- My brain is Inception crazy even though I've only seen the movie once so far. The current showings are in Auburn, a town or so away (and where campus is, for that matter), but it still seems like a hardship to go and catch one...though I'm there every day for class anyway. It's better to keep it as 'repeated showings of Inception are not good for my headspace' and call it a day. A lame day, but whatever.
- I am in love with the grapefruit soda by Safeway. Not so much in love with the fact that it's currently impossible to find pumpernickel bread in the immediate area.
- I miss gas that was under $2.80 a gallon.
- Campus is downright gorgeous, the coffee girls are nice (though Starbuck's coffee has yet to make me go into raptures), and all the parking lots are connected.
- I've made friends! Okay, so we do seem to have a little cabal going, and we all know how easily I fall into cabals and whatnot, so that's nifty.
One of the cabal thinks that based the fact that I', "energetic", I'd should be out doing marketing, or be a buyer for Nordstrom's or something. Dunno where to class that one yet.
- I'm cranky, peppy, frustrated, tired and about to commit hari kari because of Microsquish Access.
- Adjusting to the weather so far, though I have started carrying my baby space heater around the apartment with me, and I'll be investing in an electric blanket, warm socks, and a pair of boots this weekend (as it has sadly become apparent that a Winter of Chucks might only succeed in my becoming a popsicle, and enough people are all ready ragging on the Florida girl and waiting for her to weep from the bitter cold and rain -- that doesn't even HURT as it falls...so it's just wimpy rain, really -- so boots it is).
- School will probably kill me. Unless there's a freak windfall, there's no going home for the winter break, and if I can manage it, I'll try for a cheap fare to NYC in the spring just to kick-start my soul before the final push.
I actually think that if I went home for any break, I might never convince myself to come back. Then again, there's the large, sparkly-emo part of me that wants all my friends at home to forget that I exist so I can just...something.
That last might be a clue that the sooner I'm off the Inception kick, the better. Still, there's grapefruit soda and good cheese in the fridge -- things to be happy about.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
wherein there is a never ending sea of corn
So I've been remiss in blogging, sue me. It's been one of those things where when I think of something clever to share I either don't have a writing implement (be it pen and paper or laptop), or I just post it on Facebook.
I need to stop doing that -- status updates are no place for lengthy verbiage.
Also, I should really start posting to my fannish forum again. LAZY. Then again, my fannish time has also been rather limited, even though as of 48 hours ago I was indoctrinated into the land of Inception and I'm loving it liek whoa.
SO!
1. The drive through S. Illinois is heinous. Yes, I have a hate on for the state as a whole because I've always had hellish times going through O'Hare and for that one time that Natalie and I were stopped for speeding and got ripped off by a dirty cop. And yeah, the fact the bit about the Chicago bands and the fangirl mecca doesn't make up for the tedium of driving through the southern bit of the state.
2. Likewise, Missouri is kinda awful too. Though St. Louis was rather lovely, at least the parts that I managed to see. I drove into the city proper to visit this basilica, but was denied due to the fact that I was an idiot and didn't schedule a tour -- also, that I came just as noon mass was starting. So I ended up walking around the church and then down around the neighborhood to gawk at the awesome turn of the century houses and tree lined streets.
Then it was off to the Butterfly House, though there was a detour in trying to find the science museum (saw it from an overpass, and while Garmin led me there, I couldn't find parking, so), wherein the butterflies were pretty, a women made a comment about caterpillars liquefying, and I kinda reveled in the tropical wonderland while everyone else fled back inside the building proper. Apparently growing up in Florida does have its advantages.
Next up on the list (and after getting turned around even more, b/c while Garmin is awesome, if you can't get into the lane you need, it's still all buggered sideways. was the Laumeier Sculpture Park. Twas very cool, and I spent about an hour on the back trails looking at the various pieces. Maybe not totally worth the time, but it was nice to branch out on the tourist track. And not only did I get to see a giant Jenga-like Mayan temple looking thing, but enjoyed the hilarity of walking back to my car in the midst of a high school boys cross-country practice. Totally not as cute as the Leon team, but it was hella funny watching them make their circuit around the various giant sculptures -- I didn't laugh or egg them on, but oh how I wanted to do so.
