I'm sick.  And I just want to whimper and whine about it for a minute.  So I'll cut it so you don't have to listen.
( I'm pathetic when I'm sick )

So I've had it suggested to me to look into multiple Grad Schools, instead of just UK (which is a good idea, just something I hadn't even thought about).  In any case, to keep my brain organized, here are the ones I found today that looked like something I may want to investigate:

University of Washington--Neurobiology & Behavior PhD

University of California, San Diego--Clinical Psych and Cognitive Sciences Degree; grad students treated more like colleagues than students in regards to labs/research

University of California, Irvine--Cognitive Science degree, neuroscience focus

University of Chicago--cutting edge brain research

Northwestern (IL)--interdepartmental neuroscience program

University of Kentucky--fantastic clinical psychology program; #1 clinical psych program in scholarly production in the country

University of Minnesota--Psych degree with specialization in clinical science and psychopathological research

Princeton University (New Jersey)--focus on brain research in Psych dept

MIT (Mass)--focus on brain research

University of Pennsylvania--collaboration with cognitive sciences and neurosciences; exceptional clinical program

Columbia University (NYC)--school where Dr. Oliver Sacks (my neurologically-focused idol!) works

States I will consider living in:

Washington
Oregon
California
Colorado
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
North Carolina
Virginia
Maryland
Delaware
New Jersey
Connecticut
New York
Massachusetts
maybe Minnesota, if their program turns out to be awesome

If you like my hair, you have exactly one week to appreciate it.

Time for a change.  A big change.

:-)

(hehehe)

Torn
By: Catherine Brown

I feel a thousand emotions as I look to the future
I am a butterfly, soaring higher and higher
I fly into the wind, it whips at my wings
Torn

I am a twisted, wretched tangle
I am pulled in all directions
Full of hope and fear, I find myself
Reaching

I am spreading out between the heavens and the earth
Grasping at two worlds, living in neither
I need to rise above the clouds and bury myself in soil
Grounded

The lightning slashes the sky
I see the sun above the clouds, the darkness below
Both calling out to me, persistent, sad
Beckoning

How do I find my way home
When home is the space between
My two worlds, forever separate, pulling
Torn.

I am smiling this morning.  And I am in a pretty good mood.  But right underneath that good mood is a slow cooking sense of despair that is slowly trying to bubble up and freak me the fuck out.

I'm a little overwhelmed with my life right now.  For example, this week, I'll be going in to work at 7am every morning, and I won't have one day where I'm home before 9pm--and that is going to be a pretty typical week from here on out.  And that doesn't count study time.  And the next 3 weekends are totally full with faires/D&S gigs, which I may or may not be able to do, because I have papers to write and books and research journals to read. 

It wouldn't be so bad if this were temporary, or even if this was enough of a pace for the rest of the time.  But now I find that, in order to get into Grad School (and definitely to get fellowships), I have to do internships as well as lab research as well as my regular classes...and along with working full time, because I can't afford to only be a student, and I can't afford a job with more flexibility, because working at the University pays half my tuition costs.  It would be horribly stupid of me to quit my job to focus entirely on school (you know, that whole going for what you want in life and achieving your dream), because it's not financially sound--even if this pace burns me out and gives me a heart attack before I'm 30.  And one reason I was going at this pace was to finish my bachelors degree in the next 2 years, so I can move on to my PhD and be able to have my future career while I'm still young enough to enjoy it--and still have a family before I'm too old to do so.  But now, with all this added stuff, it's going to take me 3 years to finish my bachelors, with more work and a faster pace each semester than originally anticipated for 2 years.  And then there's grad school.  If I can make it through my bachelors successfully and manage to get a really nice fellowship for Grad School, then I can quit my job and focus entirely on getting my PhD.  That won't be too bad, then.  But so much of that rides on having not only a bachelors degree, but internship and research experience, perfect grades, perfect letters of recommendation, community activism, and god knows what else.  UK's psychology program is #1 in the nation, and they accept 5 out of 250 applicants.  I not only have to be one of the five, but I'll have to be the top one if I want to get a fellowship that will actually allow me to not have to work.  So much rests on every move I make right now, and any moment I am not working feverishly makes the light at the end of the tunnel get dimmer, and the tunnel longer.

