Actually working on thesis now...
Did I mention that I'm actually quite productive when I have a nonworking computer in my room?
Anyhow, I'm mucho afraid cause two people in my class claimed they had 50-60 page theses, and um, they looked it. Mine's only 15 pages so far. A good 5 of those pages are just references though, and it should get bigger with the addition of my results, LOL. And the addition of many more references that I've found but am saving for the coup de grace of the final draft, LOL. Well, I guess.
But...50-60 pages? WTF?! I went into science to make sure I wouldn't have to write that much, ever!
*wails*
Should be working on my thesis but...
Photos from Worlds!It's pretty obvious that I was getting better at the manual focus on my camera as the days went on...I got a lot of blurry shots from the men's LP the first day, LOL.
And an aside: I'm so much more productive when I have a nonworking computer in my room. :P It won't turn on, but I think it's just a power supply thing. Casey says I need to stab the motherboard with a screwdriver to harm it, and I haven't done that soo....
The dudes at ITS were all O.O when I described the motherboard to them. I might have a computer that's overkill for me, LOL....
Really random thoughts from Worlds and Calgary...
- Never ever take an America West flight to Las Vegas if it's a layover. That's where my flight to Calgary got cancelled. I talked to the guy sitting next to me in the Phoenix airport food court and he mentioned that his America West flight from Las Vegas had been cancelled too in the past. It's like a black hole...
- You know you're in the US terminal at the Calgary airport when the line for Starbucks is longer than the line for Tim Horton's.
- It was barely over 35 degrees in Calgary when I was there, and I went the entre time without wearing a single pair of socks. I love my Ugg boots!
- John Kerr is SUCH a sweetie. And he's cute and has a hot Scottish/British accent to boot! And his sister Sinead is taller than him when she's on heels! No wonder why people are saying they might have to break up as a team...
- Eman is also a real sweetie. He stays after every night to talk to fans and sign autographs - he seems like a guy who needs a lot of goodwill from others to come his way so he can be happy.
- I barely recognize Jeff Buttle without his hair.
- No, no, he didn't shave it off - he was wearing a white stetson hat and I almost missed him walking past Denise and I until I realized it was Joannie Rochette wearing a white stetson hat walking along with him. He was aware that we did recognize him, LOL, even if we tried not to show it. He strikes me as being quite bright and perceptive...
- I still cannot get over how TINY Brian Orser is. Really.
- John Nicks is such an adorable little old man, LOL.
- The figure skating athlete/fan interactions are so cute.
- LOL at the Bulgarian fans a few rows behind me chanting, "BUL-GAH-REE-AH! BUL-GAH-REE-AH!" all during the free dance.
- Canada arenas are anti-Gestapo. I sat in row 10 next to Denise when I was supposed to be up in the second tier. My bag was never searched, and my ticket was never checked.
- Apparently in the US, in order to sneak food into the arena you have to hide it in a Kotex box. Too bad for the guys out there, eh?
- It lightly flurried right before I left! Calgary was saying, "Bye! Have some snow!" to me! I stuck my hands out and walked around like a total CA tourist, LOL. Well don't blame me! I haven't seen snow fall for almost 10 years!
- Lil sis always wanted a letter opener with a blade (she's morbid like that) and I saw one at a souvenir shop and bought it, but it was almost confiscated by US Customs. It really did look like a knife on the monitor, LOL...
- ..I'll add some more when they come to mind..
What I've learned so far from live skating...
First thing: You really REALLY can't judge speed and flow on TV. You really can't. They have a jumbotron set up on the arena ceiling with a live feed, and sometimes I'll switch from watching the ice to watching the screen, and there's no contest.
Secondly, figure skating is such an audience-friendly sport, at least in Canada. Security didn't check my bag, even when I arrived at the arena straight from the airport with my rolling suitcase (long story) - my ticket was scanned and I was on my way. Many people went down to the barrier after performances and gave the skater(s) flowers and stuffed animals and received hugs in return. After the free dance victory ceremony, the skaters went around the barrier to sign autographs and take pictures, even after the zamboni came onto the ice to clean it for the ladies evening practice.
And most importantly, it's so, so, so much harder to NOT root for someone when you're watching them live. You can't help it. You see them as people, and then you forget that they're currently beating your favorite, you forget about the frustration that they've given you over the years, you forget about the negative articles (or FSU posts) that you've just read about them. You just want them to do
well. You want them to be happy.
