I've trained him well...

So, apparently, I've dragged my boyfriend enough times into a Coach store that he can now recognize them on his own. Either I've turned off his male gene (which I doubt) or I've awakened the comatose shopping gene.

It is slightly awesome, however. Because that means I could totally ask him to buy me something Coach. And he would know what to buy. :D (Not that he would. He's still wrapping his mind around the concept of designer shoes.)

Boyfriend would like to point out that he can only tell the Signature line...but still, better something than nothing!

*evil cackles ensue*

I bet you think this post is about you, don't you?

I just realized that I'm kind of fucked this weekend.

I have two essays to hand in for Monday and Tuesday and I have not started work on either of them. Mainly because of apathy and because I have zero idea of what to do for content. x.x Ack.

Another thing is that these feminist readings are really starting to grate on me. Some of the articles are quite extremist...denouncing all heterosexuality as rape, for one. Someone once said that they hated feminists, I think I finally understand why. I've never considered myself a feminist because I never thought gender mattered. An innocent (perhaps stupid) notion, but I didn't care. I never saw myself as inferior to any male. So, to me, all these reactions are just...radical. I am aware that there are constructs about how females are supposed to act, react, and conform and I also accept that I use them at times. As in, men can do the heavy lifting, computer stuff, etc. But is there no power in willingly making that choice? All this theory is confusing. And it can be so infuriating.

I think this whole gender thing has been doing laps in my head ever since a professor commented that I never address femininity in my argumentative style. Why should I? The behavior is regarded as tomboyish/masculine, but I never needed any man. I was pretty capable of handling myself and whatever chore they threw at me. (Pushing cars? Ok. Hauling sacks of corn? Alright.) The art and artifice of femininity was something I grew into as I grew up. I like wearing pretty clothes and nice jewelry and sexy shoes, but I feel equally alright when I am genderless, when I wear loose jeans and a sleeveless shirt. Or when I wear workout clothes. In fact, I'm confident in that attire.

I do hope I'm not rambling.

Anyway. My point is, I just think everything is equal. I never approach anything thinking about the sex/gender/sexuality of the other person because it doesn't matter. Those things don't make you superior or inferior to anyone. What matters is the subject, dammit. Everything else is just randomness.

I guess that's why I'm still getting used to having doors opened and bags carried for me. I did it for myself, not in some sort of grand protest to male/female roles. Oigh. My head hurts from thinking about this so much. xD

One last thing. As far as D and I go, I consider us equal. There are things that one of us can do and the other can't, so we complement each other. I don't see it as some race of who has the upper hand or who is the dominant in the relationship. I don't think he sees it like that either. It's a cooperation, a compromise. Just let it flow.

In other subjects, I'm working on the eBay post and on the wishlist post. It'll be more of a "things I so wish I could have and some day I may track down on eBay" post, but I'll link my Amazon wishlist too. :P

And now I have to go. Must get ready to go pick up questionnaires from my Consulation Committee boss.

And, the new The Killers album is pretty damn awesome. At least, I think.

Have a good one, y'all.

A year older, a year wiser...

Years go by way too fast. o.o

Happy Birthday to the girls in the picture:


(Last year, Ruby Tuesday's in Charlottesville, VA.)

Thanks to everyone that has said cheerio! :)

So anyway, I spent some time at the mall today, got myself some earrings. I haven't worn earrings in some time and I want to start again! But since my hair is so long, I've been looking for some studs that won't get caught. I found some sterling silver ones on super sale (one dollar) and bought four pairs xD I have to get earrings in silver, gold, or platinum because that's all my ears can stand. :/ Before, I could use fantasy earrings if I covered them with polish, but now it just hurts too much. They're cute, colorful, and practical, so I'm sure they'll get lots of use. :)

Now I have to go get ready for class. x.x Uuugh.

Let them eat Quake.

The other night, at my boyfriend's house...

D: So what are we going to do now?
Me: I don't know...
D: I have this idea...of playing Quake 3...
Me: Is this part of some scheme for you to get me to approve of gaming?

I ended up playing Quake and, worse, I liked it. '.' Oh the humanity.

Anyway, I've actually done all the readings for my Theory and Criticism class. :O I feel so responsible. All that's missing is a short text analysis that can probably be done later today. So glad to be done with Marx. However, my grasp on the SLA class is poor. Why? Because the class is completely uninspiring. A piece of gum stuck under someone else's shoe is much more interesting.

And I also just finished selling my soul: ordered the new 80gb iPod...hey, I've wanted an iPod for the last two years. *eyes shine with expectation* And now, I will proceed to anxiously track the order through the USPS website :D

Also, I think I might put up a "How not to buy fakes on eBay" post since some people have asked about such.