I just feel so stuck.  I think I'm partly forcing myself into this stress as punishment for the years I wasted.  But mostly, it's just practical.  I feel like I have this small window of time where I'm supposed to accomplish all the stuff I want in life--the desired career and a family--and I feel the clock ticking.  Please don't roll your eyes...I realize I'm still fairly young, but I'm not going to be young forever, and thanks to my wasting the first half of my twenties, I have to fit the work of 10 years into 5.

I'm just so tired already, and, while I'm full of excitement and really enjoy having a full day, I think I'm driving myself to madness.  But I don't know what other choices I have.  :-(

I just got a campus mail package from my ex-husband, with all my old school documents/test scores from high school and college (the first time), that I had left in a file drawer at his house.  Amidst the ACT and SAT scores and old transcripts, I found a certificate.  National Merit Scholarship Program, certificate of merit, acknowledging my finalist standing.  The finalist standing that gave me a full ride plus some to UK, which I promptly screwed up my freshman year because I didn't understand the value of an education.

7 years later, I am working my ass off to achieve the dreams that I wasn't smart enough/mature enough to have back then.  Part of it paid by UK (though as a benefit of my working at UK, which means I have to work and can't just be a full time student or work at an evening/weekends job), and the other part paid by student loans, which are paid by me.  If I hadn't screwed up, I could have my PhD by now, or at least be well into my doctorate program, and I wouldn't owe a dime for my education.  But I also wouldn't be who I am today, I wouldn't know what I know or have experienced what I have experienced, and I wouldn't have any idea just how valuable an opportunity it was that I threw away, and how valuable this degree will be, when I finally get it.

I threw the test scores and other papers in my bookbag to take home and file away.  But the certificate...well, I pinned it to the wall in my office, displayed prominently next to my computer screen, so that I will always remember the value of my education, and to never ever take it for granted.  And when I finally get this degree, I will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I earned it, which is more than I can say for the 18 year old kid who wasted away the opportunity 7 years ago.

Dieter wrote a post this morning about 9/11, and I responded, but then felt compelled to post it on my page as well.

For as long as I've been here, UK has memorialized the deaths of 9/11 with American flags on the front grounds, one for each of the victims, and a day long reading of their names.  I noticed the flags this morning as I walked to work, and thought of how much my perspective on 9/11 has changed these past 8 years.

The thought that crossed my mind this morning was, in putting out a memorial for every person killed, do they put one out for each of the killers as well?

I'm not negating the impact of the deaths of the innocent people in the tower...but I think innocence is a matter of perspective. The more I learn about life in general, the more I truly feel that evil does not exist in the person--it exists in the circumstance.

9/11 was a terrible, terrible day, and the people who died should be remembered. But I think all the people involved, on both sides, were victims of fundamental evils in our society. The monster is in the principle, not the people.

The best way we can honor the memory of these people is to stop fighting and killing people and fight the institutions and principles that are the root of the evil. Conquering the evils of ignorance, intolerance, ethnocentricity and radical exclusive religions is the best memorial we could ever give.

I'll probably edit and post an elaboration on these points later, but my heart is just so heavy with thoughts that I can't seem to organize them right now.

First, the saddest, saddy-sad news I could possibly give regarding my post...no pictures.  :-(  I forgot my camera, and, while I bought a cheap camera at RiteAid, it was so cheap that I ended up not really using it at all, because the pics weren't very good.  However, people around me took pics, so hopefully I can get some posted soon.

Anyway, on to DragonCon.

Thursday night was the epic night of staying up until 4am to try and get everything ready for our trip.  Most of that was due to laundry, which included ruining one of Dieter's garb shirts by washing it with the pink pirate pants.  Anyway, Rene stayed the night and stayed up with me the whole time, so she kept me sane.

Friday morning we said goodbye to the kitties and headed out.  After an uneventful drive to Atlanta (or maybe it was eventful, but I just slept through it), we were at the Hilton and checking in for our hotel room.  23rd floor--yippie!  While the guys haggled at the desk, the ocean swells spent the time taking in the sudden rush of costumes...and Rene and I decided that steampunk totally rocked (which Emily, being awesome girl, already knew).  After a little relaxing in the room and a clothing change, we were off to the Bree party.

