... And A Happy New Year

As most of you know, over my Christmas visit with Dennis's family he finally proposed (after much prodding on my part). Since then I've been fielding many of the usual questions - how he proposed, when the wedding will take place, bla bla bla bla bla ...

In the span of less than a week I've managed to set a date, start scouting possible locations for the ceremony, pick out a dress, shop for outfits for my mom and sister, make up a guest list, and begin torturing Dennis.

Undoubtedly somebody will be scandalized at my choice of attire, but I have chosen this opportunity to flex my muscle as bride-to-be. Others may be disappointed with my guest list, but arrangements are being made so friends and extended family not invited to the ceremony can still get their party on. So with that I think I'll say good night.

Pajama, pajama, pajama!

*wave*

Just taking a quick break from exam prep. I've made my way through WWII and into the Civil Rights Movement, found my notes from the first lecture on the reproductive anatomy of flowering plants, and I've dedicated my entire weekend to Sir Christopher Wren and packing.

Adri, if you happen to read this, I've finally reached level 60 in WoW and I'm close to earning enough gold for my epic mount. To everyone else, yes, I know I'm a nerd. But that's okay.

I'll come home Tuesday, possibly in the morning if I've been very good about packing. Ha, yeah, we'll see how that turns out ...

Of Halloween Past ...

The first Halloween I can remember, I was maybe 3 or 4 years old. My parents tell me that I went trick-or-treating the year before, but other than sparse photographic evidence, I have no knowledge of this at all. Anyhoo, the first costume I remember was pretty sweet. My mom made me a cat costume, complete with a full headpiece with little grey ears. I have reason to believe that the hat is still wandering around somewhere in our house (yeah, nearly two decades later!). Before we went out, I got a liberal quantity of blush applied to the end of my nose, and eyeliner whiskers on my cheeks. Being a little kid rocks.

Share your Halloween memories!

I don't know whether I should be amused or astoundingly frustrated.

Before I begin, snaps to Miki and Chris ... *snap snap snap snap snap*

As part of my public speaking course (aren't graduation requirements fun?), I had to create a short survey to get a feel for people's attitudes toward the subject I was going to address in my persuasive speech. Huzzah for Decriminalizing Prostitution!!

Right, so today was the day the class filled out the surveys. I got some, eh, interesting responses on some of the questions. Let me share:

1. What is your gender? M / F (most people, I suspect, didn't have a problem with this question)

2. Please list 3 words used to label or describe a person who regularly exploits him/herself for material gain. (I had to explain what "material gain" meant to more than one person.)
(Blank)
Kind
Every movie star / Every politician / Most musicians
Clothes
Slut for Money
Conceeded <-- hooray, college!
President?
High standards
$ <-- so help me, God, I got a symbol as a response
Food

3. Please complete the following statement: "I object to the act of prostitution ... "
a. " ... on religious/moral grounds." (7)
b. " ... due to public health concerns." (4)
c. " ... due to economic concerns." (1)
d. "I do not object to the act of prostitution." (2)
Two people circled all of the first three choices, two left it blank.

4. Forced prostitution in the US is a significant problem.
Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly disagree
1 (2)
2 (2)
3 (5)
4 (6) <-- one crossed out a 2 before circling 4
5 (3)

5. Organized crime and prostitution are strongly linked in the US.
Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly disagree
1 (0)
2 (4)
3 (7)
4 (5)
5 (2)

6. Do you believe the potential consequences of decriminalizing prostitution outweigh the potential benefits? Yes No
How could this question have wonky answers? It's a yes/no question, and still I got one with both answers circled, and one with N/A written to the side.

7. Other than the monetary aspect, do you believe there is a fundamental difference between prostitution and promiscuity? If so, explain:
Hmm. No. Some people enjoy their jobs others do not.
Yes and no because some lead to the same thing.
Yes, a girl can represent herself promisculy* however, they do not neccessarily* have to participate in the act. (*Her words, not mine)
A street corner (Chauvanist)
Yes, it may not be as many many people as a paid prostitute.
No, they both are still bad
I don't know ... sorry! / I have no idea
(This is possibly my favorite) Selling your body is far different than being promiscuis* and to think any different is ignorant. *Again with the spelling ... Oh, and I had to explain what promiscuity is.

Attack of the cavy pheromones

I find it astounding that even during my third year of living on campus I still find new and interesting things that irk me.
1. Are we all adults here? I have seen numerous students commuting to and from classes on those scooters that were all the rage when we were in middle school (and of course were associated with various safety defects), skateboards, and those tennis shoes with built-in skates in the heels.
2. There is a section in the campus newspaper entitled "Bad Dawgs." For the most part, this deals with traffic violations and the antics of drunks. But on occasion there will be a report along the lines of "student fell in residence hall." It's called "Bad Dawgs," not "Notably Clumsy Dawgs."
3. I'm currently enrolled in a basic computer applications class, as a requirement for the College of Arts and Sciences. No big deal, it's supposed to be the easiest computer course offered on campus. But every day there will be half a dozen or so students who interrupt the lecture because "mine doesn't look like that" due to their inability to follow directions. No constructive questions have been posed to date. And although I'm not completely computer-illiterate, it's still surprising that I am at the head of the class. Up 'til now, I've had to engage in epic battles with Word's autoformatting to get my papers to conform to the proper style.
4. Sunday night the housing department held a "mandatory" meeting to discuss new security policies in the residence halls. For the most part, the "new" policies are very similar to old policies that were abandoned last year for whatever reason. However, some of the students at the meeting were so outraged at the check-in and visitation policies that they hacked into some IT resources and sent out a mass e-mail from the "Center for Chaos" urging students to rebel when voting for visitation hours. A Facebook group was also founded in reaction to the changing policies, and at last count, the vast majority of its members are freshmen and sophomores.
So this mini-rant is twofold. I had to tramp through the rain for a "mandatory" meeting when the details would later be e-mailed to on-campus residents, and underclassmen committing borderline criminal activity and overzealously applying methods similar to what they probably just learned in history so we don't have to deal with the inconveniences of check-ins. Not that I'm completely in favor of all aspects of the new policy - for instance, during move-in days female residents are highly dependent on help from male friends, relatives, and boyfriends to help move heavy boxes, TVs, etc., and under the new policy they cannot enter or exit through the side doors (closer to the parking lot), but must only enter/exit through the main lobby, even after they have been properly checked in.

Enough of that. For an amusing tidbit, an explanation behind today's title:
I think the guinea pig is in heat. And it's attracted to Dennis's left foot, but only if he's wearing a sock.

Buy my book, chubby!

I had one of those weird thoughts the other day. People (random strangers, mostly) occasionally ask me, "How do you stay so skinny?" Somehow it's acceptable to ask about my dietary habits, while it would be rude and insensitive for me to ask an obese person "How did you get so fat?" Having no better answer to these inquiries than a shrug, I have since come up with some replies:

Fast metabolism
Multiple gym memberships
[Insert fad diet here]
Internal parasite
[Insert eating disorder here]
I have restricted myself to an all-liquid diet until the US pulls out of Iraq
Balanced diet and moderate exercise
Androids don't gain weight
Ask a fat person what their daily routine is, and assume I generally do the opposite
I only eat what I can catch
Jesus helped me break my addiction to fast food and soft drinks
Hypnosis actually works. Who knew?

Pick your favorite, or add your own! Political correctness is not encouraged!

What I Did Over Summer Vacation, Volume 21

Someone asked me the other day, what I had been doing since the end of spring semester. I paused. What had I done with those warm, education-free months?
Well, I changed my major after I got my studio grade back. One visit to Starkville.
I sat on my butt at home for a month while I filled out over a dozen applications and waited for any responses. Finally went back to $6.50 an hour at a job that is either hot, boring, or ridiculously frustrating, with one boss I absolutely cannot stand. The other one is okay.
I chatted up my boyfriend via AIM every day, reminding him that his bills were due and bugging him about telling his parents that he was planning on marrying me.
I had my wisdom teeth removed, so I'm missing a couple of days ...
I stayed up until 3 a.m. (on several occasions) talking to Miki while she was supposed to be doing work in India.
I spent too much of my money on clothes. But I can now dress like an adult on a more regular basis! Be excited.
I convinced Harry (yes, I'm calling Adri's cat by his real name) that I will not eat him, nor will my skin secrete acid.
And I cleaned out my car. No more ants. Hoolay!

