Nighttime oddities
Current mood: amused

So I'm lying in bed last night on my stomach, trying to go to sleep.  Maya is sleeping on my back and left shoulder and purring. 

Courtney, out of nowhere and from a dead sleep, bolts upright.

"MY GOD!!  SHE IS PURRING SO FUCKING LOUD!!!!"

I turn to her and say, "Well, seeing as she's two inches from MY ear, don't worry about it."

Courtney looks dumbfounded and says, "Well . . . uh . . . yeah" before falling backwards and snoring once again. 

That is indeed a compelling argument, Courtney.  I started laughing so hard that Maya woke up, hissed at me, and ran away.  Courtney says I'm making this all up, but I swear I'm not this creative. 

8:36 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Cooking adventures

So, it was 1 am.  I was bored and had a sweet tooth.  I looked around at my kitchen and saw fresh pears, spiced pecans, and ultra-thin gingersnaps.  Doesn't that sound like the makings of a crisp or something?  So that's what I made.  Butter, crushed gingersnaps, brown sugar, and finely chopped pecans made a crumble topping.  Half of that got pressed into a round cake pan, pear slices were layered over that, some fresh lemon juice, and the rest of the crumb topping.  In the oven at 350 for 30 minutes and voila!  Ginger-Pear crisp. 

It's pretty damn good.  I should take a picture of it (even though there's a slice missing) and post it.

Later note:  I took a picture of it.  Here it is.

11:55 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Christmas recap

So my parents came to town and had a great time as far as I could tell.  They like my place and think the city is really pretty.  We took them to the Alamo Drafthouse to see Juno on Saturday night, which they loved.  Then the next night we ate at County Line barbecue, and I made sure to take them for breakfast at Austin Java.  We drove to campus and I took them up to see my closet-sized office.  We drove downtown and through Hill Country.  They think it's awesome.

Dad and I made a Christmas eve dinner together which was outstanding.  I got TONS of presents, all very nice and greatly appreciated.  God, people really buy good stuff for me.  I finally have my bar blender, and Dad gave me 3 really nice knives.  I was chopping stuff for dinner and my wrists didn't hurt!  It was amazing.

Molly came for dinner and presents on Christmas Eve, which was great.  She finally got to meet my parents and more fully understand why I am the way I am. 

Yesterday Courtney and I drove to Houston where her brother, his wife, and their baby girl were staying for Christmas.  We got to meet their friends Joanne and Jill (who are wonderful and have the COOLEST house) and we had a lovely dinner with them.  Zia is getting so big!  She's such a cool baby . . . with the biggest blue eyes I've ever seen. 

So, good holidays.  Now I'm going to go and play the game I bought for Courtney. 

11:04 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Who in the hell smokes pot before 9 am????
Current mood: sleepy

So I've been up all night and at 8:30 this morning my living room and kitchen started to reek as they tend to do . . . because the neighbors smoke a LOT of pot and it seeps into the downstairs of my apartment.  You'd think I could at least make the best of it and get a decent contact high but all it really does it make me nauseated.  That's nauseated and not nauseous, people.  There's a difference: learn it, live it.

Anyway, my parents are due to arrive at around 11 tonight.  Very exciting.  Mom hasn't seen the place since we moved in with almost no furniture and Dad hasn't seen it at all.  Gonna show them around Austin, see some lights, have some fun. 

My girlfriend, coincidentally, is impossible to shop for when it comes to presents.  One, she has expensive taste which is WAY beyond my meager grad school loans and lame savings and, two, she buys stuff for herself all year, leaving nothing for me to get her. 

Okay, time to finish cleaning.  Gotta impress my parents and make them think we actually keep the place this nice all the time.  I know they'll see right through my sham, but I have to try.

7:11 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

This sucks

Heather just left to drive back to Slidell.  I have syntax homework to finish for tomorrow.  Today is just officially crappy.   But it was a good Thanksgiving with me, Courtney, Heather and Molly.  I cooked a turkey and Molly contributed some truly fantastic side dishes. 