Today is going to be a busy day...meetings, chasing people around for appointments, work, class, getting papers. In between all the things I have to do, I have to remember to actually nourish my body with nutrients. That is my note to self for the day. x.x

I'll be working next week, so if I look and sound like a bitter resentful troll, it's because I'm stuck working at that ugh weekend job of mine for a nine day stretch. I shouldn't complain, I'm getting paid, but still. I derive no satisfaction from that job. Oh well.

Thank you everybody for the props on the YSL shoes! :) I like them very much and I can't wait to use them. I'm going to try not to save them for special occasions because those puppys are much to fabulous to hole up in a box.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Oh where, oh where could my YSLs be?

So yes. Every year, for my birthday, I get myself a little present. I didn't know what to get myself this year and I figured I probably wasn't going to get anything until I chanced upon Ane's blog and saw the beauty of the Yves Saint Laurent St. Germain pumps. I searched on Bluefly, googled them, but alas...until a miracle arrived in the form of eBay. And they had them in my size...

Well, happy early birthday to me, then. :D


(Ignore my feet in the picture.)

They're actually quite comfy and the color is not as shocking as I thought. Plus, they're green. I love green.

However, I do think it's sad that I have to justify my purchase. x.x It's not like I blow my money on things all the time and, yes, I saved for this specific purpose. x.x

Will update later on more "relevant" things, such as life, academia, and actually being on top of things. For now, this.

Ramblings on a Saturday afternoon.

Guess who's the new graduate student representative?

Yesterday they tallied the votes and I actually won by a considerable margin. Whoa. I was hoping for, but not expecting that. Thanks to everybody who voted for me and gave me their confidence. For those who didn't, I hope I'll prove to you that I was the right choice, nevertheless! :P

I didn't win the presidency of the grad organization and I'm a bit disappointed about that, I'm not going to lie. But I'm also grateful. I realize I've never been in that position before and I would probably be overwhelmed. Grad representative is a lot already! But I'm still on the directive: I'm a vowel/public relations agent. :P

I'm doing some reading for my Theory class, and, finally! Something that I find interesting! We started on feminism and while I don't consider myself a hardcore feminist, I definitely enjoy this literature. I didn't like Simone de Beavouir's The Second Sex much, I kept falling asleep. :/ But I started on The Madwoman In The Attic and I'm really excited. It's fabulous. It started a lot of thinking processes that I might correlate with the paper for the symposium. Who knows!

Also, the essay got me to thinking on the hypersexualization of media figures today. How disgusting. Take Fergie for instance. Any talent she may possibly have is undermined by her appearance. (And I say possibly have because that London Bridge song is, for lack of a better word, retarded.)

Anyway. My car seems to be in its death throes. Last night as I was driving home, the speedometer died. So now I don't know at what velocity I'm going. If a cop stops me, can I use the dead speedometer as an excuse? Don't die, Shinchi!

Have you ever seen green dwarves?

Last night I got to go to a concert by a band that I like since the fourth grade. I am now (well, in a week) 23. You do the math. :D



(Enanitos Verdes courtesy of my boyfriend...I was too excited to take pictures at this point.)

Los Enanitos Verdes (The Green Dwarves) played Mayagüez last night and I made damn sure that I was there to see them. Vivanativa opened, bleh, so I'm glad we were late. The lead singer of Vivanativa has a mullet. I think that's all I need to say. x.x

At first, I tried taking pictures, but I was so excited and distracted that my boyfriend kindly took pictures for me. Yay! They played songs from the most recent album, Pescado Original (Original Fish) and they also played the classics, the songs I would sing along to in various stages of my elementary and high school life.

I think D was equal parts traumatized and entertained by me at the concert. I was a little into the whole thing, but, hey...I usually never get to go to concerts I like, so cut me some slack.

Also, this is one of the few bands in Spanish that I like. x.x So, of course, this was important to me! :D All in all, a good time. Thanks Gabo for the tickets. Those 35 dollars are on the list of most well-spent.

In other news, the dogs have decided to prove their undying love for me by returning to habits they haven't practiced in a few years. Before, they used to jump on my bed and wake me up by pawing or licking me, but they stopped. A few days ago, they started doing this again and this morning all three of them were in my room, showering me with their love! I feel special.

However, why do they have to do it at 6:45 in the morning on my day off, hmmmm? x.x

Short lived victory.

The GRE, also known as the Graduate Record Examination, also known as the Exam That Strips You of Your Humanity, is one of the most feared moments in a student's life. That and meeting your dorm roommates for the first time. Since I haven't had the luxury of dorm life, I had to settle with the torture, I mean, GRE.

I know that many people don't like talking about it...the GRE is The Dark Mark that no student even wants to think about, but I feel that I need to exorcise this frustration out of my system. Once and for all. Well, probably not once and for all, but, at least, get rid of a little.

