http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:aethele&section=today deviantART RSS for by:aethele en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:04:32 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/10903834/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/10903834/ Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:17:14 PST
If anybody is looking for gift ideas or feeling generous over the holidays, please think about donating to FINCA, International at [link] No, I'm not cool enough to figure out how to make it a nice shiny link.

Anyway, it's a really good organization that works with communities in third-world areas to set up locally-run banks that do small, short-term loans. It usually goes into places that commercial banks won't touch because the people there have very little collateral and are mainly just at a subsistence level, and provides small loans of $50-$150 for them to get set up with what they need for a marketable trade, like livestock for farmers, a sewing machine for somebody who hand-sews clothes, or a refrigerator for somebody who sells fresh produce.

Historically, microlending works better than almost any other kind of charity because it creates income potential for the future. The community banks are run by members of the community, who start with a certain amount to lend, and actually set up institutions with interest-bearing accounts for people in their communities and can continue to make loans on their own as others are repaid. The repayment rate is as good or better than commercial banks, about 97%, even in war-torn areas like Haiti and Afghanistan.

If you know anybody socially-conscious who would appreciate a gift like this, I hope you'll look into it. Happy holidays!

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/10378225/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/10378225/ Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:29:51 PDT
(I know, the first post I make in like two weeks and it's about a bagel. Deal )

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/10142147/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/10142147/ Thu, 21 Sep 2006 11:54:03 PDT .


1. Do you like animals?
I love them all, fluffy or scaly or slimy or anything else.

2. Have you ever met an online friend in person?
You know, I actually don't think I have. There are some people I've sort of tangentially talked to online before we met in person, but it was always that we were talking online -because- we were going to be part of some sort of class or group or something together.

3. Are you athletic?
Er, no. I am somewhat in shape from walking and such, but I really hate exercising unless it's something fun like dancing.

4. Are you: thin, fat, athleticlly built etc:
About medium, I'd say.

5. How much do you weigh?
135 or so.

6. What's your height?
5'4"

7. Shoe size?
8

8. Girls- are you tomboyish, girly, normal, etc?
Depends on the day and my mood and the phase of the moon.

9. Guys- Are you girly, or guyish?

10. How old are you?
23

11. When's your birthday?
May 7th

12. Do you like to receive giftart?
What's giftart? Like, art people have created for me? I would love that, if that's what it is, but I've never gotten such a thing. Maybe I'm missing something though.

13. Are you sociable?
Among people I'm very close to, yes. Among big groups of people, not really.

14. Do you have many friends?
Average, I suppose. I have a hard time getting close to people at first.

15. What's your race?
Polish Jew, yo. (I recently found this out -- I'm adopted so I didn't know for the longest time. I suppose 'European mutt' would probably be more correct, but it amuses me and my Jewish friends more the other way)

16. Do you like to talk on the phone?
Sometimes.

17. Are you single or taken?
Taken.

18. Do you eat meat?
I do, but not that often.

19. Are you paranoid?
Nope. Should I be?

20. Do you read a lot?
I used to read an obsessive, ridiculous amount. Now I still read some, but not as much as I'd like.

21. Do you listen to music, what kind?
Lately I've been on a blues/crooners kick (mmm Ella) but I like everything from chamber music to rap. I don't know that much about music though.

22. Do you play any instruments?
I played the flute for many years, and I used to be passable on the piano. I'd love to learn the guitar, though.

23. How long have you been drawing?
Yikes, no. My creativity comes entirely through words, and is pretty limited at that.

24.Whats the meaning of life?
Finding the meaning of life. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9687692/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9687692/ Fri, 11 Aug 2006 07:26:11 PDT
There's some construction going on at work on my floor, and they laid out this plastic wrap stuff that sticks to the carpet in the halls, so theoretically they can roll equipment in and out without messing up the carpet.

So, I walk up there today, coffee in one hand and a bowl of cereal in the other, hit the plastic stuff, and after a couple of steps my heel (which granted is pretty thin and spiky today) gets caught in the plastic and I go down in a heap with coffee and milk and cheerios -everywhere-. So embarrassing :-/.

On the bright side, I fell forward and all the food and shit spilled outward, so my clothes are (shockingly) ok. I suppose it could be worse.... I'm going straight to a wedding reception, and going with enormous coffee stains all over is not my idea of a good time. Especially considering it's a mormon wedding and they all think drinking coffee is a sin . But wow, I've only been out of training and upstairs for a week and I had to go and be a klutz in front of like 20 people.... sigh. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9646093/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9646093/ Tue, 08 Aug 2006 10:59:40 PDT .

Now I log on after being away for like three days, and dA looks all funny!! Appearance changes like that annoy me to a ridiculous degree, I have no idea why. Usually I'm pretty laid back and change doesn't bother me out too much, but for some reason I -hate- when things change the way they look. When I got my new computer, the first thing I did wasn't to play around with all the new fun things, it was to go through and make sure my background and skins and desktop looked just right and everything was in the right spot before I even touched anything else. Same thing when I switched to zmud for achaea.... I -hated- it until I made the colors and font the same as Nexus . Silly me. But I really don't like this new dA look!! It's all.... big and bulgy and you can't see everything at once. Sniffle.

But anyway, no more whining. Hope you are all having a good day! ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9585427/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9585427/ Thu, 03 Aug 2006 08:15:45 PDT
Tony: thanks. you rule!....for a chick.hah.

Me: Heh. You rule too..... for a dick

Tony: When you say means things like that you're really not being part of my helping tree.

