tired still. what a surprise. i think i just failed a statistics quiz. wouldn’t that be something if i went from 100% to 0%? what’s the probability of something like that happening? what about on not very much sleep and an empty tummy? add in a bit of apathy during study time and it becomes more likely. i just know its a bad sign when you spend 20 minutes on a problem before realizing you’re using the definitional equations rather than the computational, and that its another bad sign when you go and recheck your calculations and get different answers for the same thing four times in a row. oh well. maybe i’ll surprise myself. anyway, if i do badly i should be able to retake it.

i think i’ll sleep in tomorrow. i’m not sure how late i can afford to sleep, but its a nice idea. i’m getting bone achey today. i ran into annalily. i was coming back (almost a half hour late) from class. she was on her way (fifteen minutes late) to class. i wanted to surprise her and have the room clean when she got back from rehearsal last night. she came back earlier than expected. i managed to clean the bathroom (incidently…you know people are busy when you’re out of toilet paper, out of tissue boxes, and on to the little pocket packs of tissues and still going to the store doesn’t make the top half of the priority list. hopefully someone will fine time before we’re on to paper towels) and shove all of the video equipment under my bed. it doesn’t look like a slophole in here anymore, except for the bags of food for the art collective show tonight.

microwave dinged. lunchtime before i’m off to work. blaaaaah.

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i’m having automobile issues. i took sally into bruce’s monday afternoon for what was an estimated 3 day repair. no word from them by this morning, so i called. and it won’t be ready until monday. i am frustrated, but trying to be understanding. until now i figured i wouldn’t get a rental since i can ride to work with kim, etc. but i refuse to go carless for the weekend. i know a rental is covered under my geico policy, so i called them to set up. well, it seems that since it is deemed a 3-day repair, the rental is only covered for 3 days. meaning if i got it tonight, it would only be covered through sunday night, not monday afternoon, when sally will be ready. quite irksome to me. i tried to explain the situation to the geico lady, and she responded that they tell their policy-holders to always bring their cars in on mondays in order to have time for it to be fixed within the 3-day limitation. i pointed out politely that i did take my car in on monday, but this rolled off her back like water off a duck. grumble, grumble, grumble.

to take my mind off these things i will concentrate on it being a friday and the fact that i ain’t got shit to do. and hockey tomorrow night, woohoo! also that i brought a variety of props to school for teacher superlative pictures, including a variety of fake mustaches and eyebrows (so you’ll get them later slightly used, tripp), fake glasses, and best of all, an eyepatch. i figure i have to live up to the superlative. last year for the (now-discontinued) category of most unique, i stood on my head. i feel pressured to follow it up with something even better. please submit any other ideas you might have.

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im really happy. have i mentioned that? life is good.

yesterday i went to the gym for the first time in nearly five months. holy cow that’s a long time. i have been on a few runs since i got back from phoenix, but they have all made me feel tremendously out of shape. my lungs are really bad…i am wheezing after ive gone about a mile and im still on an inhaler as a precaution post-pneumonia. ugh.

the good news is that i had a blast at the gym yesterday. i was shooting for just 15 minutes on an ellipse, but i did 20 (which used to not be much, but i wasnt quite sure what to expect since it’s been so long). i then went to do free weights and while ive obviously lost most of my strength and muscle tone, it was great to lift again. i think sitting in front of a mirror for an hour three times a week really helps a person feel good about their body. i know it at least makes me feel better.

the best part was the fact that the gym has gotten new weights and some new machines in the free-weight room. i dont mean machines in the real sense — i mean like a new leg press with independent suspension for each leg and this *awesome* squat machine. both rely on disk weights (so it’s like a barbell, in a sense), and you therefore know the weight youre lifting (as compared to a nautilus machine, where you basically just get a weight ratio). the leg press with separated legs requires a great deal more coordination and concentration, which is fun. and the squat — let me tell you about the squat machine:

since im a girl and my legs are stronger than my arms, ive never attempted to do weighted squats. i figured my upper body couldnt support enough weight to make a difference to my lower body. but this machine allows you to put weights on bars that are supported by pads on your shoulders. you stand on a slanted platform and are forced to have good position when squatting. im loving it! i *hate* those normal hamstring curl machines and refuse to do them, so this is a good ass and ham workout that i am soon to be obsessed with. yippee!

now i just have to get back into good enough shape that i am not embarassed to go back to step classes. im also a little scared ive forgotten the steps…like around the world, helicopter, mambo, etc. i cant even remember all their names….

