| Having your own place is nice but... |
[27 Oct 2008|10:54pm] |
Let's just real quick tally up why I love my apartment.
1) Cockroaches. Granted, it's getting better, now I only see 15-20 per night. My landlady came by to see how many roaches I was getting during the night to make sure I wasn't lying. She had a hard time with math, but I explained to her that we were seeing one roach about every 5 minutes, which is absurd. I realize other people have worse roach problems, but my apartment is clean. What the fuck?
2) Prostitutes. I realize a girl's got to work, but I'm sorry, I work during the day, and no matter how bad you want a goddamn cigarette, yelling about it at 3 AM is only going to get the cops called on you and I can almost guarantee that they will not give you a cigarette. Just stop screaming about nothing early in the morning. Some of us like to sleep for the full 6 hours we have off.
3) Homicide. This is the kicker really. I suppose this sort of thing could (and does) happen anywhere. I also realize that this is the first homicide that I'm aware of within a block of me. That doesn't change the fact that I don't appreciate having heard someone die outside my window this morning. I don't care how often or how many animals/people you encounter dying. You cannot go fully numb to it and still remain human.
That was at about 7:30 this morning. At 9, the cops knocked on my door and made me feel guilty for not looking out the window. Really though, if I looked out the window every time I heard a struggle, I would never get anything done. From what I've heard, some guy killed his wife. That's fucked up. Just get a fucking divorce. And stop killing people within a couple hundred feet of my window. I like feeling safe. I do not like feeling vulnerable and I do not like not being able to help someone. Those 2 things are almost completely incompatible. There is nothing I could have done without risking my own life even if I had looked out the window, and not looking out the window gave me a sense of relative security, not realizing how serious is was, until I looked out the window and saw 10 cop cars and 4 detectives.
8 more months on the lease. Let's at least hope the cockroaches are gone before then.
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[16 Nov 2007|09:11pm] |
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Seriously Macalester. Learn how to protest.
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[20 Oct 2007|08:18pm] |
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I'm going to fight all of my common sense and do Nano again this year. Who has plot ideas for me?
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[07 Sep 2007|04:32pm] |
It's official. I know why my clothes wont dry. The wash cycle is longer than the dry by a few minutes. The full drying cycle lasts only 35 minutes. I had a hard enough time getting things to dry in 45 minutes in the dorms, but 35? That's just absurd.
I can line dry my clothes this time of year, but what happens when it's winter? I don't want to spend $1.50 every time I dry my clothes.
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| So a freeway fell into the Mississippi, in case you haven't heard |
[01 Aug 2007|07:38pm] |
My mother is either really impressive or really creepy. I got a frantic call from her asking if I was alive. Now I don't normally drop dead, so I figured something had to be up. Sure enough she starts going on about a bridge collapsing out here and asks me why I didn't call yet.
"What bridge collapse, Mom?"
"The Minneapolis Bridge."
"Which one? There is a giant river running through my city. We have a lot of bridges."
"The Minneapolis Bridge."
"Thats not a bridge."
So I'm looking online for stories about it and I can't find anything. I tried CNN and then I tried our local news station. They had a story up. Turns out a freeway collapsed into the river. Then I go back to CNN and they had just posted it, which pretty much means that my mother is compulsively watching Minnesota news.
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[28 Jul 2007|03:13pm] |
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I got a $10 tip at the hardware store today for assembling a fan.
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| This is just comical |
[30 May 2007|10:26pm] |
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My brother got a police report for the accident today. Apparently he didn't remember that night so well. He is charged with a DUI, so that's bad news for him. The story gets really great though once you get down to the details. Apparently after crashing into a telephone pole in his car, he got out and ran on foot straight into another telephone pole. Fucking brilliant.
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[29 May 2007|09:51pm] |
Ok ok, so today might be the best day ever. I went to work early and actually had things to do, so when I was done with that at 2:30ish. Then I went to Har Mar to meet hedgehogs! Apparently I could get one with everything I need for a fairly reasonable price. I was playing with them, and they're prickly little fucks. I mean, I guess I knew that but still. The pet store guy walks away and I'm trying to get the hedgie to roll over and be cute and the fucker bites me! And they don't just bite and let go; they clamp and gnaw. I used my alligator fending off tactics to get her off and it worked. I'll probably get one for real over the weekend.
Then I went to Target tonight. That was fine. On the way back, there was this cute little girl with her parents at the bus stop. She kept making animal noises at me so I made them back until her parents made her stop. Then I got off the bus and as I was walking back, some St. Thomas boys threw a water balloon at me. I ran up to their window angrily and told them "This time it's a warning. Next time it's your window." They left and it was fantastic. The look on their face was priceless.
Then as I continue walking, it starts pouring. Like raining so hard that there is no point in me taking out my umbrella because, oops, I'm already soaked. I walked the rest of the way home in the pouring rain. The boys drove by again and honked, but they waited to honk until after they were past me. It was cute. So now I have a new necklace, and some more plates, and sunglasses that aren't scratched.
I'm really excited for my hedgehog. It's name will be perigalacticon. Maybe Pokey or Prickle for short (not obscure Gumby references, really)
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| Why I love my capstone already |
[28 May 2007|12:27am] |
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I just figured out why kids like me and learn from me. I treat them like equals, because throughout most of my teaching, they have been. I started learning astronomy at 11, and I felt like a grasped a ton of it then. Why shouldn't a 6 year old get it too? I wasn't a particularly bright 11 year old - just a motivated one.
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[21 May 2007|10:48pm] |
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 accomplished |
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International Sidewalk Astronomy Night appears to have gone really well. Everyone who has e-mailed me back said they had a great time and the lowest turn out I've seen was 30 people and even that isn't all that bad. Some had as many as 300+ people show up. It's really impressive to me that we made an event this big with a staff that is so small. I had one guy tell me to thank everyone in my department (right, we have enough people for departments) and one guy relayed a message through another guy, I guess because that club is big enough that they can do that. I don't think anyone really realizes that ISAN was made up by a regular guy in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and organized by a college student, a flower shop owner, and a monk. I'm so glad it was so well received and it really got sidewalk out there.
In other news, I'm the outreach coordinator for an organization that doesn't like me, I'm working 60 hour work weeks, and I just finally pretty much finished moving into my new room. Life is actually pretty good right now.
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[29 Apr 2007|10:16pm] |
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My brother was in a pretty bad car accident. He slammed straight into a pole while driving drunk, uninsured, and without a seatbelt. His car is beyond totaled and there is blood all over it. He broke his windshield with his left temple and has 17 stitches in his face now. He fractured his jaw in 3 places. He was charged with a DUI, again. He needs to cut that shit out. At least he only hurt himself and not anyone else. Maybe this time, since it's the first accident he's ever been injured in, it'll wake him up. My brother looks kind of like Rocky after he gets all fucked up. It's pretty bad. He'll be ok though, and this might just be good for him.
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[28 Apr 2007|11:44pm] |
Sometimes my life is really shitty and stressful. I bring it on myself for the most part.
But sometimes it is damn rewarding, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I think the highs really do cancel out the lows, and then some, even if I just get excited for small victories.
Current reason:
I just got an e-mail from someone whose dad forwarded my e-mail to her. She's setting up a telescope at a 24 hour Cancer Society relay. I can't think of a better place for it really, and she's so excited about. Even though I know she wont, I hope she changes the world, or at least gives a few people some hope.
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[13 Apr 2007|09:11pm] |
I was talking to Donna today, mostly just complaining about how now I'm getting a little disillusioned with astronomy and my own abilities as a person. This really stems from my internship, where the graphic design lady has been making me feel like an idiot lately and I hate going down to talk to her. I wish I had more rules so that I could stop making mistakes, or that they would give me more control over everything, so that nothing I do is a mistake.
Anyway, point of the story is, she made me feel a lot better. She put International Sidewalk Astronomy Night to me in a way I'd never thought of it before. 4 months ago, we conceived of the idea. 2 months ago we actually put it into action. 1 month from now, we will have coordinated and successfully executed a worldwide public service astronomy event, with over 1000 participants. The numbers look low on the website, but it turns out each club has about 8-10 people going out. We're actually accomplishing it.
Even so, I'm still worried about next week. While I've certainly helped plan and worked at astronomy events for 10 years, I've never been fully in charge of something big before. A-day at the Science Museum is big. It's listed on their website, and I don't know how many visitors they normally get on Fridays, but I know it's a lot. The Minnesota Astronomical Society is hardly helping. I'm recruiting volunteers too, so you know, if you want to help, I'm totally open to that. I've also never built a telescope in a day without John Dobson before. I mean, I taught a telescope building class, but they all ignored me. I've also spent a lot of money on this already, and I have to spend more. It's ok though. If I pull it off without too many problems, that'll make me feel so much better. I've been in a weird funk lately, and success is what I need to get out of it.
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[12 Apr 2007|12:04pm] |
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These past couple of weeks have made me realize that my biggest problem with both Macalester and especially the Twin Cities is the boys. They've just been failing lately, one way or another. I wish they'd try just a little harder.
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| Sometimes my family is ok |
[08 Apr 2007|09:09pm] |
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Today my mom wanted to go birding, so my brother and I took her to Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet. While we were there, we found a cemetary with big awesome gravestones in it. My brother and I discussed wanting to go smoke in there, and my mom overheard us and decided it was a great idea. Then she sees this fence and claims she can wriggle through under it, so she does and we followed. My brother had to literally kick my mom's ass to get her to fit underneath the fence. It was really absurd. Then we sat up on top of some gravestones and smoked a bowl as a family. The end.
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| I hate the cold! |
[04 Apr 2007|02:40pm] |
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 freezing, literally |
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The past 24 hours have made me hate Minnesota more than I usually do during winter. Keep in mind that it's April.
Yesterday I went out to do my laundry. That's fine. I only had a tank top and shorts since literally everything else I owned was dirty. It was raining. Still fine. On the way back, my laundry basket was collecting ice pellets. Not ok.
Then it snowed. Just lightly, so I was angry, but accepting. Then I went to work and had to move rod iron benches out of the heavy snow that was falling. We didn't even get quite an inch of accumulation, but that's because most of the early snow melted since it was still above freezing. I don't want the ground to be white in early April. Really.
Then this morning, I woke up at 7 to go to my internship as usual, and since it snowed yesterday, I decided to check the weather. 17 feels like 2. I needed long underwear in April.
Fuck Minnesota.
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[28 Mar 2007|12:42am] |
Today I worked 18.5 hours. I have to be up again in 6.
At least my coworkers are fucking awesome.
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[22 Mar 2007|11:19pm] |
Quote from the managing director of my astronomy club, in regards to how to promote astronomy:
"We could make a reality tv show. Someone is trying to set up their telescope and do some observing, and someone is wandering around looking for... natural stuff, and then someone is bitching because there isn't a sauna"
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[20 Mar 2007|02:44pm] |
I had some trouble with the telescope thinking we were in Colorado last night, but apparently Brian fixed it. At least it didn't go all exorcist on me.
The next month of my life will quite possibly determine the next few years of it. I find out in a few days which summer job I'm taking (it's really nice to be in demand) and that determines my housing situation for the next year. The schedule of classes comes out on April 2, and that will determine if I can graduate a year early for real. My capstone should be approved within the next month, and I'm already working through the preliminary stages of it. Astronomy Day in the Twin Cities (April 20/21) and International Sidewalk Astronomy Night (May 19) have potential to impact my life greatly, giving me job experience and, for the latter, possibly large scale recognition. I'm also writing an astronomy outreach handbook this summer, and if I can get that published, thats another huge step.
I don't feel like I'm old enough, smart enough, or capable enough to be doing all these things right now. I'm sort of floundering in my own abilities. I'm getting everything done, but I'm worried that maybe I am losing out on being a kid. I still do have fun but I'm just worried that I'm missing something by being too career oriented and too sure of my path. I guess other people would kill to be in my position, but I'm not so sure that it's worth it.
Regardless, the rest of my life has been fairly standard. I've got bus stop homeless friends in downtown St. Paul. Yesterday my conversation with 2 new guys was interrupted by hugs from a few others. They're all nice guys, if not a little out there, and it's nice to have people watching my back in multiple cities.
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| SB '07 |
[18 Mar 2007|12:04pm] |
Atlanta was amazing. I had the most spring breaky spring break ever. I spent most of it drinking, smoking, and having sex.
Highlights:
Savannah
3 chamber bong made out of Gatorade bottles, tape, silly putty, and tubing
Sneaking into 4 bars
21 orgasms in one night (+ 2 nights)
Geology/dorking out hardcore
I had a great time, now I just have to figure out what I'm doing about that boy.
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| SNOW DAY |
[02 Mar 2007|06:47am] |
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This series of 2 snowstorms has ended up being fantastic. I went sledding with that boy which was fun, and then on Wednesday night, Korey and the crew had a snowball fight/sledding for her birthday. It was so much fun, even though I briefly lost my keys. I helped make a snowman sort of, which was another winter first. Last night, I had to shovel the walk at work and the owner thought it was funny that I had no idea what shoveling was, and tried to make me feel better about myself after he made fun of me a lot. It was funny.
I also got to play pushball yesterday which was surprisingly fun and they gave me a pin for it. Basically, you have a really big inflated ball (not like workout big but like that diameter times at least 2 which is huge) and you start at opposite sides ad run to the center and try to push the ball over the opposite teams side. It's pretty violent. My entire body hurts. Some kids got trapped under the ball which was actually dangerous and many more kids just got trampled other ways. There were many times when I was pinned between 2 people pushing and my feet were lifted off the ground. My lungs didn't appreciate that. Korey's boyfriend ended up on top of the ball, which was pretty funny. We got pins for participating.
The best part of all of this is the school cancellations though. Yesterday I didn't have to go to work because campus closed at 2:30 (which means I have a shit ton of bagels in my room. Please come eat them.) I woke up early today, meaning my body is hardcore conditioned to wake up at 6:45, and we have a snow day! No geology midterm, no creepy creepy soc prof, more time for sleeping, showering, homework doing, trouble making, etc.
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[26 Feb 2007|04:40pm] |
Most miserable part of today: trudging through thigh deep piles of snow to get on and off buses. Other than that, and a crazy hectic schedule, life isn't too bad.
I lost my sledding virginity on Saturday night and slept over at Will's which was lovely. He has these crazy color changing fish and his house is a lot neater than mine. He just needs to date me already.
Also, International Sidewalk Astronomy Day is May 19th, so if you have a telescope or know anyone who does, tell them to get out on the sidewalks with it that night. Also, preferably let us know about it too, because we want to know how successful the event is.
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| Best possible solution |
[08 Feb 2007|10:14pm] |
After an accidental flirting with Keith, I felt pretty shitty, but I feel a little better now.
He sent me an e-mail asking me to more clearly state the reasons why he was dumped so that he could work on getting over it better and grow as a person. That works out perfectly. I was really afraid that the e-mail would be some crazy rant about how he still loves me and thinks I want him, but it was actually quite possibly the best e-mail I could have received.
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[06 Feb 2007|03:22pm] |
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All that excessive volunteering that everyone thought I was crazy for is turning out to have been the best career move I ever made. Boom shakalaka.
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| Fuck Minnesota |
[01 Feb 2007|12:08am] |
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2 reasons why it's too damn cold here:
Saturday's high is expected to be -3, before wind chill (13mph winds forecasted that day)
I'm excited that it's snowing because that means it warmed up
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[28 Jan 2007|09:13pm] |
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I broke up with Keith. I don't know how maturely it will be handled in the future, even though I tried to be as diplomatic as possible. I hope things turn out alright.
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| He's like a neon green puzzle piece in a dalmation jigsaw puzzle, but weirder |
[28 Jan 2007|04:25pm] |
My boyfriends must all feel as though they have to outdo the ridiculousness of the last one. Case in point, the current (soon to be ex) boyfriend climbed out my window Friday night. He's my boss, and a coworker had arrived while we were in my room so he didn't want to be seen, but seriously, climbing out a window? He could have just walked out of my room and I'm sure no one would have noticed. Also, he could have told me he was going to climb out my window, instead of calling me after the fact to tell me to latch it.
Seriously, what the fuck?
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[17 Jan 2007|12:53pm] |
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It snowed in Santa Clarita today around the 14.
For the out of staters: it snowed in L.A. for the first time in 18 years. I get to bitch about the cold.
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[16 Jan 2007|04:47pm] |
Today at work was strange, as usual I suppose. The highlight of the day was when a man with a handlebar moustache, black leather pants that were laced up on the sides, and a shirt that said "Everything Louder Than Everything Else", marking him officially a heavy metal man. He proceeded to ignore everyone and stare intently at the ceiling, all but running around from place to place. We decided he was either a plumber or an electricial, but talk about unconventional dress. How was he even capable of moving in tight leather pants? Weird ass motherfucker.
Last night I went shooting and my brother gave me the targets, so they will be on display somewhere in my dorm room, since it seems like an appropriate place for them
Pepsi guy asked me out on another date today. After KFC, I don't think I want to try again, but free food is always preferable to food I have to pay for, so we'll see. THat led all of the bread guys to ask me out and I think we decided that Augy will treat us all to dinner at Red Lobster, except that he wont. Frank thought Augy was married, but apparently he's seperated. His kid is turning 11 on Saturday. I do love my boys.
Keith really wants to buy me a bathrobe and I think that's a creepy gift for 2 months of a relationship, but whatevs. I think he and I need to have a talk about perceptions of the relationship because I'm fairly certain he thinks it's a lot more serious than I do and I think we at least need an understanding of that.
Matt and I got in another fight today because I have no desire to see him and that upsets him. Why do I keep dating these guys that have no motivation? Ugh.
Tonight it's off to the movies which will be fun. Only a couple more days until I switch realities.
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[12 Jan 2007|06:38pm] |
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You know what I do when I have a day off work?
Different work.
In better news, I got a call about the Science Museum internship I applied for. I have an interview on the 22nd. I'm super excited.
I visited the Observatory. I was ridiculous about it too. I got dressed up for it and Keith can vouch for how giddy I was that I was going. I almost cried on the way up there and when I was there it was just this crazy huge moment of awe at it. I love the new observatory. It's so fucking cool. I was really overcome by how much that place meant to me. I guess 5 years without it is a lot of what did me in motivationally. I just want to do things now. I really want to get everything in order so that I can do that for the rest of my life.
I also had a realization that I don't know how to feel about. I distinctly remember how I felt the day the doors closed for renovation. I was there for the closing ceremony, standing on the steps, practically in tears that they were taking away my observatory until after I left for college. I knew I wouldn't have it as a refuge during high school and I knew I'd want it. (I like to think that maybe if I still had the observatory around, I would have liked my life in general a lot more in high school). I can remember a lot of my general attitudes towards things, and I've definitely grown up a little and I've had more than my share of life altering experiences, but I'm still basically the same kid. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I like who I am, but this is the time in my life that I am supposed to be changing the most. All that changed is that I'm a little more jaded.
I'm getting my drive back though, just in time for the schedule from hell. Next semester, if things go as planned, I'll be working 2 jobs and an internship and going to school full time. Fuck.
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