I wish Heather would just move to Austin.  I don't like not having her around.   :(

And, for some reason, when Heather arrived I kind of expected our three tattoos to start glowing or something.  Like the triumverate had been reunited or something. 

1:23 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

All kinds of stuff

First off, I don't mind saying that I got drunk last night.  I mean to' up, turn your head and wait for the room to catch up kinda drunk.  Mango margaritas are the devil, especially when you have 3 of them and then most of a bloody mary. 
Anyway, at some point during the night, I turned to Molly and her friend Susie and said:
'You know how I know I'm drunk?  Cuz if I tried to go change my tampon right now I'd just be stabbing myself in the taint 20 times before I gave up."

I think this is a good barometer of inebriation in general.  Girls, next time you're drinking (and on your period, which helps the drunk set in faster) ask yourself if you would be able to change out a tampon and not cause some kind of permanent damage. 

School is . . . well it's going.  I'm having fun in class, but the homework makes me want to shoot myself in the head.  Mostly.  Phonology doesn't have that effect on me since I LIKE phonology and I'm good at it.  Syntax and semantics are different stories.  I've been floundering in semantics since the first day because, guess what, I don't know formal or symbolic logic.  Oh well.  I'm learning, slowly.  I'll know how I feel about syntax when I get my homework back.  I got a 67 on the first one and cried for a couple of hours about it. 

I'm so glad I didn't commit to a job until I knew how my time was going to be spent.  I go to class, come home, and then work on assignments until 12 or 1 in the morning.  I usually forget to eat dinner and then I'm too tired to eat.  And yet, I'm still having a great fucking time.

I've got my own little group happening with Lauren, Dan, and Josh.  We have an informal study group that is usually conducted over gmail chat and endless phone conversations.  Sometimes there is mutual cursing and sniffling.  So far, we're balancing our strengths and sharing any previous knowledge.  Also, we're trying to keep each other sane.

Got my office/cubicle all squared away.  I'm sharing it with Lauren and we're going to start decorating it next week.  We need a desk fan (very stuffy little office) a desk lamp, some books, a stash of tampons cuz we're two forgetful girls, a collection of good reference books, and some posters.  Come December we're gonna tacky it up with garland and lights.

I'm getting more into the dialect coach idea.  I'm going to talk to my advisor about what I would need to get into that and then go talk to the dialect coach in the drama and film department. 

I think that's it for now.  I spent all day lying around the house with a mild headache (since momma taught me how to avoid a full hangover) and then took some sushi over to Molly's for dinner.  Tomorrow, I start on more homework.  Yay!

9:16 PM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

I’ve been oriented
Current mood: exhausted

I know a lot of people would have said "orientated" but that isn't a word and it sounds fucking stupid to boot.  I went to my departmental orientation yesterday and it went really well.  About 15 new grad students were there, a mix of doctoral and masters, and I'll probably have all those people in all my classes this semester.  I'm taking 3 classes: phonology, syntax, and semantics.  It sounds boring, maybe, but I'm excited!!  I was going to take 4 classes, but they recommended that we take 3.  I can put off sign language for another semester since I've figured out my language requirements.  Additionally, if I want to transfer into the doctoral program, it's not a big deal. 
So, my schedule is:
MWF
Phonology 10-11
Syntax 11-12
TTH
Semantics 11-12:30

And that's it.  5 days a week, but they're all short and I'll have tons of time for homework.  And then I'll think about either looking for part-time work or trying harder to pick up freelance stuff. 

What else . . . Molly has been staying at my place and it's been nice having someone around.  I'm sure she's tired of crashing places and is probably VERY tired of having to interact with me, but I've enjoyed it.  Plus, I got to try her face wash and moisturizer.  That's the best thing about having a girl over . . . you get to swap girly things and try stuff you don't want to buy without having tried it.