The Bree party was AWESOME!  I got to see so many of my dear ALEP friends, Jo and Maggie and Bernadette and Rebecca and Michael, among others, which had me bouncing off the walls in excitement.  And I was super excited that I got to see JP, Brian and Tim, 3 of my dear friends from my D&D days.  I think they got a kick out of my running across the room to fling myself into their arms for giant hugs--it was so awesome to see them again!  And we had so much fun dancing at the party--there's nothing better than a hobbit party for dancing!

After the Bree party, Dieter, Rene and I went to the Buffy Horror Picture Show--definitely one of the highlights of the weekend!  It was so much fun!  They showed the musical episode (Once More With Feeling), and had the live semi-re-enactment on the stage, complete with lots of parodys and jibes from the audience--it was such a blast!  After the show, we went back to the Hyatt for a Voltaire show--and he is fantastic!  Then we went to a concert of a band I had never heard of before--Abney Park.  And OMG, now I LOVE them!  They are a fantastic steampunk band, and I just love their sound, especially the lead singer's vocals.

In bed Friday night about 2:30am.  Up Saturday morning at 9:30am.  Put together a fun goth outfit and tons of make-up, ready to go.

I spent Saturday morning watching the parade, then wandering around the Marriott, looking for a party that I never found.  Went to a class at the skeptics panel with Dieter, and then we decided to wander through the Walk of Fame, to see who was there (we did see William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy before the skeptics panel).  Anyway, we walked through the door, and I was like, 'hey, look, that's the table where James Marsters is whenever he's in here'.  Then I almost fainted when I realized--HE WAS THERE!  I stood there next to the table for about 10 minutes, just staring like a fool, then we jumped in the autographs line.  I tried very hard to breathe, and Dieter tried to not look embarassed by my obvious star-struck-ness, and we went up to meet the man of my dreams (literally--I dream about him all the time).  **swoon**  He shook my hand and Dieter's hand, and chatted with us for a few minutes, and he was just so amazingly dreamy...**sigh**  Words just can't express the connection we shared as we chatted for those few minutes, so I won't try...let's just say, it was beautiful.  :-)

We then went back up to the room, so I could wipe the drool off the picture he had signed for me and put it up in a safe place in my suitcase.  Then I was off to stand in line for 1.5 hours for the Buffy panel, where I got to listen to James Marsters, Charisma Carpenter, Julie Benz, and Kristie Swanson answer questions about Buffy.  It was really fun--they were all so entertaining!  Charisma was hilarious--she was just as ditzy and adorable in person as she was on the show.  And, of course, James Marsters was just, ahhhh, dreamy...  :-)

Next was dinner at a Mexican restaurant, with yummy guacamole and terrible service.  After that, we went back to the room and I got ready for the concert that Quentin had told me about, a group called Cruxshadows.  With John and Kathy pulling a few strings, we got in early and got to stand in the very front of the mosh pit, up against the stage--score!  The band was INCREDIBLE!  Quentin had described them as similar to the steampunk of Abney Park but with more techno, and I can definitely see that.  They also reminded me of the european goth metal bands that I just adore, so it was awesome to hear someone on this side of the pond with that type of music!  The lead singer was fantasic, and very personable with the crowd.  The show was very techno, very goth--I was in heaven!  And I was totally crushing on the shy violinist the whole time--his talent was amazing, and he really got into the music.  And he was adorable--had a whole emo-goth look going on.  When I had the chance to talk to him for a few minutes later, though, he was incredibly shy--which just made him even more awesome and endearing.  Anyway, we had an awesome time at the show, and even got to go up on stage at the end--it was great!  Later I caught back up with the group for the rest of a Voltaire show, then it was off to bed again.

In bed Saturday night at about 3:00-3:30am.  Slept in Sunday.  Got up around 11:30 Sunday morning.  Put together another goth outfit and tons of make-up.

And I'm totally not remembering if this was Saturday or Sunday, but we also went to a meeting of ALEP people--where they announced that they're officially doing the event again!  It was so awesome--such a great surprise, and I was crying and jumping up and down in excitement!

