule of choice, a 2-page final German paper, two chem-related finals and a bio final. Oh, and a few lab reports, not to mention continuation of learning throughout the next few weeks. It's not that I'm not enjoying the here and now. Believe me, I am - maybe a little too much. Saw "City of Angels" for the first time on Tuesday night (great movie), and then went to see our Ninja and Pirates movie entry win in the Haggett Film Festival. (That's Jeff Six's 2nd victory in as many years! He won a director's chair.)

Thus, there is much to write about, and little time to do it in. The summer will provide me with many opportunities to reflect upon this school year. Until then, time to make the most of it.

And as a side note: I bought a student pack of SIFF tickets. Now I get to go see 5 films: The Edukators, Five Times Two, Night of the Living Dorks, Nine Songs, and one other I can't remember. Can't wait!

23.5.05

KillahKyla: "When do you plan to arrive in Tuebingen?"
MavericK9996696: Arbitrarily choose some day
MavericK9996696: Like "Tuesday"

BlakMetalKrieg: I liked your shower away message btw, naked kyla is hot

These things make me all warm and fuzzy. Well, not the second one... that one is more creepy than anything. but yeah.

Lots of things happened this weekend. No time to embellish that statement, apart from saying that I love life, and I love my friends and I miss my family. Things are leading quite nicely into summer, but I know the realization that I am going to be gone from all this for an entire year will hit me quite soon.

Well, it's taken me an hour to get my housing application for Germany done. Now I can get to work on my homework. woot.
KillahKyla: "When do you plan to arrive in Tuebingen?"
MavericK9996696: Arbitrarily choose some day
MavericK9996696: Like "Tuesday"

BlakMetalKrieg: I liked your shower away message btw, naked kyla is hot

These things make me all warm and fuzzy. Well, not the second one... that one is more creepy than anything. but yeah.

Well, it's taken me an hour to get my housing application for Germany done. Now I can get to work on my homework. woot.

19.5.05

i'm tired. it's raining outside. i slept through kickboxing and ate too much candy today.

I get to go to the Dance Majors concert tonight!! then I'm going out with my roommate!

today is a day that is both good and bad.

18.5.05

so today has been a block of classes, and then eating, and hanging out with guys named Brian. Or Bryan. That joke doesn't work too well in print. But yeah, I had dinner in Brian's cluster, and then Bryan came and we had dessert at the 8. I got a piece of chocolate cake that was, like, bigger than my head. No joke. I ordered a piece of cake, and the guy handed me this dinner plate, and I was kinda like, "huh, maybe he accidentally gave me a steak or something," but no. He definitely gave me a gargantuan piece of cake. I tried to share it with other people, but Bryan bought a double cookie squish-up, which as anyone who lives on North Campus can tell you is quite a challenge to eat. It's a huge mound of vanilla frosting sandwiched in between two chocolate chocolate chip cookies. So he was set for dessert, and as a result most of my giant chunk of cake remained on the plate. Eh well. So then Bryan and I hung out in my room and chatted for a while. It was really nice, because Bryan and I view things the same a lot, and when we do disagree with each other, we can listen and usually learn something from each other because we agree on so much normally.

That last part didn't really make sense, but it did in my head.

Tomorrow I'm going to see if I can't make it over to get tickets for SIFF. There are going to be some great shows, but I might just end up buying individual tickets instead of a student pass. I don't mind paying a little more for convienence. (spelling?)

Time to either go running, or do homework. Right now it looks like running will win.

17.5.05

As this quote is finally leaving my AIM profile, I figured I'd post it here:

Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny. -Carl Schurz, general and politician

15.5.05

So - the Shins concert. It was great. I had the most fun... I guess I'd forgotten how much fun big concerts can be. I guess the last time I'd been to one with a "mosh" pit was the Maroon 5 concert last year. This one was even crazier, especially toward the end, with lots of crowd surfing and jumping around. I knew all of the songs from "Oh, Inverted World" and "Chutes Too Narrow", so it was fun to sing along to them, even though I had to be careful to save my voice for my gig on the following day. The Shins also covered some song (I think it was "Strange Magic"), they played a new one, and they played one of their older songs from the "Nature Bears a Vacuum" EP, which I've heard but I don't know the words to, so I wasn't tempted to waste my voice on any of those songs. There were a few sucky parts of the concert, none of which were the fault of the Shins... first, we waited a long time in a hot, sticky crowd of bodies to see them. Once they finally came on, Ashley decided she wasn't going to make it through the night in the mosh pit, so she got out. I admit, it was more than a little oxygen-deprived but once the Shins got into their set, it was awesome and there was no turning back. The other really dumb thing that happened was the small circle of frat boys who sweet-talked their way past these two girls and then called them names behind their backs, and then proceeded to talk on their phones to get this one other girl to come over to them who was "totally worth it" because she was "soooo hot". It was distracting and rude, and I really wanted to grab the idiot's cell phone and hurl it out of the pit. Instead, I jumped around more and sang the lyrics really loud so as to be equally distracting and annoying. I think it worked. Eventually, the crowd shifted so I was away from them. Still, though. What jerks.

