Desk Etiquette

First of all, The Spill Canvas concert was last night, and it was NOTHING short of amazing. No need to go into detail about it because I don't think words could describe how great it was anyway.

So, getting to the point of the blog. Everybody knows that when you are sitting at a desk, you are automatically given the arm rest to your right, but the left one is for the person on your left. However, the man (not boy) sitting next to me today DURING MY MIDTERM did not know these unspoken rules. Needless to say, it was irritating to take the midterm today with no arm rest, while being exhausted from an amazing night. Totally worth it though (the concert part).

Mine Is Different

Although the weather plays an important part in my post, all I was going to say is that I was one of the idiots in shorts today. Luckily I got to go home after my 9-10 class (BEFORE it started raining).

Not Gonna Lie...

I, too, was going to write a blog about the weather. However, I read the first line of both Harry's and Kyle's blogs, and stopped. So, this is my post.

Double-U Tee Eff

As it explains in the title, this blog is about weather. Today's patterns were probably the most sporadic that we've had in a while and, knock on wood, will have for a while. When I walked into European History this morning there was complete cloud cover and random bursts of downpour. After hearing a lecture on the uprisings in 1968, I left Giedt 1002 to see blue skies and sunshine. Which was nice. The nice weather continued through my hour break and up until I went into Dutton Hall to tutor European History. Inclosed inside the individual appointment room, without windows, I could not see the happenings on the sky. But while walking across the quad from tutoring to US History it started to down pour, lightning struck, and low and behold thunder cracked soon after. Being lectured on women's suffrage, not sufferage as our professor noted, I completely forgot about the wacky weather. When I left, following the trend, it had cleared up yet again. I formed the theory that history classes change the weather as I walked by the Silo to pick up my Astronomy paycheck. Well that hypothesis was quickly proved wrong as I stepped outside of the Physics building only to see extreme cloud cover and more rain. I silently cursed mother nature as I trudged to the bus stop.

Manic Depressive Weather

This weather seriously needs to take some Lithium. I mean, honestly, one day it's splendid, sunny and perfect and the next it's pouring, cold and windy with ominous clouds of death creeping overhead. It was even on the fritz today: I would walk into class with it slightly sunny and walk out in a downpour. The one time it decided to really 'open the floodgates' was the second I got out of chemistry. Good thing I was wearing the amazing waterproof combo of jeans, converse shoes and a sweatshirt; I definitely got to spend the majority of my afternoon soaked. I would like to end this post with a little chant I learned in high school, usually used at sporting events. However, I modified it to suit the occasion: HATE ON RAIN!!!!! HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE . That is all.

2 Minutes in Heaven is Better than 1 Minute in Heaven

Today, a series of events transpired on the D-Line bus that seriously made my day complete. Like the title states, it all happened in about 2 minutes. So here goes: I boarded "the D" around 6 o'clock and it began to fill up quickly. I took a seat in the front of the bus, facing sideways, and watched as all the seats were slowly taken. After every available seat was filled, a girl with a guide puppy in training (black lab... very adorable) stepped on "the D." I asked her if she would like my seat, but she politely declined; she instead stood near me at the front of the bus. A few seconds later, another girl came onto the bus, kinda cute, so I asked her, "Would you like my seat?" She kindly declined. I replied with, "Are you sure?" in a half-joking manner to lighten the mood. She again resisted and stood across from guide-puppy girl. Then two Asian girls stepped through the double doors of the bus, single file. One of the girls saw the dog sitting cutely on the floor and jumped, clutching her chest, as if she saw a giant rat. She continued to hurry past the 'beast' even after she knew it was dog, obviously frightened and trying to calm down. A couple more people walked in, then I hear a voice from a few seats back.; it was a guy sitting in one of the two-seat clumps that face forward. "Would you like my seat?" he asks some girl in the aisle, "No thanks" she says. BUT THEN: he responded with, "Are you sure?" It was said in the exact same manner and tone that I had used only a minute earlier. I couldn't believe my ears! It was like he was a contestant on "The Pick-Up Artist" and was using a new pick-up line he learned. I was weirded out of my mind. He definitely wasn't making fun of me, because he looked like the nice guy type that is usually a bit awkward around girls. But come on, man, at least wait until the next bus ride to use it. I looked at the girl I had offered my seat to, and we joked about it - how that 'line' must be the signature line used on buses or something. I explained that, according to me, I made it up... and then sat back and laughed and the overwhelming sequence of events.

Golden Tickets

Last night was one of my many nights of insomnia. At approximately 1:31 am, while I was wide awake, Kenny sat upright. He looked around the room for a little while, and then proceeded to lie back down and return to his sleep. On the grounds that I have seen him get out of bed and start to make breakfast, this seemed completely normal. I was wrong. After he finished the descent, and was lying flat on his bed, he says "you jump and hope an oompa loompa catches you on the way down."

Catch-By

Most epic thing ever happened today, and I'm gonna tell you all about it. I was biking along Hutchinson from the SciLab towards LaRue on my way home. I was nearing the softball fields next to the parking structure when I noticed some guy looking up to the sky and putting his hands out together in a catching motion. Apparently there was a foul ball from one of the softball games about to land in the street. By some miracle of perfect timing, as I was biking by, I saw the ball hit the sidewalk and bounce towards me. I reached out my left hand and caught the ball as I was biking, then threw it back to them as I continued on my way - all without stopping or maneuvering my bike in any special direction. Everybody cheered in amazement. Not to sound all conceited, but it was well deserved. Not just because I caught it, but because of how it had to be perfect timing for me to catch it. If I had taken longer to unlock my bike, for example, it never would have happened and the ball would have bounced across the street.

Fun Facts

Here are two wonderful bits of knowledge that I learned yesterday that I thought I'd share with the world:

1. From the book I have to read for US History, Murdering McKinley: "...The Chinese migration so disturbed Americans that Congress voted to stop it with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Aimed at Asians..." Apparently this author is arguing that readers do not have the mental capacity to realize that the Chinese are from Asia.

2. From an intelligent conversation between two graduate students, overheard at a Rivercats baseball game: "Basically proteins are used with other stuff and are very critical to cell function." So thats what you learn in grad school...

Buffet Style

Ladies, if you ever find yourself feeling lonely or unappreciated, head on down to your friendly neighborhood night club. The men there don't care about your embarassing teeth or irregularly-shaped toes. They see one thing and one thing only. MEAT. They circle groups of girls like packs of hungry wolves eyeing their prey. Or they're perched on some nearby stairs, planning their next attack. By allowing one to dance with you, it almost makes you feel like you've prevented some form of starvation from occurring. Lets just hope none of them give you rabies.

Go Drown in an Erlenmeyer Flask

My chemistry professor, Dr. Larson, is the most sarcastic, smart-ass professor I've ever seen. He makes tons of "jokes" in class that are supposed to be funny, but in reality, are terrible, t-r-b-l terrible. The sad thing is that he thinks he is being funny. Oh and by the way... tack on "Worst Review Session Guy" to his list of accomplishments - he refused to work out problems and answered student questions in a roundabout way. Example- Student: "Can you explain what complex compound nomenclature is?" Dr. Larson's honest-to-god response: "Umm well, you have complex compounds.... and you name them. Next question." Wow dude, you suck.

Blood Drive

Today I donated blood and saved three lives! I also got paid in delicious snacks and drinks.

Whilst Whiffle Ballin the Other Day

"Weather is weather is weather. But you can still die! Do you want to die?"

Who Said It!?

"Does love last forever? No, but herpes does."

A) Asha
B) UWP1 Professor
C) Amy
D) Ancient Rome Professor

Woes with Wavering Weather

Last night for astronomy we had planned to do the oh so boring time and diurnal motion lab. Basically, the purpose is to bore the brains out of the students while hoping they learn something about the movement of the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. We did this lab because it was supposed to be cloudy and this is typically an indoor activity and procedure. Had there been clear skies, we would have as Pat said "done the moon". Regardless, we spent the three hours allotted to astronomy lab in the fifth floor hallway of the physics building. After the last student left at 11:50, we were free to go. Upon exiting the building I noticed that there was not a cloud in the sky and there hadn't been one since way earlier in the evening. This has happened almost every week for this class. Not once has the weather been nice during the day, then nice at night too. Either we plan a good lab and it gets ruined by the low visibility, or we plan a bad lab and there are suddenly clear skies! We can't win! Clouds just need to make a decision and stick to it. There should be none of this uncertainty business. In conclusion, this was sort of a round about way of saying it but, I hate clouds.

Flippin' Freedom

So the other day my pencil ran away from me. Maybe it was mad that I was making it take a quiz, or maybe it heard that black pen died in my arms the day before and it wanted to get the hell away from me. I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that I was almost done with my quiz when he escaped. I turned my pencil around to erase a mistake and it front-flipped out of my hand two rows in front of me. It was the weirdest thing. I searched for him afterward, but there was no trace of him.

Is That Seat Saved?

Although it's often polite to ask if a seat is taken, I often just sit down in any open seat on the bus as long as nobody appears to be saving it. This morning, a picked a seat on the aisle next to a young lady that didn't appear to be saving the seat. As I turned around and sat down, I see the gentlemen following me in the isle kind of look at the girl, then to me, and kind of awkwardly turn around to find a different seat right next to him. It appeared to me that he wanted to have the seat that I had just assumed. He turned around rather awkwardly at me several times through out the bus ride to see that I was still occupying that seat. Sorry dude, next time call shotgun.

Busted

I had a dream last night and I actually remembered it this morning! So here it is, for all to enjoy. Asha wanted to get booze for some girls night we had planned so she asked a friend of hers who was played by this girl that went to my high school. She was a friend of a friend, so I don't even know her name, but I think it's really interesting that she was in my dream. She turned out to be setting us up.. Like she told the cops that we were trying to get some alcohol. So when I went out to the parking lot to meet whoever it was and perform our shady little exchange, all these cops jumped out of nowhere and arrested me (doesn't really make sense because I hadn't done anything wrong at that point.. but whatever). Then the cop that was handcuffing me was really worried about whether or not they were too tight and whether I was comfortable or not. I thought that was strange. And then I think we just drove away and I looked out the window and saw the girl who ratted me out hiding behind a bush. And I think that's all I remember.

I think it'd be funny if you were having a dream in which the police yelled out, "Put your hands above your head!" and you woke up with them like that.

Also, sidenote: There was a blind gentleman on my bus this morning and he was wearing a watch. I'm curious about how that works. Maybe it makes sounds or something.

Hug It Out

Sometimes a hug makes it all better, no matter what is keepin' ya down.

Street Cred

Today, I walked out to my car to drive out to my basketball game. When I saw the right side of my car, there was a ton of bird crap on it. The only way to describe how much there was is to say that somebody squeezed a bird's intestine on my car. Yes, so before I left for the game, I went to the gas station down the street to wash it off, because I don't know about you, but I don't really respect people who drive cars with a ton of bird crap on it. The End.

'Scuse Me Can I Talk To You For A Minute?

Everybody hates those petition guys that go around asking for signatures on some obscure bill that apparently needs to be put on the ballot for election. The first thing they always ask you is, "Are you a registered voter in California?" However, today I saw a rather funny and awkward situation. As a few Middle-Eastern gentlemen (one with a turban) walked by one of the petition tables, I hear this, "Hey guys! Are you citizens of the United States?" The guys just laughed but I thought to myself, "Wow,that was racist!" I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't have signed his petition after that, even though I probably wouldn't have in the first place.

Lazy

As my alarm went off promptly at 9 o'clock this morning, I awoke to the same jingle as always. I continued to lay in bed and rest my eyes for a few seconds, hoping to get a few more minutes of precious sleep. However, as soon as I begin to realize that I'm falling back asleep, I rise again in terror, afraid that I snoozed in too late. Luckily it had only been about 2 minutes. However, I did not decide to get up just yet. I tried my luck again to catch a few more seconds, minutes, of extra sleep before I force myself awake. This patten continued; I snoozed probably about 9 times every 2 to 3 minutes this morning until it was almost too late. I woke abruptly with about 5 minutes to spare and dashed out the door to catch the bus a few seconds later.

Goodbye to a Friend

My black pen died today. Seeing the ink-less, carved dents of potential words on my page was a definitely a sad moment. CPR couldn't help; the paramedics weren't called. It just died silently among hundreds of people, and nobody knew. It was ceremonially buried amongst old paper friends. R.I.P. black pen, you always knew how to say exactly how I felt.

Ba doom ba doom ba doom ba doom doom doom

I was just reminiscing about our Saturday night, group drum beat solo to the Phil Collins hit, "In the Air Tonight." We were all gathered around the table with the song playing when Kevin shouted out, "Hey guys hold on real quick!" We stopped what we were doing and air-drummed Mike Tyson's 'favorite part' like a bunch of tribal monkeys. Needless to say, it was amazing.

Guchi Guchi Goo

After the astronomy meeting, as usual, I took the D line home. At the stoplight right off of 113, the bus driver took her hands off the wheel and proceeded to do the slow lorris. It was pretty exciting. Safe to say, I think, that no one was tickling her; because that would just be dangerous. I mean tickling a bus driver? Really now?

For those of you that have not seen the slow lorris (really now?)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9f-6jygRJk

Hey Desk, Are You Gonna Put Your Timmies In the John?

Wouldn't it be weird if objects had people names and people were identified with everyday names of objects? Like they were swapped? "Hey Bag, would you mind handing me that charlie? Thanks." I mean, the toilet already has the name John claimed. Maybe everything should have an associated name.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Enough said.

EpicNight Water... I'm On a Horse

Pretty epic weekend. Finished it off this morning by drinking some Great Value EpicNight Water (Kirkland brand Vitamin Water). But seriously, it was exciting, full of meeting new people and spending quality time with friends. It included a drunk girl stumbling around in the kitchen of her house singing the theme song of "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", a table dancing contest, a broken table (finally we get to buy a new one! However, it wasn't the same table that was danced on) and just all-around awesomeness. I look forward to many more great times.

P.S. Shannon showed me how to let out my emotions and be excited about things! I'll try my best. I thought of showing that through this post, but exclamation points after every sentence seemed a bit unnecessary.

Cloudy with a Chance of AWESOME

Today, despite the not so favorable weather, we decided to go on a picnic. So Dave, Shannon, Kyle and I packed our lunches, grabbed the volleyball...and the basketball...and the aerobie...and the iPod speakers (iPod sold separately), and went to the park in the Kingdom Far Far Away--I had just watched Shrek last night, the park was really only a few blocks over. But we got there, ate our lunch, and spent a good two hours not having fun in the sun, but fun in the overcast. A few times the sun would peek through the clouds, and that would call for a Slow Lorris impression. All in all, I'd say the day was a complete success.

Also, one week until Picnic Day! I guess this was a practice run?

BOOM POSTED

Not-So-Private Eyes Are Watching Me

So what do you do when someone is openly staring at you on the bus? I was sitting across from this girl I'd never seen before and she just kept looking at me. I kind of smiled, thinking she would look away, but she definitely didn't. I then proceeded to avert my gaze for the duration of the ride. I probably should've just turned it into a staring contest. Or a make-the-other-person-feel-super-awkward contest. That could've been entertaining.

HELLLOOO SPRING QUARTER!

Today, I went to class, got out early, bought myself a new CD, went to the gym, and then laid out by the pool and read. No, I wasn't reading for school, I was reading for fun. I proceeded to finish my book, outside at 8PM enjoying the "Summer Night" weather. Thank you Spring weather, for finally showing up. You and I are going to be great friends :)

Lay Like This Forever

Just heard some drunk people singing the lyrics to "Truly, Madly, Deeply" by Savage Garden outside my apartment. Well, I assume they were intoxicated; I won't ever know for sure. Although I can't think of situation where a group of guys would get together in the night and sing a Savage Garden song... unless they had lisps and girly voices, in which case these guys did not.

Didn't Even Open My Chem Book

Today I spent the majority of my afternoon by the pool relaxing in the sun. Day well spent? I think so.

Vertically Challenged Dictators

Today I began to tackle the daunting task of grading the homework from my world civ class. Because Davis High is currently on spring break, the teacher had a lot of homework due the day before they left for vacation. So I have to power through ninety papers by Monday. Anyway, we are currently covering the rise of Fascist dictators in Europe and one of the required questions in the book was "were Hitler and Mussolini more alike or different?" While most of the answers were about their party ideologies, one of the students responded with: "I think they were more alike. Both were Fascist leaders and both were unimpressive looking short guys."

Smiles are Contagious

Whenever Kyle's in a happy mood, I'm in a happy mood. As you know, Kyle is in a happy mood...

Let Your Light Shine Down.

I was in a good mood all day today. Maybe it was because I hit a triple in softball. Maybe it was because I finally did my laundry. Maybe it was because I made my brother a birthday card. Maybe it was because I picked up a refereeing paycheck. Maybe. But honestly, I think it was because the sun decided to shine (and it was warm). Amazing... just what I needed.

That Thing You Do

Shannon and I have officially mastered the very basic version of the East Coast Swing (dance)... sometimes.

DICEY

fuckin pat walsh.

If You Don't Have Anything RIGHT To Say, Then Don't Say It!

Don't you hate it when people in your classes raise their hand to answer questions, but they are obviously WRONG? Well, it's even more embarrassing in a smaller class, say UWP1. My instructor asked a question, so the first year, Asian girl sitting next to me raised her hand to answer it. She was blatantly wrong, but of course, the instructor didn't want to shoot her down. So, he did what all instructors do. Talked about it in circles until everybody had forgotten what she said and she wouldn't feel so dumb. Don't worry guys, I remembered what she said, and I answered the question for her.