Sunday Dieter and I went for lunch at a really great cafe--the food was pretty good, the atmosphere was cool, and where else can you eat at a table next to Wonder Woman?  We spent a good portion of the afternoon going through the galleries and shops, and we found an adorable art piece that we loved, of a kitty that looks like Bear, dragging a dragon by the tail and presenting it to its owner.  It's totally my cat--he's a dragon slayer, have I mentioned?  Anyway, we ended up going to a kareoke/casino night tribute for Andy Hallett, from Angel, which ended up being a real bust.  First, Andy Hallett played Lorne, a green demon.  The guy playing Lorne was not dressed up as Lorne, and he only had green paint on his face--not even on his neck and arms!  Plus, the 'tribute video' was something some guy had found on you-tube.  They didn't have any kind of casino things, and the kareoke was someone's playstation game.  The whole event was something I had looked so forward to, and it was going to be super awesome and super fun...yeah, totally lame, so we left after the tribute video.  Which was fine, because then it was time to get ready for the pirate party, and off we went!

The pirate party was amazing!  The guys were basically opening for another band, but they ended up totally stealing the show!  They absolutely ROCKED THE HOUSE!  Everyone had a lot of fun, and a lot of alcohol, and it ended up being a really great evening--and before the guys could even get completely off the stage, the guy in charge was already asking them to come back next year.  Yay!  And if it wasn't enough for the guys to show up the headliner band, Emily also managed to totally show up their merch girls.  hehehe!  What can we say?  We're pirates!

And, if I haven't said it enough, I'll say it again...thanks a million and a half to Maggie for getting me the initial contact with Joseph, the guy in charge of the pirate party, which got this whole thing started.  Also thanks for the room hook-up.  You are full of awesome!

Sunday night, in bed around 4am.  Monday morning, lots of groaning when we had to get out of bed and get ready to be out of the room by 12.  A madhouse trying to get checked out and a bellhop to help us with our bags.  Then finally a long trip home where I think pretty much everyone but the driver slept most of the way (I think Emily may have also stayed awake--I wouldn't know, though--I was asleep).  Back home around 7:30pm, lots of lovin' on the kitties--yay kitties!

All in all, a fantastic trip.


Edit: On a side note, my secret, forbidden love affair with James Marsters is getting a bit rocky after listening his cd, which I picked up this weekend.  Some music is good because of musical style (like Abney Park), other because of super meaningful and deep lyrics (Ani DiFranco or Dar Williams), and some is really great because it combines the two (aka Decemberists).  James Marsters doesn't really have either.  He has a good voice, but his cd is somewhere between 80s pop and blues (it was produced in 2007, so you can't blame the decade).  It's cutesy, but not worthwhile, because the lyrics don't make up for the lack of interesting music.  He's still gorgeous, but he should stick with acting.

Today is our one year anniversary.  I guess.  Dieter and I actually don't know when we started 'dating', although the day I found out was September 24th.  Anyway, since you need to have a date to keep track of these things, we figured it was somewhere between when we met (July) and when I found out he was calling me his girlfriend (Sept 24th), so we settled on September 1st.  So, yeah, that's that, and today's our anniversary.

Dating anniversaries are weird things.  I suppose a lot of people have difficulty narrowing down the 'date'.  Was it your first kiss?  The first time you slept together?  Or did you actually say 'hey, we're like, dating or something, right?'  It's a weird time in a relationship.  And the anniversary is weird too.  I mean, it's not like a wedding anniversary or a birthday, where you specifically know that this event happened on this date.  Dating is a process, and the starting point is pretty vague.  But you have to have it--it's like an unwritten rule or something.  How else would you measure the passage of time if not by some arbitrary date?  Why not?  That's what we do as humans--we measure our passage of time in years according to the supposed birthdate of a man who may not have even existed.  What does that say about the desperate need for time passage recognition?  We have to have some kind of marker--it doesn't matter what it is, but it needs to be there, and it needs to be recognized as that marker, as that passage of time.

It's interesting to me that we care about the passage of time.  That something is important because it happened so many trips around the sun ago, and at this spot on that trip.  It baffles my mind that it matters, but it does.  I suppose it's a recognition of the endurance of a relationship, of the past, the present and the future, presented all in one day.  I know it means a lot to me, although I can't seem to put my finger on why. 

Anyone have any thoughts on that?  Are anniversaries (or birthdays, or other marks of the passage of time) important to you, and if so, why?

Hang out with ALEP friends at the Marriott--throughout the weekend

Friday night:

8:30pm  An Evening in Bree  --yay for starting out the trip by seeing my Tolkien friends!    Cent l (H)

10:00pm  The Buffy Horror Picture Show --oh, yes, I MUST be there for that!  Grand Ballroom, A-F (S)


Saturday:

11:30am  LOTRO

1:00pm  Scary Fairy Tales

2:30pm  Women's Intuition and Other Fairy Tales 207/206/205 (Hil)

4:00pm  Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow, bake sale and recruitment  Crystal Ballroom (Hil)

5:30pm  Buffy and Angel Guest Extravaganza!  Atrium Ballroom (M) 

7:00pm  Synesthesia  202 (Hil)

8:30pm  ALEP reunion (Tolkien Track Room)

1:30am (Sun)  Voltaire

Sunday:

10:00am  James Marsters, Walk of Fame, AMSF

11:30am  Film Festival, Existential Shorts, The Learning Center (H)

4:00pm  Darwin's Bulldogs  202 (Hil)

5:30pm  Quantum Encryption  202 (Hil)

7:00pm  The House Always Wins, Kareoke Night dedication to Andy Hallett  A601-A602 (M)

10:00pm  Pirate Party!

Monday (if we stay this late):

1:00pm  Holy War--Discovery Institute's Assault on NeuroScience  202 (Hil)

I'm really sending off facebook hate vibes...all the error messages and freezing up and not saving what I write or do...really starting to piss me off.

Fucking technology.

So I've been promising pictures for a while, but my computer is still not doing the interwebz thing.  :-(  Hopefully we can get it fixed Monday when our computer genius friend, Luther, comes over to install the wireless internet, and can check out my computer to make sure it works then.

Anyway, in other house related news, first off, living with Dieter is great!  I was a little hesitant about it (as was he), because we were afraid that our living styles just wouldn't work together.  Things had been kind of weird lately when we were living in our apts, because all the time we spent together, we were always in the same room, and it just felt really crowded.  Well, living together in this big house is PERFECT!  We hang out when we want to and watch tv or chat, then we go do our own thing--Dieter loves it because he has time alone, and I love it because I get time to do my own thing and I know he's just in the next room/upstairs/in the basement.  And it's so great having someone to come home to.  And I love that he doesn't seem to mind quiet--we can sit in the library and read together, and we don't have to constantly have music blaring or the tv going, and we don't have to always be talking.  It's really nice.  And if he wants to be listening to his music, there's enough space in the house where I can go do my own thing and still have the silence I crave.

In kitty news, the kitties are doing way better than we ever expected.  It's been a week, people, one week, and already Belle, Bear, and Not Wendall are the best of buds.  Their favorite spot is to hang out in the library together, but usually, wherever you find one, you're about 75% likely to find the other two.  Drusilla is doing well too.  She hasn't bonded with Belle and Bear, so not the ideal situation I had hoped for (though it's still really early), and there's occasional hissing when they get too close to her, but the house is so much bigger than the apartment, so there are plenty of places for her to find to be comfortable and be alone.  She has basically claimed her daddy's office as HER space, and, for the most part, the other cats are respectful of that and stay out.  I think she's pretty happy.

In house vs. apt living news, I raked the backyard today after our landlord had the lawn mowed for us--go me!  And we made the most fantastic discovery when we found the lawn mower didn't work, and our landlord said he'd take care of the lawn til we found another option.  You see, there's this interesting species we discovered.  They're smaller than normal humans, but bigger than hobbits, though they have the hobbit eye for outdoor care and maintenance.  Anyway, they're called teenagers--very interesting species.  We found out that they have these things called 'lawn care businesses', where you pay them a minimal amount of money ($25 in the case of the group we observed from our windows), and they will not only mow your lawn, but use a strange machine called a weed-whacker and take care of the weeds and grass around your garden, trees, outdoor furniture, etc.  I have told my landlord that I must know more about these strange creatures, and how to get in touch with them--it's like having your own garden gnomes!

