Absquatulate

funnyWhiteHat

funnyWhiteHat
Originally uploaded by absquatulate.

The gorgeous weather has completely scrambled my mind. All I can think about is green and being out in it. Having to spend days inside a dingy former dorm that now serves as the clinic is driving me BATSHIT. Every year I think that I can't believe that it's 55degreesF out, and how it possibly couldn't get any warmer than that because this is SO WARM. Without fail I think that in the spring. And come fall, the same temperature will hit and I'll be bundled in a jacket and scarves and mittens because it's "so cold" and "how could it get any colder than this?"

To prove how crazy I am, here's a very unflattering photo of me wearing some dead woman's hat.

Road Trip

This past week was punctuated by trips to Rochester, NY and Boston, MA with a stop in Amherst inbetween. It was alot of driving but it felt like what I needed. Photos will trickle up to Flickr as time allows, but let me give a big thanks to The Good Drs. Eirich for a place to crash, Ved & Bean, MoCo, Nagel & Ang, Jimmah, Rick, and Meg for taking time to catch up, and the folks at Auragen for letting me catch up with old co-workers.

After a stop off in Amherst for laundry and kitten retrieval I was off to Randolph to return the digital camera my sister was so kind to lend to me. As it turns out, the Boston contigency was having a gathering of their own, only two blocks from my sister's place! I wish I could have spent more time with the Geekery Crowd but I hadn't seen my sister and her husband in a while and wanted to spend some time with them too (and they were watching Babylon 5 which I had never seen before and Kat and I had to discuss how this was better or inferior than ST: TNG). Thanks John & Kat for a place to crash last night. Now it's time to give the car a rest and become a homebody again who only thinks of school work and SOAP notes (and try to work off all that delicious food that was foisted on me! :^)

Taking a Chance

While the ESPN coverage is a little trite in that Olympics kind of way, the heart of the story is what's important. This is but a small reflection of what I believe is possible for kids like this, of what I hope to accomplish some day for someone who needs a little extra help to realize their own potential. If I can help someone have this kind of moment in their life, whether it's through sports, drama, math, art, or even the simple act of reading a sentence and understanding what it means, then it's all been worth it.

Here's an unadulterated video of the raw footage if ESPN is making you gag.

Feelgood Moment of the Day

Being offered a position for a CFY even though I am only in my first year of school and have one more to go.

Things That I am Over that I Never Even Really Started With In the First Place

• Songs where the female lead vocal will talk over the music in a serious, monotone way, as if to imply this is Art.
• Ugg Boots.
• Hot Topic.
• People who slide insults into a generally genial conversation and think they can get away with it because if you call them on it the response will be, "Hey, I wasn't serious!".
• SxSWi and blogerati, I think this is the watershed year.
• Paperwork.
• Ben Stiller.
• Romantic comedies starring Matthew McConaughey.
• Spitting in public.

An Open Letter to Those I Love

This is an open letter to you. Yes, you. It's also an open letter to the people who don't read this website, to my mother and father, to my brother and my sister and her husband, to David and his family, to the people in my department, to the squiiishers and the frobnosticators, to the queseras and the andbreathes, to the Rochesteraians and the University of Rochester Chambers and Gale 4s, to the Good Drs. Eirich and the folks from the Shop. This is to all of you, and everyone I know and love:

The crises. We all know about them, even if we don't know all of them. None of them are within any of our control and it's just the way it is, but I beg, nay, PLEAD with you that I've had just about all I can take in a year and implore you to be healthy and safe and for Pete's sake be CAREFUL and be well. I've almost reached my limit and if you could ask your God, my God, or whomever you pray to (or don't pray to) to give us all a little break I'd really appreciate it, and I'm sure you would too.

It's the Ides of March and I don't know any Caesars, so I'm hoping things are getting better from here on out. Thank goodness for spring and new beginnings!

Jess Y., Crazy Woman of Cincinnati

Jess Y., Crazy Woman of Cincinnati
Originally uploaded by absquatulate.

This right here folks is one of the best friends a girl could hope to have. On nights when you really should be productive she's the one that calls you up to tell you about her recent escapedes, offer a shoulder to cry on, to offer head-bashing duties if needed, and if she's in the same state, take you out for bottles of pinot grigio given to you by the waiter for free because she totally flirts with him and then put you to bed afterwards because you can't find the bed.

