procrastination

i can only check facebook so many times. so now i've come to you, blogger.

math sucks. GRE math in particular. at least through practicing i've become aware of my tendency to read a question and blurt out 'what in the hell?', which is probably not something the exam proctors would really be thrilled about. this time tomorrow i will be rewarding myself with a pitcher of margaritas and i will not care.

this is for miss andrea, because it makes me laugh.

anniversary

as of this past monday, i have officially been in houston for an entire year. ta da. right now my brain feels like it's full of cotton balls, so the best thing i can do is make a list. screw paragraphs.

+ m.o.p. show was awesome. dave giving percee p the $7 he had in his wallet saying 'here you go, i know i've illegally downloaded your stuff' was a highlight.

+ then we met one half of m.o.p., who gave me a quote for my article and a hug. thank you dave.

+ but wait. i shook bun-b's hand. he was just standing there, so i walked up, swallowed my shyness and told him it was a good show last month, which seems to be a recurring theme.

+ it's finally cool enough to wear a scarf without looking like an idiot. that also means boots weather! (not the moon kind, don't worry. those are at home.)

- i hate asking for recommendation letters. especially from professors of classes that i took almost five years ago, because it makes me feel old.

- i don't have a halloween costume yet. i hate halloween for this very reason. one year when i was about 7 i couldn't think of anything to be, so i went trick-or-treating in regular clothes and my winter coat. i still got candy.

the best news team on television

"I can’t help but wonder if Dan Quayle is off someplace watching Sarah Palin interviews and thinking, 'Spell potatoes now, motherfuckers.'"
- ha HA. found here.

good god i can't wait for this election to be over, so i can go to sleep and dream of rainbows and unicorns instead of debates and the albino gaze of anderson cooper.

also: is Joe the Plumber's last name by any chance Sixpack?

keep austin hipster

i'm crabby*. partly because the GRE is coming up and michelle and i have been to almost every coffee shop inside the loop to study. and also partly because we went to austin this weekend. it was fine. i had a moderately good time. but because there are so many UT people around here constantly yammering about how cool and weird it is and how many awesome places there are to go to and oh man you'll just pee your pants it's so cool, that when i get there and i do not pee my pants from coolness, i feel let-down. and crabby.

the best remedy right now is this video. it never fails to entertain me. we're going to see them (m.o.p., not bert & ernie; though i might not say no to that either..) next week fo' freeeee.

*did anyone else read those books as a kid? i loved them.

yawn

i've decided i want a scooter. my frustration with public transportation has reached an all-time high (as evidenced by my constant scowl, and frequently checking my watch at the bus stop while muttering 'are you kidding me?') and this seems to be a logical solution. plus it would feel very italian, and i'm all for that. this morning i saw one ride by and i had to suppress the urge to spear-tackle the driver and Grand Theft Scooter myself to work.

so far the highlight of today has been a seminar on something i did not understand (free pizza, free reinforcement that i do not want a PhD in science). it was mostly 45 minutes of experiencing second-hand embarrassment for the speaker when he couldn't answer any questions that were asked. KIND OF LIKE WHAT THE DEBATE WILL BE TONIGHT! ZING!

today through my google reader i came across this photo:

david bowie, damien hirst, and julian schnabel, via new york magazine.

it just so happens i went to the museum of fine arts on sunday to catch their modern art exhibit that featured six pieces by hirst. i say 'pieces' not because i'm an art snob but because i don't know what else to call something that from a short distance looks like a black shag rug but is actually a giant canvas completely covered in dead flies. i also saw the big spin-art painting they're standing in front of there.

what makes this really appropriate though is that starman by david bowie just came on, from my special tuesday morning lab mix.

go away ike, tina ain't here

my (former) daily route.

up the street from dave.

no grilling in the house.

my backyard.

probably why i had no power.

GRE by candlelight.

it's over

ohhh but it's not. things turned out better than i ever expected, but it's going to be a while before life is back to normal. friday night my plan to drink enough wine to sleep through the storm next to a floor-to-ceiling window worked perfectly, and i only woke up when a tree fell down somewhere. in the morning dave's house was fine, my car was fine, and through some miracle we were the only ones in practically the whole city who had power. it then became a refugee camp for anyone who could find a way around the fallen trees and the flooding.

on sunday when i couldn't take being inside any longer, i made my way back to my apartment. thankfully there was no damage aside from a soggy kitchen, but i have no electricity. it's not coming back til next week. welcome to the club.

it's still really strange. without stoplights every intersection is a four-way stop. cars are lined up for blocks just to get in to a gas station. until yesterday, shepherd and memorial was a huge lake. the entire city has a curfew. a few restaurants are open; we had dinner at goode company and sat in the dark for a bit when the generator went out. people in line for ice threaten each other with tasers. and all that's nothing compared to galveston...

pictures to come eventually.

third time's the charm

yesterday morning i stopped at the grocery store to get something for our lab lunch. on the way in, i passed a guy who smiled at me and said 'good luck!' i had no idea what he was talking about. when i went to check out i waited for half an hour, surrounded by people with cases of bottled water and batteries, and i was the asshole with strawberry shortcake.

yesterday was more of an annoyance; today it's getting surreal. almost every gas station is empty, buildings are boarded up, and there's tape on all the windows. i'm camped out at dave's house, watching cnn, and trying not to get caught up in the hype. whatever happens, we'll be fine. it's not like we have anywhere else to go. and judging from the pantry, we have enough snacks to last us through nuclear winter. and also, entertainment.

so bring it, ike. i'm ready.

yes mom, i survived

the biker bar down the street from my house, where i 'weathered' the 'storm'.