| GRE today. |
[Dec. 28th, 2009|09:50 am] |
Wish me luck.
I take the GRE today.
Tried to change my GRE date, once I knew I'd probably miss the January deadlines for grad schools anyway -- but too late. I couldn't without losing the $150 test fee.
Thanks to the holidays I'm completely unprepared. Even last night I was too tired after mom's damnable party to study. I thought I'd get away for an hour or two but, no, mom tracked me down. (Sometimes the fact that mom didn't go to college--except to earn her "MRS"--is a nuisance. She has never understood the concept of studying. Gave my teachers a puzzled look when they suggested she help her kids with their homework. Do what?)
I take the exam in two hours.
Aaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiii...... |
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| SGA Santa fics are here! |
[Dec. 14th, 2009|01:35 pm] |
![[profile]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png) sga_santa is off and running, and posting fics.
Already.
We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas....
Hung out with wolfshark yesterday. In RL she's a solid, reliable sort with a healthy dose of sardonic humor. Just the type of person you'd want to run comms and see projects through to the end. *tips hat to Sharkie*
And I've now been informed that Victoria Bitter of "Bit Of Earth" donation scam infamy (who absconded with tens of thousands of dollars and tricked Sean Astin into supporting the not-actually-a-charity) has joined the HP fandom. Bitter is refusing all donations -- unless you insist. In which case there's a PayPal link.
*head scratch*
Do I have a PayPal link? Should I have a PayPal link? I mean, if you absolutely insist.... |
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| Switches to beta mode. |
[Dec. 14th, 2009|01:18 pm] |
When the muse falls silent ... edit.
For the first time in years, I'm doing as much beta reading as writing.
A friend gave me a newspaper article. The time spent actually writing equals the amount that gets written.
I can take a hint. *gets back to work on that comic McFluff* |
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| SGA Santa |
[Dec. 9th, 2009|07:23 pm] |
I'm really not sure my recipient is going to like the story I've written her. I've, er, sort of gone off topic with her choices.
I think I'd better give her two stories, just in case she hates this one.
Oops. |
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| Mom can't eat wheat. Here's a flour-less choc cake. |
[Dec. 6th, 2009|12:43 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | home | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  hungry | ] |
Choooooocolate.
Completely wheat-free.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
(Recipe source The Gourmet Cookbook)
Ingredients:
8 ounces good quality bittersweet (not semi-sweet) chocolate, roughly chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9 or 10 inch springform pan and line the bottom with wax or parchment paper (cut into a circle to fit bottom of pan). Make sure to grease the liner as well.
In a double broiler or in a large bowl over a pan of simmering water, add chocolate and butter. Stir constantly until melted. Remove bowl from heat and whisk in sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Last, sift cocoa powder into mixture and whisk until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared springform pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs and top should have a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 10 minutes and then remove sides of pan. Invert cake on a plate and then back onto the rack to fully cool before serving.
Yield: 10-12 servings |
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| Transcripts arrived. |
[Dec. 6th, 2009|10:43 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | school | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  calm | ] |
Ah. My transcripts finally arrived from Seattle Central.
I've dug my SAT scores out of the boxes.
I have the transcripts from UW.
Time to wave it all in front of the state of Maryland Dept of Education to see what I need next to teach.
Listening to the soundtrack from Out Of Bounds.
And snow has frosted all the trees. I think this is going to be a snowy Christmas. |
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| Power outage |
[Dec. 3rd, 2009|03:32 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | home | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  artistic | ] |
The candle made shadows like lace on the wall. The low, omnipresent buzz of electricity was gone.
The kitties cuddled close in confusion. Just because they can see in the dark doesn't mean they like to.
The laundry silenced halfway through its cycle.
The baking had to stay in the fridge.
Eastwick was on ... somewhere else.
The streetlights vanished.
Then the whole world restarted again. |
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| Dating article |
[Dec. 2nd, 2009|01:52 pm] |
An interesting article about dating.
My favorite points --
Values vs Interests: Having the same values as your partner is truly a must. Its the glue that keeps you bonding, growing together and connected. Interests are different. For example if you VALUE a family, a belief in a higher being or power, or a fit and health conscious lifestyle your partner should equally believe these are significant in his/her own life. Interests like playing soccer, dance, rock climbing, fishing, fashion or shall I say YOGA, don’t determine compatibility. You don’t have to share every single interest with your partner to make it work.
So true. I've been noticing on online dating sites that people go on and on about interests.
Individuality within a Couple: WHO ARE YOU? Do you know what you desire? What are your dreams? Being an individual is probably one of the more difficult things to hang on to within a relationship. We can get lost in another’s own view and dreams. Staying true to our own desires and dreams is equally important. It makes us happier because we are living our desires and growing from that place. You can’t grow living to please another or gaining approval from another. You are then living another person’s life, and that eventually manifests into resentment, hurt and pain.
I confess, I relied a lot on WG's advice when we were together. He had a knack for seeing straight to the heart of the matter (which holds true regardless of how he's treating me right now). It's fuzzy now how much of that meant he was steering the boat.
Please STOP HIDING who you are! Be yourself, completely. From date one present your authentic self. If you don’t usually wear make up or dress a certain way, then don’t do it for the first date. If you don’t like sports than say so and don’t pretend to be the “sports chick or jock”. If you absolutely dislike smoking than don’t pretend to be ok with that habit in another if you really aren’t. What you are is what you are. Being proud of that is really the first lesson to learn before even attempting to find a date. Pretending to be someone you are not, is not only difficult to maintain but a lie you have to live. How fun is that?
This is so tempting. I'm such a no-makeup, misplaced my comb a week ago kind of gal. But I'm thinking of trying out a different look, playing with a new hairstyle, wearing more makeup than I have been in school. But that's for me though, so I think it's not a pretense.