By that point it was more of Missouri driving and I even got stuck in rush hour grind while trying to leave St. Louis -- possibly the first time I've hit that particular kind of traffic outside of hitting the wall of Turnpike vs. Interstate traffic after Thanksgiving.
3. Hannibal, Missouri is scary. The hotel I stayed at was extremely weird as it had an indoor pool, but the pool was in the middle of the hotel. And while the rooms faced into the hotel, some idiot decided it would be an attractive feature to have all the second floor rooms have windows facing out into the open hallway. And the whole place smelled of warm pool (which, yes, is totally different that a "normal" pool -- ten years of competitive swimming has obviously made me a snob on this point). But on the weird upside, when I was taking my bags inside, there was a group of guys outside having an impromptu acoustic-Collective Soul/Pearl Jam jam session.
It was almost like being back in Tallahassee.
I spent the night before my 32nd birthday watching The Right Stuff and giggling like a loon. There might've also been some swooning over Sam Sheppard but that's to be expected.
4. BIRTHDAY! I left late because one of my very favourite episodes of Supernatural was on and who am I to ignore a gift like that?
The theme of Boring As All Hell CORN continued as I drove into Iowa on Hwy 61. I spent most of the time amazed to find a good rock radio station in the middle of friggin' Iowa and mystified by the "exits" labeled with letters instead of street names or numbers.
It was all very Clark Kent-y and Smallville-ian. And not in a good way.
5. After getting through Iowa City (didn't see the giant carousel in the mall this time, dammit) and Cedar Rapids (which didn't smell of burnt Egg McMuffins his time, thankfully) I rolled into Cedar Falls, my home away from home. Or something.
I stayed with Original Recipe Sarah and spent time with her awesome parents, and outside of being home, that's the best birthday I could hope for. Well, outside of things I won't mention here, but yes. And there was Bindi Dog and fantastic pizza and shakes at the Good Dairy [Drag] Queen, and even a stop at the used DVD store. [bought: X-Men movie collection, Chronicles of Riddick, Some Kind of Wonderful, Stealth and 27 Dresses (yes, a totally guilty pleasure) because my tastes are exceedingly varied].
AND THEN WE PICKED UP MY SISTER IN WATERLOO. And anything with Waterloo will never cease to be funny to little miss Francophile. And it was the first time in almost a year since I'd seen my sister, and oh, she looks bright and young and I'm still jealous of her hair.
Rest of the trip in the next entry? Yis.
I need to stop doing that -- status updates are no place for lengthy verbiage.
Also, I should really start posting to my fannish forum again. LAZY. Then again, my fannish time has also been rather limited, even though as of 48 hours ago I was indoctrinated into the land of Inception and I'm loving it liek whoa.
SO!
1. The drive through S. Illinois is heinous. Yes, I have a hate on for the state as a whole because I've always had hellish times going through O'Hare and for that one time that Natalie and I were stopped for speeding and got ripped off by a dirty cop. And yeah, the fact the bit about the Chicago bands and the fangirl mecca doesn't make up for the tedium of driving through the southern bit of the state.
2. Likewise, Missouri is kinda awful too. Though St. Louis was rather lovely, at least the parts that I managed to see. I drove into the city proper to visit this basilica, but was denied due to the fact that I was an idiot and didn't schedule a tour -- also, that I came just as noon mass was starting. So I ended up walking around the church and then down around the neighborhood to gawk at the awesome turn of the century houses and tree lined streets.
Then it was off to the Butterfly House, though there was a detour in trying to find the science museum (saw it from an overpass, and while Garmin led me there, I couldn't find parking, so), wherein the butterflies were pretty, a women made a comment about caterpillars liquefying, and I kinda reveled in the tropical wonderland while everyone else fled back inside the building proper. Apparently growing up in Florida does have its advantages.
