one-week check-up!

it's been a very eventful week, but I'm tired and a bit cranky, so I'll just list them. Maybe I'll expand on some of it later.

1. got lost for two hours in Downtown Crossing
2. filled out A LOT of job applications
3. classes are hard. new material. with actual, experienced teachers in the class. very intimidating.
4. found the BC bookstore. very small.
5. found the student commons. well, one of them. I think they have other "commons"
6. read front and back of the last issue of the spring semester's BC Heights. very well written, from what I've read so far.
7. went to Harvard Square
8. found the public library. got a library card. explored library. got lost in the library. put a book on hold.
9. freaked out about amount of homework required. ahh.
10. went karaoke-ing Thursday night. it was awesome! :) had Pabst for the first time.
11. got a MySpace account because of my literacy class. BOOOOOO.
12. developed London pictures that were on disposable cameras.
13. finished "The Devil Wears Prada"
14. found my mailbox and got code for it. can now receive snail mail. yippee!
15. Boston is really hot and really humid.
16. still exploring. but hopefully not getting lost. :)

I'm exhausted. So I'm going to sleep. I do, however, have two job interviews on Monday. And my friend Todd from high school is coming to visit tomorrow! yay! :D

no more wondering/waiting

because I'm in Boston! I got in Saturday afternoon, so I got to miss the deluge that was (apparently) Friday. I went to the Prudential Center that night as a way to explore the T -- and what adventure THAT was! I was mildly confused for a little while.

On Sunday, I went on a hunt for a grocery store that is accessible by T and was very successful because the Shaw's (owned by Albertson's) was AMAZING. They have deli/ready-made food/bakery/sushi (!) on an ENTIRE side of the store, food and seafood on another entire side and the produce on the third. It was pretty awesome. They also have an entire section (multiple aisles, complete with its own hardwood floors) devoted to organic/natural foods and an aisle just for international cuisine. It's so clean and refreshing and wonderful.

I also found the CVS, which came in handy because I couldn't find a pad of graph paper and don't know where I put the one I had leftover from L.A. I also found TJMaxx, where I bought a bath rug because I hate getting out of the shower and stepping onto bare tile. It's the worst feeling.

I'm pretty sure BC put the summer students in one of the older dorms because this school has A LOT of new res halls. But it made more sense when I came back from grocery shopping on Sunday that there were a lot of parents and teenagers milling around with BC bookstore bags .... ah, freshmen orientation. Of course, they had to put the new students in the good dorms. All schools do it. They've gotta impress the parents! :) But when you think about it, why try to impress them? They've already paid the deposit (BC asks for a deposit), so these families are already financially committed to this school, and their children have probably rejected everywhere else. Anyway, thought it was interesting that colleges are still wooing the already-wooed.

Today, I went job-hunting. It was no fun. Now I am tired. My feet hurt. And I feel gross because it was really hot today. And I found a Trader Joe's. woohoo.

T-minus one week

Hellooooo!

Sorry about the non-writing. I've been busy procrastinating. I've been watching a lot of "House, M.D." In fact, I've finished the entire first season on DVD .... repeatedly (you know me....).

I've been reading quite a lot, too, but have not finished a book recently ... I'm in the middle of many books. Right now in the pile beside my bed is "The Jane Austen Book Club" (for the second time ... mine is red), "Shakespeare of London" (for the umpteenth time) and "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" (new acquisition ... and am NOT pleased that it is an Oprah Book Club selection. I did NOT choose it because she said so. I do NOT support the Oprah Book Club). The last one is written by Carson McCullers, who wrote "The Member of the Wedding," which I read an excerpt of in high school. But I heard about this book from a list that has the top 50 (100? 10?) most famous first lines of novels in the world. "Moby Dick" reigns over the list, and "Pride and Prejudice" is second. Also on the list: "Tale of Two Cities" and a Mark Twain and a couple of John Steinbecks.

I leave for Boston in exactly one week, so I am spending this week cleaning my room and packing for the journey. This is getting very exciting. :)

birthdays

I haven't spent a birthday at home since my senior year in high school. And I won't this year, either. Freshman, sophomore and junior years I was in LA because my birthday never fails to fall during exam week. I believe I actually spent one of those birthdays either taking an exam or writing a paper (definitely junior year). Last birthday, I was in London. This birthday, I will be in Boston. Next birthday? Who the hell knows?! :)

books! glorious books!

