I really like this guy:

The Impotence of Proofreading

This one is not as funny, but really struck a chord with me. I had teachers like this in high school, and they make such a difference. Also, it really ticks me off that people are so dismissive of teachers, and how shockingly little they make compared with other jobs. These are people who shape the next generation, and we pay them less than some corporate lawyer, whose sole function is to weasel a company out of trouble they probably deserved to be in the first place? Where's the sense in that?

If we want better education, forget textbooks. We need to pay teachers better, because then it becomes competitive and instead of districts scrambling to find teachers, there are too many of them, and the good ones get hired. It benefits everyone in the long run.

What Teachers Make

How does one go about asking a good friend of theirs for her brother's number?

I mean, he was cute, smart, funny, a little nerdish. Just how I like 'em. And we hit it off really well, and I don't think I was the only interested party. Plus, he's in the Boston area, and virtually no one else I know is, so it'd be nice to have someone to hang out with even if nothing happens.

But still, awkward much?

Help!

In other news, I have two new cousins! My aunt gave birth to Ana and Sophia yesterday. So hurray for that.

You know, I don't really mind if people misspell my name. I know it's weirdly spelled, and I understand that people assume it's one way. Mostly I just politely correct the mistake. Sometimes I get annoyed if people who've known me for a while continue to misspell it, but mostly I just let it slide. BUT, if you've asked me to spell out my name on a membership form then you should be able to look at how I've spelled it and spell it correctly.

If it were anything bigger than an library card I'd be seriously annoyed.

Okay, seriously. I have no idea what I'm gonna do for my audition.

I know On the Steps of the Palace and I can do it well, but I feel like everyone is going to do it.

Grah!

It's surprisingly hard to call up a friend and ask if you're still friends, but I'm glad I did because I feel much more assured.

If there's anyone I don't want to lose as a friend over something silly, Laura's right up there.

Dear MBTA:

The pronunciation of the word "via" is vee-uh, or possibly vai-uh, but NOT vee-eh. Of the three of them, that last one is even the hardest to pronounce, so why do you do it?

This is quite possibly the most infuriating thing to me about the T. I have to listen to that shit every single stop when I'm heading home. "The destination of this train is Heath St. vee-eh medical area." NO. NO IT'S NOT.

Well, okay, the fact that in order to transfer lines you have to go all the way into downtown is pretty annoying, too.

Sincerely,
You-really-should-have-asked-a-speech-expert-before-recording-those-things.

But I've come to the conclusion that I like Boston. Most of my gripes involve comparing it to NYC, and I don't think that's exactly fair. Boston is nice in its own Bostonian sort of way.

1. The Fourth was slightly brutal, but TOTALLY WORTH IT because I heard the pops play the 1812 Overture and it was amazing.

2. It is possible to have a heart attack at 20. Especially when it's 4 AM and you're exhausted and you're traveling 45 on a 30 mph road and it's been raining and you've just realized that that's a tree down in the middle of the road.

3. Bitches need to get over shit. Yes, it sucks he cheated on you, but really now. It's 7:30 and you're already puking.

4. I really don't want to go down that road. Seriously. Can't we just be friends?

5. Related to the above: The Awkward (tm) is likely induced by alcohol.

6. Related to 4 and 5: I am sort of a shameless flirt, unless I actually like the person. Then I clam up.

7. Girl talks with old friends are awesome.

8. I will be extremely protective over my sister as she begins dating.

9. I will not settle. I am not desperate for a relationship and I won't have one I'm not 100% into. I don't want to. (I wasn't sure about this one, but I am now).

10. I hate the New York Commission of Jurors.

Overall, minus small bits of drama and awkward, this weekend was absolutely amazing.

Ahhh.

I'm moved in!

Boston's alright (I've only been here a few hours). I'm currently alone in the apartment as my roommates are all gone for the weekend.

OMFG CHRIS OSGOOD I LOVE YOU.

I'm even okay with the last game 'cuz everyone else sort of fell on their faces during that game. (And speaking of, WHERE WAS THAT THIRD PERIOD PLAY IN THE FIRST PERIOD, God effing damn it.) But you are amazing and wonderful and the best goalie ever.

If you have another shut-out I'll bear any and all children you may want to have. Seriously.




Yes I just wrote a love letter to the Red Wings' goalie. What of it?

I NOW HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE THIS SUMMER.

Hurrah. I won't have to live on someone's couch or the street or something.

This week is the week of death. Really. It might possibly eat me.

This exact note was written to myself in my agenda in a moment of delusion:
"Obtain Time-Turner."

I mean, really. Tomorrow I need to be in three places at the same time. I AM ONLY ONE PERSON, WORLD.

Pardon me, I'm going to go whimper in a corner.

In other news, Paul sent out two more of those e-mails. There is no forseeable end in sight, it appears.

Am I actually ready for next year?

Registered for classes, have signed my lease and had my dad co-sign (for reasons I'm still miffed about but can't bring myself to care too much about).

I.. think I may be.

This summer, however? Not so much. Still haven't heard from the AHA about that fellowship (I'm going to be so pissed if I don't get it because New Paltz didn't get my transcript there in time) and I still don't have a place to live. Add to that the fact that I've never lived more than an hour and a half from home before...

Ack!

Apparently, despite the fact that there's been "progress in Iraq," and that the media "never talks about the good things going on," the progress is "fragile and reversible." (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/world/middleeast/08cnd-petraeus.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin)

I'm pretty much over the whole war thing, you know. We shouldn't have gotten into it, but as I don't really have a clear answer in my head as to whether or not pulling out is a good idea I don't really like to join in that debate.

