Erin

So, I don't post for weeks, and when I finally do, it's to ask y'all to do something for me. Figures.

Does anyone in Berkeley have a digital camera that I could borrow briefly to take photos of stuff I need to sell on Craigslist? I can bake for you if you want....


Also, the summer term is over and none of the students actively tried to kill me. I'm calling it a win.

sick again. had to ask my TA to do lecture for me at the last minute (well 90 min., but still). i was always one of those people who never got sick, but not this year.

i hate you, california.

So, I need to fill out these silly forms so the logic group can have funding for stuff this year. Of course this year's version of the form (which looks like last year's, but with a different set of dates on it), isn't up on the website yet, so I went in to the GA to ask for the form blanks. The following conversation with the woman there ensued:

Me: *forms plz*
Her: "They're not going to be printed until next Tuesday"
Me: "You mean a week from today?"
Her: "No, Tuesday."
Me: "Today is Tuesday."
Her: "Yes..."
Me: "So a week from today."
Her: "Yes."
Me: *boggle* "But aren't they due Aug. 4?"
Her: "Yes"
Me: "Next Tuesday is August 1."
Her: "So?"
Me: *headdesk*

I made some extremely delicious cookies today and sent most of them to southernkitten. I kept the last 2 trays (well 1.5 really) since they weren't cool yet while I was packing the box and I couldn't wait since I wanted to get to the post office before it closed. I hope they do not get smooshed or otherwise destroyed in the mail because these are some awesome cookies. I lessthanthree baking. And I only burned myself once, and very minorly at that, on my oven in the process. This is quite good for me as I typically burn myself at least once every time I bake anything. My right wrist is all splotchy from scars from doing this.

I've seen this going around enough that I had to be a sheep and do it.

(Click here to post your own answers for this meme.)

✓ I miss somebody right now.  (Lots of people.)	✓ I don't watch much TV these days.  (Haven't had a TV since I left the parents' house.)	✓ I own lots of books.  (Tons. But most of them live in Rochester still.)
✓ I wear glasses or contact lenses.  (I think they make me look smarter. Also the whole "vision" thing.)	× I love to play video games.	✓ I've tried marijuana.
✓ I've watched porn movies.	× I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.	× I believe honesty is usually the best policy.
✓ I curse sometimes.  (What are you talking about? I don't fucking curse.)	✓ I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.  (For the worse.)	× I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.

( it goes on... )

My aunt is coming into Berkeley tonight. Where should I go to dinner with her? I'm looking for moderately priced places (like $10-$20 an entree).

Just got a notice from CMU Computing Services... my andrew account is set to expire on July 20. So I slipped under the radar for a year, but it's finally over. All good things must come to an end, I suppose.

:( :( :( :( :( :(

I just found out I'm getting paid $2000 more than I thought I was for my summmer teaching. This is especially good since it is taking ALL of my time.

omgswoon that was so good.


Now I have to prepare some kind of lecture for tomorrow. My Day 3 topic list is the least complete of the first 8 days I have planned, so hopefully I will come up with something. I need to not talk too fast in class - it just makes me finish early but with no one having understood anything. Today (tuesday) was a lot better than Monday though.

You may have noticed that my LJ is starting to get more angsty/whiny, and will probably stay this way in the near future. Just wanted to mention that this is due to me deciding to actually post about my life more rather than to me actually getting more angsty/whiny. My mental state has been basically the same for several months now, I've just decided to complain more openly on the off chance that doing so will actually change something. :P

ugh since when am I one of those coffee/cigarettes/diet coke people, seriously. this is good for my productivity but very bad for everything else. must be from hanging around with philosophers last week. at least i'm still eating normally.

class starts tomorrow and I have to lecture LOLOLOLOL this summer is going to be hilarious.

also neko case tomorrow and/or Tuesday woo hoo!

also wtf at the "indifferent" mood guy smiling, that is dumb as hell.

also using also at every segue is such a good idea, also.

I just noticed that my passport expires on 20 August 2012 - almost exactly 7 years after my starting grad school.

Goal: to graduate before needing a new passport.

This is convenient since I can ask my parents to pay for a renewal as a graduation present, since it will probably cost like $300 by then, at this rate.

