Finals are Finished!!!!

Wow! I haven’t written anything in ages. Sorry about that. My mind was a little preoccupied with final papers and exams. This month has been just one long Red Bull haze of studying. Other than finishing all my finals, and possibly doing better than last term (crossing my fingers and praying), my only other accomplishment was breaking my personal record for staying awake: 32 hours. I saw my supervisor in the middle of that craziness and she said, "you'll be fine after you've had a bit of a kip". Lovely expression. I feel as though I’ve run a mental marathon. The only time I've felt worse was after taking the GRE (SATs for grad school). After those I felt as though my brain had been beaten and bloodied by sadistic little children with machetes. This was marginally better.

Plans for this upcoming week include hunting down my supervisor and getting the status of my Ethics Submission for my final dissertation project. I can’t formally recruit any companies or organizations until after that’s approved. But if any companies would like to volunteer their employees to take my Work-Values Questionnaire, let me know!

Beyond that, I want to take it easy this weekend. Maybe go to a bookstore, have a spot of tea and read up on a random topic. Like Viking women in the 9th Century. I also want to see if they have Eloisa James’s new book “This Duchess of Mine”. And yes, this is a trashy romance, and no I don’t care. I like them and I’m allowed to rot my brain in any way I choose. Some choose alcohol, drugs, and dancing on table-tops to the tunes of Britney Spears. I, on the other hand, prefer a juicy romance novel. So sue me.

I have also just realized that my room is a mess. I cleaned my dishes earlier, but my desk needs tidying, laundry needs doing, and vacuuming my minuscule floor space would be wise. And let me not forget the bathroom. Although this task always makes me shudder in revulsion every time I think of it. I’m not much of a “clean as I go” sort of person, more of a “wait till the place looks filthy (at least as filthy as I can stand) and clean like a maniac all day” sort. That shall be tomorrow.

On Sunday, the plan is to try my hand at outdoor archery. Should be equal parts fun and frustrating. The target is further away and since I haven’t pulled my bow in a month it will prove to be very tiring I’m afraid.

Right now I’m trying to plan a trip to Prague with my buddy Annie in July. She and I were Resident Assistants at Austin College, and she’s a sweetie. For the last month of so she has been in Africa helping communities and children. No idea about any of the details, but it sounds exactly like something Annie would do. She wants to go to Germany and Austria and since I’ve been to both, I added Prague. I have to visit this place before I leave. It’s one of the last places that I want to see in Europe. We’ll be gone ten days, and I’ve already bought my tickets. Not sure where we’ll be staying or when, but these things tend to sort themselves out. I need to hunt down Annie after my supervisor. Via the Internet, though.

I have been thinking of where I want to go next, what life goal I will strive for. I do want to take a break after getting this degree. Maybe a year or two. Then I’d like to get a degree in Book Publishing. I love reading and writing, and I might as well make a career out of it. There’s a really great program at Portland State University that includes hands-on experience at a student-run publishing house that publishes books and a magazine. And there is a graduate assistanceship program that will pay for almost all of my tuition and provide a monthly stipend (If I can get it). It doesn’t hurt that it’s only a mini-road-trip away from Seattle. I’m kind of sick of living so far away. At least in Portland, I’ll be far enough away to feel independent, but close enough to visit. A few of the east coast colleges have good programs too, but some don’t have an assitanceship programs and/or are too expensive to live in. But, first I need to get through this dissertation. This one gives me a nice base knowledge for a publishing degree by understanding how an organisation ticks. So that’s a relief.

Now I’m going to get ready for a nice day out and taking it easy.

P.S. Do you like the new look?

Happy Mother's (American) Day!!

While today is Mother's Day in the States, here it's just another Sunday. Mother's Day was ages ago, and I actually celebrated with Mom while she visited. But Happy Mother's Day (again)!

However, I did need to get out of my room, since I hadn't breathed fresh air in about a week for any long period of time. So I went into town and saw Star Trek. Everyone else apparently was with their Mom's so I went alone. Before going I grabbed my usual Chi Tea Latte at Starbucks and almost spit it out. For some reason instead of adding milk to the latte like a normal Starbucks, this one decided to use only water and a dash of milk. After a couple sips, I was so grossed out I had to throw it away. It was that nasty, my friends.