When Emanuel Sandhu came onto the ice, I was still in shock and much depressions for Jeff Buttle, but when he started skating, I forgot all about the negative comments in the media and in FSU. I didn't care that he bombed at the Olympics. He just grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go until it ended and I found myself standing up and cheering for him. He has an electric presence that I've only felt from Michelle Kwan, while suffering from what I call the "Brian Boitano" syndrome. (Boring on TV, but absolutely sublime live.) I hope he stays in, screw the naysayers! I want to see him skate live again. Yes, I'm selfish, but I wish he had more moments like this. He was so HAPPY. Denise, a huge Eman fan for a long time, was in tears.
I was also completely ecstatic with Brian Joubert. I still liked his skating, even when he attempted a style this year that just wasn't right for him. Lord of the Dance? What? Luckily, he figured this out before he arrived to Calgary, and I was treated to my favorite LP of his - Matrix! He fell a few times in warmup, once getting up and grimacing while shaking his arm, so I worried about that. (However, he provided me with my non-skating highlight of the men's LP - after he got off the warmup, his coach unzipped the back of his costume and Brian ripped it off, providing my section with a very nice glimpse of his muscular back. Heeee.) But when it was his turn to skate, did he bring it or what! After the disappointments that were last year's Worlds and the Olympics, I couldn't help but be elated.
Regarding Johnny Weir, I knew that he had had back problems and I worried for him too. He fell a few times in the warmup, which only increased my concern. I forgot about the fur coats (the poor fuzzies, Johnny, the poor fuzzies!), the extravagant spending, the diva personality - when he fell and struggled in getting up, all I could think was, "Oh no, oh no..." All I hoped for was that he would be okay, after he came off the ice and didn't lift his head even to see his scores. I didn't think about the person that the media made him out to be, I thought about the competitor in pain in front of me, and I wanted to give him a hug.
Speaking about hugs, poor Jeff. Oh, Jeff. I had never wanted to give anyone a hug more than when I saw him
so dejected after his ending pose. On the jumbotron, he managed a weak JeffGrinTM for the audience, but all his eyes showed was complete devastation. My heart was in my throat when he singled the axel, and then it crashed through the basement when he singled the second one. At that point, I started getting very, very afraid every time he went up for a jump, but he fought through the rest of it.
But he'll be okay. The jumbotron doesn't show the skaters' faces when they show the scores, but I saw it on TV later. He looked at the numbers, shaking his head with disappointment, but the devastation was gone. Undoubtedly, there will be changes made this summer, and I can't wait to see them. I also can't wait for another chance to see him skate live again when it's a good week for him.
I've never been one to ask skaters for autographs or pictures. (Although, I couldn't help it when I found myself wandering into a group of autograph seekers around Angela Nikodinov, LOL.) Denise and Lois wandered over to talk with Emanuel, who was sitting in the audience after the free dance. Since they had met him before, they chattered with him while I sat nearby, shy as always, nodding every once in a while. He and I fiddled with the same chair seat. :P That was enough for me, LOL.
For me, it's just enough to see them, to see part of who they are and then to let them be. They're just people, like everyone else, but with a talent and drive that I will probably never know. It's one thing to hear about them in articles or in the media, and it's completely another thing to look them face to face.
In that vein, how tall is Shae-Lynn Bourne?!?! I walked right past her in the arena and she was taller than me! Even Brian Orser barely cleared my height!
*is exasperated*
So just last night was the men's qualifying round, and I have never put so many users on my ignore list at once in my life. And it was the
qualifying round. I might be even be glad that I won't be on
FSU the day of the men's LP. I'll be enjoying the live skating without commentators ruining the music, and especially trolls popping onto FSU and calling skaters derogatory names. I mean, are we suddenly back in elementary school? Gimme a break.
*sigh*
In other news, I have so much crap to do before I leave for Calgary tomorrow. Eep!
But I am definitely taking my new Ugg boots with me. I may never wear another pair of shoes again. :P
HAH!
Worlds is this week! :D
And in honor of that, my reputation level at
FSU has now changed to "has touched the keyboard that touched the face of a David Wilson disciple." ROFL at the reference to choreographer David "I touch myself" Wilson, even though I cringe at the thought of someone taking a keyboard to
Jeff Buttle,
Joannie Rochette, Miki Ando, or
Sasha Cohen's face....
And I've discovered the soundtrack station on iTunes. So far I've recognized The Mummy and now "Furious Angels" from The Matrix Reloaded and this thing has barely been up for 10 minutes...
I'm so nerdy.
Just when I'm getting productive...