I took the GRE on January of 2005. It didn't help that it was being held in some offices in an industrial section of the metro area. When I walked in to the test section, I felt like I had entered some top-secret branch of the military. All students sat at individual cubicles, cameras mounted on the edges, proctors would walk around to see if students were up to anything suspicious. I'm a hyperactive person, I can't sit still, much less when I'm taking a standardized exam, so I was told several times to stop making random movements. Nice.

After about 2-3 hours of sweaty palms and math problems left unanswered, I finished the exam. I left the building feeling like a fraud. I cried most of the way home, thinking that I was stupid and that my academic career was over.

When the results arrived, math was as low as expected, writing sample was good, and the verbal was above average. My final score was 840. :/ Which was actually pretty good. I had decimated my academic perception of myself all because I freaked out. Meh.

Now, a year later, I'm looking into PhD options. The school I'd like to go to requires the GRE results and I figured that I'd be okay with my scores. But then, I checked and the scores have to be less than two years old. x.x I'd be applying for entry for Fall '08. Does this mean I have to take the GRE again? I have to apply during fall '07 to get accepted though. Is there some sort of loophole I can take advantage of?

Shit. x.x

A Small Triumph.

A couple of years ago, I was pretty computer savvy. Code and build with the best of them. However, as time has passed, I began to lose interest in such endeavors. I concentrated largely in design, my coding skills suffered until it came to the point that my boyfriend coded this layout. I feel bad about this change sometimes because, wow, I've been using computers since age five...to lose a skill like that, a skill that seemed so integral to me for so long...well, it wasn't easy accepting it.

For the past two weeks, I've been trying to convert a .lit file that I need to use in one of my classes. I tried to find a way without asking my boyfriend to help. xD As I was going through some papers today, I realized that I needed to convert that file yesterday, so I got busy once again trying to change it. I found a way to do it on terminal and I tried, but failed miserably so I decided to look for other options.

Eventually, I found an obscure application that changes .lit files to .html and converted that damn ebook for class. I am proud! For I didn't have to go asking my boyfriend for help xD While this may seem silly to you, it's a small triumph for me and my degrading technological skills. x.x

And now, the wait.

Just sent my proposal for the Optika 2 Symposium. Now, the compulsive handwringing, twitching, kicking while asleep begins.

Yeah, I know, I'm dramatic. But, at least I accept the fact that I over-worry. xD

I really hope my proposal gets accepted, it would be a great opportunity. Sure, it'll be nerve-wracking, but it'll be a challenge.

And I did not know that Rita Hayworth was Latina! Wow...

Thanks Ki-chan, for your advice on the abstract and bio. :3

And I've been writing this whole post in random sentences...am not functioning well under the milk & cookies haze.

Good night!

Diving further and further into vampirism.

So, I'm fairly sure I've said this before, but Masters classes are royally ruining my sleep schedule. Since I get out at night, my clock has been promptly reversed. While everyone is nodding off at 12, I'm still jumping around like a monkey. D asked me if I've been working out lately. Which I should. But he said it because that would tire me out and help me rest.

Or, at least, that better be why he said it, hm.

Anyway. Continuing with the strange dreams posts I began in my previous blog (a blog that I miss already, gah, separation anxiety), the other night I dreamt that I was in New York. Now, what's so strange about that, you might ask. Well, first of all, I saw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while exiting the metro, D was hanging around in my dream, and then Madonna showed up, filming a music video. Never let it be said that my subconscious isn't creative.

I just e-mailed my temporary advisor, future committee member, and one-time professor the abstract I plan to submit to a symposium. I'm sort of crapping my pants about it. I hope it's good and that it gets accepted because conferences are great opportunities for grad students. She's revising it to see if it's ok, and then to send it off, hopefully to get approved by the powers that be.

Also, elections for Graduate Student Representative began today. Needless to say, the nervousness is even worse. I even developed a tick on my right hand! It's been twitching uncontrollably on and off all through the weekend. And today. Not good. Oh well, at least it will all be over this friday, and whatever happens, happens for the good of all the people involved. (That thought doesn't cancel out the fact that I'd like the position(s) though.)

And in other news, my parents got me the camera I wanted for my birthday. My birthday is in about two weeks, but, hey. They figured since I "knew" I would be getting it, I should have it now. :S I am not being by any means ungrateful, I'm very happy with my present, it's just that I miss the innocence and surprise that birthdays once had. Oh well. I guess this is growing up?

I could keep blabbing, but I should try to get some sleep now that my right hand's not twitching (it kept me awake last night). More details about other stuff later. G'night!

Beginning again.

So after five years of blogging at pitas, I've decided to pack my proverbial bags and head on to blogger. We'll see if blogger lives up to its expectations and if several undesirable people don't continue to keep tabs on me.

So, per usual, I did the layout design, but this time, my boyfriend did the coding. He has more time dealing with the peculiarities of blogger, so I figured he would do a better job. :P

I'm fairly sure I have lots of things to say, but right now, I have to threaten my printer with a bat because it's being hissy again. Good times.