Next was the movie and for someone who is not a Trekkie (like my nerd big brother) the movie was surprisingly good. Except the color-clashing outfits (there is no excuse for them, no matter what anyone tells me). I love action films, and I love the twists on Lost, so I knew I was in for a treat. I love how the writers didn't assume that everyone in the audience had watched every episode of Star Trek and all the proceeding movies. I felt like a valued member, which was a major plus.

Then I was hungry and the only place open on a Sunday evening was (of course) McDonald's. So I got myself a quarter pounder, a coke, and fries. Now if you know me at all, you must know I'm not a fan of fries. Potato wedges, yes. Fries, no. I attribute it to my brother stealing them out of my Happy Meals as a child, and to this day I can't eat more than a few before they begin to taste like salted mushy cardboard. Yum! So I bagged them up with the ketchup and gave them to a homeless guy on the way to the bus stop.

Well, that was my day. Very American: Starbucks, Star Trek and McDonald's.

Don't Touch!!

These two words were what I kept telling Mom while we strolled through Harrods department store in London. If you have never heard of this place, it's like Neiman Marcus on steroids or Bloomingdale's on crack. To demonstrate to Mom how ridiculous this place was, I pointed out the price of an umbrella.

£95.00 ($144).

For an UMBRELLA.

To amuse myself and your illustrious selves I went onto Harrods website to find some of these ridiculously priced items. Granted nothing could compare to Mom almost touching an £8,000($12,126.40) vase, before I could grab her hand and repeat, "Don't touch" and then point to the price tag. But I can't blame her, I was just as gobsmacked the first time I entered its hallowed halls.

Teddy Bear =
£299.00/$453.22

Itty Bitty Clutch Purse (crocodile, of course) =
£1,100.00/$1,667.38

Smallest Bottle of Cognac Know to Man =
£1,250.00/$1,894.75

Picture Frame (with Swarovski crystals, of course) =
£2,050.00/$3,107.39

Fancy a Game of Billiards (with cue cabinet, of course) =
£1 million/$1,517,050.03

Killer My Little Ponies!!

When I was a little girl, I had my heroes: Baby Miss Piggy, Carebears, Barbie, Polly Pocket and (of course) My Little Pony.

Then I watched this video and laughed so hard I cried. I will never see my childhood heroes the same way. But this is so much more fun. =)



Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXoYK4b_q24

Considering the evidence....

...I could (almost) be considered an expat American. Mostly because of the ideas and tastes I’ve picked up since living in England.

I used to hate the taste of beer...generally, I still do. But now I like the taste of cider (beer made from fruit). Can I get cider in the States...probably not.

I used to hate car shows...until I discovered Top Gear...



Before coming here I could not understand a Welsh accent...now I can.

If you had asked me what a tea biscuit tasted like, I would have had no idea...
Now I’m addicted to them...

Before, I would have never paid good money for a newspaper...that’s what the internet is for. Now, I like to buy them simply for the experience of reading one (ideally, with a cuppa on hand).

If you had asked me, before coming here, “Are you the Doctor?”
I would have replied, “Doctor Who?”



Before if you had asked me who Catherine Tate was? Or a Chav? Or what a Wino was? Or a Pikey? Not a clue. Now...



The best part is, I have discovered I don’t have a horrible sense of direction...I was just living in the wrong country.

You can ask me to direct you to someplace in Europe and I could tell you how to get there (well, in the general area).

Amazing...

My Life = Papers, Essays, and Portfolios...

Recently (as in for the last week) I have only left my room for essentials, such as food and meetings with supervisors. However, according to my lovely supervisor, Amanda, doing this is not a great idea. She suggested this may have been the cause of the fever I have (off and on) been running.

Not leaving one's room and staring at a computer screen for days on end, apparently, is hazardous to one's health. Go figure. Mom does this everyday, and she never runs a fever. But I comfort myself with the knowledge that I am an amateur, while she shall always remain a pro and the winner of the "staring at the computer for days" contest.

Speaking of not leaving one's room, apparently there is this crazy business about the Swine Flu. WHO has raised the warning level to a 5, the second-highest level....

...and yet, more people die every year from the regular flu than have ever died of this one, and they've never raised the warning level to 5 before. Figures...

Here's all the advice that I want to give on the subject:

1. Don't leave your place of residence. (Preferably, don't stare at your computer all day, though.)

2. If you must leave occasionally, then WASH YOUR HANDS constantly...

3. And don't do this: