Its going to be big in Italy or Who Watches the Watchmen March 9, 2009

Drove home Friday afternoon to begin my last spring break at Wake Forest. I know you are all disappointed that I’m not doing anything special for spring break. I’m sorry, I have no money. The little money I do have has to be saved for grad school. I’m still going to have fun. And Friday proves it. I met my sister in Elon for lunch. Quick lunch quickly turned into Cold Stone f or ice cream and some mild shopping.

Friday night, I went with the parents to see Watchmen, thinking it would be an early night and I could just blither. Well it was early-ish. The movie is about 3 hours long. I’m not complaining. It is on par with Return of King as being the kind of movie that can be 3 hours without having you wonder when is it going to end. It is time-wise on par with the length of some of the Italian movies we are watching for class. So I can already tell its going to be big in Europe. OK, it would be big there at a normal running time simply because this movie rocks!

Favorite character is Rorschach. The fact that he is a straight up sociopath according to all his friends is probably his best quality. That and the voice. Greatest Voice Ever!

The style in which the movie was filmed is the reason it can be three hours long and not make you want to die.  Constantly interweaving and switching from plot to plot keeps you on your toes. And the way back story to each of the characters is told in bits and pieces is great for the development of them as characters and also the development of the back story of the different version of 1985 that is presented. The characters are not your typical superheroes. They are at the very least morally imperfect, and besides Dr. Manhattan, have no super powers. It makes you think of the kind of person someone has to be to dress up in a weird costume to fight crime. Overall the movie is just a good comment on the human condition and deals with alot of the questions that people ask themselves and perhaps are afraid to think about the answer to. The character of the Comedian for instance and of course Rorschach.

Moral of this story go see the movie. But get a very large popcorn and a very large drink cause if you are like me, you’re going to pig out in the first five minutes then have nothing left for the rest of the movie.

… March 6, 2009

I got nothing

So I present to you the only cat I would ever consider owning

Me and Chicken Little March 4, 2009

This morning as I made my way to Italian class under the trees that cover most of the walkways here at Wake, I was suddenly subjected to an unwelcome cold, as a pile of snow was dumped onto my head. I said dumped, I did not mean that it feel because of the wind or some random act of nature. This act was purposeful. As I looked up to find the perpetrator, there on a recently emptied snowless branch sat a squirrel. I swear to God he was laughing at me. But, you may ask, can squirrels laugh. The answer is yes, yes they can!

Later on as I was walking into the atrium in the library I narrowly missed being hit by a falling cellphone from the fourth floor. It clattered and clanged and surprisingly enough did not bust open as my POS phone would have done, causing everyone’s attention to turn skyward. This was only to see the companions to the phone, a few pieces of notebook paper, come slowly fluttering down afterward.

My plan for the rest of the day: Duck and Cover!

I am not wearing your see-through dress American Apparel March 3, 2009

So I think the title says it all. I have been doing some pre-shopping lately for spring in hopes to get excited for the real shopping that my mom and I will be doing later next week when I am home. Pre-shopping? I go online to the sites of stores in our mall, see what I like, what I don’t. It narrows my focus when I am actually in the mall. A godsend for anyone who shops with me because oh buddy am I distracted by shiny things.

Besides pre-shopping I spend a lot of time at the Urban Outfitters site imagining that I could decorate my life in their home section, or trying to figure out what I could realistically make on my own.

But recently I have had a slam down to earth. Thank you anthro homework. Reading about free trade zones that are supported by US policy and how they don’t pay workers enough so they are forced to immigrate is bad enough. Then you read about the companies that have factories there. Its just about everyone. What is the point of buying a Gap Red Campaign shirt if that shirt is made by underpaid and overworked people who in all likelihood will have to leave to travel hundreds of miles just to make the attempt to get into the US? I know I sound petty and shallow when I say that it depresses the shopping experience, but its getting to that point where I don’t know if I can sacrifice human dignity for a good sale. I don’t think enough about where my clothes come from.

But I also know that its a multifacited problem. The situation of a FTZ factory worker in South America is not the same as a FTZ factory worker in Shri Lanka. For factory girls (yes they prefer the term girls) in Shri Lanka there is a degree of agency involved.  So do I support the system monitarily? Can I find affordible, fashionable, quality made in america products to wear? American apparel may make a see through dress, but at least I know where it comes from.

Like a moth to a flame March 3, 2009

Reader, you are so lucky. Two posts in one day!

To continue about my thoughts on snow. North Carolinians (with the exception of those who live in the western more mountainous area of the state) are notoriously unprepared when it comes to snow. We freak out. And we like it that way. But that also means important things like our roads and power lines, they freak out too.

Today I brought books down to the DZ lounge to engage in one of my favorite pastimes – reading and falling asleep all snuggly on the couches. My intention is always napping, but I take work with me to look legit. I have been doing this since sophmore year and have it down to a science.

So I get snuggled up under our soft blanket with some pillows and a book on Japanese kinship. Sleep was not slow in coming. I woke up because it was cold, very cold and dark. Walking into the rest of the apartments, I noticed the dark (but not so much the cold due to the lack of outside doors) continued. The power had been out, apparently for a few hours. It wasn’t just our building but the entire block of north campus apps and some of the neighborhood that backs up to us.

I had plans to try out my crab rangoon recipe. I had plans to sit in the lounge and do some real work. I was washing clothes too. All plans fail.

So I found myself in the library, eating pit take-out and soaking up both the light and the warmth while my computer soaked up some battery power. The power is back on now, crisis averted. Which is good becuase I did not want to be comming home to a cold dark app. I herd a rumor that we are on generator power. I’m not sure if thats true or not, but as long as it doesn’t give out again, I’m cool.

Snow? March 2, 2009

Yes, thats right folks, its March 2nd and we have about 6-8in of snow on the ground. In like a lion indeed. I really think the campus looks super beautiful, I do. I was out in the snow last night until all hours because classes were canceled, and it was magical. There are times when I forget that my campus is pretty, especially recently because of the expansion of Benson which has rather ugly-fied the Mag Quad, but last night was a reminder of how good we have it.

Truthfully, I was not super excited about this snow. It has been gearing up for it all weekend by pouring the rain and being generally miserable. But this January and February have been particularly cold in a bitter and bitey kinda way. I have been ready for spring for a while now. And to taunt me we did have a warm spell. Its gone, early spring fail. Cold came back in a big way.

First, my family and I ran the 4 mi Coach Bubba Race. Actually it is a 4 mi or a 20k but seriously, who runs 20k? Crazy people. And oh man we woke up that morning to below freezing weather. Not fun to run in, considering it was warmer at last year’s race. Think body is hot and sweaty from running but lungs freezing slowing with each breath you take. Add a cold on top of that and you have the most miz race I have ever run. But I did it, which makes me reconsider my calling those 20k people crazy.

The cold attacked again a few days later when the Anthropology Department gathered for its annual ritual. Students write it. Everyone comes. We eat, we drink, we make an animal sacrifice. Ok so the last part, no. But don’t you wish? Last year we ritually sacrificed Professor Folmar. This year we just initiated the new Anthro Majors. There was some serious face paint involved. But, no one wanted to stay because by the end they could not feel their lesser extremities (fingers, toes). The fact that we hold the ritual at 10pm prolly didn’t help with the cold factor.

So, here I sit, conflicted with me feelings on this last(?) snow. Friday I will be driving the not so long drive across counties back to Durham for spring break. It will not be much warmer there then it is here.I am not going anywhere tropical or even warm. I would like to be able to run out side as part of my Cooper River Bridge Run training. I would also hope that it would be warm enough to lay out a tinsy bit. The snow today does not make my prospects look good.

But as we all know, North Carolina weather can be extremely wonky so we shall wait and see.

Got both glass slippers and no running needed February 19, 2009

You know its good advice when both your mom and your big tell you the same thing. After describing life to both in separate conversations the responses were the same. Are you planning on having any fun this semester? I mean I really was. But right now drinking is such a setback.  Even on Friday nights when I am supposed to party I feel as though I am wasting hours that should be spent doing work or training for the bridge run.  And I have fun. I really do. I hang out with my friends alot. But I know they both mean (and mom will never admit this) that I should do a little partying before I graduate.

So tonight we had sisterhood and then a mixer/party with SAE. And I went. I had a good time. Monica and I found a blender in the SAE house and made strawberry daiquiries and I actually met some cool people. Told stories about freshman year sillyness etc. Played some flip cup. For those of you who don’t know what flip cup is, if your young, you have to wait til college and if you old, seriously, you don’t know? Wow you are super old.