...my computer gets screwy. It started sounding like a faraway lawn mower, and I turn off the fans one by one (even the CPU fan, yes I'm incredibly ignorant BUT my computer is still alive :D ) until I found the culprit. The teeny fan on the video card.
Now Casey's gotten me buying a new video card that doesn't require a fan, and
then he told me that it was a good idea to clean it out with a q-tip. Which, of course, did the trick. :P And now I'll have an upgraded video card...which, well...I can afford a $15ish video card off ebay. I've splurged on worse. :P
..like my new keyboard. Heeeeeeeeee.
And since the big fan wasn't working at all (dunno how long it's been like that...), I'm leaving the computer exposed on the floor of my room until I get a new fan. Boy, do I look like a badass tech nerd, LOL. Right.
:(
So I had to leave Smitty the cat at the Petsmart adoption center today, and it made me sad.
And I just realized that I now have an even bigger incentive to find a job and move out of my parents house - there's not a single ice rink in Merced unless you drive 75 miles out!
NorCal and SoCal have spoiled me. Dear God, 2 hours driving each way?
LOL!
So I meet Laura's current foster cat Smitty, and fall immediately in love with him because he's the
sweetest cat EVER! (That's a lot coming from a bona fide dog person like me. I'm rather wary of cats.) I'm supposed to take him to the Upland Petsmart adoption day tomorrow so hopefully he can be adopted, and in my fervent wish to see him placed in a good home (because he IS the sweetest kitty ever) I go and advertise on Craigslist about Smitty.
...and then I read earlier postings and it turns out that Laura had also put in a posting about Smitty.
So honestly guys, we are talking the real deal here. Someone has to take this cat!
I'd adopt him myself if Goldie didn't want to eat him. Or if he didn't want to eat Squee. Whichever the case, LOL.
Eeeeeeeeeeee...
So I'm taking care of two bunnies for a fellow Sagehen, and I want to adopt one of them. He licks my hand (bunny tongue!) and then he jumps into my lap when I'm sitting on the couch and tries to chew my sweatshirt.
Maybe she won't notice if he goes missing....
Most ironic day of my life
So on Tuesday during lunch, I drove Alaska Laura and an angry feral cat to the Pasadena Humane Society to get neutered. (They have a free spay/neuter program there for people who bring in feral cats.) Bought some pizza and a slice of cheesecake since we were there...
...and then rushed back to anatomy lab where I dissected a dead cat. :P
In other animal news, my quail have gone off the stupid scale. Now instead of trying to kill each other, one of them was trying to kill him
self. The female he was caged with didn't seem to mind the replacement male so I was dubious that I had another man-hating lesbian on my hands...and then I noticed the blood spots on top of the cage. Apparently he's been jumping up and down so fervently he gave himself serious head trauma.
I need him alive, but there's nothing I can really do if he won't eat or drink. Hopefully he'll find the food and water even if both his eyes are closed. I put his food in a pie pan so when I left he was sitting in it. Hopefully he'll realize it's food...
*sigh*
I take that back
Being angry for short bursts can give you a good kick in the butt. Being chronically angry...not so much, but hey, everything in moderation, right?
And "Fighter" is a great song to play when you're angry. :D
When I thought I knew you
Thinking that you were true
I guess I, I couldn't trust
'Cause your bluff time is up
'Cause I've had enough
You were there by my side
Always down for the ride
But your joy ride just came down in flames
'Cause your greed sold me out of shame
Never saw it coming
All of your backstabbing
Just so you could cash in
On a good thing before I realized your game
I heard you're going around
Playing the victim now
But don't even begin
Feeling I'm the one to blame
'Cause you dug your own grave
'Cause it makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
Makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
It makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter.
O.O
I've figured out that the "carnivorous frogs" in rm. 117 are African clawed frogs, just because I was looking for images to send Steph so she could understand why I'm so creeped out by them.
They sit there, be fat, and eat the feeder fish in the water with them. And they stare at you. With unmoving eyes.Now imagine a whole colony staring at you. Hungrily. :PThey're like Kermit, bitten by zombies.
In other news, I have learned a valuable lesson this week: it takes waaaay too much energy to be stressed out and/or angry persistently, so I'm just not going to bother. I have no idea how some people can be stressed out and/or angry all the time. It's just not worth the effort.
My mom's so funny
Apparently my dad wants to retire soon, since he can't stand the politics at his workplace anymore. On the prospect of having to stay home with dad 24/7...
goldiemom: I will stay home for a while with him, if he starts being funny, then I will start looking for job :)
Somehow that just cracks me up.