Speaking of gardens, we have one--yay!  We have tomatoes, and I think peppers.  Anyway, we're also apparently growing quite a crop of weeds in our garden, so I think we'll have to make another trip to Lowes for a hoe.  We also need to get some garden shears to take care of all our lovely roses and other plants that are plentiful in our beautifully landscaped backyard.

In party news, we will be having one soon, once we figure out a weekend when we are free (and since D&S is doing so extremely well, that's not very easy--they're booked for several weekends in both Sept and Oct--way to go, guys!).  We're working on setting up our party room downstairs.  It's going to look super cool!  One of the things I really want to do is collect posters from all the D&S gigs, and tape them up on the walls around the basement.  So far, we have the one I stole from the St Patties Day event.

And, lastly, we finally have the washer/dryer working after a week of trying to get it going.  So I'm off to the basement to work cleaning practically every linen and item of clothing we own.  Wish me luck!

Last night was good...really good.  Dieter and I ended up spending most of the night with just the two of us and the kitties.  We talked for a while, watched a little Angel, and spent some time with me reading in the library and Dieter downstairs practicing guitar.  Then we read together for a while.  It was just really nice and relaxing, and exactly what I needed to get over my stressed out moodiness.  :-)

And the kitties are doing well:

Wow, I've neglected my LJ account for almost a week!  Sorry for not posting (because I'm sure you guys just sit around and wait for me to tell you the mundane details of my every day life--hehe).  Anyway, I've been super busy--I've actually had a little bit of stuff to do at work, and other than that, I've been at the new house, painting like crazy and getting it ready for the big move!  I'll be painting tomorrow night and Thursday night, then Friday night we move the kitties in!  It should be interesting...we're going to keep them in our respective offices Friday night and each of us stay with our kitties to get them as used to the room as possible, since that's where they'll be while the furniture is moved Saturday morning.

House-School-Work-Dieter-House-School-Kitties-House-Dieter

Okay, that's about all there is to my brain currently--more after things settle down and my brain is back to having interesting things to talk about (the house and school and stuff is interesting to me, but I just keep repeating the same things, and I don't want my LJ peeps to die of boredom from reading my posts).

:-)

Have a good week, everyone!

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So I should be studying for my PSY final on Thursday, but I have a kitty purring on my lap, and my textbook is out of reach.  And it's absolutely wrong and cruel to move a comfy kitty...thus, I am forced to stay at the computer until she gets bored and decides to leave.  Belle's such a sweetie--she's my little snugglemuffin.

  Bear's snugglemuffin too!

They're very excited about the move.  Bear has decided to help me 'mark' where things are supposed to go, by, of course, peeing on things that are not the inside of his litter box.  I can only imagine that he has his mommy's organizational skills, and he's somehow creating different scents, and using them to label which things go to which rooms.  Argh...  Belle also has her own way of showing her excitement about the move--she has fallen in love with the moving boxes, and decided that they're both her scratching post and personal playground.  So, yeah, we'll see if the boxes are still 'moving quality' once moving day gets here.  :-)

In any case, I'm expecting a lot from Belle when we move.  She has the sweetest, gentlest personality, and I'm really hoping she will win over Drusilla, who is not a fan of other cats (I think she mostly just doesn't like being chased).  She's going to need a friend, because I'm sure that, once Bear and Not Wendall get over the whole 'who's the alpha cat' thing, they're going to be the best of buds and co-conspirators in their mischievious crimes.  I've seen it happen before with Bear...he loves having a partner in crime.

Anyway, for those who haven't seen, here are pictures of the new babies I get to adopt (not that I haven't already, but now they'll really feel like my babies as well):

  Not Wendall

  Drusilla

As far as how to move them, I think I've figured out the best way to go about it.  I think we should take all four of them over Friday night (before moving that Sat), and have one room for Bear/Belle, and one room for Drusilla/Not Wendall.  Then we can crash there Friday night and each of us sleep on the floor in the room with our kitties, so they get a little time to get used to the one room with us there, and we aren't just dropping them off in a strange place Sat morning then spending the whole day away from them.  Then we'll work on a schedule for slowly introducing them to the rest of the house and each other.  I have a feeling that lots of treats and tuna nights will follow quickly after moving day, as they learn to adjust.

