"My Science Project" was an astonishingly good movie.

Today is a festival honoring Salus, goddess of public safety and welfare, and also one of Janus, god of beginnings and Concordia, goddess of peace.

----------------------------

I'm finally going to give Writer Guy a real name. But I don't actually like the Latin word for "Writer," "Scriptor," so I needed something else. Luckily for me, I remembered a book I read called The Last Book In The Universe, which includes the last human capable of writing in a post-apocalyptic world. He goes by the name/title of Ryter.

Yes, it's just a misspelling of "Writer." But it looks cool, and vaguely sounds like a name, plus it references both his writing and the genre of sci-fi that he prefers. What more is needed?

----------------------------

It's springtime, so young men's minds... are exactly where they always are (in their pants?), but I have noticed a lot more kissy-face going around campus than in recent months. While this has confirmed to me that yes, PDA is still every bit as annoying if you have an Other (my mom says the "significant" indicates that it's someone you're sleeping with), it has also led me to make the following list of Places Where It Is Uncool to Canoodle:

1. At a gas station, waiting for your car to be fixed, kissing and even getting to second, while there are little old ladies sitting nearby and the younger customers are snickering and exchanging looks with the attendants because they can see that you suck at it. Honestly... who makes out when they have critics around? This one's courtesy of Ryter, who was the one who had to witness it. He was also the one snickering with the gas station attendants.

2. In the hallway right outside your room. Your room is right there. GO INSIDE.

3. Personal favorite: In front of the waffle cookers at Philbrook. Because nothing says "I love you" like preventing people from accessing sweet waffly goodness while you tongue your Significant Other (just a guess, but if you do that in public it's probably Significant). I guess waffles turn them on or something. Oh, sexy waffles... wow...

----------------------------

I also noticed this morning that this girl was very enthusiastic about her toasting. She put the English Muffins in and was like, "Whoa... okay... wow! That's great! Is it gonna-- is it gonna come out? Which one's first? OH! Boo-ya! The right one! And-- and-- AWESOME! Here's the left! Woohoo!"

Legit.

Must be nice to be so easily excited.

Awkward is as awkward does...

It's too late for a full-out entry, and Loquatia's having enough trouble sleeping as is. That said:

-Group is awesome. They make me laugh. Alas, I can no longer talk about my actual communication problems because most of them involve either how I might talk to a guy about relationship stuff. And I can't ask a group of mostly males how to talk about male-female interactions with males. So awesome, but useless. Is that okay?

-Awkward: Guys talking about stuff that gets tossed in the urinals. And knowing that it's totally your fault for mentioning Fruit Loop target practice at daycare.

-More awkward: Getting asked by someone you are dating "So what would you want your wedding to be like?" This is awkward no matter how hypothetical it is. It will continue to be awkward until you are actually planning a real wedding with the person.

-Even more awkward: Saying "Hmm, that's a little gay" as in, that thing reeks of homosexual undertones, then discovering, whoops, damn, your boyfriend's friend, whom you are meeting for the first time, is a homosexual. I'm sorry! I try not to stereotype people as homosexual if they lisp! No one warned me! Gah...

-Probably the most awkward EVER: Two guys talking about sex in front of you, in a totally casual tone, as you sit there awkwardly playing with your hair with a very intent look on your face, silently cursing yourself for mentioning how you first met your hall president when he was going door-to-door looking for a spooning partner for a friend of his, because it is totally inadvertently your fault that you are using your hair as a curtain to hide the blushing.

"I totally fail at pinecone hunting!"

Today is a day to leave sacrifices at the tombs of your ancestors. Well, graves, for us. Not a lot of "tombs" today.

It's also the birth date of Sol/Helios and Luna/Selene, the sun and the moon. Incidentally, until about 336 CE, this was the Nativity of Jesus as well. Besides the significance of Jesus being born on the same day as the sun was thought to have been created by the Romans, there's the fact that Jesus' birthday moves. I actually would rather believe it was today, though, because it makes more sense. I mean, that they would celebrate it at this time, when it actually occurred, and then moved it to midwinter to prevent people from celebrating pagan solstice holidays.

--------------------------

There were leeches in Biology lab today... I gave my presentation on kinorhynchs, those fascinating little mud dragons (dripping with sarcasm here), and I only started stammering a couple times, so despite the fact that apparently the professor only heard every fifth word that came out of my mouth at a very low volume, I think it was okay.

Sort of.

Anyway, then we were studying worms, including flatworms (Planaria are so cute!), roundworms (freakin' SCARY under a microscope), and segmented worms, including leeches.

Let me explain. I'm petrified of leeches. Very few things gross me out; I don't mind most bugs and I played with a tarantula today (she's part of next week's lab but the TAs were playing with her). I can handle mosquitoes and needles and I can handle earthworms. But two things really gross me out. One of them is ticks, and the other is leeches. And the latter was part of the lab today.

I mean, I bit my lip and drew the stupid thing, but that was only because it was firmly contained in a jar of water with a tightly attached lid. But ohhhh, I hate leeches.

--------------------------

So Loquatia was talking on the phone today (I can't help eavesdropping! It's a small room!), and she was talking about this ID thing she went to last night. Apparently the guy mostly confused her, because he was talking about science, so she decided that she wanted to review arguments that weren't so sciency, and were by Young Earth creationists so they actually went over the "evidence" for Genesis as opposed to just talking about how there needed to be some creator, any creator. So she asked her folks to send her some stuff by Kent Hovind.

...Wow.

Kent Hovind.

As in, the one guy less credible on the subject of the origin of life than that crazy hobo I saw once on a city street with a sign saying "God's a pervert-- he's WATCHING you."

As in, the guy that creationists say "[does] the creationist cause no good." Even creationists don't buy the shit this guy makes up. He got his doctorate in Christian Education from an unaccredited college in a freakin' trailer and says he's capable of teaching science and math to kids. Every argument he uses is incorrect, five times worse than average...

Alas, before I tell Loquatia that her great, authoritative source on all things scientific is currently in jail for tax fraud I need to find a more credible (not that hard) source for creation science ideas to show her. Alas, that means putting aside my incredible skepticism and reading creationism sites...

Or I could just not care.

--------------------------

In other news relating to Xtreme Christianity (the X makes it cooler, but if I put it there it's still PC), this site is absolutely HILARIOUS (Warning: Not work-safe, or, in my case, roommate-safe). This guy takes Biblical passages WAY out of context in order to justify what he believes is okay bedroom behavior.

Basically, he says:

-Anal sex is okay, and it's okay for it to be done before marriage-- but only with women.
-Oral sex is okay, also okay out of marriage, but only with women, again-- and the Bible encourages it. But the woman has to swallow.
-Threesomes are okay, as long as two of the participants are a married couple and the other one is a woman (NOT a man), a "lipstick" lesbian, and lets the man call all the shots.
-Masturbation is awesome!
-"Educational" porn: also awesome. But the actors can't swear, because that would be wrong.
-Bondage is okay, as long as the woman is the submissive one.
-Fisting also God's will.