Me:
``_/\_
`_//|\\_
/`||``||`\
```| |

This is your helping tree.

\ - _ _
== | - - - - >
/ - - ~ ~

This is me cutting down your helping tree.

Ha!


Tony: your negative energy is hurting my inner child. i hope you're happy, you've now emotionally crippled me for life with your awful cutting down of my helping tree. consider yourself banished forever from my group hug circle as well. bleh.

edit: There's more!

Me: The shame! The horror! No group hug circle?!?

How could you stoop so low....

Tony: im sorry you had to have such a harsh lesson brought on you but its the only way youll learn. perhaps in the future you will nuture my inner child a little more and cause him to hang himself a little less. however, i am willing to put you on group hug probation for now. one more cruel barb though and you may find yourself sorely lacking in group hugs or any other signs of endearment. remember, only YOU can prevent inner child suicide.

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9551040/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9551040/ Mon, 31 Jul 2006 06:57:53 PDT SeraphicSatyr told me to check out the Daily Dose (at least I think that's the one he mentioned....). Silly me, I'd been once in high school and didn't think it was that great so I didn't give it a try until last night. I was sooooo wrong, it rocks. Yay! It's locally-owned with great coffee, wireless internet, and a really fun atmosphere with live music some nights. I foresee spending a -lot- of time there in the future.....

I still don't like living at home, but I'm starting to get into a routine with people around here and good places to go so hopefully it won't be too bad. Now that most of my friends have moved back here from Lawrence we're doing a lot more (which is good, I was going crazy sitting at home all the time).

Other than that my weekend wasn't so bad. It consisted almost entirely of Achaea, but there are definitely worse things to do . Andy and his parents abandoned me for a family reunion at a lake they visit every summer (well, it's more fair to say I abandoned them; I was going to go but couldn't get the time off work). Hopefully we're going to go out for dinner or something tonight when they get back though, so that'll be fun.

Yawn.... I foresee that this day will go on forever. Happy Monday...... ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9511915/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9511915/ Thu, 27 Jul 2006 13:14:30 PDT
One bright spot though.... somebody who answers emails upstairs got this today and thought it was so funny she sent it around to all of us.

Dear JP Morgan,

I need a new access code because I threw mine away last year because I didn't want a 401(k). I'd rather spend the money on beer. Well, maybe beef jerky. But definitely beer. Now my wife wants to retire to Hawaii and she says I'm too fat to drink beer. Please help me set my account up, thank you.



I'm getting my hair cut and going out for drinks with some friends tonight, maybe that will improve my mood. I think I'll buy new shoes, too.... that would be very bad of me..... but mmm, shoes.

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9478224/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9478224/ Mon, 24 Jul 2006 11:33:03 PDT "One thing there's no getting by --
I've been a wicked girl," said I:
"But if I can't be sorry, why,
I might as well be glad!"

I spent waaaaay too much money shopping this weekend..... it was fabulous. This is the first time in my life I've had the money to be really indulgent. I'm sure it'll go away soon enough when I move out and add rent on top of my other bills, but for now, I am going to enjoy my paycheck. Especially considering I've been dirt-poor for so long that my definition of being 'really indulgent' does not take that much money .

This was a great weekend, even aside from the awesome clothes. The weather has been disgusting, over 100 degrees all of last week. Twice we had the hottest heat index in the country..... ugh. By some miracle though, a cold front came through and Saturday was a gorgeous 75 degrees, so Andy and I met up in Lawrence and wandered around the KU campus all afternoon. It was one of those summer days that you only get a few times a season, where everything is green and gold and the air seems to swirl warm and cool all at once. Laying on the grass under a tree felt like heaven, I could have stayed there for days.

See, this is what weekends are supposed to be like.... if they were all this long and relaxing, work would seem much nicer .

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9413770/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9413770/ Tue, 18 Jul 2006 07:50:00 PDT
So, a game!

Tell me if you want a poem, and I will find you one that I think fits you (to the extent that I know you, of course). I make no guarantees! My poetry knowledge is scattered at best and almost entirely British. However this is much more amusing than sitting here doing nothing.

Here is my poem for me (today, anyway):

Go and Catch a Falling Star (Donne)
GO and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the devil's foot,
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging,
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.

The rest of this poem really doesn't fit at all, and I'm ignoring it. My apologies to Mr. Donne.

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9376226/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9376226/ Fri, 14 Jul 2006 13:54:43 PDT Hope is a tattered flag and a dream of time. Hope is a heartspun word, the rainbow, the shadblow in white

(Carl Sandburg)

I am feeling philosophical today, so skip it if you don't want the buzz-kill.....

I was talking to some coworkers at lunch today about churches they go to and things and a few of us ended up getting pretty deep into it. One person made the comment that even if his faith is not correct, he believes it because he can't handle living in a world without a God. I've heard other people make comments like that before and I've never understood it. I'm sort of generally agnostic-ish and it's never bothered me that I believe there isn't any 'greater meaning' to life, and that our whole civilization is a fantastically lucky (for us) accident that would never have happened if an asteroid hadn't killed off the dinosaurs or if the climate in Africa had been different 5 million years ago. It's the same with life after death..... I don't mind the idea of not existing when I die, because I won't notice anyway. If I'm wrong about religion and somehow do end up somewhere after death, it will be a pleasant surprise (or not so pleasant, depending on which religion is right....). So I have been inclined to kind of dismiss the people who believe because they need to. It's illogical, and I don't like illogical things.

I got to thinking about it today after lunch while I was supposed to be reading about Roth 401(k)s (ugh) and I realized that I really do the same thing. Not about religion, but about other things. A friend of mine a long time ago said that war and poverty were inevitable and would never be fixed, and it made me cry (in the middle of a restaurant, no joke). I did the same thing when I was twelve in sunday school and the teacher said that when we were in heaven, we would know everything. The idea of never having anything else to learn was so horrible to me that I couldn't bear to believe it might be true. I was/am a nerd, I know.

I think the bottom line for me is hope. I -have- to have hope that we as human beings can fix our problems, or else I just don't see the point of living. Humans are humans and I think there will always be violent people, but I have to believe that other things can at least get better. There are a billion people on the planet whose income is below subsistence level, and if in another thousand years there are still starving people, I'd rather we just killed ourselves off now. I very well may be wrong and there's no way we can fix things, but I don't believe it because I can't. So I guess I am just as illogical as anybody else.... I just have to believe in something different.

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9363854/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9363854/ Thu, 13 Jul 2006 10:58:21 PDT
I was thinking this morning while I read Greta and Becky's posts about teaching kids to behave. We are really in trouble if a whole chunk of kids grows up without ever learning how to play well with others. And omg, I sound like my mother, "kids these days are so terrible blah blah." I'm sure it'll work itself out like it always does.

Anyway I was thinking about this because I realized that as horrific as training is, it would be ten times worse if the other people on my team were not good at playing nice in the sandbox. My future boss is actually training with us, and he's pretty young, and he could be a total arse and go overboard establishing himself as The Boss right away, but he's not. The older people in the training group who are overqualified for this and will probably be promoted soon could be going out of their way to make sure we all know how bored they are and how they really don't belong with us, but they're not. Aside from a few idiots like Dumb Question Boy and one other guy I'll call Milton (I'll talk about him next time I'm bored...), we all get along pretty well and it seems like we are all making the effort to treat each other with respect. Nobody even makes fun of me because I didn't know what a stock option is .

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9329956/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9329956/ Mon, 10 Jul 2006 08:12:51 PDT Mood: *hiss*

When we were all in college, my boyfriend and his friend had classes with a fellow they called "Dumb Question Boy" -- DQB. I know we are always told there's no such thing as a stupid question.... but honestly, there are limits to everything. This guy apparently kept interrupting class every minute with questions that were literally -just- answered, drawing obscure comparisons to things nobody had ever heard of, repeating things out loud just to hear himself talk.... basically annoying the hell out of everybody.

I managed to avoid DQB through five years of school..... but I suppose that could not last forever. I've discovered DQB the Second

This guy is unbearable. Until now, training has mostly been reading on our own and studying and such, and he talked a lot but it wasn't too bad. Now that we are in lecture, he is making it almost unbearable. He talks..... -all- the time. Loudly. Like he has to hear his own voice constantly. "Yeah," and "Oh I see," and "Oh is this like (something it's not like at all)?" He completes the lecturers sentences and answers EVERY question. Even the rhetorical ones. When somebody else asks a question, he feels the need to give a lengthy explanation in a really patronizing tone (and is usually wrong).

At least I got him on Friday. I was already incredibly cranky from the ridiculous MAGIC bullshit and he decided to explain to me why a phrase I suggested using in a certain situation was not grammatically correct . Excuse me, if there is anything on earth that I know inside and out, it is grammar. Luckily everybody else in the room was as fed up with him as I was so I could be pretty scathing without coming off as a jerk. He was pretty quiet after that.... I was hoping it might last awhile.

Apparently not.

Oh well, he was late today for like the fourth time.... maybe he'll get fired

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9299552/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9299552/ Fri, 07 Jul 2006 08:22:02 PDT .

.....
Ugh, today is "MAGIC" day.... 'make a great impression on the customer.' Which means sitting in a room listening to somebody lecture about it...... blsdlkjasfd. I am going to fall asleep.

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9289291/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9289291/ Thu, 06 Jul 2006 07:05:02 PDT Mood: *yawn*

Last night was trivia night! It was worth it despite the fact that I haven't gotten any sleep in what feels like ages. I could conk out right here at work *sway*.

Trivia in Lawrence is such a funny creature. It's run in Conroy's Pub, this teeny hole-in-the-wall with assorted tables and chairs that don't match and decorations left over from the 70s. The food is shitty, but the beer's decent, and I really think the owner just lives for running trivia every wednesday night. He writes all the questions and gets a kick out of making the craziest categories and hardest answerable questions (well, marginally answerable) that he can find. There's maybe.... four or five teams that come every week, then another ten or so that come once in awhile (including us). There's a team of math professors and another of humanities grad students that usually just rolls over everybody.

So the highlights of the night:

Every week there's a category called 'Champagne' where the questions are hellishly hard, but if you get one right you get a bottle of champagne (really bad champagne, I might add). Every time somebody picks the category, the whole room yells "Champagne!!" in a really awful French accent. It's really fun in a nerdy way. Nobody got any champagne last night. The best question was: "Two kings have won Olympic gold medals in yachting, name one of them?"
...
Amazingly enough, nobody knew . We guessed Philip of Monaco (like everybody else) but that was much too obvious for a champagne question. It was King Constantin of Greece and somebody else I've forgotten now.

There were hardly any literature or politics questions . The worst category was "80s Two-Hit Wonders" *shudder*. We did -not- manage to answer any of those. One of the funniest things about the whole thing is that since one guy writes all the questions, he just decides which he thinks are more difficult and sometimes he's waaaay off. He's kind of old and nerdy. A few weeks ago his 1000 point question (which is supposed to be near-impossible) was "To what body part are rappers referring when they talk about a 'grill?'" Teehee. He was SHOCKED when we all knew, and laughed at him.

He's also rotten at science, as are almost -all- the other people who play, so the times when my team usually does really well are when there are lots of science questions. His idea of a 'hard' science question is not really very hard XD. One of them this week was pretty amusing though. "What is the only bird with a penis that is always external?" Apparently this is the swan, although after googling it I think he was oversimplifying .

Almost half the fun of doing this is team names. People get a huge kick out of thinking of really silly team names. This week there were the "Pronto-Puppies," "Nuke the Whales," and the "Pornhuskers," among others. Our team likes themes..... last week we were "Going Going Ghana" in honor of the World Cup so this week we were "Kenya Dig It." Next week we're torn between "Mali Brown" and "Morrocin' the Suburbs."

Ok, I've annoyed my training supervisor enough at work with my incessant typing. Have a good day! And just for ~Oniwaban, have a cookie!

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9279242/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9279242/ Wed, 05 Jul 2006 08:41:26 PDT Mood: laid-back

Hope everybody had a fantastic 4th of July! Even you crazy Brits who missed out on the fireworks fun . I had a much better time than I thought I would. My boyfriend had to cover all the 4th of July festivities for the paper so I visited him to keep him company. I tell ya, small towns sure know how to handle holidays. They had an enormous parade and the whole center of the town was totally full of games and rides and little craft stalls and stuff (people there have an unhealthy fixation on spray-on body art and strange things made of leather :-/). There was a concert with an awesome acapella group and the Little River Band (dang they got old!). It was the first time in a long while that I really got into a holiday.... especially the 4th of July. I have a rebellious non-patriotic streak and all the 'YAY USA!' stuff that multiplied after 9/11 and somewhat irks me sort of bleeds into how I feel about the 4th of July, but yesterday was just fun. People were enjoying the holiday and there was a moderate amount of cheerful patriotic spirit without too much "screw the rest of the world" attitude.

Ok, I seriously have like 30 journals in my messages folder, you people are verbose! I am a bad non-commenter but it was a crazy weekend.

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9220920/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9220920/ Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:17:01 PDT
My attention span is -not- this long. Aljksdtlkaj.

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9218531/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9218531/ Thu, 29 Jun 2006 07:58:51 PDT Mood: Robotic

Yess, more things to do while at work...

Four jobs I've had:
High school debate coach (the best!)
Tutor for LD and ESL college students
Hotel night shift desk clerk O.o
Call center for 401(k) help (sigh)

Four movies I can watch over and over:
Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version, not that heinous atrocity that came out recently)
Sabrina
Star Wars
When Harry Met Sally

Four places I've lived:
I've only lived in three places!
Denver, CO
Kansas City, KS
Lawrence, KS

Four TV shows I love:
Family Guy
Seinfeld
Iron Chef
Bewitched

Four places I've vacationed:
Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Okinawa)
Lake Tahoe
NYC
Washington, DC

Four of my favorite dishes:
Chicken Marsala
Any kind of fondue
My mom's chocolate torte (omg.... *dies*)
Fried egg sandwiches

Four sites I visit daily:
Achaea
deviantart
Google News
Phog.net (KU basketball news )

Four places I would rather be right now:
ANYWHERE BUT HERE.... but ok,
Kyoto
Hawaii (the big island)
Lawrence (I miss it!!)
Visiting any of you.

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9174305/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9174305/ Sun, 25 Jun 2006 00:26:25 PDT Mood: Bemused

This evening was an Interesting Cultural Experience. I generally enjoy having those, but they usually occur much further from home. Like, you know, Japan. Or a gay strip club in the Castro (don't ask). Oddly enough this evening was about as much of a different world as those were.

My boyfriend works for a newspaper in this kind of smallish town in Kansas that consists mainly of a military base, surrounded by wheatfields. It's a fun place in general, very friendly, but at night it just gets bizarre. Everybody converges on the country bars, and Andy's friends were going out to the Country Corral for karaoke night so we decided to go along. For the record, he did warn me .

It was seriously different from anything I've ever encountered. I wore my normal going-out stuff (jeans, heeled sandals, cutish black shirt, long swingy earrings) and stuck out like a sore thumb. I might as well have just worn a sign that said "I am a City Girl." I tried asking for a gin and tonic at the bar (bad idea.... they ran out of gin halfway through making it. But she gave me a discount! *stare*). I meekly ordered a Bud Light for the next round.

Maybe next time I should buy some Wranglers and a cowboy hat and learn the words to "Strawberry Wine?"

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9156895/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9156895/ Fri, 23 Jun 2006 08:04:58 PDT Mood: Hissy

Well, my new co-workers have finally aroused the sleeping debate coach.

There are very few things in this world I detest more than people who have strong opinions without having a basic grasp on the facts. What makes this worse is that many of those people -do- think they are informed because they've read a few headlines, or seen a 30-second blurb on the TV news, and feel perfectly comfortable spouting those opinions at every opportunity. I'm pretty easy to get along with and I very, very rarely feel confrontational enough to directly argue with people (I am kind of like Aeth in that way, and you probably know how much she likes upsetting people). But bah. Sometimes a good hammer-and-tongs argument is necessary.

So one person who has been getting under my skin all week decided this morning to bring up Iran and start going all hardcore on how we should invade them if they won't give up their weapons (which he seemed to think actually -exist- right now) and they're just like Iraq and their corrupt government needs to be overthrown (....) and that's our job (?!?!), and they won't export their oil because they hate the US (!! actually they import half their oil because they don't produce enough).... blah blah blah. Omg. I couldn't resist.

You know, there are plenty of reasons to distrust Iran if you so choose. Those are not the reasons. I just don't understand how this person could get so emotional and worked up about it when he clearly had NO idea what he was talking about. He didn't know how the government of Iran was structured or who was running it right now, and he seemed to think they were some kind of third-world nomad nation run by crazy Islamic clergy. Even the other far-right-wingers thought he was being crazy. Bah.

I really think this is a symptom of a big problem in our society. People think they know much more than they do, because we are bombarded by little snippets of information that lack context. Everything becomes a left/right issue--this policy is a Bush policy which automatically means it's bad, or Ted Kennedy said something so it must be stupid by definition. News outlets have become partisan so people just check the network or blog they agree with and their uninformed opinions become more reinforced.

The other day I was listening to a couple of people talk about No Child Left Behind. One person had a lot of problems with it, and the other person defended it by saying "Well it wasn't actually a Bush policy, Clinton started the idea," (which is only partially true, for the record) and the person who had disliked it before changed her mind because apparently being developed by Clinton makes it all better. Grrrr. This is not a logical argument! If my debate kids said something like that I would ream them. Unfortunately I don't have that authority in the real world .

Well. I feel better now.

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9151279/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9151279/ Thu, 22 Jun 2006 18:05:59 PDT Listening to: Walk Right Back, Everly Brothers

Ok! Deviously stolen from *Ainia, everybody do it because it's too fun and a great way to kill time while you put off something else (like me, and the housecleaning I should be doing...)

The rules (according to *Ainia):
- Put your music player on shuffle.
- Press forward for each question.
- Use the song title as the answer to the question even if they don't make sense.
- NO CHEATING. (I didn't cheat, promise!)


How am I feeling today?
Ella Fitzgerald - Why Was I Born?

Spending these lonesome evenings with nothing to do,
But to live in dreams that I've made up, all by myself.
Dreaming that you're beside me, I picture the prettiest stories,
Only to wake up, all by myself.

....
That is sad . And I do hate hate hate waking up all by myself.... but I am telling myself it's only temporary.


Will I get far in life?
Greenday - Closing Time

Closing time, time for you to go out to the places you will be from.
Closing time, this room won't be open till your brothers or your sisters come.
So gather up your jackets, move on to the exits, I hope you have found a friend.
Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.


How do my friends see me?
Beatles - All you Need is Love

I do need love from my friends!! And I get it, most of the time


What is my best friend's theme song?
Indigo Swing - Violent Love

I want to make violent love,
To you 'neath the moon above.
I want to make violent love tonight.

I want to kiss every night,
To squeeze and hold you tight.
I wanna make violent love to you.




What is the story of my life?
Ray Charles - Ol' Man River

Don't look down, oh don't look down...


What was high school like?
Incubus - I Wish You Were Here

I lean against the wind,
Pretending I am weightless.
And in this moment,
I am happy

High school was very happy for me. It was busy as hell and I have no idea how I got so little sleep, but I was happy.


What is the best thing about me?

CCR - Bad Moon Rising

*peer* no comment


What was today like?
Black Eyed Peas - My Style

You can't, you can't, no you can't stop me
'Coz I'm a champ on the rep like Rocky
And when I spit it trying out at Z rocks me
Got my style trademark with the copy


What is in store for this weekend?
Blues Traveler - Great Big World

Cause it's a great big world calling you
to take a ride,
And it's a great big world singing come
and see and come inside.
Oh yeah a great big world reminding
you you're not alone,
So hold on this great big world we only
get to rent we never get to own.

Hey that works! This weekend I am going to visit Andy, yay!! So Junction City, Kansas is hardly the Great Big World but it will be good enough for one weekend.


What song describes my parents?
REM - It's the End of the World as we Know It

Tell me with the rapture and the
reverent in the right - right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright
light, feeling pretty psyched.

It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

Buahahaha..... Well they do spend a -ridiculous- amount of time worrying about what will happen when the world ends. Hmph.


How is my life going?
Styx - Come Sail Away

I'm sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea.
I've got to be free, free to face the life that's ahead of me.
On board, I'm the captain, so climb aboard.
We'll search for tomorrow on every shore,
And I'll try, oh Lord, I'll try to carry on.


What song will they play at my funeral?
Frankie Valli - Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

Hmmm.... a little m... ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9145122/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9145122/ Thu, 22 Jun 2006 07:16:25 PDT Mood: Content
Listening to: Affair to Remember, Dinah Washington

When I logged into deviantart this morning, something popped up that said "congratulations blahblahblah!" Of course I figured it was an ad and igored it, then when I looked at my comments I was really confused because they were like..... listed in the comments section. Not just links you have to click to see them. And I don't have ads anymore. So I got a deviantart subscription somehow! Woot!! I have no idea how or why or for how long but I will play with the fun subscriber toys



Last night I went to the bridal shower for one of my friends from church when I was growing up.... who is a year younger than me *sway*. Five or six girls were there from her high school crowd, and of those, I was one of two who wasn't married, and three of the others had their kids with them. This is getting alarming. I am not that old yet, really!

]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9112860/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9112860/ Mon, 19 Jun 2006 07:21:51 PDT
What I meant to write was that I am finally feeling a little better, thank goodness. Unfortunately Andy's car completely died on saturday (it's been in the process of dying for about two years so it isn't all that surprising). However, this means he is sticking around for a few days while he car-shops! Yay. So we unexpectedly got to hang out last night and probably will again after work today, which was exactly what I needed this weekend.

You guys rock, by the way. I would have been much more miserable than I was without you. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9091645/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9091645/ Fri, 16 Jun 2006 22:23:36 PDT . I shouldn't.... I passed the test I needed for work and I got my shop in Achaea (whee!) and it's the beginning of a long and relaxing weekend. I think I'm just lonely, Andy's gone for the weekend and most of my friends are elsewhere. I dunno, maybe it's hormones. I just need a hug. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9087687/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9087687/ Fri, 16 Jun 2006 13:39:11 PDT
*smooth* ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9084635/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9084635/ Fri, 16 Jun 2006 07:28:15 PDT
Instead of a grook of the day I am going to do an NASD Series 6 question of the day. Grrrr.

The management fee of an open-end investment company is:
A Not allowed to exceed 8.5% of the POP according to NASD rules.
B Deducted from the fund's gross investment income before dividend distributions are made.
C Deducted from the net asset value when investors redeem their shares.
D Covered by 12b-1 fees that reduce an investor's NAV on an annual basis.


At least it will be over in a few hours . Well except I have to take another one next week. Hiss. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9078079/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/9078079/ Thu, 15 Jun 2006 14:34:14 PDT
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll challenge you to try something.
3. I'll pick a color that I associate with you.
4. I'll tell you something I like about you.
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something I've always wanted to ask you.

Ok tell me if you want me to answer these questions about you, and I will.

*hop*

I was in an awful mood about 10 minutes ago but devart has fixed me. Yay! ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8976094/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8976094/ Mon, 05 Jun 2006 08:19:41 PDT . Although that strikes me as probably being a bad idea most of the time.... at least I can check messages on my break! I think once I'm actually out of training it won't be so easy, but since I'm spending the next month doing nothing but studying on my own, the potential for (as *Ainia calls it) slackaliciousness is almost infinite .

Maybe this won't be so bad.

I've also discovered an up-side to living at home: my mom's cooking. Omg, it is so good. Although it doesn't quite make up for the lack of privacy and nervous tension every time I interact with my dad, it comes damn close. And she is -so- excited to have another audience for her talents that she is making all my favorites. Mmmmgslksdj.

Note to self: go to gym. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8954055/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8954055/ Fri, 02 Jun 2006 21:03:28 PDT THAT WEARY FEELING

Do you know that weary feeling
when your mind is strangely strangled
and your head is like a ball of wool
that's very, very tangled;
and the tempo of your thinking
must be lenient and mild,
as though you were explaining
to a very little child.


Ok, I was supposed to be -done- with school for awhile. My new job is awesome in a lot of ways. The people are good, I'll be doing things that aren't heinous, it pays enough for me to save up for tuition and more. This training period is awful though.

We're spending the next three weeks studying for a test which we have to pass to stay employed. Whatever. I'm pretty confident I can get a 70% on any multiple choice test whether I study it much or not. The problem is that we have to do this specified study regimen that's paced, which sucks, because it means I spent 8 hours today reading and taking notes about government bonds. Bonds!! I don't know if something more boring than that exists (and I've read some pretty dry stuff). My brain literally feels like mush. I cram at school when I have to and I'm pretty efficient at absorbing things, but I am going to go crazy if I have to do this for the next three weeks. Especially since once I get through the material I'll have nothing to do but go through it again.... and again..... argh. In a bare room with desks and no computer except on breaks and argh.

Argh! ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8935042/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8935042/ Wed, 31 May 2006 21:28:07 PDT (on Denmark)

Denmark seen from a foreign land
looks but like a grain of sand.
Denmark as we Danes conceive it
is so big you won’t believe it.

Work today was interesting. It feels very very different from anything I've done before. Everybody is very nice and I like most of the people that I'll be working with on a team, I think. A couple of people seemed like they had potential to be good friends so we'll see.

The job involves working with 401ks and mutual funds and strange animals like that, so we have to be fingerprinted and vetted by some government administration. We all had to dig up our employment and residence history for the last 10 years with no gaps...... I was in middle school 10 years ago and they actually wanted the name and address of the school. Bizarre. Plus I've been in college for five years moving apartments every year, I know I flubbed at least one address.... hopefully that's not some kind of fireable offense .

On the down I just hate the atmosphere. A lot of the people I'm training with have been working in offices for awhile and they all just seem to have this strange jargon and false sense of their own position's importance. "I spent last year as telemarketer" somehow becomes "My last job was in the customer service sector, as a sales representative." Wtf? There are charts and diagrams and mottos and mission statements and goals that all say ABSOLUTELY NOTHING but look very nice and important. Sigh. I just hope it doesn't eventually rub off. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8916293/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8916293/ Mon, 29 May 2006 22:21:47 PDT
This is a bizarre feeling..... sitting around on my old bedspread looking at my old wallpaper. I rarely came home for more than a couple of days at a time during school, so it's been awhile, and the I can't quite get hold of the idea that this will be my home for the next year or so. Which, in a word, sucks.

I can't complain -too- much because I do have other options. I could afford an apartment, technically. It would just be so financially stupid for me to pay rent on a place 5 minutes away from my parents' house.

There's just a lot of things that will be a lot harder now. Even simple stuff like going out for a beer or spending the weekend with my boyfriend all of a sudden become really complicated when I'm trying to explain them to my ultra-conservative parents. Sigh. Ah well, hopefully I can use this time both to repair our relationship, and to convince them that my religious views aren't just a silly adolescent phase (you'd think they'd have caught on by now).

At least I can use some of the money I'm saving not paying rent to do fun things! Like visit certain people ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8875254/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8875254/ Fri, 26 May 2006 09:29:00 PDT
Two days a week this year I worked at a hotel, behind the front desk. I'm at work today, and about an hour ago somebody delivered a dozen roses to me, with an unsigned card that said "I plan to get to know you better."

Wtf?!?

They're not from my boyfriend, who has known me most of my life, and besides that wouldn't misspell my name on a card. None of my other friends are the random-flower type, and I pretty vocally dislike red roses.

I figured it had to be somebody who's staying or has stayed at the hotel before and somehow managed to figure out my name (we don't wear badges or anything). The fact that he could even be at the hotel right now had me completely freaked out, especially since I'm stuck here by myself until 10:30 tonight. I finally called the flower shop and they told me who sent it. It's this guy who stays here ever thursday... he's nice but quiet, I remember his face but I don't remember ever even having a conversation with him although he's stayed here once a week for several months. He sure hasn't ever hit on me that I remember.