Hey hey, whaddaya say?

Great success, my loyal readers! After weeks of persuasion, Dennis finally told his parents that he is planning on proposing. The specifics are still quite unknown to me (which is probably a good thing, but my curiosity will most likely make the next few months pure torture). I'm not a huge fan of planning large events, so don't be offended, my lovelies, if you receive a post-wedding announcement. I would like to get at least a vacation out of the deal, so my elopement will be a bit more romantic than "Grab a clean shirt and meet me at the courthouse." Mom seems to be cool with the idea, and Dad isn't going to find out until I have a ring to show him. He can't worry about something he doesn't know, right?
Anyhoo ...
I'm supposed to go shopping for phones. Finally retiring my faithful cellular companion of four years. Do they still make phones that don't have cameras or mp3 players built in?

Take the red pill. You'll thank me later.

Hello, all. I hope everyone has been thoroughly enjoying their summer, doing whatever it is that you people do ...
As many of you know, I had my wisdom teeth cut out Friday. And yes, I'm feeling dumber already. Apparently I'm quite amusing when under sedation, and quite willing to speak freely on any number of subjects.
So for a while I have been subsisting on a diet of liquids and very soft, squishy foods. It took me nearly an hour to eat a couple of mini burgers and some fries today, and my jaws are protesting loudly. It is nice to see a decrease in the swelling, despite the persistent ache. Anyhoo, I look forward to being able to return to an all-solid diet so I can explore some new restaurants with my lovely readers!

Upgrade!

Thanks to a change in schedule, I've been more or less promoted. But without a raise in pay. I'm being reassigned to work the day shift at the Highland store during the week rather than alternating with three other people for the evening hours and weekends at both locations. This means I can expect a fairly regular paycheck and I won't have to work in a building without air conditioning. Now if only I could make 7:30 a.m. seem not so early ...

Why do so many people think my boyfriend is gay?

Yay for actually having update material!
Numero the first: The employment fairy took a few wrong turns and sprained a wing, but finally made it to my house. Whee! I'll be working for the cleaner's again, but alternating between the main store and the satellite location. Huzzah for non-sweatiness.
Two: I'm having my wisdom teeth removed. Before lunch. On Friday the 13th. I'm gonna be hungry whenever I'm not too drugged to give a crap.
Thirdly, as per my title: A gay couple asked for Dennis's phone number today while he was at work. This isn't the first time he's been mistaken for a gay. A cashier at the Lowe's in Waveland thought so too, as did Dennis's uncle when he was in high school. Yeah. So I have to worry about pushy women and gay guys hitting on the yeti. Fantastic.

And for your final thought of the day - "Do you know the difference between black people and Italians? Italians don't have a Secret Sauce." (Courtesy of Bill Cosby)

Trying to explain "Karamel Sutra" to one's mother can be a bit awkward

It's been nearly a month since my last post, and the Employment Fairy seems to have forsaken me. *sigh*
So I've spent a lot of time playing WoW and bumming around the house, allowing my sleep schedule to go completely wonky. Which is why I'm posting at 6 in the morning. Woke up at 3. Probably crash around lunchtime.
Anyway, there's really not too much to update (at least not in this public-ish manner), but I would definitely love to get together with whoever is left in Jackson for Fattening Girl Food Night sometime very soon.

Always one step ahead of the uniform train

Hello, lovelies.
Not too much to update, as I've seen or talked to most of you since my last post. Successfully changed my major to history and have talked to the director of the architecture department about completing a minor. Should have that finished after next spring, I believe. The job hunt has begun ... Why does it seem to be so difficult to find one? I dunno.
Anyway, that's about it. I guess I'll have another post for you whenever the Employment Fairy comes to visit me. Silly Employment Fairy ...

When the outcome fails to meet the expectations ...