In non-kitty moving news, I'm getting really excited!  I've gotten most of my stuff packed--I probably have about 4 or 5 boxes left to pack, and then I'm done--and that's pretty much just the stuff that I have to pack last minute anyway.  We get the keys tomorrow, so starting Thursday evening, we can start moving some boxes in.  I've been making the gazillion phone calls it takes to change addresses and cancel/start utility services.  And we've been talking paint, which we'll have about a week to work on before we move in.

In non-moving news, after Thursday, I'll be finished with summer school.  I took my stats final Monday, so that's one A for my transcript, and I have my PSY final on Thursday.  I've figured up that, with the grade I currently have, I could get a 25% on the final and still get an A for the class, so, let's just say, I'm not sweating it.  I'll study anyway, because I'm a dork, plus it's interesting and I'll need to know the material, but I won't be stressing over it.  :-)  Then it's a few weeks full of move, and I'll start up the crazy fall semester with 14 hours of coursework.  Yay!

Anyway, enough blogging...guess I should return to my studies...or maybe I'll pack some boxes...  :-)

Best date Ideas

1. Go on a search for as many good climbing trees as possible, climb as high as you both can in all of them, compile photo evidence

2. Go to a major chain bookstore, and leave notes to future readers in copies of your favorite books

3. Have her dress up as a ghost and you dress uup us Pacman. Walk around downtown holding hands, and whenever anyone sees you two, pretend to be embarrassed, and run off screaming “wocka wocka wocka.”

4. Create photo evidence suggesting that you went on an adventure that didn’t really happen

5. Dress up as superheroes and stop at least one petty crime “ie. jaywalking, littering….”

6.Build forts out of furniture and blankets, and wage war with paper airplanes.

7.Try and visit as many people as you can in one night, and turn as many things inside their apartment upside down as you can, without them noticing.

8. Go to the airport, get the cheapest, soonest departing flight to anywhere when you show up, and stay there for a weekend.

9.Write a piece of fiction together. Outside at a cafe. Ask strangers when you get stuck.

10.Dress to the nines, pretend to be married, and test drive very expensive vehicles at an auto dealership.

11.Do the lamest tourist thing in your area that you have both secretly wanted to do forever. Have an unabashed good time!

12.In the middle of the night, drive to the beach, so you arrive just as the sun is rising. Have a breakfast picnic, then fall asleep together. Bring a sun umbrella.

13.Drive somewhere unknown and have dinner in a city you’ve never been to. With fake names.

14.Go to a minor league baseball game under the stars. Tell each other stories about how bad you are at athletics. Randomly cheer for both teams. Eat lots of Cracker Jacks.

15.Go around the city with sidewalk chalk and draw hearts with equations inside on random things

16.Walk around a city and perform short silent plays in front of security cameras

17.With camera and pair of boots, make photolog of a day in the life of the invisible man.

18.Walk around the city all night and find a place to eat breakfast at dawn

19.Go to a restaurant and convince the cook to create something completely new for you.

20.Rent a movie you’ve never seen before. Set on mute and improvise dialogue.

So we stayed up late to finish Buffy Season 7 last night, and it took me an hour and a half to calm down before we could finally get to sleep about 4am.  Of course, we had a brief discussion afterwards about how I'm madly in love with Spike, and Dieter was teasing me about how it's okay if I wanted to sleep with James Marsters, and of course I said something about 'Oh, I'd never choose him over you.'

Um...

I just found this on James Marsters website:

COME PARTY WITH JAMES AT DRAGON*CON WEEKEND

Come enjoy lively, interesting conversation and music with James Marsters, Sunday, September 6, 2009. James and his guests will mingle, engage in an open floor discussion and Q&A, receive a one-on-one photo with James and enjoy an intimate acoustic guitar concert set in a comfortable private room

6:30pm-10:30pm or later


That's the same night as the pirate party, where Drunk & Sailor will be performing.

**raises fist to the air**  Damn you, universe!
 

Me: "No, Not Wendall, you CANNOT haz cheeseburger!"  (as I struggle to keep my McD cheeseburger away from his prying little face)

(insert funny picture here if I had my camera with me)

And because I was just reading about quantum physics this morning and this made me giggle...