This, however, is really rich of the administration. "Fragile and reversible" reminds me of a house of cards--breathe wrong near it and Iraq will crumble to a heap of chaos. I'm sorry, but that's not progress.

Sadly, it's probably true.

Hell, I'm not entirely certain there's a right way to breathe with this situation any more. This is why I steer clear of politics a lot: it just makes me sad.

On a lighter note, there's a "That's What She Said" moment buried in here. (I know because I almost said it out loud as I was typing). See if you can spot it!

First is that Kabbalah is simply weird. I'm sorry, I know it's supposed to be all mystical and shit, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't find Gematria interesting, but it's a little too out there for me to subscribe to in any real sense. It sounds like a lot of psychobabble. Having seen the movie Pi has not helped this notion.

Second is that rules that dictate not touching the opposite gender are made of crap. All it does is make me want to poke Jewish men repeatedly. To be frank, the urge was maddening.

Third (and wholly unrelated to Judaism) is that it really, really pisses me off when "adults" try and make a point about communication using the phrase, "and they didn't have things like Facebook back then." Really? You mean that a rabbinic student in the 6th or 7th century BCE didn't have Facebook? Wait, they didn't even have the internet?

I HAD NO IDEA.

Because, being a 20-year-old who's taken, like, at minimum a history class, it never occurred to me that computers haven't existed forever. What a total mindfuck!

Seriously, seriously irritating. Besides, Facebook wasn't around when I was a kid EITHER, and I don't remember e-mail being the primary mode of communication when I was in elementary school. Hell, I remember when cell phones first started coming out and they were the size of cinderblocks.

Anyway.

More generally, I'm just glad I'm Reform. I like having a little bit of freedom in my religion to, you know, think for myself.

I saw Juno today. I really enjoyed it, particularly because it didn't pretend that characters weren't who they were. Juno's a great character and I wish I had been more like her in high school (aside from the whole getting pregnant thing) but she was what she was--a slightly stupid sixteen-year-old. I also liked that it didn't fall into some of the same old plot twists you find in these types of movies. I could swear that there was going to be an Uncle-Peck-proposal type scene--I think it was even trying to lead you to that premature conclusion--but they avoided it and did something different, something more realistic. I can see why it won best screenplay, for that reason and for the truly HILARIOUS dialogue. I swear that if/when I go into labor, I'm going to announce it by yelling, "Thudercats are go!"

RenoSweeneyTodd: Taka is insane.
Redhead62345: lmao
Redhead62345: yes, yes he is
RenoSweeneyTodd: I left the house last night at 9:30 to to to the corner of Southside and pick up a freind.
RenoSweeneyTodd: When we got to the house less than five minutes later, there were 15 people and a keg there
RenoSweeneyTodd: Like, Taka must have an insant party-in-a-box kit or something
RenoSweeneyTodd: They partied til about 9am this morning
Redhead62345: IT'S HIS NINJA SKILLS
Redhead62345: i'm telling you

Taka is the best person to party with, ever. Because he is completely insane. So sort of sad that I missed that, but really I'm pretty glad to be home. I spent WAY too much money on clothing today, but in a good way (I think only girls really understand that).

I have no internet on my laptop here, though, which is sad. I can't find the wireless network my house is on and I think it has something to do with Verizon's security measures, but it means I can only get online on the desktop which is nearly always hoarded by my sister.

Ho well. Spring Break awaits!

Well, fuck.

Why is my alarm clock not going off? I just meant to take a nap, and now I've missed Directing which I really didn't want to do because I've missed already and it's a pretty good class. Nancy must hate me.

That fucking up I said I wasn't going to do? Here I go again, doing it. I know I shouldn't have gone out last night.

Because then I wouldn't be quite as stressed.

Mountains of work that sometimes got done, sometimes didn't, and today I had to deal with a crap ton of shit for the future.

Fuck all, I wish it was the future already. I wish that this fellowship application was in. I wish I was in Boston in a nice, cheap place. I wish I was doing very well with my fellowship research project (which of course I got) and fully confident about being able to do the work.

Hell, I wish I was in medical school already, because then I wouldn't be plagued with self-doubt about whether or not I could actually get in to said school. Or that I was out of it and money was no longer an issue, because I hate asking my dad--my wonderful, entirely too accommodating father--for money every three seconds.

As it is, however, I have no bloody clue how I'm going to pay for the next year and a half of my life, whether or not I'm going to completely crash and burn on this project (regardless of whether or not I actually get the fellowship), or if I'm remotely smart enough to succeed at med school. I have a perfectly legitimate fear that I will not get in to start, what with my shitty grades.

ARGH.

It's about fucking time I started getting serious about my life. I can't fuck up any more, but it seems to just keep on happening.

Mustn't. Fuck. Up.

Excuse me, I'll just be over here ripping out my hair.

Or, not really an ode at all.

Dear Harry,

Stop fucking calling me. "I've been so nice to you," boo fucking hoo. Shit happens, man, and sometimes your tenants have more of a life than being able to call you the second they get your message.

Rent will get to you when it gets to you.

Sincerely,
Deliberately Ignored Your Call In Favor Of Sleep.

It just figures that I'd feel so run down during tech for The Promise Keeper, doesn't it?

Oh well.

I'll just be over here, hacking up a lung, thanks.