Oh!  Made a friend at orientation, a girl named Lauren who is very cool and nice.  We skipped out on going to a food court with everyone and hung out talking for a couple hours before going out to lunch and hanging out there for a few more hours.  She's taking the same 3 classes I am and it'll be nice to know someone on the first day. 

I'm not so so nervous about the first day of class.  Now I'm just nervous about other things like not fucking up and getting on the wrong shuttle or something.  Irritated at the school because, unlike UNO, you don't get a book voucher to pay for your books with financial aid.  I have to pay for them out of pocket, and I don't have the money.  I ordered them today with Courtney's credit card and that makes her an absolute saint as far as I'm concerned.  I tried to argue with her when she offered until she threw a shoe at me and I gave in.

Went to the movies with Molly last night (I was super social yesterday) and saw Superbad.  See it if you haven't already because I thought it was FUNNY.  Apparently a guy behind us thought it was even funnier than we did because he laughed so long and loud throughout the entire movie that I thought he must be stoned.  He was crazy.  I even heard him in the parking lot when I was driving away. 

What else . . . the trip home was fine.  I got a haircut (shortest it's been in a LONG time) and then dyed it a brighter red when I got home.  It's very cute and I like it a lot.  Courtney is still working a lot.  The cats are fine.  I'm broke as hell. 

Finis

Currently listening : Hounds of Love By Kate Bush Release date: 18 May, 1992

5:09 PM - 2 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

I made friends

So, I've been in Austin for almost 2 months now.  It's going well, but I've been depressed and lonely a lot of the time.  Not surprising, this.  I'm not working and I'm by myself the majority of the time spending too much time in my own head.  But, I did make a couple of friends.  Molly was one of the first people I met and it was just instantly fantastic.  I think we hung out for almost 6 hours the first time we met.  She is awesome!!  I highly recommend finding your own Molly, if at all possible.  That might be a challenge, seeing as she's unique and I'm sure your own version will pale in comparison to the real thing.
Today I met Erica and she is also wonderful and fun.  We went to lunch and then out to a movie.  Smart, funny, and with a deep appreciation for 80s music (I mean, come on, she's playing Tiffany on her myspace page). 
So, yay me!  I met two really cool people!!  Austin seems much better these days.
I should also mention that I'm heading back to Louisiana one more time before classes start.  Mom put an offer on the table to entice me home that includes the cost of gas for the trip and treating me to a cut/color/highlight at my favorite salon.  She also mentioned that she has a pair of earrings to give me.  So I'm coming down soon and will get to spend time with the awesomeness that is Heather.  I'm timing it so I won't be there until after her last day at Walgreens.  That way she'll have no excuse to not hang out with me.
Classes are starting on the 29th and I'm NERVOUS.  For those that know me well, you know I hate new situations and they usually make my stomach cramp up in knots.  I'm sure I'll be fine once I get into the swing of things and then I can start spouting linguistics theory again and bore you all.
If you want to see me, LA people, for the last time until winter, give me a call!!  Unfortunately, Courtney won't be able to join me on this trip, but plenty of people love me independently of her.  Or so I've heard.

9:03 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Heather is, inadvertantly, a comedic genius

So I was talking to Heather on the phone and she was telling me about her near car accident earlier in the evening.  While explaining something about her horn, she said the brilliant phrase "my honker is tight."

There is nothing funnier than that, honestly.  Just walk up to someone and tell them that.  See what happens.

12:46 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Yay, I have a writing credit somewhere!

Thanks to Anna for pointing me here.

Sustained Winds is going to the Fringe Festival in NYC and I wish so badly that I could go.  But I was at least thrilled to see my name in a list that starts with "writers."  Crack me up!

http://fringenyc.org/basic_page.asp?ltr=s

Scroll all the way to the bottom of that page and you'll see a blurb for the play.

7:07 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment