blaaaaah

[brigdh]

Things I have due in the next week:
As soon as possible: two applications for funding for a student group, applications for summer field schools, applications for study abroad
Tomorrow- Work 6 hours
Monday- Fifteen minute presentation on Everyman
Tuesday- ~200 pages of reading
Wednesday- 2 page paper, test
Thursday- Half hour presentation on original research on the origin of state-level societies in the Indus River Valley
Friday- 10 page paper, test, work 6 hours
Sturday- Work 6 hours
Monday- Final exam, 20 page paper


...I want it to be the 15th already.


Actually, no. What I want is to be distracted. Why isn't there a meme like that going around now? I'll make one up: tell me something interesting about yourself. What's the latest cool thing you read/watched/heard? What's the deep spiritual crisis you can't get out of your mind this week? What's something neat you learned lately? What's a topic you want to talk about? Just... tell me something. Anything. Oh, or ask me something! Something random and weird. I promise to tell the truth.

About the frienditto thing: In case anyone was worried, I haven't done it. I hadn't even heard about it until people started posting warnings.

However, as you've probably noticed, I rarely use friendslock. I think I've locked four posts ever (If anyone's actually been paranoid enough to hunt through my archive and look for locked posts, I do have a lot of private posts. But that's from when I've transferred files from one computer to another and forgot to delete it afterwards.). And those were locked more out of politeness than a desire to keep things secret.

Still, the whole thing is rude and back-stabbing. If you wouldn't gossip about things told to you in confidence, why would you do this?

Comments

[chiasmus.livejournal.com]

Did you know the whole world is a soya bean field? (This is what I learned from flipping through a quote book.)

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

No, I didn't. Is it really? What's that even mean?

And what's a soya bean? *grins*

[chiasmus.livejournal.com]

I don't know, but that's what the quote told me (and it was soya bean, not soy bean, so), and it amused me enough that I went around asking the people I know if they knew this too.

This may have something to do with my recent lack of sleeping.

[b-hallward.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Okay. A useless fact. The King James translation of "vanity" in Ecclesiastes 1:2 is actually a too direct translation of the latin word 'vanitas,' which traces back etymologically to 'vanus' whose most basic meaning is "empty." Hence the more modern translation of "Everything is meaningless." Does boredom count as a distraction?

And random: If you were a cocktail, would you rather be a martini, an old fashioned or a manhatten?

[catiechu.livejournal.com]

.. I have a video clip of Gerard Butler (the phantom in Phantom of the Opera) dancing to Franz Ferdinand, if that would help.

Also, can't rec many books as of now, except the ones I read last year.. Hmm.. Memoirs of a Geisha, Generation X, and Running With Scissors. And I can't rec any music right now because I'm sick of music at the moment, except for French music, it seems. And The New Pornographers, but only one of their songs.

Haven't really done anything cool lately unless I posted about it in my LJ. I've mostly just been a wreck these past few weeks. Right now, I'm waiting to eat breakfast.

Actually, did you see my post about the square watermelons?

[ashoka.livejournal.com]

Hm, well, I'm learning the guitar. Chords are hard. :( When I need a break for my fingers, I'm reading 'Men in Black,' or how the Supreme Court is destroying the United States (OMG!!!111). I occasionally have to put it down and kick the wall out of sheer frustration.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Sheh, sleep. Who has time for that?

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hey, that's kinda cool. It seems so nihilistic for the Bible.

Hmmm. Since I've never had any of those drinks (I have an tolerance for alcohol that makes Hisoka look like a heavy weight and also I'm, um, not exactly of legal age yet, so my drinking's been confined to what people have in their homes), I'll say manhatten. Because New York, yay!

[mistressrenet.livejournal.com]

I finally am reading a book again, and to my shock it's David Gemmel, a fantasy author my husband loves who I've always found quite boring. This book's almost Saiyuki-ish in its use of not-quite-reincarnation, and I've found it lots of fun.

I want a book of my own to read, though.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hey, I've read Memoirs of a Geisha! Did you hear they're making a movie out of it?

Haven't read the others, though. I'll have to check them out.

And no, I didn't- square watermelons? How'd I miss that? Link me!

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

My brother plays the guitar! He only knows how to play a few songs though, so it's not very impressive.

Hee. Poor wall.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

David Gemmel sounds vaguely familiar. I think I might have read one or two of his books, but I can't remember which ones.

If you want a recommendation, you should definitely try The Winter Prince by Elizabeth Wein. It's a retelling of the King Arthur story from Mordred's point of view, and oh, it's so dark and painful and good. I just finished it a day or two ago, and it's amazing.

[cyne-dias.livejournal.com]

Are you aware of this article? (http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7077)

Headlined 'Maximum pain is aim of new US weapon'. *facepalm* I don't even know why I'm bothering you with this link, I just saw this recently in my f-list, and had a 'wtf?' moment. So er, I apologize.

I'll just ask you if you've read Ian McEwan then.

[luckygohappy115.livejournal.com]

Soya beans are the same as soybeans... it's a regional thing

[shes-unreal.livejournal.com]

I'm uh, stupid obsessive about bellydancing?

And my instructor ranted at me and mzwyndi for almost an hour after class Thursday about how she's been losing sleep over the whole OSU belly dance club idea because it has the potential to fuck up the business for all the teachers in town? And there's 11 teachers, which is crazy?

Oh and I'm almost done with Stephen King's Insomnia and it is soooooo gooooood.

[mistressrenet.livejournal.com]

Gemmel tends to have aging heroes going up against incredible odds, in a high fantasy world that may or may not be post-Apocalypse earth.

Oh, that does sound good. Thanks for the rec.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

God. Not bothering- not at all. That's a terryifing link. I don't think I trust our military- any military- with a weapon like that.

I haven't read him, but my roommate read 'The Cement Garden' for a class, and she told me all about it. Do you like him? Would you rec him?

[nettlecoats.livejournal.com]

Humans and pilot whales are the only two species on earth that have menopause. I will experience menopause at the age of 52. Mary's transformation into a virgin because of a Greek mistranslation will never cease to amaze me. Also, I read all 58 chapters of Death Note in the last few days, and must now pay the price for my frivolity in blood. Sort of. O finals week, how little I've missed you. ;p

Study abroad? Does that mean you don't have to apply for it a year ahead of time like we do?

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, bellydancing. ^^

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Dude, those are some cool facts. And I only knew one of them! ;)


This is study for just the second semester of next year, rather than a whole year, so it's almost a year ahead- but no, we don't. The best, cheapest programs have earlier deadlines, but they'll at least try to accommadate you no matter how late you decide to do it.

[cyne-dias.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, you don't have to. I think the link just works for one of your more sardonic moods.

Eheheh- I haven't read him too, but a friend recced him to me- particularly 'Atonement', and I was just looking for other people who might've read him. ^^;

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Well, my roommate didn't like 'The Cement Garden', but that's just because there was a lot of incest in it, and she was squicked out. I don't know how she felt about the actual writing.

[nettlecoats.livejournal.com]

Heh, I just keep tripping over the one and saying "Oh, really? Really? How can there be Madonna/whore complexes if the Madonna..." Er, yes. And yay, my school isn't being utterly ridiculous about their requirements then... though we still only have about twelve slots for 900 undergrads...

What little moral support I can offer on the finals deathload, I give. *hugs* It always gets over somehow...

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hee! Yes. And people get so very defensive about it; they can't believe two thousand years of theology could be the result of a mistranslation.

And *hugs* for your finals, too. I'm sure you're enjoying them just as much as I am. ;)