Next up on the list (and after getting turned around even more, b/c while Garmin is awesome, if you can't get into the lane you need, it's still all buggered sideways. was the Laumeier Sculpture Park. Twas very cool, and I spent about an hour on the back trails looking at the various pieces. Maybe not totally worth the time, but it was nice to branch out on the tourist track. And not only did I get to see a giant Jenga-like Mayan temple looking thing, but enjoyed the hilarity of walking back to my car in the midst of a high school boys cross-country practice. Totally not as cute as the Leon team, but it was hella funny watching them make their circuit around the various giant sculptures -- I didn't laugh or egg them on, but oh how I wanted to do so.
By that point it was more of Missouri driving and I even got stuck in rush hour grind while trying to leave St. Louis -- possibly the first time I've hit that particular kind of traffic outside of hitting the wall of Turnpike vs. Interstate traffic after Thanksgiving.
3. Hannibal, Missouri is scary. The hotel I stayed at was extremely weird as it had an indoor pool, but the pool was in the middle of the hotel. And while the rooms faced into the hotel, some idiot decided it would be an attractive feature to have all the second floor rooms have windows facing out into the open hallway. And the whole place smelled of warm pool (which, yes, is totally different that a "normal" pool -- ten years of competitive swimming has obviously made me a snob on this point). But on the weird upside, when I was taking my bags inside, there was a group of guys outside having an impromptu acoustic-Collective Soul/Pearl Jam jam session.
It was almost like being back in Tallahassee.
I spent the night before my 32nd birthday watching The Right Stuff and giggling like a loon. There might've also been some swooning over Sam Sheppard but that's to be expected.
4. BIRTHDAY! I left late because one of my very favourite episodes of Supernatural was on and who am I to ignore a gift like that?
The theme of Boring As All Hell CORN continued as I drove into Iowa on Hwy 61. I spent most of the time amazed to find a good rock radio station in the middle of friggin' Iowa and mystified by the "exits" labeled with letters instead of street names or numbers.
It was all very Clark Kent-y and Smallville-ian. And not in a good way.
5. After getting through Iowa City (didn't see the giant carousel in the mall this time, dammit) and Cedar Rapids (which didn't smell of burnt Egg McMuffins his time, thankfully) I rolled into Cedar Falls, my home away from home. Or something.
I stayed with Original Recipe Sarah and spent time with her awesome parents, and outside of being home, that's the best birthday I could hope for. Well, outside of things I won't mention here, but yes. And there was Bindi Dog and fantastic pizza and shakes at the Good Dairy [Drag] Queen, and even a stop at the used DVD store. [bought: X-Men movie collection, Chronicles of Riddick, Some Kind of Wonderful, Stealth and 27 Dresses (yes, a totally guilty pleasure) because my tastes are exceedingly varied].
AND THEN WE PICKED UP MY SISTER IN WATERLOO. And anything with Waterloo will never cease to be funny to little miss Francophile. And it was the first time in almost a year since I'd seen my sister, and oh, she looks bright and young and I'm still jealous of her hair.
Rest of the trip in the next entry? Yis.
Monday, August 30, 2010
greetings from Metropolis!
Operation Spotted Owl - the photo album
1. After a whole series of unfortunate events, I'm spending the night in Metropolis. !!!!! So far there's no sign of Supes, or any of the Luthors or Chloe Sullivan. But as for Chloe, I'm happily delusional that she's off in Gotham, Edge City or Blüdhaven and being dark and awesome. [That's another story, but whatever. CHLOE ROCKS...or at least she used to, back when I still watched Smallville and even then it was only for her.]
2. I've driven 8 hours to Miami and felt like I wanted to die. I've driven straight from NOLA to Tallahassee (only stopping in Miss. for gas) and that was mind numbing but not soul sucking.
The drive through Georgia wasn't awful at all. Hell, I didn't even have to turn on Garmin or look at a map once all the way until I stopped right near the state line -- apparently my inner compass fu was fraking SPOT ON.
3. I like driving near mountains. Maybe not through them, or over bridges really, but curving around them with gentle (or not so) climbs is really kinda fun...at least for bits at a time.
4. Rock City in Chattanooga was really cool. Not meant for people with guts, and hell, the tall, gangly girl had issues squeezing through some of the rock paths, but it was really nice. I got there way early in the morning so some of the lookouts probably weren't what they could've been, but the vegetation was lush and everything was well laid out. Also, GNOMES. And a creepy as fuck "Mother Goose" area with day glo diaramas of story book stories. Really, no shit.