Going to Chicago for the weekend for HSNCT. Will be hiding from life and not checking email or LJ.

Just a quick update to inform the world that I am in fact still alive - sick, but alive. After not being able to sleep very well for 3 nights and then not at all last night due to throat/gland pain (despite being exhausted), I went back to the doctor today and was given a 3-day course of prednisone. 3 pills today, 2 tomorrow, 1 Monday. The doctor said it would take up to 24 hours to work, but now, only 8 hours after the first dose, there's already a visible reduction in symptoms, literally - can actually see a space in between my tonils now. Am looking forward to actually sleeping tonight. Hopefully sometime next week I will be well enough to start thinking about work again.

Continued to be useless and sleep a lot all weekend. After realizing during class that my lymph nodes were several times their normal size and that it felt like I had an ear infection coming on, I decided to go to student health to get something done about that, to avoid a 3rd round of ear-infection-induced incapacitating vertigo (first 2 were during undergrad). Thought I would be given antibiotics and sent on my way, but no such luck - I have mono. This timing is pretty spectacularly bad. We'll just have to see what happens with 225 final/seminar paper/prelim. At least now I have an explanation for why I've been sleeping 15 hours a day, getting exhausted from walking 1 mile, and have an enormously swollen neck. Will just have to wait and see how soon I recover - I haven't felt this drained by an illness since I had pneumonia (which was over 16 years ago). Blargh. The current plan is to stay home with tea, honey, and masses of ibuprofen. Goal #1 - swallow without wincing.

Why yes, Body, I do totally have the time and energy for a sinus infection right now, thanks for asking!!

Love and kisses,
Erin


At least I happened to have plenty of tea, soup, and oranges on hand.

I went to the post office to get $.02 stamps today, since I still have a bunch of $.37 stamps, as it takes me about 2 years to go through a book of stamps. The machine only sold them in lots of 40, however, and it was not worth $.70 or so to wait in line and get them from a person, so now I have waaaaaaay more $.02 stamps than I can reasonably use. So if you need any, let me know - I'll give you some.

My taxes are done now - getting over $700 back, which is nice. I have to rant, however, about CA state stupidity for a second. To file online in CA, you need a CSN, which is just another random identifying number. If you filed in CA the previous year, you can just get this online, but if not, you have to call in and get it. Here's how that went:
Me: *dials*
Voice: blah blah please hold
Me: *holds for 25 minutes*
Actual Person: Hi, how can I help you?
Me: I just moved to CA this year, so I need a CSN.
AP: Ok, SSN please?
Me: *says ssn*
AP: Do you have a CA driver's liscence?
Me: Yes
AP: Number on that please?
Me: *gives number*
AP: Name and address on the liscence?
Me: *gives name and address*
AP: Ok, your CSN is (#). Have a nice day.
Me: Thanks, bye.

WHY is this not automated?!?!?! Not that this was terribly painful or difficult or anything, but what a waste of time for everyone. Having this done by a human instead of a machine is both slower and more error-prone. The only reason to have this be done by an actual person is to create more unskilled government jobs. I know that in general this does not affect any one person very much but inefficiency REALLY bothers me (in case you hadn't noticed) and this is just one of many common situations in which its rampant.

I will welcome our future robot overlords, but I'll probably be ticked at them for not coming sooner.

So if abooth can write 3 paragraphs about shoes, I figure I can justify 1 about hair products.

Apparently they are no longer making/selling the type of hair conditioner I have been using for several years now (although the corresponding shampoo is fortunately still available). This is very annoying. All I want to do is condition my hair for $1 a bottle without smelling like fruit salad, is that so much to ask?!?

I am already pathetic for not having done my taxes yet, so today was not a good day to finally get sucked into the vortex of Questionable Content.

Sadly, I think this should probably be included in some kind of "Guide to Post-College Life for CMU Grads".

It's funny because it's true.

Edit: Upon reading this, I feel obligated to argue that The New Pornographers, although definitely pop, is not especially weird or idiosyncratic in my opinion.

Edit 2: Nope, this isn't me at all... *whistles innocently*

I was totally not excited about the new issue of Knitty until I got to the last pattern. These are just too funny. Who wants a knitted nautilus?