But moral of the story. They were right. I was able to get my homework done and then go have fun and stil get back before 11. Cinderella eat your heart out.

Sweet Fantisy February 13, 2009

Some updates:

Last weekend I went home to run our very first Family Five K. All went well and its good to be at the half way marker for the run in April.

On the note of running, its about that time to run outside again. After some really really really cold weather, causing snow (which did not shut down the school but at least got us a morning delay) we have been having a warm spell. Its been in the 60s which allowed me to run outside and made it particularly beautiful for our family run.

Life in the Archaeology lab is going well. On Wednesday I spent 2 hours washing artifacts, which can be tedious, but if you have your ipod and have a bookcase blocking you from view, dancing will comence and artifact washing is suddenly much more fun. Plus having a bag that’s filled with really cool artifacts makes all the difference.

The first of my internship applications is due on saturday – well post marked by that date. I’m going to concentrate on getting them in and doing the best I can on them. Positive thoughts, visualization and all that.

Saturday is also , you guessed it, Valentine’s day. And as much as I attempt to keep my relationships off of the blog, I am admittedly currently single. I have, I suppose, every right to hate Valentine’s day and be what Lewis Black calls one of those bitter fucks. The freshman year boyfriend and I started dating on said day and well to say the relationship ended badly would be an understatement at best. So I could hate that day or be bitter, but when I think about it, I’m really not. We ordered in Chinese food and watched Monty Python and ate the cookies I baked him. I had a great time and the fact that it didn’t end well will not taint that.  Saturday is also one of my friend’s birthday.  For his present I am attempting to turn a pink domo from target into a chalk bag, because it is the closest thing to a pink bunny head. I know that sounds so odd. But there you have it folks I am odd. Haven’t figured that out by now? Seriously?

So yeah, I like being an independent woman, sing beyonce songs etc, but it would be nice to have someone. Problems standing in the way are A. me graduating in May and not knowing where I would be going and therefore it making no sense to get involved with someone B. Wake is small so by senior year your options have thined out and there is no one that I have a crush on right now C. Outside of Wake all there is is meeting scary townies in bars – no thank you. D. All of the above. I pick D.

I know I don’t feel like I need a boy to validate me. I know that I have friends and family who love me alot. But sometimes you think that what you really want is a tall blondish boy who is a little older, kinda dorky and owns an xbox to ask you if he can borrow your copy of The Once and Future King. Not being picky or anything.

Marvin K Mooney! February 2, 2009

I want my computer back, and I want it back now!

I do care when but I don’t care how!

Dear IT get all the problems fixed

I’ll only be angry if my itunes you’ve nixed

I miss my games

I miss my aim

Who knew life could be so boring with only lolcats to entertain

This loner computer is just not doing the trick

and the online webmail – a piece of shit

I cannot stand things the way that they are

with my pretty computer away so far

In the hands of the nerd patrol I hope it will be

fixed on the dot and restored soon to me

Can’t wait for them to call my phone up and say

Your computer is ready please come get it today!

So yeah I know this makes my second post but I really really want my computer back from the IT service people. To fill you in, Wake makes Think Pads a part of tuition. At the start of junior year you trade your old Think Pad in for a presumably new one. Apparently the model our class got was older. But I can’t even go into that wtf moment right now. The problems that my poor puter suffers from are apparently endless. The list I gave them included blue screen of death, odd clicking noise made by the fan, graphics card fail, screen going black instead of screen saver, incons not poping up when the computer was booted, and a possible virus detected over and over and over again by the virus scan. I took it in yesterday. They are supposed to call me when its ready. Who knows what they are doing to my poor baby! Its a pos but its MY pos and I love it.

Quick Question February 2, 2009

And this my friends is something many a Wake student is asking. Why? Why is it that Wake can only beat number one ranked teams. UNC Game – Won.  Duke Game -Won. Both were top teams in the country at that time. Virgina Tech – Lost. Georgia Tech – Lost. Both unranked teams. Those were our only two loses. Whats going on boys? Do we just play down? Like can we only play at the level of our opposing team? To turn a phrase, lordy be! Lets just hope they get their act together before March.