Funny. I've never dated. Guys have always found me. |
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| Why did I trust him? |
[Dec. 1st, 2009|10:24 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | wg | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  angry and hurt | ] |
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'll find my dresses in one of the boxes, buried under some books.
I should never have listened to WG.
I was supposed to go to Seattle September 9th. I had the tickets and it was all set. We were going to go through all our things together and split them up. Take things to Goodwill. I was going to help him move. I was going to take him to his oral surgery appointment. I was going to put together furniture for him in his new apartment. I was going to spend some time with Monte kitty to say goodbye.
He called me and asked me not to come. He'd send me my things.
Why did I trust him? |
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| Fucking crossdressers. |
[Dec. 1st, 2009|09:13 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | wg | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | stunned | ] |
I just discovered that WG kept both of my stretch velvet cocktail dresses, the deep blue one and the black one.
That's just beyond the pale.
He went through my stuff and just decided what he wanted to keep. Regardless of whose it was. |
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| SGA Santa |
[Nov. 29th, 2009|01:03 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | sga | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  anxious | ] |
Uh-oh.
My requestee for sga_santa requested a rarepair which I couldn't resist.
And it's ending up with a totally different rarepair in the final scene. Shit.
Any volunteers for a beta? I've been chopping at this fic rather ruthlessly trying to solve quite a few problems. |
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| ... with cheesecake. |
[Nov. 28th, 2009|12:00 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | home, sga | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | happy | ] |
I love sga_storyfinders.
And cheesecake.
And look, I have both.
In fact, every sentence ends better if you add "... with cheesecake." |
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| Thanksgiving |
[Nov. 26th, 2009|09:39 am] |
Thanksgiving.
I was just informed that mom and her roommate were expecting me to do the Thanksgiving turkey. Along with pumpkin pie (crust from scratch) and my cheesecake.
Whut-?
This is going to be one of those weeks, isn't it?
Good thing it's 9am. |
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| And the computer goes *boom* ... the fic vanishes |
[Nov. 26th, 2009|09:26 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | sga | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  awake | ] |
Here's a fanfiction heart attack.
Midway through my sga_santa fic, the borrowed laptop suddenly freezes. |
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| 500,000 animals being slaughtered right now. |
[Nov. 24th, 2009|02:58 am] |
My mom has been talking about this for weeks:
500,000 animals to be ritually slaughtered?
On Tuesday, November 24th the Gadimai animal sacrifice festival will take place in southern Nepal. It is said that 500,000 animals including buffaloes, chickens, goats, pigs, rats, and birds will be tortured and slaughtered during this Hindu festival.
Write to the Nepalese Embassy: info@nepalembassyusa.org
In India, the ritual slaughter of animals in such rites as the Agnicayana has long been replaced with effigies. There is no religious reason for this throwback. Despite the detailed instructions in Leviticus, Judaism no longer sacrifices the fatted calf. Like that. |
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| What no one will tell you about college. |
[Nov. 24th, 2009|12:42 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | school, work | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | happy | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Skid Row | ] |
I'm tutoring high school students, prepping them for the SAT.
I think what they need as much as good SAT scores are some good college strategies. Share yours here.
So here it is:
What no one will tell you about college (until you get there).
1 - Want to increase your scores 5% without doing anything?
( Sit in the same seat every day )
2 - Talk to your professor outside of class.
( Disagree with your prof? Good! Take it to her/him at the end of class. )
3 - Bored? Ask a question.
( Every time I found myself zoning out during a class I would raise my hand )
4 - Avoid clock-watching.
( Avoid the clock-watching tick by sitting where you can't see the clock. )
5 - High school is for taking the classes you hate. College is for taking the classes you love.
( Don't be a masochist -- if you can avoid that hated math class by taking a much more interesting astronomy class, do it. )
6 - Know thyself. Work with your habits rather than against them.
( If you suck at mornings, don't take that 8:30am Japanese class. )
7 - Avoid schizophrenia and be efficient: Take related classes at the same time.
( You can use your readings from Indian history as sources for your Indian lit class and vice versa. )
8 - If the class you want is booked, show up anyway, books in hand, and participate vigorously.
( The professor would rather have you as an extra student than the disinterested slackers in the back. )
9 - Give yourself flexibility: Plan, plan, plan.
( When you're not sure of your major, take classes that apply to all three of your most likely majors first. )
10 - The one I learned too late: Build a relationship with professors who are top in their field by taking more than one class with them.
( If they're a bit of a name, their opinion carries weight. ) |
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| Reason number 211 why I love these high school students. |
[Nov. 24th, 2009|12:17 am] |
Reason number 211 why I love my high school tutoring students:
A student wrote his SAT essay. He detailed how, scientifically speaking, the planet doesn't need humans.
<3 |
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| Women ninjas. |
[Nov. 22nd, 2009|08:22 pm] |
The music awards:
Shakira has women ninjas! |
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| Quantifying a life. |
[Nov. 22nd, 2009|04:47 pm] |
Good news on the work front: My tutoring job is going to give me 16 hours a week as of Dec. 1, which is great. It's an improvement.
The pay rate is good, and it gives me the required experience I need for teaching. (90 hours is the magic number. I'll have it by the end of December. Then I need a year of school for the teaching certificate.)
Unfortunately, it's not quite enough to live off of.
I don't have a car in car-dependent Maryland, so I'm having to ask "mommy" for rides to work, to interviews. I have all the time in the world to write -- yet can't find the space because I have to write around other people's schedules.
It's been four months and I'm getting the feeling she's burned out. As am I.
I want my life back.
Quantifying a life.
( When I drove across country to Seattle in 1996, I had a car. )
Aside from the degrees, how did I end up with less than when I started? |
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thoughtful
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