...If more Bible-belt Christian boys read this site, there would be a lot more premarital shackin' up going on. "But honey, anal's okay before marriage-- the Bible says so!"

--------------------------

Sorry my entries have been so long lately. I promise to become boring again post-haste.

Wow, a LONG post!

Today is the Feriae Latinae, the Latin Festival, which took place on the summit of Mt. Alba, thirteen miles to the southeast of Rome. It was a festival to honor Jupiter/Zeus Latiaris.

It's also the Lavatio Magnae Materi, the washing of the cult statue of Cybele. Apparently she needed a bath after all those dudes castrated themselves at her feet.

-----------------------

My brain currently feels exactly like I imagine a fried egg feels like. I've been really flakey all day, first when I was talking to Writer Guy after my Chem exam and then again after English, and then when I managed to forget about my Chem lab, despite the fact that it's a weekly thing and not the sort of thing I usually space on.

Okay, rewind. So the Chem test wasn't too bad... I got there and couldn't find my note card with like... all the answers on it... (LOVE easygoing teachers) so I thought I had left it in my room. This was at 12:40, when the exam began. I asked the TA who was proctoring if I could run back to Hubbard and fetch the card from my room. She agreed, but warned me that I was not going to be allowed to have extra time in the end. I agreed and sprinted back across College Road and up three flights of stairs to my room, which I proceeded to tear apart in a frenzy as I searched for the card. Finding nothing, I returned five minutes later, and saw it in the bottom of my book bag.

Damn.

Anyway, I took it, and I missed the last of the 10 problems as I couldn't remember how to prove the pH and the pOH added together equals fourteen. But oh well, four points won't kill me and I probably passed, at least.

-----------------------

English... oh, English. She's assigned a new essay, due a week from today, on "anything." That's right, anything. PYO Topic. Only I can't think of anything. Plus she challenged me to write using more of my own voice and less of a literary style, which basically meant using the same intimacy in my tone that I use here, on my blog. So I have to find a topic that works well in this style, which means it should probably be funny. I'm thinking about talking about my one day as a door-to-door environmentalist. Mostly to submit a paper involving the line "Holy shit, she sicced the dogs on me!"

-----------------------

After I returned to my dorm I had the following exchange on AIM with my father, which did not help my mood at all:

Daddy: I was talking to your Aunt J---- and we have discovered that the son of an old friend of ours goes to UNH and is your age. His name is -------. You should look him up and use this connection as a conversation starter, J---- tells me he is quite good looking. Oops, I'm channeling your mother.

Basiorana: I have a boyfriend! And I know that kid, anyway, he's in my English class. We peer-edit together all the time. [and he's not that cute, by the way, because I know you wanted to know-- didn't say that though!]

Daddy:I don't think it wise that you are in an exclusive relationship with someone you have only been on a few dates with, especially someone who is graduating next year.

Basiorana: Yes, but he's staying in Durham!

Daddy has logged off.

Great. So now I get to deal with the fact that my father doesn't approve of my boyfriend on top of everything else. Or, more specifically, doesn't approve of my having a boyfriend. And yes, I get that most people don't wind up dating someone exclusively after only a couple dates. But we were also talking together like, every single night on AIM so it's not quite a normal relationship start like he's thinking of it anyway.

Besides, this is a step up for me. My last relationship was just after high school and we were "exclusive" right from day one.

And the fact that he's graduating? What does that matter? He'll be around for another year, and even if he wasn't, wouldn't that just solve the other thing he was complaining about by causing us to break up? I don't do long-distance relationships very well... What does he think I'm gonna do, drop out of school and marry the guy?

Besides, honestly? If I had any other prospects I might not have agreed to date Writer Guy exclusively right off. I probably would have eventually done so, because I like him and we get along great, but maybe not right then. But as far as I'm concerned, I wasn't dating anyone else then and I wouldn't be dating anyone else now, either, so if he wants to be official then why bother to make it otherwise?

I'm not looking forward to going home. I'm expecting the Spanish Inquisition.*

-----------------------

Anyway, about 5:58 I remembered that duh, I have a lab Tuesday nights, and I felt like an idiot. Flaky like a pastry crust. With my prelab undone, of course, I dashed off a quick "I just remembered I have a lab like, NOW! Shit!" to Writer Guy and quickly printed out the week's procedures before sprinting across the street, popping gum in my mouth as I went because I hadn't thought to eat dinner early like I usually do.

Lab was... miserable. I can only say: Titrations. Chem students will understand. Boring, tedious, takes forever... I got out right at nine, having exhausted what few brain cells I have left after the Chem test. Maritima was also out of it today, so between the two of us and a bunch of bases and acids I am stunned that no one lost an arm.

-----------------------

I'm meeting Writer Guy's friends (okay, only one friend, but whatever) on Thursday. This is Significant because it means he's not like, ashamed to be seen with me or anything. Not that... I was expecting that or anything...

So yeah, got to make a good impression, etc, etc. And then it's my turn to show off the fact that I have a Someone to my friends, which is to say, Mistake and Closer, as soon as I can actually get in touch with one of them and ask them if they're free sometime soon. He also wants to meet Loquatia, on account of not actually believing that a human being can get all the way through high school and be as uncorrupted and sheltered as she is. Don't worry. I made him promise not to scar her or anything. He wasn't even planning it.

I don't think.

I Am Spider-Man

Quick and agile, I have killer instincts (literally). And that kind of makes up for the whole creepy spider thing.

What Superhero Are You?

*But Basio, NO ONE expects the Spanish Inquisition! Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like, totally, dude

Day of rest for all those poor castrated dudes, today, so no festivities on the Roman front.

-------------------------

I am going crazy; my brain is in Chemistry overload. So instead of an actual entry, I give you snippets of my day:

"Hey, we told [the Latin professor] that we didn't understand conditionals to try to get him off topic, because none of us did the translation, okay?"

"Hey, nice pistons!"

"I wish they wouldn't leave that cherry picker sitting out there after they finished trimming the tree branches. Besides the creepy factor of it being at the perfect height to look through the 4th floor windows it's also making me want so, so much to ride in it."

I Date Like a Man

According to studies on dating, I date like a man. I date casually and frequently, getting serious with select people over time. Physical attraction and chemistry is very important to me. And if there's nothing more than a physical connection, that's okay with me (at least for a while). I am definitely looking for love, but I am in no rush to find it. I figure love will eventually come my way, and I'm not going to live like a monk while I'm waiting!

Do You Date Like a Man or a Woman?