Thanks for everything Jess. I hope you're still my friend even after this blog entry.

New Words:

weltschmerz (VELT-shmerts) noun:
World weariness; pessimism, apathy, or sadness felt at the difference between physical reality and the ideal state.

sybarite \SIB-uh-ryt\, noun:
A person devoted to luxury and pleasure.

Preparedness Does not Mean Duct Tape and Plastic Sheeting

Right now it is almost 8pm on Sunday night. I am now realizing that I should cook something if nothing else so I have lunch tomorrow (which is shaping up to be a horrifically long day, starting by catching the bus at 7:10am.) And as I sit here my stomach is completely twisted thanks to a lunch that was either too large or tainted with the food poisoning, I have a terrific pain in my shoulder and back from sitting the wrong way at my computer, and the thought of food makes me want to vomit.

Guess I'd better get started on some rice and tofu huh? *sigh*

Hittin' the Highway

So it goes like this:

I need to get out of town. I've been stressed out with life and school and well, with spring break coming up, I'll have a week (relatively) free of obligation. (Never mind the tests I have to study for and take when I get back from break.) The caveat? I have little to no money. Car driving will most likely be my method of transportation, and it begins Sunday March 19th in the evening in Boston (or thereabouts). So, do I know you? If so, feel like some company sometime that week? Will you let me crash on your couch? Bonus points for living in a warm clime and pointing me in the direction of a really cheap roundtrip fare. Who's up for a freeloader sleeping on their couch for a few days?

Hope is the Thing With Feathers

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

— Emily Dickinson.

Oscars, eviscerated.

Because I'm feeling plucky I'll be blogging the Oscar coverage as I catch it this evening, thanks in no small part to TomatoMan and his lickable 46" high definition TV. Thanks TM! So check back, I'll timestamp things in this post as updates and derision require. Swearing will most likely happen, so you know, shoo the kids into the other room.

5:40 pm E! entertainment on INHD::

• Ryan Seacrest: the the HELL is up with your bow tie and that collar? No no no!
• Issac, you're gay, we get it.
• Ryan, you don't know anything about dresses, just shut up about 'support'.
• Haha, it says poo.
• I [heart] Jon Stewart, but he's hosting the Oscars, I'm conflicted...

6:12

• To the girl sitting next to Naomi Watts: If you're on national tv, cross your legs, or at least sit with your knees together, you busty teenaged daughter of some music mogul.
• Go Matt Dillon for restraint with the BoTox.

Time to make dinner.

6:52:

• Whoo wee, Dolly...
• Keira, THAT is a fabulous necklace! Eat a sandwich darling
• Jessica Alba, great hair! Neck tattoo? So Angelina. Those earrings are very paste, you could have done better with a fabulous dress like that.
• Paul Giovanni, can you look any dumpier?
• Sandy Bullock, you're fantastic.

7:16

• Do it Issac! Grab Jessica Alba's boob!
• Salma is packed into that dress??? Dear heavens...
• Where is Scarlet?
• Merryl Streep! You look fabulous! Yay for eggplant and a v-neck. Excellent choice.
• I'm getting really sick of the constant "are those hair extensions!??" commentary.
• Nicole, very very classic, good for you. But you're Nicole, you could be so much more daring if you wanted.
• Jake no stop be on tv for me to oggle!

7:32 ABC coverage Apparently this is where the *real* coverage takes place. Silly E!, you think you're so important.

• Jen Aniston I know, I'm sorry you have to talk to these people too.
• Yay! More Jake!
• Oh great, now the talking heads are on tv mwah mwah mwah listen to me being all critic like of the movies. Where's MaryAnn?
• Pig just said, "EWW! What's with his hair?" (re: Jaime Foxx)

Okay, it's about to head inside to the awards. Giddyup.

Okay so here we are in the ceremony. Please Jon Stweart, be funny.

• Okay so I'm liking the sets. Time for tea and biscuts.
• OH NOES WHERE'S SCARLET??
• Aw man, movies about dedicated journalists are period pieces? LOL!
• Supporting actor already huh? I haven't seen any of these films, I'm such a loser. Aw, how could you NOT like George Clooney? Oh the background music is SO cheezy. Awful. Wow, that was a good little speech, political, but not bashing. Good for him.
• Steve: "I thought we were done with Ben Stiller." No, Steve, we are not, alas. God this is awful. STOP DEAR GOD JUST STOP. Whew. Okay, King Kong baby.... Although I'd forgotten about WOW, and that was good. FOR FUCKS SAKE JUST OPEN IT AND GET OFF THE STAGE. Good, King Kong.
• I really like Reese's dress. Steve thinks she's too young for it, but I disagree. Wallace and Grommit!!!!!!!!! YAY! That is the best tie ever Nick. Good show for us Yanks. I'm so happy they won, they've put in so much work into their delightful movies. Congrats and get the crackers and cheese Grommit!
• "AH! She still moves!" - Steve, watching Dolly Parton. "She looks like Michael Jackson." She just said Jesus, I guess this is to keep the mid-West watching. I have to admit her voice sounds good.

• I'm kind of guessing Tom and Katie were not invited. A bit of a shame because that would be a fantastic train wreck to oggle. Nicole baby, good for you.
• Oh for FUCK'S sake cartoon presenters? *($&#*((@! I wish there was some way to see the shorts, like on oscar.com, or on google video so that we can see them before the awards. Google? You listening?
• OMG Jen Aniston, you look fabulous. I love your dress, love your necklace, absolutely perfect. Go you.
• Russell, you totally have it in you when you clean up, you *can* be beautiful. Just embrace it.
• Oh thank fucking god, the banality of Will Ferrel. The night is now complete.
• Oh MAN that's harsh, cutting the audio on an acceptance speech by a lowly makeup designer? That's cold. She's going to beat her companion with her oscar backstage.
• You know, if you are a couture house making gowns for actresses, you can at least hide the zipper on the back somehow, rather than having it hanging out like an uncut twine belt around a Valentino gown.
• Ms. Bacall please don't break a hip walking out there.
• OMG these 'political' best actress ads are awesome.
• Charlize, you really don't look very happy to be up there. Look out! Your dress is trying to eat you and your ridiculous hair-do!
• So I have to say these musical interludes for best song are lame. I bet this is the first time anybody in the audience has seen a car on fire.
• So you know the politics theme running through this awards ceremony is indicative of the restrained nature of the whole affair. There is little pagentry in all this, the dresses are tasteful and restrained, the clips are all serious.
• Hey president of whatever, nice plug for going to the movies, watching the movie in the theater, sound and wet Twizzler nuggets coming at you from all sides, sipping a $5 cup of Coke watching commercials before a movie you paid $10 to see.
• Steve said, "Salma Hayek should be Wonder Woman." Steve is a genius and should be paid royalties if they cast her.
• Okay so I'm going to go start busting heads if Scarlet doesn't make an appearance sometime soon.
• So it seems that the the fashion for the gents is retro tux with the big bow tie, classic black, white shirt. Were they all given marching orders?
• Jessica Alba is tight. I don't mean that in a mean way, just that everything about her is tight, with the exception of her hair. Tight.
• Lily Tomlin and Merryl Streep: For a long time I didn't know what to think about Merryl, but I've decided that with this tonight, I like her quite a bit. These two ladies are pros. It's nice to see some talent on a night that professes to honor talent.
• Yay! Our first bleep out, on a song with the word pimp in it no less. THIS montage is the most surreal thing I've seen all night. So we're supposed to feel bad for a pimp, who probably smacks bitches and hoes who are turning tricks for him? This is hilarious. I guess the academy feels that they can do this now that they got the whole "black actors winning best actor/actress" thing out of the way.
• Can somebody PLEASE tell me why Jack Nickolson is sitting next to Keira Knightly for no good reason, and Scarlet is out in the cold, banging at the door clad in a potato sack begging to be let in, to be somebody??? Will someone please think of Scarlet?? Or Matt Damon? What the hell.
• Aaaand I've hit my limit of boring fashion and snoozer awards. Where's Bjork when you need her? With no Scarlet in sight, I think it's time for me to hit the hay. Goodnight, and good luck.

Observation

When I hear my cellphone's electronic signal interfere with the speakers of my computer, I no longer jump in anticipation. I just let it slide past with hardly a second thought because I know it means nothing. Pavlovian deconditioning Negative reinforcement at it's finest.