Grrr..... and he's coming here again tonight, sometime, I have no idea when, and I will be by myself and have to talk to him about it. The thing that gets me is that he's had plenty of chances to talk to me if he wanted to..... you know, ask for my number, if I was dating anybody, flirt a little.... the normal stuff people do when they're interested. Instead he anonymously sends me a dozen long-stemmed red roses? That's a little weird, to me. And not, "I would like to get to know you better." He -plans- to get to know me better?

I am getting myself kind of worked into a frenzy here but I hate just sitting here waiting for him to show up. Blargh.


Edit: So the guy never showed up . Hopefully his truck broke down somewhere really uncomfortable like the middle of the Kansas prairie and he's currently trudging down the highway. Mean but meh... he started it! And this is my last weekend there so I'll probably never see him again! ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8869157/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8869157/ Wed, 24 May 2006 23:23:12 PDT Ainia

I AM: listening to really good music.

I WANT: to be less stressed about moving.

I WISH: it weren't so bloody hot outside.

I HATE: selfishness, and people who can't see past their own perspectives.

I MISS: Andy

I FEAR: disappointing people.

I HEAR: Kanye West. And my neighbors being really loud.

I WONDER: where we will all be in ten years.

I REGRET: not keeping in touch with old friends.

I AM NOT: practical.

I DANCE: not often enough anymore :-/.

I SING: when nobody can hear me.

I CRY: when I feel powerless.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: productive.

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: really good brownies.

I WRITE: English papers, mostly.

I CONFUSE: my family.

I NEED: to feel loved.

I SHOULD: be packing my apartment up.

I START: everything much later than I should.

I FINISH: things that are important to me, not necessarily everything I need to do though.

I LOVE: deep discussions.

I REMEMBER: both being much more happy than I am now, and much less happy. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8863576/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8863576/ Wed, 24 May 2006 12:23:03 PDT
THE ETERNAL TWINS

Taking fun
as simply fun
and earnestness
in earnest
shows how thoroughly
thou none
of the two
discernest.


I had a ton of fun last night. My friends and I went out to this place called Dave and Buster's.... it's a chain of restaurants with an adult arcade-type place. I haven't been to an arcade in ages, not since I was a kid, but this was such a blast. The fact that they had really cheap drink specials helped too

Then today I went out to lunch with an old friend from high school that I haven't seen in more than a year. We used to be pretty close, but things always seemed to get in the way. Plus I was pretty jumpy because he asked me out several times in high school and I didn't really want to get started down that road again, so I kind of blew him off a couple of times in college when he wanted to get together for coffee or something. He's a nice guy though, we had a good talk, got to catch up on some things. Overall good few days, I'm getting lots of playtime in this week before I start my new job next Wednesday.

Hope you are all having a fantastic day! ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8842586/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8842586/ Mon, 22 May 2006 08:35:33 PDT
Grook of the day:
THE CASE FOR OBSCURITY
On Thoughts and Words I.

If no thought
your mind does visit,
make your speech
not too explicit. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8821775/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8821775/ Sat, 20 May 2006 01:14:22 PDT SATURATION

The heavens are draining,
it’s raining and raining,
and everything couldn’t be wetter,
and things are so bad
that we ought to be glad:
because now they can only get better.


I think it might almost be worth feeling lousy for awhile for the feeling that comes when I finally start to get better. Maybe I'm crazy though.... I definitely wasn't thinking of this half an hour ago when I felt like shit :-/.

I had the worst headache today that I've had in a long time.... ironically, the one day that I -didn't- spend mostly in front of the computer. There's a storm coming and weather changes always give me a headache, and work today was incredibly stressful. I get bad tension headaches sometimes, my shoulders and neck get really tight and my head throbs right behind my eyes. Today it seemed like everything just made it worse and worse right up until the minute I got home (much much later than I expected ).

Luckily I am finally getting it under control I think.... talking to people helped, and getting out of those awful dress clothes. I am sipping a gin and tonic too.... usually I don't drink by myself, I think it's a bad habit to get into, but this has been one of those days. I can almost feel my muscles un-knot as I sit here. It's one of the best feelings on earth.... my head still hurts but I can feel it slowly getting better. Life just seems nicer than it did an hour ago. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8808099/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8808099/ Thu, 18 May 2006 13:47:59 PDT

IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

A poet should be of the
old-fahioned meaningless brand:
obscure, esoteric, symbolic, --
the critics demand it;
so if there's a poem of mine
that you do understand
I'll gladly explain what it means
till you don't understand it.


Working at the hotel is soooooo much better when I know that I will be quitting in two months! Having a working laptop that I can bring doesn't hurt either....

Good moods are nice ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8796400/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8796400/ Wed, 17 May 2006 09:02:00 PDT
Not so! A grook is a type of poem. A Danish man named Piet Hein wrote tons of them. They're short and clever and marvelously entertaining. I discovered grooks when I was looking around for some other poems and was totally infatuated. Here are my favorites! I have no idea if the IRE folks knew about this when they picked the name.... they're kind of obscure. I wouldn't put it past them though.... at least not Clem.


MISSING LINK

Man's a kind
of Missing Link,
fondly thinking
he can think.


NAIVE --

Naive you are
if you believe
life favours those
who aren't naive.


DREAM INTERPRETATION
Simplified.

Everything's either
concave or -vex,
so whatever you dream
will be something with sex.


OUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT

We must expect posterity
to view with some asperity
the marvels and the wonders
we're passing on to it;
but it should change its attitude
to one of heartfelt gratitude
when thinking of the blunders
we didn't quite commit


Stay tuned! I am so amused by these that I might inflict a grook of the day on you all. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8787134/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8787134/ Tue, 16 May 2006 10:07:40 PDT
And.... my new computer is all set up! I love it. I've spent the last two days getting everything transferred over from my old computer. Andy came over yesterday (surprise!) and he and our friend helped me move everything over with his external hard drive and figure out what I need and all that fun stuff.

Now I'm ripping all my cd's. It's taking forever..... I'm at like 8 ghz of music and still going. I love music though, that was the worst part of my old computer. The hard drive was so tiny that I could barely fit any music at all on there. Now I can go crazy! So if anybody feels like sending me music..... feel free .

Even the idea of moving home sooner than I expected isn't destroying my mood. It will suck, but my friends will all be in town, I'll survive. They money will be worth it. I can save up enough for tuition and more. The best part is no more worrying about whether I can pay rent for the rest of the summer.... I -hate- that feeling. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8776182/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8776182/ Mon, 15 May 2006 08:22:25 PDT

Side note, I am in love with the new Starbucks Tazo green tea latte. It's the most amazing thing ever. I'm normally not a huge Starbucks fan since there's like six fabulous local coffee shops near my apartment, but this might be my new addiction. Drool..... it is so good. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8754479/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8754479/ Fri, 12 May 2006 22:55:48 PDT . I don't know why, I'm just feeling toxic and negative about everything (and no I'm not PMSing, *hiss*). I spend almost all of my weekends hanging around with high school kids and usually I have a great time with them, but it seems like today everything they do is getting on my nerves. They are being a little more noisy and hormonal than usual but I am fine with that most of the time.