Steve Isn't Allowed To Share Dreams Any More

Happy Hilaria, all. This is a continuation of the festival of Attis and Cybele. Today, the pine tree of Attis would have been uncovered and erected in the forum, and decorated (*cough*christmas*cough*). There would be a sacramental meal and much joy and feasting.

The poor schmucks who castrated themselves yesterday dress in women's clothing and wear perfume, too.

------------------------

I did my kinorhyncha project today, and went to the review. I feel a little better about this Chem test having gone, because my professor made it seem a lot less scary and impossible.

Incidentally, he also mentioned that he'd spoken to the sub we had a few weeks back. That professor described the 10 AM Chem class as, and I quote, "the worst class I have ever had to teach in my thirty years as a professor."

Niiiiiiiiiice.

------------------------

I have decided, in the least creepy and most hypothetical sense possible, that Writer Guy and I should never, ever have children. Why? This conversation:

WriterGuy: The name Nikephoros pops up a lot [in Byzantine history], too.
Basiorana: ...I now know what I want to name my firstborn son.
Basiorana: (it is a male name?)
WriterGuy: Nikephoros is a male name.
Basiorana: And it is an awesome one.
WriterGuy: Nikephoros Phokas was a great general and Emperor.
WriterGuy: I like Andronikos, too.
Basiorana: Plus, they can totally be shortened to Nick and Andy so it's not like the child will need therapy on the basis of the moniker!
WriterGuy: I still say Constantine is a badass name.
Basiorana: It is badass, mostly because of Constantine from the movies who fought demons, but I bet it would become Connie.
Basiorana: And Connie is a bit effeminate.
WriterGuy: Mm. Damn.
WriterGuy: Nikephoros though has a nice ring to it.
Basiorana: I'd totally name a kid Clytemnestra if I didn't think the namesake was a bad omen.
WriterGuy: Clytemnestra unfortunately sounds like a venereal disease.
Basiorana: It does?
Basiorana: Never mind.
WriterGuy: What about naming my kid Lord Zarkon the Unholy [His Last Name]?
Basiorana: I knew a kid named Lord once.
Basiorana: You would naturally have to push for "Zarkon" to be the main name.
Basiorana: I was thinking Zanthar Lord Of the Universe had a nice ring.
WriterGuy: What about "Lothar of the Hill People?"
Basiorana: Hill People = Hillbillies.
Basiorana: She-Ra Queen of Amazonia.
WriterGuy: Lord General Supreme Commander Kahless the Immortal.
Basiorana: Xanthu Destroyer of Worlds.
WriterGuy: I can't believe it's not.
WriterGuy: As in "I Can't Believe It's Not [His Last Name]."
Basiorana: Oooo... cruel and unusual.
WriterGuy: Michael Hunt is still one of my favorites. [Think about it... Mike...]
Basiorana: Ty Barrette was a bad one.
WriterGuy: Theoretically there could be a Korean named Fakk Yu.
Basiorana: There probably is, it doesn't mean the same thing there.
WriterGuy: There was some show on Comedy Central a few years ago that did a thing on this.
Basiorana: Parents who hate their children?
WriterGuy: Really horrible names.
Basiorana: To-may-to, to-mah-to.

"You have had a good start-- Work harder!"

Oh, man, Thursday was the start of one of my favorite series of Roman holidays and I totally missed it! Okay, so in order to understand these holidays you need to know about Attis. Luckily I have this lovely explanation that I wrote back in December: The Story of Attis.

Anyway. To honor Attis they had a festival, starting on the 22nd. On that day they cut down a tall pine tree and place an effigy of the god in it's branches. They brought it to the Temple of Cybele in a funeral procession and lay it down to rest like a body.

Then today, the Dies Sanguis, the pine tree and the effigy were buried in a tomb and there was a day of mourning, marked by fasting, sexual abstinence, self-flagellation (ow), and self mutilation (more ow). Then the High Priest, playing the part of Attis, cuts himself and offers it as a sacrifice. Initiates to the cult of Attis are baptized in the blood of a bull, then are brought into a state of ecstasy whereupon they castrate themselves.

Hmm... sounds mildly uncomfortable.

--------------------

Today was mostly devoted to studying and/or avoiding studying, mostly the latter. In this avoidance I was reading The Atheist Jew's blog, which gets a little preachy at times for me (yes, atheists can be preachy), but has some good lampooning of overzealous creationists, which is always fun.

I shouldn't say that, because Loquatia is totally going to the talk on Intelligent Design that is coming up fairly soon...

ID is strange. I used to think it was just saying that evolution happened and all just as science proves, but a higher power was driving it, which is what I believe. But then I learned about irreducible complexity and various other completely nonsensical parts of the argument and gave up on it.

Is it so hard to believe that science is true, but that there is also a god? An intelligent designer who is more of an artistic gardener than a sculptor or painter, who creates through making things grow over time rather than shaping them and then bestowing them with life? I think of the universe as God's bonsai tree. Start with a seed (a single atom), germinate the seed (make lots more atoms), nurture it and watch it grow and shape it as it does so so that the end result is what you were hoping for, or something just as good. Maybe I'm just reading the wrong things, but people always seem to think that evolution disproves the existence of a creator, because a creator isn't needed.

Science answers "How?" and religion answers "Why?". Two different questions. Why do people want to give them the same answer?

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Relic of my Childhood

The guy who used to be in charge of after-school and summer daycare at Applewood when I went there used to have movie days when he'd show us two movies, preceeded by some cartoons. This was one of the cartoons he showed us, and I never forgot about it-- I just never thought to check YouTube. Luckily, Writer Guy thinks of these things...

"You Will Be Awarded A Great Honor"

Note to self: Chapstick in the purse is useless if the purse is across the room. Next time, pockets. That's what they're there for.

Note to guys: Come on. Either make up your mind to grow a beard, and warn us that you're going to do so, or shave.

I have flowers! Longer-lasting than cut ones, too. It's a petunia plant. I think. Anyway, it's very cute and going on my windowsill, as soon as I clear off said windowsill's various cluttering junk.

In case you can't tell, I lose coherency at about 1 AM, which is why I would like to point out the stupidity of my going over to submit my Chem quiz at that ungodly hour last night at the computer lounge because they had Blackboard access, I was just denied it. I got a 50. Whatever. It was 1:30 in the morning and I had to walk by two people necking under a street lamp in order to submit the damn thing. Then I woke up this morning and realized it wasn't even due until 5 PM today (okay, technically this happened yesterday, but you get the idea) and I was about ready to punch something.

Plus spring is in the air, which means the weather is nice and we got to have Latin class outside today (was wearing my hair down, so the wind was rather disastrous for vision), and I didn't have to wear a coat, but at the same time, young men's fancies, and it means that the streetlight snoggers were only one of several couples I've seen making out in public forums (public being the key word here, I don't care what people do as long as I don't have to watch it).

You know what? I'm tired. Read about extreme ironing.