Sophomore year is over. Okay, technically I stopped being a sophomore at Christmas, so I'm halfway through junior classification. Fantastic. In an ideal world, I'd be three semesters away from graduating, but you know what? It's not an ideal world.
I knew from the beginning that architecture was a demanding major, but I truly believed I could do well (or at least okay). How naive of me. Two years later I've come home completely disenchanted with studio culture. I'm not stupid, I never missed class, all my work was turned in on time ... but there was no reward at the finish line.
So?
So ... I've decided I don't want to do architecture - building, designing, drafting - anymore.
No more putting in 40 hours of work for one class every week without due recognition, no more explaining weird purchases at Lowe's, no more using the word "spatial."
But now that I know what I don't want to do, I need to figure out what I do want to do. At the moment, history seems to be the most attractive candidate, perhaps in combination with communications or education or ... something. The good news: I've already completed 27 hours of the core curriculum for a history major, so it's not like I'm starting from scratch. If I overload a little or take summer courses, I can get out in three years or less.
So that's my life-altering decision of the day. I get to rejoin the world of the living.

It's like DDR for your hands

Hello, all.
It seems, for Dennis, at least, that Christmas comes every time a package finds its way to the front porch. Last night, while I was beginning to enjoy my brief holiday (woot) and he was at work, a box arrived, containing a copy of Guitar Hero II and the accompanying guitar-shaped controller. I must say, this is a most amusing game. Good enough that I set up a user account on XBOX Live to keep track of my own records.
Give it a shot if you have a chance.

Everyone pull out your pictures and brag on your children!

This is Tribbles.


He is very fond of basil and strawberries.

See? Didn't I say he's cute?

Photographic evidence to be added at a later date!

Dennis and I went to Tupelo today and bought a guinea pig. Very cute, it has a faux-hawk.

Adopt a Squid!

I appreciate people who make a habit of donating to charitable organizations. It's good for the soul, and not bad for those who are receiving aid, either. But when retailers jump on the bandwagon (i.e. the current spree of designers cranking out red items), the spirit of charity gets marred by capitalism and materialism. The designer makes money, and the consumer gets a product. Instead of spending $50 on a red handbag with a tag that proclaims that a portion of the proceeds will go to help AIDS patients in Africa - lady, you don't need that red handbag ... it's pretty gaudy and you have nothing in your wardrobe that goes with it - why not just find an organization and write a check. At least then it's tax deductable, if you must have justification beyond the concept of "charity."
Above is a link for a website selling giant plush squid ... squids? For a minimum of $400, you can help tsunami victims rebuild their lives ... and have a giant plush squid! Granted, they are very large, and very well made (by hand, even!), but what would one do with an enormous stuffed squid? Make films that combine a plush fetish with tentacle porn?

Something witty and effortless

It is truly amazing how easily educated, reasonably intelligent people can be entertained. Deal or No Deal was introduced to the American television audience, and until a few weeks ago I remained blissfully ignorant of how exactly it worked. All I could gather through the brief moments I was exposed to while channel surfing was that money, screaming, and girls with numbered briefcases were involved. Somehow.
But in reality it's a game of chance and self-sabotage. No real skill involved. And yet it can be fascinating.
With "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" we could laugh at people for being stupid and missing easy questions about nursery rhymes or well known stories from Greek mythology. With "Deal or No Deal" there is a test of a person's character. Are they willing to take risks? Do they let greed cloud their better judgment? How do they deal with a relative whose advice potentially cost them tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars?
If you are interested in witnessing these phenomena, spend a few minutes watching the show. Just don't let yourself be dazzled by the sparkly outfits worn by the briefcase models.

A small late-night offering

Click and enjoy, if you aren't confused first.

A lengthy discussion on the direction studio has taken, over a bottle of the most sovereign vodka we could afford

Don't you hate those professors who pretend to offer students control over their own education?
Cut the crap, people! You know there is only one acceptable course of action. We know there is only one acceptable course of action. You know that we know that there is only one acceptable course of action. And we know that you know that we know that there is only one acceptable course of action.
And that course of action is to do everything within our power to gain the approval of our all-powerful instructors.
If having our scholarships renewed wasn't so dependent on maintaining a decent GPA, the outcome would be a bit more interesting. Instead of talking about a revolt, we would have a revolt. Instead of folding like a flock of origami sheep, we would enforce university policies stating that class is dismissed if the instructor does not arrive within ten minutes of the scheduled start time.
The studio professors expect us to devote 100 percent of our time and energy to a class that makes up 30 to 50 percent of our class schedule (in terms of course hours), but also expect that we perform well in our other classes. And get plenty of sleep.
I think I'm ready for spring break ...