Before I left LA, I started and finished "Freakonomics." It was awesome. I highly recommend it.

I then moved on to "Blink," which wasn't as good. I'm not sure if it's because I had a logical reasoning overload or if it's the author, but it just wasn't as satisfying. I also think it has something to do with the structure of the book. The writer needs to break his chapters down a bit because they're really long.

I also read "Stiff," a history and use of cadavers in various scientific, practical and medical studies. Cultural, social, sometimes political. It is also very good. I stayed up many a nights trying to finish just this chapter! one more chapter! then another ... and another. Until I just had to sleep because I can't realistically finish it and still function the next morning.

I've been waiting for the "Da Vinci Code" to come out in paperback for a looong time, and it finally did, and I finally bought it. Except that it's a dud. WAIT. Before you chastise me. I read the "Rule of Four" over winter break, and it was AMAZING. Riveting, in fact. Couldn't put it down. Maybe it was Dan Brown's overly dramatic writing style that really annoyed me. Maybe it was that "Rule of Four" was written more casually. It didn't treat itself as a super-mystery. Also, I think it has something to do with the endless over-promotion of the book/movie/plagarism allegations/etc. Anyway, I was disappointed by the first 20 pages. And promptly put it back on the shelf. Sorry, "Da Vinci Code" fan. Not my cup of tea.

Read the "Rule of Four," though, if you want more stimulating reading regarding ancient codes. The London Independent called it "'The Da Vinci Code' for people with brains." Publishers Weekly wrote that the "Rule of Four" was to be compared to "Da Vinci Code," but it is the "more cerebral -- and better written -- of the two." Read "Rule of Four."

Currently, I am rereading "Shakespeare of London," a biography of the Bard from the perspective of his being an ordinary man/actor/playwright in London from fairly ordinary background. This is a book a bought at a public library used book sale and inspired me to write my USC scholarship essay on. I've read it at least three times. The intro, which I read for the first time, said that almost all biographies of Shakespeare treated him as the Bard that he is, as this towering literary figure. What Marchette Chute was trying to go is to humanize him a bit and tell about the life of the London actor from Stratford-upon-Avon.

I still have a large stack of classic literature that I need to read. I also have a three-page Amazon.com wishlist that is acting as my lifetime reading list. I love it. Reading for a lifetime! That's my dream life. To be able to sit/lie on a comfy couch and just read. :)

I got a job!!!!!

A teaching internship that apparently pays very well. :) What a relief. I was getting seriously worried.

The copy desk at a Boston paper said they're not looking for part-time people right now. But I do have some good experience, they tell me. They just don't wanna give me a chance. Even though they have TWO positions open on the desk.

What a bummer.

I watched the National Spelling Bee all day. I love it! So many kids! All so smart! I bet some of them have "stage parents," though. So much pressure! I was really rooting for the Canadian girl (apparently, you just need to be from an English-speaking country) to win, but alas, it was not to be. I love it!

bleh. I'm done.

Your True Love Is a Capricorn

Why you'll love a Capricorn: Hard working and driven, a Capricorn will work overtime to win your heart. Be prepared to get wined and dined, even once you're convince that your Capricorn is the one! Why a Capricorn will love you: You don't rush things. You know it will take a while for a Capricorn to trust you, and you can wait. Social and outgoing, you can introduce normally shy Capricorn to a great circle of friends.

What Sign Is Your True Love?

leaps of faith? I prefer stability in my life, thanks. :)

You Are Indigo

Of all the shades of blue, you are the most funky, unique, and independent. Expressing yourself and taking a leap of faith has always been easy for you.

What Color Blue Are You?

I'm not too sure how true this is

You Are Emerald Green

Deep and mysterious, it often seems like no one truly gets you. Inside, you are very emotional and moody - though you don't let it show. People usually have a strong reaction to you... profound love or deep hate. But you can even get those who hate you to come around. There's something naturally harmonious about you.