Insomnia...

1. Homework is evil.
2. Blackboard is evil, as it's down and thus it does not let me do homework. Normally preventing me from interacting with evil would be a good thing, but my GPA is in danger here.
3. Bisobrina's boyfriend's car broke down, which manages to be both sucky for him (and her, she misses him), and proof that the car gremlins are on my side, because it meant no confrontation.
4. Mistake called last night (after I was in bed, naturally) asking me to go to the mall with her to get a prom dress (long story), but luckily she understood that I have crazy homework.
5. I can't sleep any more. Except during class, when I can't stay awake. I have no idea why.

I'm off to go curse Blackboard and try to figure out how early I would have to arise tomorrow to get my homework submitted in time...

My Mind is PG-13 Rated

My mind is definitely a little dirty. I'm naughty, but not trashy. I don't shy away from a dirty joke, and I'm clearly not a prude.

Do You Have a Dirty Mind?

Today was ctenophoriffic!

Stupid English essay is hella time consuming, and I have a headache from staring at polyps through a microscope.

Bisobrina, my second cousin (name just means "bi," two, and "sobrina," cousin on the mother's side), wants to come up and visit. Awesome! This weekend. Not so awesome! I have NOT got the time for visits this weekend, I was figuring my only real study-break would be Friday night going out with Writer Guy. Only I have discovered that Bisobrina is one of those "no is not an option" girls and I am powerless against her mighty will. I only hope that her boyfriend and ride (she doesn't have a license) will hear this plan of hers and say, "No, I don't think I want to drive two hours to pick you up, then forty-five minutes to UNH, just to go see your second cousin and eat in a cafeteria."

Please, Maine-dwelling boyfriend of my second cousin, have sanity!

I Am 59% Addicted to the Internet

I'm somewhat addicted to the internet - but who isn't? I can keep it under check, and I'm by no means a hermit.

Are You Addicted to the Internet?

Damn. I forgot to eat dinner.

Okay, so I FINALLY have time to actually sort of write something, for a change.

I have crazy homework this week. Most people were dumped with exams and what not the week BEFORE vacation, when midterms were going on, but no, my professors waited until after I was in post-break mode to dump me with two exams, both in science; an essay, a translation, a quiz for Chem and a presentation on kinorhynchs.

Plus I'm kinda really distracted, anyway. Schoolwork is in the farthest reaches of my mind right now, pushed aside for more important thoughts like how I have a boyfriend and he's very good at distracting me from important things like homework and driving on the correct side of the road (yes I made that mistake, shut up, there weren't any other cars on the road) and blog-writing and sleep.

And besides, I started this half of the semester with a wake. The wake was nice but Grammy greeted Shrewd and me with tears and that was disconcerting; then again, she's now the eldest sister, so I can't blame her. Shrewd is officially not allowed to die until I'm dead or senile. Since she won't want to see me die, either, I think this means that we'll have to be completely bonkers by the time we move on.

But there was a bit of a bright side. I met my second cousin again! I met her the first time at her grandfather's funeral, and then again at her grandmother's, so she's becoming a bit of a funeral buddy since we're the same age and we hang out together after we're done telling the old people about how we like our classes and we're doing quite well, thank you. She's still in high school (she stayed back), but she's fairly close to Durham so I've decided she needs to come visit me. Last time we promised to keep in touch we exchanged a couple of letters then gave up, but hey, we were ten. Now the wonders of the internet mean that I might actually keep my promises to stay in touch. Hopefully.

I Know a Lot About Blogging

I got 5/8 correct! I'm not a total blogging geek yet... give it time.

How Much Do You Know About Blogging?

Not much time

Today is the Minervalia, a festival honoring Minerva/Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. It was celebrated by flutists dressing in long robes and masks wandering the streets of Rome playing their tunes, to make up for some long-ago sin by the Roman people against them.

It's also the Quinquatria, a festival honoring Mars/Ares, god of war, and Minerva. For this festival the Salii, priests of Mars, danced before the pontiffs and the tribunes, in order to gain Mars' blessing. Despite it being a day honoring two war gods, it was decreed that no blood could be shed on this day as it's Minerva's birthday.

Happy birthday, Minerva, I'm sure you look as lovely as ever. Being as you are immortal. And all.

-------------------------

Much too much last-minute crap to get through to post more tonight. A real entry tomorrow... maybe. Maybe Wednesday. I'm having a hectic couple of days.

Oh, and "not a serial killer" wasn't an option on this quiz...

What Kind of Serial Killer Would You Be? Your Result: Organized and Goal-Oriented You're a planner. You'd carefully plot each murder, and carry it out methodically. You'll kill them in one location and move them to another later, and you'll study up your forensic science. The good news is, you're much harder to catch. You won't kill for the person, you'll kill for material gain. Your goal is finance, not a psychopathic compulsion- but you have absolutely no problem killing as many people as necessary to get what you want.
Organized Visionary
Organized and Mission-Oriented
Organized and Hedonistic
Disorganized and Gain-Oriented
Disorganized Visionary
Disorganized and Mission-Oriented
Disorganized and Hedonistic
What Kind of Serial Killer Would You Be?

Late to bed again...

Back at school at last.

It was decided today that since I'm going back home tomorrow evening for my great-aunt's wake (she lived only one town over from me), I should just take the car to campus, then drive back tomorrow after Latin, then have my folks bring me back here. I was planning to park in A-lot, the visitor's lot.

Things I didn't consider/know:

- A-lot is on the other side of campus. Not cool.
- A-lot has a winter parking ban in effect. You can't park there overnight in the winter in case it snows.
- A-lot ALSO requires permits in general for overnight parking, or I'd have to move it by 8 AM. Which would require waking up by 8 AM.
- UNH loves towing cars that are not parked in the right spot.

Thank god I happened to mention that I was worried about it getting towed to Writer Guy (I'll give him a Latinized name eventually, I need to think of one), and he suggested that I just park it at his place overnight. Uhm, yeah, total lifesaver. Or at least, prevented me from getting a ticket and having to get my car out of an impound lot.

Hmm....

I'm not dead. I just am very, very uninteresting.

But in case you were DYING to know, it appears that my ideal superhero lover would be Beast... a giant blue ape-man.

Guess I wasn't kidding when I said "looks don't matter!"

More high schools should be infiltrated by zombies.

Hmm... wow. Absolutely nothing happened today. At all.

How anticlimactic.

Well, I mean, yeah, it snowed, like blizzard snowed, but I was inside and didn't have anywhere to go anyway, so the only times I left the house were to shovel the driveway so Daddy could get in and then to go get firewood once Daddy got home. But other than that I basically spent the day sitting on the couch. Exciting, no?

Ah, spring break.

How I Live My Life

I have a good sense of self control and hate to show weakness. I'm laid back and chill, but sometimes I care too much about what others think. I tend to have one best friend I hang with, as opposed to many acquaintances. I have one big dream in my life, and I never lose sight of it.