Maybe I'm nervous about whether or not I'll get the job, I don't know. Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning. Hrmph. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8735142/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8735142/ Wed, 10 May 2006 21:39:20 PDT . It was really long and stressful, three people in a room firing questions at me...mostly really silly questions. I'm pretty good at thinking on the fly though (thanks to debate) and I felt like I connected with them well. I should hear by next week..... omg, I hope I get it. The job itself will be no fun at all, but right now I just need something steady.

The downside is that it will suck a lot. I would be one the phone answering questions about people's 401ks all day. Blah. Oh well, I can survive anything for awhile, right? And the money really will be worth it. I'll be able to pay for my master's degree and walk away with a good amount of money saved if I can stay for two years. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8727634/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8727634/ Wed, 10 May 2006 06:51:33 PDT ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8721358/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8721358/ Tue, 09 May 2006 14:09:28 PDT
Oh and I applied for a job! Yay me! I really hope I get it. One of the other debate coaches in my district works for JP Morgan and he said he'd try to help get my application through. It's not what I want to be doing long-term, but the pay is great and scheduling would work with classes and coaching, so it would be perfect if I could get it. Crossing my fingers....

Achaea has been pretty blah . Caelin has been busy, and lately I feel like Aethele's sort of a glorified guidance counselor for a few people (if you can read this, I'm not talking about you or your friends, promise! ). One of my pet peeves is people who are really needy and want sympathy and support from people all the time, but seem totally uninterested when I'm having a bad day and need support. So I've been playing an alt lately. It's actually been really fun, I usually can't handle alts for more than a day or two but I like this one a lot. I'm not going to abandon Aethele, but it'll be nice to have somebody to escape to for awhile with a totally separate life. Nobody knows who it is (although I'm sure it'll get out eventually) and I'm going to try to keep it that way as long as I can. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8694880/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8694880/ Sat, 06 May 2006 20:36:11 PDT

This weekend was state forensics for my high school team (forensics=speech and acting). They are tiring. I usually go places with the debaters who are loud and talk all the time..... but the actors are something else. They're entertaining though!

Highlights of my weekend....

At dinner last night at Applebees, all the coaches and judges were sitting at our own table and the kids had a big table to themselves (we wouldn't all fit..... I'm crushed *hum*). Halfway through dinner all the waiters line up and come toward the 'adult' table carrying one of those birthday brownie things with a candle. I'm thinking fine, my birthday's this weekend, I wasn't going to get through it without being embarrassed so I suppose this is as good a time as any. Well, the waiter announced to the whole restaurant that "Guinevere Biggins" was turning 30 today!! *swoon* *sniffle* I don't look that old I swear!! I was bright red. They were incredibly happy with themselves XD

At the awards ceremony, a kid from my alma mater won the Oration event..... who just happens to be deaf! He wrote the speech and worked with his interpreter to give it, and he choreographed his signing to be really expressive and beautiful. You can almost understand it without the interpreter. The coolest part was that when he won, everybody gave him a standing ovation with sign-language clapping (where you kind of put your hands up and wiggle your fingers). Made me all teary!

One of the acting coaches was driving the other van of all the theater kids who decided (without his knowledge) that they were going to be the "singing van." Apparently they spend the -entire- drive there and back singing to Disney's Greatest Hits and the Spice Girls. Never have I been so happy that they weren't in my van. Even though I love them to death.

Unlike last year, there were no injuries, squad dating drama, missing children, or handcuff incidents! That definitely makes it a success. Oh and we did pretty well in the tournament too ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8670217/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8670217/ Thu, 04 May 2006 09:15:35 PDT
I really hate housework.... I mean, I'll do it, but left to my own devices I'm a pretty messy person. It doesn't bother me that my laundry is kind of in a pile in and around my hamper and books are piled all over my desk and bed and dresser and floor, as long as it's just messy and not dirty. Well, until I have to clean it up..... sigh. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8647718/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8647718/ Tue, 02 May 2006 00:52:46 PDT
Andy and I went to see Akeelah and the Bee, which is incredibly cute. Sometimes a little too cute..... it had a tendency to get melodramatic, but I'm a sucker for sappy movies so I didn't mind. It's about an inner city LA kid who makes it to the National Spelling Bee. I've seen Spellbound (which is more of a documentary but same general idea) and it's hilarious..... those kids are -crazy-. I was pretty obsessed with debate and music and things like that in high school but wow, there is no way in hell I would have spent hours and hours a day learning how to spell words like "autochthonous." Wtf?

So anyway, fun day, lots of Andy time (yay!). I wish he didn't live so far away . Seeing him once every week or two is not enough! (hint hint Andy, hurry up and move to KC!! Pretty please?). ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8628438/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8628438/ Sun, 30 Apr 2006 07:43:56 PDT ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8600851/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8600851/ Thu, 27 Apr 2006 10:56:12 PDT
Now that I think about it, the one thing I really like is roleplaying all kinds of relationships. The other stuff is fun too, but I could take it or leave it. I think I would hate free-form roleplay with people I didn't get a chance to know pretty personally. In Achaea, I can be on both ends of the parent/child relationship and have fun with it, be the cute kid who needs help or a fussy mom or whatever I feel like. In an Order I can try out religious devotion without all the rl problems I have with religion and faith. Same with having friends, family, even enemies--I can make those relationships whatever I want them to be, and explore them in a way I can't in real life because I'm not as emotionally invested in it.

So why do YOU play? ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8591078/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8591078/ Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:34:56 PDT ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8566113/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8566113/ Sun, 23 Apr 2006 22:32:22 PDT

In other news..... we had a tornado warning again today. Spring in Kansas is always an adventure. There was a huge rotating storm just west of Lawrence tonight but luckily nothing touched down nearby. We had quarter-sized hail though, ew. Yay for being at work where I could pull my car under the roofed driveway--my roommate's car has hail damage all over. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8545868/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8545868/ Fri, 21 Apr 2006 22:23:23 PDT

.....

Ok, I didn't post that when I thought I did. It's now..... 12:30 and I meant to be in bed two hours ago! *cry* I am stupid. I should have just gone out! ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8526391/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8526391/ Wed, 19 Apr 2006 23:00:18 PDT
My boyfriend (<3 Andy) is a reporter for a newspaper. The paper is family-owned and run by crazy people who don't know all that much about news, or writing, or really anything. There are technically editors, but they don't actually edit (what they do is still a mystery to me). So, almost every day I get to hear about the paper's Daily Typo and this one made me snort soda up my nose.

Today the paper reported that somebody in their town received an organ transplant after having "psoriasis of the liver." The fact that somebody could confuse cirrhosis and psoriasis is funny enough.... I don't know if it's hilarious or sad (or both) that it actually made it through the editing and layout process to find its way into print.


The rest of my day wasn't so bad. I spent over an hour on hold with various DMV's trying to take care of a speeding ticket I got in Colorado back in January (oops...heh). Those stupid number menu things are so incredibly annoying. I know hiring real people is expensive but honestly.... whoever invented hold menus needs to die a horrible death. Like one of those things in Dante's Inferno, stick the inventor in some stage of hell that involves being eternally on hold listening to a cheery voice saying, "All our available operators are busy. Please continue to hold!"