Things that go "Mmm ... Ohhh ... *BUMP*" in the night

It's time for a real life example!
This week in Materials, we went on a visit to some retail/residential building sites in the Cotton District. Framing, woo. The walls between shops or apartments had studs that were placed in an alternating, zig-zaggy pattern, to create more room for insulation and to dampen the transfer of sound through the wall.
The dividing wall at the duplex apparently doesn't include this feature.
I was having dinner with Dennis the other night, and I kept hearing these sounds. I narrowed it down to two possibilities. Either the couple in the other half of the duplex was having an after-dinner romp, or the guy was watching porn while jumping rope.
Something for everyone to consider when looking for living arrangements in the future.

VD is not the preferred abbreviation for Valentine's Day

Hello, all!
This year for Valentine's Day, our studio professors gave us a sh*tload of work to do for a jury presentation next week. Fantastic. Thanks for ruining any chance of having a weekend with only slightly more than average amounts of stress.
In case anyone cares, this is the first year I've actually had a boyfriend during Valentine's Day. Dennis and I weren't technically together at this time last year. But the festivities have to wait until he gets his tax return or his paycheck, as he is currently overdrawn from the moving expenses.
So I bought myself some new toys. A bright, shiny chisel and a rubber mallet. So if this architecture gig doesn't work out, I can apprentice as some sort of carpenter ... shipbuilding, cabinetry, furniture, wooden shoes ...
Anyhoo.
Happy Condom Week!
If you can't be "good," be "bad" in a responsible manner.

I'm a dork.

Dork, dork, dork ...

Slosh

Hi all.
So I wake up this morning to a call from my dad. It seems Mary Elizabeth pulled a chair up to the counter and broke into a box of children's Alavert from the cabinet. Nine tablets.
So they took her to the emergency room (good thing the hospital's literally across the street, huh?) and were there until about 5:30 this morning.
Consider this my contribution to the arguments about pharmaceuticals. Is it so important that medicine tastes good so that children will take it? Or have they even considered that it could be misinterpreted as a tempting treat?
Bah.

Hey, I turn 21 this year! Just 11 months to go ...

The following post was written on New Year's Day, and I'm too lazy to correct any of the sentences to bring them up to date, so just keep that in mind.

Well, Happy New Year to all. What did everyone do last night? If I didn't have to go to work tomorrow, I would have been in Diamondhead shooting off fireworks or nerding out with my yeti, but instead I found myself sitting on the couch in my sherpa booties watching a movie with my mom. We'll put that in the "bonding" column.

Making my resolutions requires a tiny bit more thought than the masses. I don't smoke, so I can't quit. I'm underweight, so I really shouldn't diet. I guess I could work on getting organized a little better ... maybe. But I think my main focus for 2007 will be to become less dependant on frozen/microwavable food. And also be more responsible in budgeting my time. Woo.

Dennis is coming to Starkville for the weekend. We'll be checking out his prospective living arrangements and making plans for when he moves in. We're thinking end of January/beginning of February.

Back to the ship for a little more cruise? Okay.

During the muster drill, we established that the only way Dennis would survive any sort of major catastrophe would be for him to swim to the nearest body of land. I'd be herded into a lifeboat with several dozen women and children. Fortunately, the ship didn't sink.
The muster drill serves two purposes: 1. to make sure everyone knows the emergency procedures on board, and 2. to get everyone out of their rooms long enough for the housekeeping staff to drop off the news for the next day and your minty chocolates.
By the time we got back to our room, we were ready for some uninterrupted "alone" time. Including a nap.
We decided to be dorks that night and have dinner delivered instead of getting dressed to go to the formal dining room. We dove into the chocolate covered strawberries and champagne, but couldn't quite finish it. Ah, well ...
And that was Monday.