How Do You Live Your Life?

Apparently I have a REALLY obnoxious laugh. Not that I didn't know that already...

Today I learned that my maternal grandmother's oldest sister, my great-aunt, passed away today. She was very old and frail and we were all expecting it, so I don't think anyone is in shock over this, but she was a sweet old woman and helped out my family several times, and I was sorry to learn about her death.

My grandmother is coming up this weekend. I don't know if she's staying here, but I think she is, so it's probably for the best that I cleaned the house, because it means my mother doesn't have to deal with that right now on top of everything else. I'll just have to clean the upstairs.

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Before I learned all this, I spent the evening with Mistake, which was cool. We don't have "girl time" all that much and it was nice to just get to hang out and talk and check out her very cute new hairstyle, and get her advice. Usually at school we can't really talk much because either Closer is loitering nearby or we're in a dorm or a public place.

So it's probably good that I happened to need her advice at the same time that we were at home, and at the same time that I needed to drop off a load of trashy romance novels from my mom to hers, because they exchange trashy romance novels and have for years, which always makes me and Mistake torn between laughter and disturbance. One doesn't like to think of one's mother as a reader of supermarket bodice-rippers.

Incidentally, the presence of a big bag of trashy romance novels in my car was the primary drive behind my telling Writer Guy that the car was "dirty" and suggesting that we take his. And yes, the car was dirty. Just more metaphorically so than literally.

My Hair Should Be Orange

Expressive, deep, and one of a kind. I pull off "weird" well - hardly anyone notices.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

And now, your daily dose of TMI!

Okay, I really like Writer Guy and we're "official" now, on Facebook and everything, and I had a lot of fun today when we hung out all afternoon and wandered around the mall and went to the orchard by the graveyard and sat on the little dock and talked (shut up, in my hometown, there's not that much to do), and we did at least watch classic Star Trek episodes like Mirror, Mirror and The Trouble With Tribbles until I expected my dad to get home so we weren't sword fighting in the mud the WHOLE time, and no, there is absolutely no innuendo there at all, we bought foam swords and were totally running around the muddy apple orchards pretending to be pirates.

He was winning until I backed him into a huge pile of mud, then we decided he had lost because I wasn't wearing Tevas filled with muck. Victory is mine!

But yes, anyway, there was a point. I really like him and all and I don't have that much experience in this area, actually I have almost no experience, but OH MY GOD there has to be a way to kiss that isn't so messy.

My Deadly Sins

Sloth: 80%

Greed: 60%

Lust: 40%

Pride: 40%

Envy: 20%

Gluttony: 0%

Wrath: 0%

Chance I'll Go to Hell: 34%

I will die sitting on my parents' couch, watching Star Trek.

How Sinful Are You?

I would make a rockin' Scarlet Witch.

Could I justify buying myself $40 thigh-or-knee-high red heeled boots?

Because they would be awesome, and I could have the most incredible Halloween costume next year if I wanted to go as any of a large number of superheroes, including, by not limited to, Wonder Woman, the Scarlet Witch, and Supergirl. They would also work with a devil costume. However... I'm sort of lacking of ideas in the non-Halloween-department where tall red heeled boots are a feasible costume choice.

I could go to comics conventions.

...As the Scarlet Witch? I may not be Heidi Klum but I think wandering around geek heaven in a Scarlet Witch costume might be mildy problematic. For my dignity.

I could just get a miniskirt. Except that would also harm my dignity.

But... but... so cool!

There should be more Star Trek drinking games. "Hot alien chick hit on Trip- take a drink!"

I woke up really, really late today; like, two in the afternoon, and then I started to read and the next thing I knew it was four in the afternoon and I hadn't done a single thing all day. Oops.

Today I got my laundry done and I sort of picked up, a little bit, but most of my limited day was devoted to talking to Writer Guy online (yes, again) and then watching Enterprise reruns on SciFi. Because I'm so productive...

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So... funny little story... I was talking to Writer Guy on the phone for two hours on Saturday night (because my internet connection was down, I don't normally subject my parents to crazy phone bills), and besides the fact that The Brother was very irritated that my long conversation meant he couldn't talk to his girlfriend, something interesting came up in conversation.

Namely, my "online persona." Basiorana, that is. The name that I use in online forums and on my blog-- basically, anytime you see "Basiorana" anywhere on the internet it's me, and the same is true for my alternate identity (an older one), Zennybee. Writer Guy, like so many before him, was curious as to what "Basiorana" meant.

Well, you may know that it is from the Latin words "basio," meaning "I kiss," and "rana," meaning "frog," coming from my blog title and the old fairy tale, which is one of my favorites. But how, exactly, do you tell someone that your internet persona means "I kiss the frog" when they are someone that you may very well be kissing in the future? It was weird enough telling Mack.

My explanation was rather convoluted and sounded a bit like a lesson in Latin grammar with a few mumbled references to fairy tales...

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Since I don't have anything interesting to say on my own I've decided I should probably update my Readings and add some other blogs you should check out. Plus delete the ones that haven't had anything posted in a long enough time that I think they've been abandoned.

But yes, some new people to check out: First, there's EDog's Everything Page, which is the life blog of the dude who does the very funny webcomic Adventures of the S-Team, which has superheroes and robots and aliens, recently, so it's very funny. Anyway, I feel kind of bad that it took me so ridiculously long to figure out that he had a life blog too, in addition to the blog about the comic... but yeah. Oh well.

Another addition: Sam Girl, who hails from South Africa, which honestly feels a lot farther away to me than it actually is... But then again I tend to think of Russia as farther away than Australia, so clearly my sense of distance is a little wonky.

I Am 50% Left Brained, 50% Right Brained

The left side of the brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. My left brain's influence makes me fairly logical and prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of the brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. Since I'm half right brained, I likely have a talent for creative writing and art. My right brain prefers day dreaming and philosophy.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

"Dammit, Zombie David, quit playing with your food!"

So yesterday was a day of family stuff making me smile. Or giggle. Or laugh uproariously and fall out of my chair... no wait that was Friday night...

Woke up yesterday morning and promptly started coughing violently. Then I started to heave. So I rushed to the bathroom, where I did not barf, but did cough up phlegm into the toilet, which splashed, so yeah, totally woke up by getting toilet water splashed in my eye, because it was just ONE OF THOSE DAYS.

Then, at the ungodly early hour of 8 AM, we took three of our four cars into the shop for inspection and the other one followed to transport us to breakfast while the inspection went on. The remaining car was the Focus. There are five of us, since my brother came along. My brother, the thinnest of us, was driving. The backseat was me, my sister, and my dad... in the backseat... of a Ford Focus...

I'm pretty sure my skeletal structure was rearranged. There was much laughing and comments about "contents under pressure" and clown cars.