I was supposed to clean my apartment today but I didn't.... shocking, I know. Achaea got busy *shuffle*. It was exciting though! Aethele got a new job and is having lots of fun ( Achaeans). ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8503397/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8503397/ Mon, 17 Apr 2006 18:53:02 PDT
The best part was getting to hang out with my sister. We're different as night and day but we have a lot of fun. It's great when we're both home; we sort of go back to how we lived in high school, being quiet and doing our own thing during the day then staying up really late watching movies and making really unhealthy food and being goofy once mom and dad go to bed. Plus she's a photography student and really talented, and I got to be the guinea pig this weekend for some of her new equipment. Once she gets the pics cleaned up I'll post some of me as scraps or something.

Church was church. It's always the worst part of going home. Everybody there is so outwordly nice and seems so happy to see me, but there's this undertone of pity. Like, I can't possibly be as happy as I act because I've "strayed from the path" or whatever. Even people who are genuinely sweet, nice, fun people kind of lose something when they have the ulterior motive of converting me lurking behind their kindness. It doesn't help that Mormon services are so damn long. One hour of playing nice I can deal with. Three hours is just excessive. I swear, someday I'm just going to snap and stop smiling and nodding when they say things that I find offensive. Especially if I have to go every week next year. Sigh. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8466726/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8466726/ Fri, 14 Apr 2006 07:36:16 PDT
"The object of this game is to write six, yes 6, weird habits, things or secrets about yourself and then tag 6 other people. The six other people have to do the same thing write six, yes 6, weird things, habits, or secrets about them and then tag 6 others (though I won't be a stickler about the tagging thing).

"Don't forget to clarify that you tagged them."


1. I don't like showers! I always take a bath unless I'm in a huge rush, and read for 10-15 minutes. When I was little I probably destroyed a dozen books dropping them into the bath water doing that.
2. Climate control is my best friend. If it gets over 80 or under 60, I get grumpy until I can go somewhere inside.
3. I would almost always rather reread a book or watch a movie I've seen before than try something new. I usually like new stuff once I'm done with it, but I get more enjoyment out of turning around and reading/watching them again later than I did the first time. This frustrates my friends to no end.
4. I drink way too much soda and coffee :-/ even though I know it's bad for me. In general I eat very healthy stuff.... but mostly so I don't feel so bad for drinking such a terrible number of empty calories.
5. Wasps absolutely terrify me. I like spiders, snakes, even bees (they're cute!), but the sight of a wasp makes me shake and freak out and act completely irrational. Even pictures of wasps give me goosebumps.
6. I hate wearing shoes. I take them off the second I step in the door of my apartment. Ironically, I -looove- buying them! Go figure.


You've all been tagged already! *whine*

Ok, I tag.....
~Gratefuljamhead
~SeraphicSatyr
~Gaelyia
and um.... I can't come up with 6! Hmmph. I tag Andy and Kevin but you can tell me over AIM, so there.

Edit: I can't count! ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8437466/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8437466/ Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:28:15 PDT
If any of you are computer people I would loooove some advice! I have a Sony Vaio which is currently a piece of shit.....but since it's nearly six years ago that's not really Sony's fault I guess, and it's worked pretty hard in its life. I've heard Gateways are good too? I don't play any games that take lots of RAM or a great graphics card. I just want a huge hard drive and something that'll be reliable and not too expensive. Mmm.... time to go browsing. ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8406632/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8406632/ Sat, 08 Apr 2006 10:00:00 PDT
Of course, the entire stadium descended on Krispy Kreme en masse for our doughnuts. It was fantastic.... the lines were hella long, but they were giving the doughnuts away literally as soon as they were made, still hot. It says something about our fans that they were at least as excited (if not more) about getting to 12 hits than they were about winning the game, but there's only so much you can expect when a team sucks as much as the Royals do, really.

Ok, rant time. The Royals blow. Majorly. Usually, I'm all about supporting a team though hard times, being the loyal fan, all that jazz. However, it's really hard to do that with the Royals when not only are they terrible now, they have almost no shot of ever being any good at all because MLB refuses to implement better revenue-sharing and salary caps. I don't want anything too enormous. The Yankees and the Red Sox and the Angels have huge fan bases with lots of support and they're going to have more money than the rest of us, that's just life. But right now it's ridiculous. The Royals had a total payroll of about 37 million last year. The Yankees spend almost -six- times as much at 208 million. Our highest paid player is getting 11 million--which would not even be in the top ten highest salaries if he played for the Yankees. It's no wonder that small-market teams like the Royals, the Rockies, the Indians seem to sit in the basement for decades on end. We don't have the TV contracts or the fan bases that come with being in a big city, so we can't get the cash to have a competitive payroll. C'mon, help us out here, MLB. Make baseball competitive and exciting again! ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8376975/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8376975/ Wed, 05 Apr 2006 18:20:51 PDT
I think I need more productive things to do. Seems backwards, I'm feeling lazy so I need more to do, but I'm kind of marking time this semester waiting for school to be over. It's great to not have anything pressing to do once in awhile, but it gets old when it's several days a week. You would think two jobs would be enough to occupy my time! :-/

Or all my friends just need to move back to Lawrence!! That would work too. If I can't be productive I should at least have company while I'm being lazy! ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8336668/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8336668/ Sat, 01 Apr 2006 18:50:37 PST
I've always liked people who work hard at things. Natural ability is great to have and it makes coaching easy, but honestly I'd rather have a kid who just works like crazy and does moderately well than one who wins everything based on sheer talent. Once in ages and ages you come across somebody who is both and my squad got lucky enough to have one the last few years. He's a naturally incredible speaker (not that he'd ever admit to it) and has worked his ass off for four years. Every single year he's qualified to nationals in congress and last year he was in the top 20 in the country. I worried all week that something freakish would happen at this tournament and for some reason he wouldn't qualify, or that people would be fed up with the fact that he wins all the time and not vote for him (the top six are decided by scores, but the final ranking is based on a ranking by each of the participants and only the top two in his event qualify for nationals). Even though he's really popular with the other debaters, I was still worried. So today was kind of stressful. Apparently I shouldn't have doubted though..... every single person in that event ranked him first, even most of the other people who were in the running against him. Maybe the coaches need to take a few lessons from the kids. If they can manage to put politics aside and stand behind somebody like that, rather than vote for their school or their friends, surely the "adults" can manage to be civil to each other, right? ]]> ~aethele http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8328911/ http://aethele.deviantart.com/journal/8328911/ Fri, 31 Mar 2006 23:57:02 PST
What really made this meeting worse than the others is that one coach (someone I have a ton of respect for usually) just snapped. She'd had a really rough week and was understandably frustrated by some things that were going on in the meeting, but she just blew up and started telling people off. Of course they responded in kind, and the whole thing degenerated into everybody insulting everybody else for no good reason and running off in a huff. To make it worse, nobody never got around to actually making any of the decisions that were the whole focus of the meeting in the first place, so we're going to have to do this again later! Oh joy! ]]> ~aethele