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its friday; im exhausted.

besides classes, i went last night to the first hollywood showing of bubba hotep. for those of you not in the know, its the new don coscarelli/bruce campbell movie. both were there to answer questions after the movie. the movie itself is about elvis, old elvis, in a resthome, fighting a mummy. and campbell is elvis. a really good elvis actually.

my boss took me, which made it even cooler. the movie was pretty solid, certainly worth seeing. after the movie, questions asked included: that the cast stand up one by one. i was sitting next to 2 guys, one of whom played one of the undertakers in the movie. question: what about doing an evil dead 4? answer: ‘hm. hm.’ (thoughtful poses by bruce) ‘youd have to convince raimi not to do spiderman 2. and thats real likely, right?’ question: ‘whats your involvment in spiderman 2?’ answer: ‘youd have to ask sam raimi that. and hes sitting right over there!’ (points) yes, raimi, the director of the evils deads and most recently spiderman, was in the audience with me. how cool is that? the egyptian theater is very hip ive decided. last month they had tons of shows celebrating ilm. next month, in march, they are having a double feature of the rock and armageddon, with a talk inbetween with bruckheimer and bay.

so that was my last night.

and then i found out about mr. rogers. john and ray had nice posts about it. im in shock a bit still. john made a good point when he said that mr. rogers wouldnt be there for his children, for them to learn to tie their shoes. does this mean that dear old fred rogers will pass into obscurity, like captain kangeroo, the mickey mouse club and the lone ranger? i dont relate to the childrens programming of the past. will he stop being revelvant? thats so so sad to me. i dont want him to go.

in general i was wondering/worrying the other day that i had become too extroverted, that i had lost my introverted edge. and i dont want to. but then i started paying careful attention to when im alone and what alone time means to me. and i realized: i still wear my walkman all the time. when i go grocery shopping alone, i usually wear it in the store. i spend at least 30 minutes a day walking around campus and i have it on then. when im at work, there are at most 2 people i speak to all day long. i sit in a room by myself. i drive at least an hour each day to get to school (well, at least 20 minutes each way). i spend much of my day therefore, alone. so i probably get all the alone time i need sitting at work, sitting in my car, running my errands. no wonder i like it when john is around. when theres another person in the apartment.

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i wish people posted more. i keep checking throughout the days, over the last few weeks when i have moments to kill. and theres not a steady stream of new material. its only because im having a lot of quick moments throughout the day to check the computer. but still. everyone – update more. i thought goose and/or andrea were going to start posting at some point, but both of them completely fell of the earth. i am hesitant to have anyone who isnt really into the idea start doing it. it makes me sad when people are slow or stop posting. i want to make sure people are ready for the commitment. and it seems they werent. maybe they will prove me wrong. (and chrispy – way to redeem yourself with your lists. a nice format and one i hope you continue.)

he congratulated me on the poll this morning. i have to admit, the question was lindas, not mine. and yes, its doing very well. and maybe ill be less slack about changing them. im also toying with ideas for older links/polls showing up on the page in a semi-random type thing. thoughts?

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here are some links for everyone, while i wait for some video to finish compressing.

caught on film – the bush credibility gap [house.gov]

us diplomat’s letter of resignation

support for bushs reelection falls below 50 (the saddest part is that he is still in teh lead according to the polls. granted he isnt running against anyone, but i sincerely believe that anyone [as long as they are not on his current administration] would be better)

new wtc plan is taller than twin towers

perversion tracker – apparantly worthless software (funny stuff)

i also heard the other day that the us will occupy iraq for a minimum of 2 years by military force after the war. wtf? who decides that? how can we say we are doing it to liberate the people if we are going to rule them through a general we appoint who is a us citizen and has us interests? what the fuck is that? and dont even try to tell me that oil isnt involved at this point. george bush, running that country and owning shitloads of oil…hhhmmmm….fucker. fucker fucker fucker. and the canadian was right – we are bastards.