What Color Green Are You?

hmmm

Your Linguistic Profile::

60% General American English

20% Dixie

15% Yankee

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

but ... but .... :(

American Cities That Best Fit You::

75% Chicago

70% New York City

70% Philadelphia

55% Boston

55% Los Angeles

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

I am a blue flower!

You Are a Blue Flower

A blue flower tends to represent peace, openness, and balance. At times, you are very delicate like a cornflower. And at other times, you are wise like an iris. And more than you wish, you're a little cold, like a blue hydrangea.

What Color Flower Are You?

here's an idea!

Maybe I should give up copy editing and teaching and go into the bread-baking business! It's $10 an hour, which is higher than the Massachusetts new nation-high minimum wage, and the company has a "generous meals policy." What more could you ask? I could make $19,200 in a year if I work 40 hours a week ... it's like the newspaper business!

Paying off those college loans could be an interesting experience, though. But then, so is bread-baking! It's an excellent trade-off!

pfffffff

So Angelina named her kid Shiloh. so much for the big name speculation. The news, I suppose, is that Shiloh is a girl. But her middle name is Nouvel. If Angelina meant it to mean "new" in French (and seeing as how she's going for the international baby theme), then she should know that "nouvel" is the masculine form. But then, she named her girl Shiloh. Whatev.

wallowing in misery

I think I'm going to go buy a lottery ticket and then wish on a fountain. Maybe I can win enough money to pay for grad school. So I've been wallowing in my misery since I realized that YET another newspapers that is potentially interested in me is no longer because I can't work at night. This is seriously sad. I mean, the only job that I am actually really well trained for conflicts with the classes that will get me really well trained in another career -- with the main goal that I will do both in 2 years.

So maybe this lottery idea isn't so farfetched.

By the way, I saw "12 Angry Men" recently, and it's made me look at juries in a new way. You should watch it, too. It is a fantastic movie. The premise of the film is that one member of a 12-men jury in a murder trial convinces the other to consider all the evidence and witnesses before delivering their gut-verdict -- guilty. It's not really what happens in the film that matters, it's the characters in the film and the way the film is done that makes it superior. So I'm no film critic and, as my lack of reporting career as shown, I am also no writer, but this is an excellent movie that you should watch. Go rent it now. Add it to your Netflix queue. Go! :)

stuff!

I'm looking for a job in Boston that would fit my class schedule, and it's nearly impossible. Considering that classes start at 4 PM, it makes it hard to find a 9-5 gig and it's not possible to work a night copy desk. Or ... any copy desk. It makes me sad. :(

On other note, I found this story in the Boston Globe a while back, when I was procrastinating during end of classes/study days/exam week, and it's quite interesting. It's about how clothing companies are catching on to the female psyche and changing the dress sizes to fit.

Also, another story that I happened upon is that one scientist, one philospher and one farmer agreed that in the eternal question of which came first, the chicken or the egg ... it is the egg.

For the first time since I can remember (maybe the first time ever), I won't be in the South for hurricane season. I take it as a good thing. On the other hand, I will be in the Northeast for winter, which is a scary thought. :/

reading about Boston stuff

OK. I am well aware that what I am about to link is of questionable/skeptical quality. But I think it's fascinating and there is probably some grain of truth in it.

I was reading up some weird Boston stuff on the Web (like I did (and still do) with London a year ago), and I found this site with Boston word pronunciation and vernacular. It's extremely interesting/entertaining.

I'm also trying to figure out exactly which parts of the city is flooded and which ones aren't or if the city itself is flooded at all. It seems to me that the worst areas had been confined to the suburbs near the coast, but then, not really knowing the city, I'm probably completely wrong.

I never really liked horses....

But this whole Barbaro situation is sad. :( I kept hearing/reading that many horses that have such injuries are euthanized, but I kinda don't get it. It's a broken leg, why such a drastic measure?

Here are some scary X-Ray photos of Barbaro's leg.

yippee.

The grades tell me that I am an official USC graduate now. The diploma "should" be in the mail. Woohoo!

done ...

Well, I took my last final (media law), but I still can't be sure I'm officially done with college until I get my grades for that class. So I can't celebrate until I get my final grade. Or cry. Whichever is the case. That final was HARD. :(