29 August 2009

Moving In to Welcome Week

About yesterday~ish, my Chair and I packed up and went back to school. We are currently lounging in our spacious room, listening to the roomie and her boyfriend just chat about nothing. They also have music playing. I'm sure they don't mind that I'm listening to them. Besides, I'm not paying much attention.

So I am mostly unpacked. Nothing is in a suitcase or anything, but there are small things to get yet. Like a bin for my things on the shelf, so it looks organized. We're planning to do something with a shelf built into the wall, but we're not sure yet. And there is the remains of a fireplace ~ no longer able to be used because of fire hazards. That does not eliminate any possibilities of garland and stockings at Christmas, though. Which means we'll probably decorate for other holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, and Easter. And we're totally cool for sharing stuff. I have a giant tub of hot cocoa to drink and she lurves hot cocoa.

I had my vocal "audition" earlier today. It's not an official audition, I think, so I wasn't too nervous. Plus, it was all of five minutes, so I wasn't too worried about my performance. I trust my voice is good enough for a decent placement somewhere. They asked about my attending the vocal class, which will be Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I think I told them I wasn't sure if I was open or not but yes, I would be willing to do that as well. All in all, they seemed to really like my voice, so I'm now enlightened.

After my audition, I wandered the music section of the Humanities building to find the choral board for Tangled Up In Blue or Redefined, but got lost, walked in circles, and gave up. I guess sign up sheets aren't up yet. So now I'm going to spend some of my time thinking about my favorite popular song and how I would sing that for an audition. I should also ask my friend (codename AlEB) about the commitment. I have to leave time for writing and studying and a social life. But extraciriculars might make up for a social life. It's still nice to know when they meet and if I'll have to switch my work schedule around or not.

Lots of fun stuff around the dorms the first few weeks. Welcome Week is always fun. There's a Target shopping adventure tonight, so the roomie and I are going to that. It should be fun! I can't wait.

25 August 2009

A Great Many Things

A great many things are happening in my personal life. It does not seem like a great many things, but I'm deciding to be simple for the sake of saying "a great many things. . . ." Simple many things these are, but they are great in numbers.

The major thing is that I'm moving on Friday. Which means I'm starting to pack away clothes before realizing that I should save some for the days leading up to Friday. But don't worry --- someone was nice enough to deliver a batch of freshly laundered clothes to remind me. Unfortunately, I packed away my underwear before I did this. Oh, brilliance, wherefore art thou gallavanting away from my mental workings?

Speaking of clothes, I wonder where my bag of new clothes went. I didn't get many new clothes. My cousin was nice enough to give me a few coupons for a couple stores, and Mom naturally gets sweat deals from Kohl's. But I got a couple pairs of shorts the other day, and I have no idea where they went. So I have to scour my room for a missing Kohl's bag. Darn packing mess.

I forgot to tell my roommate I have a small white cabinet thing. I use it to store the printer, and whatever goes in the drawers varies. Currently, there is an assembly manual in the drawer, and a duvet in the door.

I am currently home alone. Normally, I would bee line to the piano for a performance to myself, but there is packing to be had and lost clothes to be found. And Shinedown to be listened. Heard? Anyway, I'm currently listening to Shinedown. I couldn't tell you my favorite songs besides the fact that I like "Second Chance". And that Cyanide something-something Suicide song was pretty good.

So much to get done, I don't know where to start. Perhaps the clothes. Wait for me, Cool New Shorts, because I am coming! I promise!

21 August 2009

The Inspiration of Dreams

What inspires you to write?

I tend to accumulate a conglomerate of ideas. These ideas come out of nowhere. What would it be like to fly among the clouds? The idea of buses and how they operate. Islands floating in the sky because the ground is either stuff of legend or uninhabitable. Pretty soon, I have a fantasy setting involving a group of islands. Now that I know where things are taking place, what about characters? Since I think characters make themselves when it comes to plot, then I should think of a plot. What will go on in this setting? I don't know, but if all else fails, I throw in a rebellion.

This is a slow process for me. My fastest stories are almost always based on dreams.

Every once in a while, I have a dream that seems more like a story than a dream. I once dreamt Uma Thurman was the last hope for a small family so she piloted a white robot until she died. Another dream featured children on what my mind acknowledged as the moon (despite the endless fields of leafy bushes and the Rockies on the horizon) and how some organization wanted to experiment on their minds for research on psyhic powers. Another dream featured a girl in a train station imbedded into the base of a mountin. She wanted to visit her sister, but an attendent wanted her to visit Mount Kilimanjaro because he believed she to possess special powers that will activate the mountain.

I didn't write the last one as a story, but I still find it interesting.