5. There was an aborted side trip to Lynchburg to see the Jack Daniels Distillery, but no.
6. Still made it to Nashvegas in plenty of time to hit the Parthenon at Centennial Park. I sat for an hour and read some from The Confusion [really, my love for Jack Shaftoe cannot be properly textually rendered at this point], see hateful children terrorize a large flock of Canada geese (oh how I wished they'd been bitten), and walked around the park and took pictures of the Parthenon itself.
Also, using the Garmin for this part was a fantabulous idea. No problems driving through urban-ish Nashvegas whatsoever...though getting used to the British man's Britspeak will take some getting used to.
7. State count so far stands at: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Georgia again (Lookout Mtn is strange and confusing), Kentucky, Illinois.
8. There was a moment there when I crossed into IL and saw signs that would've taken me Chicago where I was ready to ditch my plan to do St Louis and go there. BUT, aside from being home to some of my favourite bands, one of the largest fangirl meccas, and well...I don't know...there's probably a third thing -- NO. I think after tonight's adventures (and the less said about them, the better), me and IL are not on good terms.
Hope I have better luck with Missiouri.
9. Um, I'm sure there's more commentary, but I've driven, like 400 miles today and dealt with scary drivers and BLAH, so now I'm going to watch the rest of the Closer, plan out crap for tomorrow and rotate pictures on Facebook but lord knows that I haven't figured out how to do that in the upload process on my phone.
1. After a whole series of unfortunate events, I'm spending the night in Metropolis. !!!!! So far there's no sign of Supes, or any of the Luthors or Chloe Sullivan. But as for Chloe, I'm happily delusional that she's off in Gotham, Edge City or Blüdhaven and being dark and awesome. [That's another story, but whatever. CHLOE ROCKS...or at least she used to, back when I still watched Smallville and even then it was only for her.]
2. I've driven 8 hours to Miami and felt like I wanted to die. I've driven straight from NOLA to Tallahassee (only stopping in Miss. for gas) and that was mind numbing but not soul sucking.
The drive through Georgia wasn't awful at all. Hell, I didn't even have to turn on Garmin or look at a map once all the way until I stopped right near the state line -- apparently my inner compass fu was fraking SPOT ON.
3. I like driving near mountains. Maybe not through them, or over bridges really, but curving around them with gentle (or not so) climbs is really kinda fun...at least for bits at a time.
4. Rock City in Chattanooga was really cool. Not meant for people with guts, and hell, the tall, gangly girl had issues squeezing through some of the rock paths, but it was really nice. I got there way early in the morning so some of the lookouts probably weren't what they could've been, but the vegetation was lush and everything was well laid out. Also, GNOMES. And a creepy as fuck "Mother Goose" area with day glo diaramas of story book stories. Really, no shit.
5. There was an aborted side trip to Lynchburg to see the Jack Daniels Distillery, but no.
6. Still made it to Nashvegas in plenty of time to hit the Parthenon at Centennial Park. I sat for an hour and read some from The Confusion [really, my love for Jack Shaftoe cannot be properly textually rendered at this point], see hateful children terrorize a large flock of Canada geese (oh how I wished they'd been bitten), and walked around the park and took pictures of the Parthenon itself.
Also, using the Garmin for this part was a fantabulous idea. No problems driving through urban-ish Nashvegas whatsoever...though getting used to the British man's Britspeak will take some getting used to.
7. State count so far stands at: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Georgia again (Lookout Mtn is strange and confusing), Kentucky, Illinois.
8. There was a moment there when I crossed into IL and saw signs that would've taken me Chicago where I was ready to ditch my plan to do St Louis and go there. BUT, aside from being home to some of my favourite bands, one of the largest fangirl meccas, and well...I don't know...there's probably a third thing -- NO. I think after tonight's adventures (and the less said about them, the better), me and IL are not on good terms.
Hope I have better luck with Missiouri.
9. Um, I'm sure there's more commentary, but I've driven, like 400 miles today and dealt with scary drivers and BLAH, so now I'm going to watch the rest of the Closer, plan out crap for tomorrow and rotate pictures on Facebook but lord knows that I haven't figured out how to do that in the upload process on my phone.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Update time!
1. Have apartment! One with a fireplace, W/D in unit, and that's very conveniently located to Target, the library, and the aquatics center. For yay! Also, it'll be the first time in my life that I will have a five digit house number AND live on a numbered street. Weird.
2. Currently in weird limbo regarding money and payments of all kinds. Got my financial aid info, but with lag times and such, it'll be Wednesday or Thursday before I can call school to confirm everything's kosher and then to call about setting up work study orientation.
Then there's the whole bit about signing up for utilities, rent stuff, cable, POD payments, etc. It's very freaky and I don't like it, obviously.
3. I've got almost all of my packing done so I'm in lag time until the POD arrives next Wednesday. So now I sorta have time to slack -- except that I'll find something to do, even if it's only to finish the stories I promised myself that I'd finish writing before the month was out.
4. Somehow, in the planning of my trip (the first bit from here to Iowa), I convinced myself that I was stopping overnight in Paducah, KY...for no apparent reason whatsoever. Stupid brain. So for now the route is TLH to Atlanta, through Chattanooga to Nashvegas, on to St. Louis, up to Hannibal, MO, and into Iowa.
After that, the biggest attraction to see (outside of Rushmore, Deadwood, etc.) is the Corn Palace. Whatever, outside of the big giant nickel in Sudbury, Ontario, the Palace might be one of my top cheesy tourist attractions.
5. There's probably a five, but I can't remember it right now.
2. Currently in weird limbo regarding money and payments of all kinds. Got my financial aid info, but with lag times and such, it'll be Wednesday or Thursday before I can call school to confirm everything's kosher and then to call about setting up work study orientation.
Then there's the whole bit about signing up for utilities, rent stuff, cable, POD payments, etc. It's very freaky and I don't like it, obviously.
3. I've got almost all of my packing done so I'm in lag time until the POD arrives next Wednesday. So now I sorta have time to slack -- except that I'll find something to do, even if it's only to finish the stories I promised myself that I'd finish writing before the month was out.
4. Somehow, in the planning of my trip (the first bit from here to Iowa), I convinced myself that I was stopping overnight in Paducah, KY...for no apparent reason whatsoever. Stupid brain. So for now the route is TLH to Atlanta, through Chattanooga to Nashvegas, on to St. Louis, up to Hannibal, MO, and into Iowa.
After that, the biggest attraction to see (outside of Rushmore, Deadwood, etc.) is the Corn Palace. Whatever, outside of the big giant nickel in Sudbury, Ontario, the Palace might be one of my top cheesy tourist attractions.
5. There's probably a five, but I can't remember it right now.
Monday, August 2, 2010
i love the dark, I love the dark... but I hate nature
A squirrel got stuck in some plastic tarp outside last night. He finally managed to chew his way out and in so doing, kept me awake half the night.
Y'know how people say that pigeons are rats with wings? Yeah, can I append that to include the assertion that squirrels are rats with fluffy tails?
Meanwhile, there's some animal outside that sound entirely too like the creatures from Pitch Black for any sort of comfort.
In conclusion, see the title of this post.
Y'know how people say that pigeons are rats with wings? Yeah, can I append that to include the assertion that squirrels are rats with fluffy tails?
Meanwhile, there's some animal outside that sound entirely too like the creatures from Pitch Black for any sort of comfort.
In conclusion, see the title of this post.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
BTW, eventually (or, um, NOW) this thing is going to turn in to regular blog central b/c, let's face it, my nattering is ginormous, deserves to be appreciated by many, and when it comes down to it I won't be able to share my special form of verbal/written brilliance in quite the same way very soon. No more drink nights, trivia games, lunches or inappropriate and stunningly dry commentary at, well, any time.
So yes, blogging about normal stuff. To come! For yay!
Now back to other non-vital tasks.
So yes, blogging about normal stuff. To come! For yay!
Now back to other non-vital tasks.
final countdown, day 1
Howdy!
It's the first of August, so I guess today is the start of the Final Countdown (cue GOB theme music and retro-love for Arrested Development)...which I think is a little funny because I still don't know exactly when I'm leaving Tallahassee for my great trek across country.
People keep asking that question (logical, yes), but I feel bad not having an answer. I do know that classes at Green River (Killer) Community College starts 20 September, but a lot depends on finding an apartment and getting an apartment move in date. This also means that doing the whole Moving My Shit thing is hanging over my head, because I'm not only supposed to be transporting my stuff, but stuff from my sister and uncle and I've learned that logistics is a bitch -- which totally kills my proud and insane notion that I could totally lead an invasion force...even if it was for Lichtenstein...forget any sort of invasion of Normandy.
So there's the whole moving-moving thing, and then there's the other stuff like insurance(s), car stuff, loan monies, basic moving stuff, and god knows how many other things. Let's just say that right now I am LOVING my multiple whiteboards. In fact, I could probably use one or two more.
Today, as I'm still feeling icky (stupid body knows exactly when to break down...I keep running and running, doing things at a high pace and then plop), I didn't get to a lot of stuff on today's list, but I have started packing boxes that I'll take in my car, namely (at this point) linens and bathroom stuff. It's measly, but it feels significant. If only I could load them in my car as I finish so I wouldn't have to look at yet MORE boxes hanging around the loft.
But, PROGRESS YAY! Out of apartment, money sitch starting to come together nicer that I had anticipated, and I've got tons of lists and considerations going, including a well-rounded Bucket List of places I need to eat before I leave town.
[Po Boys for the pickle chips, Gordo's for their yucca fritters, Black Bean Cafe with Ivy, Bird's, and the Country Kitchen in Thomasville because their mac & cheese is this side of nirvana.]
Looking forward now that I have "time" to get the Regular List stuff done as well as some other things I've been putting off or have never done. I plan on hitting the beach, going down the Itchomgfreakingcoldtuckee River, and driving out to Torreya.
I'm sure the terror will start to set in shortly, but so far, so good.
It's the first of August, so I guess today is the start of the Final Countdown (cue GOB theme music and retro-love for Arrested Development)...which I think is a little funny because I still don't know exactly when I'm leaving Tallahassee for my great trek across country.
People keep asking that question (logical, yes), but I feel bad not having an answer. I do know that classes at Green River (Killer) Community College starts 20 September, but a lot depends on finding an apartment and getting an apartment move in date. This also means that doing the whole Moving My Shit thing is hanging over my head, because I'm not only supposed to be transporting my stuff, but stuff from my sister and uncle and I've learned that logistics is a bitch -- which totally kills my proud and insane notion that I could totally lead an invasion force...even if it was for Lichtenstein...forget any sort of invasion of Normandy.
So there's the whole moving-moving thing, and then there's the other stuff like insurance(s), car stuff, loan monies, basic moving stuff, and god knows how many other things. Let's just say that right now I am LOVING my multiple whiteboards. In fact, I could probably use one or two more.
Today, as I'm still feeling icky (stupid body knows exactly when to break down...I keep running and running, doing things at a high pace and then plop), I didn't get to a lot of stuff on today's list, but I have started packing boxes that I'll take in my car, namely (at this point) linens and bathroom stuff. It's measly, but it feels significant. If only I could load them in my car as I finish so I wouldn't have to look at yet MORE boxes hanging around the loft.
But, PROGRESS YAY! Out of apartment, money sitch starting to come together nicer that I had anticipated, and I've got tons of lists and considerations going, including a well-rounded Bucket List of places I need to eat before I leave town.
[Po Boys for the pickle chips, Gordo's for their yucca fritters, Black Bean Cafe with Ivy, Bird's, and the Country Kitchen in Thomasville because their mac & cheese is this side of nirvana.]
Looking forward now that I have "time" to get the Regular List stuff done as well as some other things I've been putting off or have never done. I plan on hitting the beach, going down the Itchomgfreakingcoldtuckee River, and driving out to Torreya.
I'm sure the terror will start to set in shortly, but so far, so good.
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