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whew. alot going on today. on elast (maybe) update.

parents and teachers: mr. rogers neighborhood. it has a really sad/nice video tribute to mr rogers, as well as an address at the bottom of the page for where you can send letters, etc.

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There are seemingly an infinite number of reasons to consider that which passes for television to be utter crap. Sadly, one of the few bright stars in the genre was blotted from our skies today.

As a child, I used to watch Mister Rogers change his shoes and put on that cardigan. As a teen, I’m sure I made fun of that little trolley and talking owl more than once. But now as someone looking through the glass of parenthood, I can see so much more in that seemingly simple show. Held in contrast to what can only be described as the glib crap of today’s television programming, I am saddened. Not only because he is gone, but also because there are no brothers in arms to step forward and take up his mantle.

Fred Rogers, I pray that you rest well. Know that you did wonderful things here.

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Top 5 Reasons to Get excited about a war in Iraq:

5. Saddam Hussein’s Removal – The removal of Saddam Hussein will increase US security and lead to better regional security blah blah blah blah.

4. Easily repurposed radio jingles – Remember all the great knockoffs that wacky morning DJ’s were playing in 1991? This was a veritable golden age in radio comedy. My personal favorites were “Blame it on Hussein (for the price of gas)” and ” (Bomb) Iraq around the Clock.” Like all great works of art they’ll be as relevant today as the day they were made.

3. Paraphernalia - Some more life out of all the flags that we spent so much money on last year. (Sorry Tripp).

2. Cheaper gas and oil in the long term – A future stable Iraqi government freed from sanctions will be able to pump all the liquid black goodness and out of the ground into cars, furnaces, and power plants around the world making things a little bit easier on all of us.*

1. Better TV – Am I the only person sick of all these second rate reality shows? The first Gulf War stands out in my mind as some of the best TV I’ve ever seen. It was like a James Bond Marathon on steriods. I faked being sick for a week so I could stay glued to CNN and watch all the crazy war gadgets that had so captured my twisted adolescent imagination spring to life.

Plus we had great personalities. From the unflappable correspondants in Baghdad to the brilliant and effusive leaders of the coalition soldiers it was top flight stuff. Unfortunately the sequel won’t feature the conflicts biggest star, Stormin’ Norman, but I have high hopes that General Tommy Franks will hold down the lead role with the measured aplomb that we’ve come to expect from those that supply the narration to the killer gun camera footage we all crave.

*This is of course provided that goofy bastard with the ugly mustache doesn’t torch the fields before he takes a cruise missle up the ass

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check out CMJ’s fumble…

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and as for mike’s slate hipster article: im wondering if perhaps my initial post was a little too serious. *my* hipster handbook has landed in the the bathroom, alongside the us constitution and the communist manifesto (lisa’s picks). and the lingo is TOTALLY made-up! who the f would use the words ‘deck’ and ‘fin’ seriously? i only have one friend who uses abbreviations for the real thing, and she certainly isnt trying to be hip. and i love that the fan (richmond) and the ‘u st district’ (dc) are being termed ‘hipster’ areas. um, richmond is like, the most conservative place ever. and no one even calls it the ‘u st district’… if anything, it’s just ‘u st’ and it isnt really a ‘district’ …

i just think it’s great that this thing is getting press. i had a book when i was little called ‘how to be a valley girl’ that my mom bought for me at a yard sale. it also had a dictionary, potential ‘valley’ jobs, and a wardrobe. i just think books like this are fun b/c you always have something with which you can identify, even though youre probably never as extreme as the stereotype. and the hipster book i find especially funny b/c i had never thought to classify the ‘PoMo’ people (aka: postmoderns).

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