What inspires me to write? The need to daydream, a fascination with daily themes, and dreams.

What inspires you to do what you do?

13 August 2009

New Schooling Issue: Going Abroad

Two weeks until I move back to school. Five days until I'm done with work. I can't wait for my single week of summer. This semester's goal: Research Study Abroad. Applications aren't due until early October, which means I really have to move my butt!

I was encouraged to check out scholarships, grants, and programs from other schools. I'm interested in Oshkosh, but I might also see Steven's Point, Green Bay, and Minnesota (Twin Cities). I'm fairly open as long as I get the program I want. Brussels is still wanted, but Gelway is looking really interested too.

I can justify the expense for Gelway, though. It's in Ireland, and students like to travel. At least half of the total comes from other expenses, travel included. So airfare will take up a big part of expense if I go to Gelway. But it might be a cheaper program.

Another interested program is a summer class in Paris on film, but that's debatable at this point.

Prague is the cheapest so far, but there are different programs for that and I only looked at one. Soeul was another one, but judging by Mom's expression, she doesn't like the fact that its Korea. Sapporo would be great, but I doubt I'll be excepted since they take preference to students who studied Japanese first. And England would be nice, so I'll have to research those programs more.

Ah, if only this were easier!! Or maybe it's just me. Meh . . .

PASSPORT! I need a passport.

08 August 2009

Pontiacs and Social Experiments

First off, we got a Pontiac Vibe. Good car. I like Pontiacs.

Because it's Saturday, I decided to head out with a friend, codename TC. I told him I would pick him up in the new car. He liked it and we arrived at Barnes and Noble. Funny things ensued. We found a book called "Unwind" that was really interesting. About an America where children aren't touched until the age 13. Between the ages of 13 and 18, their parents can choose to have their children "unwound", that is, their organs donated to another who needs it. As interesting as that book sounds, I bought another book because it's "big and thick and made for adults." Think about that a moment.

Afterward, we ended up at the local DQ. We ate outside and watched cars drive by. It didn't talk long until we started waving at them. When only one out of a good many waved, I decided to document this as a "social experiment". I recorded how many cars waved back to TC, how many looked but didn't do anything, and how many didn't look at all.

Didn't look means we did not see the driver or passengers turn to look our way. Look means we did see them turn their heads.

Our results:

No Look: 29
Look: 2
Wave/Reaction: 1 (honk)

Comments in notebook:

TC wanted to pretend to puke with his very milky (at that point) soft serve to see how many would swerve to avoid him. He decided against it. Besides, the stains of old attempts would have been seen on the pavement.

We gave leeway to the guy who drove by in a Mini Cooper . . . just because it's a Mini Cooper. Those things kick ass.

It was determined by both of us that the annoying guy driving by on a moped is NOT on a boat like he was singing. If he were on a boat, he would have a car, and even then he wouldn't be in a car cause he'd be on a boat!


04 August 2009

It's a SAAB Story

I've been told I can really lay on the melodrama: . . .

The best car in anyone's world is always a piece of shit. Scrap metal to most people, but heaven to me. I called mine MLE. She got through my senior year, two summers, 5+ plays, and my little brother. She was my cousin's first car, my uncle's car, then my parents' (technically). So, because of this technicality, she's being traded against my will. This is her public tribute.



MLE has dysfunctional locks. They're supposed to be automatic, but they only worked in good weather when you're alone. If, by chance, you find yourself in the middle of a torrential downpour with three passengers, the locks won't work.

The window controls were backwards. You had to push 'down' to make the windows go up, and push 'up' to make the windows go down. Luckily, the sunroof did not have this problem.

The CD player never worked. We found that the latch that accepts CDs was broken and didn't bother to fix it. The tape deck decided to go late last summer, which eliminated the option of listening to an iPod while driving. So the driver and passangers were stuck with the radio if they so choose. And don't get me started on the equalizer --- I don't even know what it does.

MLE did not have A/C, but she could roll on the heat like nobody's business. But her defogger didn't work the greatest, so it took ten minutes for the windows to clear. By that time, I was already pulling into the school parking lot.

I just learned her airbags don't work either.


MLE had the courtesy to break down with my Dad driving at noontime. The transmission failed last winter. Her next big breakdown occured while I was driving on the highway this summer. I just got her home, but the damage was already done. She's so heavily corroded on the inside, that it's about time we scrap her. I'm sure she can last a little more, but the 'rents don't want to risk it. They don't trust her.

She had it long coming, but she'll always be my first car.

Farewell, MLE. My SAAB Story. The Best Car in the World. I'll hold you in fond memories.

R.I.P. MLE
1991 SAAB 9000 CD Turbo
The Best Car in the World