Also, the Brunettes, a band from New Zealand that opened for the Shins, were great, and I would like to see them again. I've got their stuff downloaded now.

Our own gig at the Trabant Chai Lounge went pretty smoothly. A few songs were not up to snuff, but I think that we will know exactly what to work on for our gig coming up next week. (It's at Ian's at 9 PM SHARP!!) We even acquired a groupie, who showed up late but wants to catch the rest of our set. We really need to set up an e-mail list or a website at least. But since we're not going to be a group for much longer, there's not really much point. Oh well.

The Senate played last night after us, and they were magnificent as usual. They played some new songs and some old favorites. They'll be playing again on the 28th at Ian's Domain, a concert which I shall surely attend if I'm not off hiking or something.

Must go study now for my bio midterm, because I've been out of the homework loop for about 3 days now, what with the Cinco de Mayo make-up celebration on Thursday, the Shins on Friday and the concert last night. Later fellas!

12.5.05

i never blog anymore. i swear i'll get around to it one of these days.

shins play Hec-Ed tomorrow!!! i'm super-excited.

a cappella performances go down beginning Saturday at 8 at the Trabant Chai Lounge. I encourage everyone to go. EVERYONE.

7.5.05

I once dated a guy in high school. A few friends of mine likened his style of dating to Schroedinger's Cat. The analogy, as they explained it to me, was this: Schroedinger had a cat in a box, along with a radioactive isotope of unknown half-life. As soon as the isotope decomposed, the cat would die. The thing is, you wouldn't know if the cat was dead or not until you opened the box. So, until the box was opened, the cat was both dead AND alive.

As soon as I heard this, I realized that this was perfect for the guy I was seeing. Nobody but he and sometimes the girls he was interested in knew who he was dating at any certain point. And if you weren't one of those elite few, it appeared that he was dating all of them, all of the time.

Don't know why I chose to write about that today. Just seemed like it was time.

6.5.05

Liebe Kyla, wir freuen uns Ihnen sagen zu können, dass Sie an der Universität Ihrer ersten Wahl - Tübingen - studieren werden und vom Stuttgarter Club betreut werden.

Yay! This means that I for sure have the scholarship for Germany, and that I'll be at my institution of choice in Tuebingen. Rah!

Sie erhalten vom Verband eine Bahncard 50 zusätzlich zum Stipendium. Außerdem trägt der Verband die Kosten für die Seminare (eine kleine Eigenbeteiligung wird abgezogen).

I also get a train ticket, and they'll pay most of the seminar costs in Berlin. :)

Anyway, I have to go now. but I thought I should update, since it's been a few days.

2.5.05

lochnessrockster: i just wish my home town had its own beer

that's right. Oly REPRESENT!

28.4.05

i looooooove kickboxing. it is seriously the greatest. what other workout activity could I do that I actually want to get up at 8 am every morning for? and remember, for me, 8 am is early. I usually don't have class until 10:30. but don't you think for a second that i get 10 hours of sleep a night. haha. ha. no.

my bio midterm is tomorrow. i'm frightened for multiple multiple choice again. our professor told us to treat the questions as "a series of true-false statements". Yeah. a series of statements in which if you circle only one of the right answers, you get a third of the points. and if you circle one right and one wrong, you get no points. dumb dumb dumb.

i was reading a few random blogs and lj's today (i'm at work and there's nothing to do, what can I say) and stumbled across this. It has some funny moments in a satirical sense, most of them taking place during the controversy. if you're bored, i'd recommend jumping back into the archives. the rest of the stuff isn't as good.

in the other, more mundane lj's I read, I realized that there are so many people who are EXACTLY THE SAME. it's the ugg-wearing, britney spears-loving, self-important people who think they're so cool, but in fact they're just like everyone else. it makes me want to scream at them to go get some originality. what's left nowadays, though? and how much like all of them am I?

there's no combination, no words i could put on the back of a postcard
no song that I could sing
but I can try for your heart
our dreams, they are made out of real things
like a shoe box with photographs
things you can throw love in
love is the answer at least for most of the questions of my heart
like why we're here, where do we go
and how come it's so hard
it's not always easy and sometimes life can be deceiving
i tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together
mmm it's always better when we're together
yeah well look at them stars and we're together
well it's always better when we're together
yeah it's always better when we're together