Anyway, we celebrated Daddy's birthday and went to a movie, Music and Lyrics, which wasn't fabulous but it was cute and funny in spots. Chick flick, but yeah.

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Today I went shopping, and I got two pairs of jeans and three tops that look identical to each other except for the color, so I'm not sure why I got all of them, except that two of them were only a dollar each. I haven't yet decided if I want to go back and get the jean skort I saw. I know, it's a skort, but honestly, it looks exactly like a skirt but just has shorts in it so I can wear it in the hot and sticky days of summer.

But anyway, the interesting part about this trip, which is in and of itself pretty boring, is that I can't remember the last time I went on a shopping trip and didn't once put something on, look in the mirror, and think, Damn it, I'm so fat. And this time, I didn't think that at all.

I like being happy. I should buy more clothing before I start thinking I'm ugly again.

I May Be a Bit Dependent...

I'm more than a little preoccupied with being abandoned. I need a lot of support in my life, at all times. It's difficult for me to survive on my own... And I don't reallly think I ever could.

What Personality Disorder Are You?

Bouncing Graviton Particle Beams Since 1966

My internet connection at home is always choppier than on campus, so since I got here last night and soon lost access to Blogger (but not livejournal, oddly enough) I wasn't able to post. This is the first time in like forever I haven't posted so momentous occasion. However, I did write a post, so I'm putting it up now. I wrote it Friday night, for time frame.

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So I'm at home now, and Spring Break has officially started. Thus far I have been here for four hours and have spent 50% of that time talking with Writer Guy on AIM and the other 50% dancing. For some reason, I come home, and I find myself dancing in the kitchen to the song mentioned in my previous post with my goofy older sister doing the same as she cooks dinner, which is about 500 times better than college fare. Then I find myself chilling in my brother's room as Shrewd prints out something ridiculously long because she's too nice to her friends and I'm dancing again.

Dancing is my natural reaction to being happy. I can't actually dance, mind you, besides like the rumba and foxtrot, but I just naturally move around and I move around more when I'm happy, and I move in patterns and it's sort of a vague facsimile of dancing. You can tell I'm happy if I walk like I'm about to break out into an impromptu musical number and if I can't stop smiling, which is another reaction I have. I don't have a nervous laugh or a nervous smile; when I laugh and smile it is because I'm in a fabulous mood.

I hate that I can't really dance at school, because I can only actually dance when I know full well that everyone around me dances just as badly and randomly as I do. Or when I'm all alone.

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In other news, that cold that I was over last night? As in, I was totally and completely over it, but just feeling ill for other reasons?

It's baaaaaaaaa-aaaack.

I'm pretty sure at some point I felt my lung break apart in my chest and rise up through my trachea. I sound like Vader's lovechild. I feel perfectly fine, though, until I start to cough.

This means, too, that I totally was acting as a biological weapon yesterday when I was wandering around and breathing near people. Great.

Meh. At least it's not pneu-- oh, wait, best not finish that sentence, or it will be, and then I will blame Mistake, and then I will have to cause her great pain and suffering for the pain and suffering she would have inflicted on me in her small act of bioterrorism.

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Anyway... I have to clean the whole house by next Wednesday, because that is when Writer Guy is coming over. To my house. Where my parents live. And yet, must find a way to do this without actually having him meet them... Mummy has promised she will continue her rampant workaholicism, and not wander downstairs, but the issue arises as to what happens if Daddy comes home early. I really, really don't want to make Writer Guy get grilled by my folks. The ride home with the bajillion questions ("What's his major? What's he going to do with that? Where's he from? Who's his favorite Trek villain..." okay it was my mom so the questions were a little weird) was bad enough. He said he didn't care but meeting the parents at only the third date is so very high school, and honestly, when you're dating a guy three years older than you you try to deemphasize the age difference...

I'm going to cook for him. His response to this idea, while not being bad in and of itself, was... unexpected. Though at least "Oh, that's hot" is better than "Erm... will I survive this encounter?" which would have surprised me less but irritated me more...

I Communicate With My Ears

I love conversations, both as a listener and a talker. What people say is important to me, and I'm often most affected by words, not actions. I love to hear compliments from others. Music is very important to me. It's difficult to find me without my iPod or laptop playing music aloud...

How Do You Communicate?

More Geeky Stuff You Have To See

Okay... I promise I won't always just post Star Trek stuff from YouTube but OH MY GOD THIS IS AWESOME. The song is Voltaire's "The USS Make Shit Up" from the album Banned On Vulcan and it's totally on my iTunes, as it should be on the iTunes of every true geek.

Here is a Bad Idea:

First, make sure you are very sick for several days, ensuring a complete lack of desire to get out of bed and go eat. Subsist on Ramen noodles and hot tea.

Then get better, but maintain your sore throat despite feeling perfectly fine, so you don't feel sick but you can't swallow easily. Proceed to pick out soft foods like eggs for breakfast, but make sure that you're eating in a cafeteria that can't seem to fully hard-boil the damn things so you can't finish them without triggering your gag reflex. Also make sure you have weird dietary restrictions on the eating of meat, limiting your lunchtime consumption to vegetarian chili. Subsist on hot tea, juice, and vegetarian chili.

Then decide to break your near-fast with Asian food that you've never tried before and have no idea how your stomach will respond to it. Decide you dislike the taste and be too obsessed with making a good impression to ask for something more substantiative, like solid food.

At this point you will feel perfectly healthy except for the fact you've eaten an anorexic's fare for the past week or so and don't actually have any of the proper nutrients in your system, except for iron, because of the stupid pills you're taking and probably peeing out because the body needs vitamin C to absorb iron and you haven't had anything vitamin C except for cough drops.

Your stomach will fill with gas, feel like it's about to explode, and bloat. Your first impact will be to get your knees as close to your chin as possible in an attempt to fix this problem (why does this work? I don't know. But I always cure stomach pain with contortionist practice). And if you're like me, your pain threshold is fairly high, so you're going to sit there all evening ignoring the fact that you're pretty sure your stomach has begun digesting your liver.

Oh, but you're gonna complain about it. Oh yes. Because that's what blogs are for.

That said, I totally can't complain as much as Mistake, who has pneumonia. As far as I know, it's not even the walking sort, and yet, she's been walking about for a couple of days now, because she is NUTS.

I Should Be a Science Fiction Writer

My ideas are very strange, and people often wonder what planet I'm from. And while I may have some problems being "normal," I'll have no problems writing sci-fi. Whether it's epic films, important novels, or vivid comics... My own little universe could leave an important mark on the world!

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

"Fine, the zucchini can have his damn rocket boots."*

I hate being sick. Especially since I'm desperately trying to get well before tomorrow night. I felt better today, though, or at least differently ill; I can breathe, and my fever is down, but my throat hurts like hell. This is possibly related to the fact that last night I was breathing through my mouth and I dried out my throat, but meh.

Anyway, skipped Chemistry today, because yeah, not sitting through that class and I needed sleep; I had to go to Bio lab, though, because I can't easily make it up. The trouble was that this week's lab was in the greenhouses, which are out past A-lot at the edge of oblivi- er, campus. It wasn't as crazy-cold today as yesterday but it wasn't exactly toasty either, so despite the hot peppermint tea I was drinking to help my throat and the fact that I was spilling at least as much on my hands as entered my mouth I was practically frozen by the time I entered the greenhouses.

That said... Despite being sick, I must say, if you ever go to UNH for some reason during the greenhouse's open house (which, by the way, is 9 to 4 on Friday, March 31st and Saturday, April 1), check it out; it's awesome. The room we were in had enormous cacti and flowering cacti and every kind of carnivorous plant imaginable, and orange trees and lemon trees and a banana tree that wasn't fruiting but still looked very cool; there was a full-grown palm tree and a little pond with goldfish in it and a Birds of Paradise plant, which I haven't seen since we saw that tropical garden on Capri in Italy. The diversity in that small space is awesome; plus, I have always liked carnivorous plants.

Anyway, yeah, very cool lab despite my feeling like I just wanted to collapse the whole time...

I'm going to bed.

I am a Self-Discoverer

I'm not religious, but I've created my own kind of spirituality. Introspective and thoughtful, I tend to look inward for the divine. I am distrusting of all forms of organized religion. I especially dislike religious gurus and leaders, who I feel are charlatans.

What's Your Religious Philosophy?

*Not a fortune, I didn't get one today-- but I thougt it was pretty funny...

"Anything worth doing can be done."

There is a myth about the fierce, cold Northern Wind, Boreas; he had a tendency to impregnate horses that were facing the wrong way, and he kidnapped pretty young women for similar reasons. He would sweep them up into the air and carry them off to far-off mountaintops, where he would tear off their clothes and rape them. Or, if you're feeling nice, seduce them.

Anyway, I relate this because I'm pretty sure that's what he was trying to do today as I was walking over to see my therapist; the wind tore at my clothing, nearly ripping off my coat, and I was dangerously close to being knocked off the bridge into the river, which was at least frozen over so I didn't have to fear breaking through the ice, unless I hit with enough force that I would just die anyway.

This was particularly wondrous because I'm still sick, only I didn't have a fever this morning and I do now, thanks, I'm sure, to the wonders of negative-20 winds. I haven't run a fever in years; in fact, my temperature usually runs low, so this is pretty sucky for me...

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So in other news, I skipped English today because I felt crappy and napped. Which I really want to be doing right now instead of writing... So I'm off to bed. Tomorrow I'll tell you about sick, clumsy me breaking glassware in lab and generally being a big lack of help to Maritima.

My Love Style is Storge

For me, love and friendship are almost the same thing And my love tends to be the enduring, long lasting kind (I've been known to still have connections with exes) But sometimes my love is not the most passionate I should leap before I look, and I'll find that fire I crave

What's Your Love Style?

"Bring something up from the back burner."

My sister is to be a bridesmaid at a friend's wedding. This is most likely going to involve a dress. Specifically, Shrewd in a dress. Maybe even heels. And a bridesmaid's dress, at that, which are notoriously bad...

Bwahahahaha! Schadenfreude!

But only because it's Shrewd, and she has a tendency to say my Facebook profile pictures look deformed. Or my face looks deformed. She didn't specify her meaning. After her complaints about my most recent change I was considering just giving up and sketching myself, but I've since had two boys tell me the most recent "deformed" image was perfectly fine, so I stick out my tongue in her general direction and I'll put the new one back up tomorrow.

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Chemistry is killing me, but meh. I'm used to it. I'm also dying slowly as a result of my brain slowly liquefying and escaping though my nose. It's also possible that I have a cold, but I find it hard to believe I have this much fluid in my head without some of it being part of my gray matter, dissolving due to the close proximity to Spring Break.

The violent sneezing is no doubt helping the liquefication process, through repeated banging of the brain against the inside of my skull. I normally sneeze an average of 5 times in a row, but if I have a cold it's upped to like ten, and each sneeze brings tears to my eyes and nearly knocks me out of the chair.

I'm sure I look real attractive right now, bleary-eyed and drippy with a big ol' red nose...

And I'm really tired, too, because I haven't been getting enough sleep and I'm sick. I slept through the first half of a lecture today, which wouldn't be so abnormal if it wasn't at 6 pm...

Speaking of that lecture, here's today's Bad Typing Error Of The Day: "Have Faith! If I can do you, anyone can!"

I Am A Romantic Realist

I tend to be grounded when it comes to romance. Sure, I can fall hard... but only for someone I've gotten to know. And once I'm in love, I can be a total romantic goofball... But I'd never admit it to my friends!

Are You Romantic or Realistic?

"An admirer is too shy to meet you."

I tagged along with Loquatia to dinner today, and ate with her and the CI kids. They're all really nice, but I have to say, I wasn't really expecting them to say grace... in a dining hall...

And I really wasn't expecting Loquatia to ask me if it was okay. What, was she expecting I'd flip out and get terribly insulted? It's grace. I bowed my head and waited while the girl asked that everyone be able to finish their homework tonight, "especially those of us who have essays due tomorrow morning, Lord."

Besides, I'm a theist, I can say grace just as well as anyone else and all I have to do to a Christian grace is think "god" instead of "lord" or "Jesus."

The dinner was okay, though I was quiet the whole meal on account of not really knowing any of them except Loquatia and Comisa. The solemn tone at the beginning quickly devolved into biting the heads or bottoms off of gummy bears and making them into multicolor mutants.

Ah, college students.

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That was going to be my only story today, besides the Picard video you are all required to watch below (seriously, I joined YouTube just to show you this, so watch it), but I was talking to Writer Guy and the subject of self-esteem-- specifically, mine-- came up. I tried to explain in the best possible way that I've struggled with it for a long time, but I know I have a problem with it and I'm trying to work on it. As in, I tried to explain it in a way that didn't make me seem needy or like I was fishing for compliments (I never fish for compliments, at least not intentionally. I assume those aren't actually compliments, but rather attempts to make me feel better, and thus can be ignored). I think I was successful. I hope so, anyway.

But the important/interesting part was that he told me if he could ever help in that regard, I should let him know, so I was able to inform him that he didn't really need to make any special effort, he's managed to help improve my self-esteem already.

I may have a default setting with the self-esteem of an old grapefruit (they have body image problems, didn't you know?), but at least it improves drastically at the slightest provocation...

My Love Element Is Earth

In love, I have consistency and integrity. For me, love is all about staying grounded and centered. I attract others with my zest for life and experiences. My flirting style is defined by setting the scene, creating a unique moment in time. Steady progress and stability are the cornerstones of my love life. I may take things too slowly, but I never put my heart at risk. I connect best with: Fire I should avoid: Wood Me and another Earth element: need each other too much to build a good foundation.

What Element Is Your Love?

Awesomeness

This is... wow. Yeah. Freakin' hilarious.

Personally, I think Indian food should come with fortune cookies too.

I will say this much:

He's nice, he's sweet, we got along great and it wasn't awkward, not even when Mistake called and I had to go turn off my phone as "Swanee River" played cheerfully from my purse. We watched episodes of Voyager and laughed when the ship lurched sideways and people went flying despite the fact that the gravity was artificial. Especially when the holograms did it too.

We're planning to get together next week to learn the Greek alphabet, and oh my GOD if you can't tell we're dorks yet there is some connection missing in your brain...

But I don't know/remember who reads this, and I can't figure out how much I want to say, yet, and how much I want to keep to myself... I'll sort it out later, when I'm not disturbing my roommate with this click-clicking of keys.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit."

Classes weren't canceled for the snow, today, but they were cancelled when it turned to rain and the streets became rivers of slush. So I had to go to Chemistry, but luckily for me Latin was canceled (luckily because I had forgotten to do my homework. I've not exactly been "focused on schoolwork" this week, in case you couldn't tell).

So I spent the afternoon hanging out and watching an old Wishbone episode Mistake found for me, and I ate dinner with some of Loquatia's friends, including this one girl Loquatia knows from... tennis? I think, anyway. Not sure. But Comisa (which is going to be her name, I see her enough that she probably needs one, and that means "friendly," by the way), who reminds me vaguely of both Mistake and a girl I know from high school, invited both of us to watch movies in Englehardt; I admit, I totally didn't go because I was thinking that I wanted to talk to Writer Guy.

In the end, he couldn't talk long, but it was okay because Mistake called and we went to see The Holiday, which is a good movie, and, in my opinion, more my thing that V for Vendetta, which is what Comisa and Loquatia saw.

However, the night brought cold and now the streets are solid ice, under which lurks very deep puddles. Fun.

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So... I don't know why I'm nervous. If there was ever a date to not be nervous about, this is it. At this point he knows about my interest in serial killers, my obsession with X-men and with classical myth; he knows about my weird religious beliefs and that I'm a libertarian and I believe in Atlantis but not Roswell because I don't think the government's that competent. He's read my writing, which reveals more about me than I usually care to show. He knows about my suicide attempt and that I'm kind of antisocial and that I haven't really dated much, or even made that many friends since I came to college. He figured out my greatest weakness, my biggest flaw, almost immediately (then again, I do sort of wear that one on my sleeve).

Heck, he managed to compliment the one Facebook picture that I really think is me at my ultimate worst, the one I sooooo want the girl who Comisa reminds me of to take down because I look 20 lbs heavier than I was, and I was 25 lbs heavier then than I am now, and my hair's a morning-after-prom mess and I have bags under my eyes that you could pack a mule with because the girl kept Mistake up talking and the two of them kept me up until six in the freakin' morning. Yeah, he complimented that one.

So basically this kid knows every single skeleton in my closet except the unfortunate duck-squishing incident of '91, which I'm sure will come up sooner or later, and he asked me out after knowing most of it and I haven't managed to scare him off yet so honestly, I shouldn't be nervous, because I think this is one of the few people in the world who won't get scared off no matter how honest and blunt I am.

Shrewd thinks that his calm acceptance of my oddities is a sign that he is, in fact, completely insane, and I should prepare myself accordingly by bringing a mace. No, not mace. A mace. As in, large and unwieldy medieval weaponry.

Can you tell that neither of us has been out dating much? I can.

I Am a German Shepherd Puppy

Intelligent, quick witted, and a bit aggressive. I've got the jaw power to take a bite out of anyone I choose.

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

At last

"Ajax, now, went down with his long-oared fleet. First Poseidon drove him onto the cliffs of Gyrae, looming cliffs, then saved him from the breakers-- he'd have escaped his doom, too, despite Athena's hate, if he hadn't flung that brazen boast, the mad blind fool. 'In the teeth of the gods,' he bragged, 'I have escaped the ocean's sheer abyss!' Poseidon heard that frantic vaunt and the god grasped his trident in both his massive hands and struck the Gyraen headland, hacked the rock in two, and the giant stump stood fast but the jagged spur where Ajax perched at first, the raving madman-- toppling into the sea, it plunged him down, down in the vast seething depths. And so he died, having drunk his fill of brine." ~The Odyssey, IV. 560

My Betta fish Ajax finally died last night. He was at least nine months old and had had both his eyes popped out, a flesh-eating fungus consume his face, and a hole in his lip that made it difficult for him to eat. He was past his time; I've been expecting him to die for quite some time now. I'm just glad I didn't have to euthanize him.

I thought the quote appropriate, especially that last line. It wasn't brine, but I'd say Ajax has drunk his fill.

"Your fortune is as sweet as you."

Today is the Matronalia, a festival honoring Juno/Hera in her role as goddess of childbirth. Women would perform rituals in her honor at the temple, including wearing their hair down (scandalous the rest of the time) and not being allowed to wear belts or knots in their clothing. It was also a Mother's Day of sorts, because women received gifts from their husbands and daughters. They would also prepare a meal for the slaves, like men did during Saturnalia.

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The Russian Orthodox Church has a patron saint of nuclear combat. Fyodor Ushakov.

This is awesome.

That said. I have almost nothing to say. Today was pretty boring. Well, parts of it weren't, but I signed a little slip of paper saying I'm not allowed to talk about those parts. Which makes it sound a lot more interesting than it actually is.

But as requested, I'll explain the pine cone thing. There is a kind of pine cone that only opens and releases it's seeds in extreme heat, like after forest fires, so it doesn't overcrowd other trees by growing all the time but it can still rebuild the forest after a fire. So in order to look at the seeds, we stuck the pine cones in the microwave, producing large quantities of smoke that reminded me of toasting marshmallows over a pine-wood fire and consequently made me hungry, despite the fact that the noxious smell was making me cough quite loudly.

And I am the queen of cutting flowers exactly, perfectly in half with a scalpel. And peas. And beans. I am the sharp implement queen.

The Keys to My Heart

I am attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free. In love, I feel the most alive when everything is uncertain, one moment heaven... the next moment hell. I'd like my lover to think I am stylish and alluring. I would be forced to break up with someone who was insecure and in constant need of reassurance. My ideal relationship is lasting. I want a relationship that looks to the future... one I can grow with. My risk of cheating is zero. I care about society and morality. I would never break a commitment. I think of marriage as something precious. I'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. In this moment, I think of love as something I thirst for. I'll do anything for love, but I won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?