Jack Johnson - Better Together (i may have to post more lyrics from this song at a later date)

27.4.05

last night Anna called me as I was leaving a cappella rehearsal. she had questions on the German homework, so I told her I'd come over in 20 minutes and we could finish it together. As soon as I hung up the phone, I promptly forgot about it and went to go study bio at Ian's. This all happened at about 9:10. Later on at about 11 I came back to my room and called Jeff. Halfway through the conversation, I suddenly remembered about Anna, and I looked at my cell phone and saw that there was a message. Of course I felt really bad that I had forgotten, so I listened to the voice mail message. What I heard cracked me up:

"Hey Kyla, it's Anna. Yeah, when you said you were coming over.. I couldn't remember whether you said 20 minutes or 20 hours, so it'd be great if you could call me. Bye!"

oh man.

26.4.05

funny aim convos... you know i've had these while I was supposed to be studying...

BlakMetalKrieg: hey, richie's softball team at gonzaga is named "Off in the Shower"
KillahKyla: off in the shower?
BlakMetalKrieg: because you can't beat Off in the Shower

lochnessrockster: no way
lochnessrockster: the doorbell?
KillahKyla: yes!
KillahKyla: idiots!
lochnessrockster: i wont rest
lochnessrockster: not until justice has been restored

i guess a lot of things seem funny when I'm tired.
dudes

today was long and drawn-out and without pause.

some things happened to me, and i thought I might share, since this is my blog and i can say whatever I want. Here they are, in no particular order:

-As I was helping clean up after Teen Feed, I spilled a cup of chocolate milk. It pretty much fell directly on my foot, and i was wearing flip flops, so it was milky nastiness on my foot. Awesome.

-Anna asked me what happened to my mother. I don't remember the last time anyone asked that. I was really pleased with the way she asked it - like she cared enough to know, and that it was important to know.

-Jack Johnson's new album has become my favorite. I can never go back once I hear a new album of his. The old one just isn't as good.

-Some college kids got mad at me for the parking prices for the soccer game. It was only 4 dollars, and there were 5 of them in the car. Not like they couldn't afford it. I told them I don't set the prices; I just work there and nothing more. One of them retorted with "well, I go to college." As if I don't. Jerk. This emphasises even more how much i empathize with entry-level workers. it really isn't their fault.

-i declared my major first thing this morning. no more "pre-major" for me. I'm a full-fledged Cell and Molecular Biology Major at the UW. Go me!

now it's time for bed. kickboxing tomorrow morning!!! but i will tell some stories from this last weekend when I get the chance. they are funny, and my sister requested one in particular. :) :) :)

when your mind is a mess, so is mine
i can't sleep cuz it hurts when i think
my thoughts on a piece with the plans that we make
chances we take
they're not yours they're not mine
there's waves that can break
all the words that we said and the words that we mean
words can fall short, can see the unseen
cuz the world is awake for somebody's sake
now please close your eyes woman
please get some sleep
and know that if I knew all the answers
i would not hold them from you, no
all of the things that i know
we told each other
there is no other way


Jack Johnson - No Other Way

24.4.05

i'm in oly! and the tradition is that i blog at the office! always! even if it's a short post...

sing me sweet, sing me low
say you'll never let me go
this has gone on long enough
waiting for wonderful
sing me sweet, sing me low
say you'll never let me go
so won't you stay
and never fail
never let me go


Matt Nathanson - Sing Me Sweet

21.4.05

hmm. at work. very bored. boss is out of office for lunch and my job is to "answer phones". one call in the last hour. i am also listening to my iPod, which Jo does not like. she hasn't ever caught me yet, so i'm not sure what her wrath on that issue is like, but rest assured it wouldn't be good to have her come back from lunch and see me with headphones in. "don't worry, the volume is down really low so I can hear if the phone rings." that might not fly.

mmm, i have peanut M&Ms ready for me to eat if I get hungry/bored. I'm not really hungry... but I sure am bored.

what's been up the last few days... lemme see. Not a whole lot, really... i planned to go to bed early last night so that I could get up and have a lot of energy for kickboxing this morning. of course, that didn't happen... i took a long nap from 7 to 10 last night, and then got up and studied biology in the library for a good 3 hours. Then I could have been in bed by 1:30, but i spent a half-hour updating my chem lab notebook. So it was 2, and then my roommate and a friend of hers from down the hall took a break from their architecture project to come chat in our room. The three of us got into a discussion about gay marriage, which was good, and enlightening, and engaging, like any good informed argument. but by the time they left again it was 3:15 and I only got 5 hours of sleep. thank goodness for coffee. well, and plus, we had a sub for kickboxing this morning, so the exercise wasn't as strenuous as usual, which kinda made me mad... i felt like i wasted my time by going down there. but rest assured, it will be back up to its usual level of butt-kicking awesomeness when Elizabeth comes back on Tuesday.

speaking of chem lab, Ashley and I ran into my TA Steve today after chem class. Steve is quite possibly the coolest lab TA ever, and he and Ashley and I had fun last quarter in lab together. now that Ash can't take organic lab this quarter, i'm the one who gets to talk to steve bi-weekly, and Ashley usually only gets to hear the stories. Which is why running into him today was such a momentous occasion, because she never sees him anymore. It's really a shame that she can't take lab; it's really fun with all three of us there. Granted, I wasn't as efficient last quarter in lab for that very reason. But this quarter is super fun because of the unknown determinations. (do I sound like a dork for saying that?) No, but it's really true: we have access to all these chemicals, and 3 hours to just play with them. I could spend an entire lab period creating a series of small explosions in my chem hood and no one would say a word. Of course, i have to determine the structure of my unknown at some point in all of that, but my unknowns have been delightful - moderately challenging, but easy enough that it only takes about 7 tests to figure out exactly which substance is my unknown. plus they make good derivitaves. i hope writing all this down doesn't jinx me...



my unknowns have been named Apu, Han Solo, and Ralph. (when I got that last one from Steve, all I had to say was "Tastes like burning!" in a high-pitched voice. He knew immediately what unknown i had chosen, and gave it to me. it's a solid. boo.)

in other news: i've called jeff twice in the last week. i'm going home this weekend to work at Dad's new office. it would be a good idea to call the Languths at some point, since i have a calling card at the moment. i've been eating healthier than normal and it makes me feel good about myself.

boss is back. time to work!

18.4.05

AAH!!! They are showing Captain Planet on Wednesday in Mary Gates room 258 from 4:30 to 6:30!!!!!

I will SO be there from 5 to 6. :)

13.4.05

i really am not getting enough sleep!!!!!

and get lost
in the poetry of the rain

i'm not really getting much done in the way of homework, so i'm going to bed to minimize my losses. night y'all!

11.4.05

oh crap. i'm on a public computer and I think I just clicked on "yes" when it asked me if I wanted to save my password. oh well, i'll just have to shut down the computer when i'm done. it usually erases any settings the user imparted on the machine.

today I get to show a high school prospect around to all of my classes!! it'll be fun, plus I can delay going to work for another half hour in the name of fun volunteer work :P

Jeff's dad told me last night that Jeff re-injured his ankle in a mosh pit in Germany. This is not good news. Jeff, wherever you are, pleeeeeeeaaaase take care of yourself. Ice, elevate, that whole drill.

hmm boy. well this week doesn't seem like it'll be too daunting. just regular stuff, with the exception of one test in German on Wednesday, but those are never very hard. I just got an email back from my lovely host family in Hannover (it took me sending them a real letter for that to happen, but what can you do), and everyone is doing well. Sarah writes her final high school exams (Abschluss Arbeiten) in 3 weeks.

that's all I have time for now. gotta go pick up my prospect and then go to class!

10.4.05

English Genius
You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 86% Advanced, and 100% Expert!
You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.



OKAY OKAY OKAY i'm going to do homework now. REALLY!
Survey time! then i'll go do homework.

1. YOUR PORN STAR NAME: (Name of first pet + Street you lived on as a child):
Bo Maplewood

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (Name of your favorite snack food + Grandfather's first name):
Pepperjack Enoch

3. YOUR FASHION DESIGNER NAME: (First word you see on your left + Favorite restaurant):
Changes Thai Garden

4. EXOTIC FOREIGNER ALIAS: (Favorite Spice + Last Vacation Spot):
Saffron Los Angeles

5. "FLY GIRL" ALIAS (a la J. Lo): (First Initial + First Two or Three Letters of your Last Name):
K. Lin

6. ICON ALIAS: (Something Sweet Within Sight + Any Liquid in Kitchen):
Chocolate Water

7. DETECTIVE ALIAS: (Favorite Baby Animal + Where You Went to High School):
Monkey Capital (haha... I have Monkey Capital and I wish to spend it.)

8. SOAP OPERA ALIAS: (Middle Name + Street Where Your Best Friend Lives):
DeAnn Waterbury

9. ROCK STAR ALIAS: (Favorite Candy + Last Name Of Favorite Musician):
York Peppermint Patty Pulkrabek

10. BARFLY ALIAS: (Last Snack Food You Ate + Your Favorite Soft Drink):
Ritter Joghurt Fanta

aww, those all suck. except for Chocolate Water and Monkey Capital. Would anyone really call me K. Lin?