when opportunity knocks...

make it lemonade!

Normally fairly frugal and practical to a fault, I signed a check this morning to put a deposit on a study-abroad excursion (a 10ish - ish due to the lengthy flights-- day trip led by my history professor) to South Africa for this summer. Now, one may ask, how does a graduate student living on loans pay for a trip like this? Answer: another loan! My insides drop and twist at this, but lets be realistic -- when am I ever going to go to Africa? I'm way too practical. And travelling to countries/continents of this sort really require organized tours. Its not the sort of thing one books on the spur of the moment via Orbitz. And besides, its an education expense and I have the next, oh, 10 to 15 years to pay off the massive amount of debt I'm accruing this year, right?

I keep spinning around in my chair with excitement. Good thing I have the office to myself today.

Guess What? We can vote too!!

Saturday's A Rugby Day posted a letter that was published in this month's rugby magazine. The magazine was nice enough to put in an editioral bit response about women's rugby along with it.

It amazes me that in 2006 there are still people out there who appearently believe a woman's place is limited to being at home in the kitchen.

i'm a youngin!

So according to realage.com, I'm not quite fully legal...

Calendar Age 25.4
Difference -5.1
My RealAge 20.3

I think this is terrific. That's a full 20% off! The test gave me recommendations for better health, like flossing more and cutting down on the red meat I have a couple of times a week, but I'm not too concerned. Wearing my seatbelt and exercising regularly keep my age down way more than flossing would!

Speaking of exercise, I ran a 5 mi race (43:07) this weekend at a better pace than my last 5k in March (27:45)...guess all those intervals on the treadmill are paying off! I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with running.....I don't like it much in general, but where else are you just competing with yourself (seeing my blazing speed, its not like I'm an Olympic contender)? I'm still patting myself on the back a little bit about this little victory : )

the kitchen

I got here yesterday right as my parents returned from the grocery store with enough supplies to make dinner for a small town. And I know everyone will come bearing a veggie and possibly a dessert. I'm kind of excited about this, as it means leftovers!!!! I did my part yesterday afternoon with crab stuffed mushrooms and a homemade apple pie. This is way no easy feat, as my mom has a small kitchen, and was also trying to cook. It was fairly major chaos, especially as the puppies wanted to help. So three hours, 4 pints of mushrooms and 7 peeled-by-hand apples later, I finished. And I went to see a couple of friends of high school....right before I was about to come home with a splitting headache, my mom called to tell me I needed to buy a new pie. Let's make something clear here before I go on: I don't buy pie. I don't buy cookies. I don't buy baked goods!!! I don't even buy pie crust (its really not hard to make!) I take some pride in my baking skills! How, why, you ask, did she tell me to buy a pie?

Because I left my pans on top of the stove to cool, and somehow, in a sequence of events that's not totally clear and I don't care to try to repeat, in the trip from stove top to refrigerator, mushrooms were spilled, filling side down, into my pie.

She apologized at some length. I think she thought I was going to be really pissed. I was sort of flabbergastered instead. How does that happen? And did she SERIOUSLY think I would buy a grocery store pie??

I'm making a new one today, with apples peeled by mom, after the turkey gets out of the oven.

Additionally...

Ugg boots were NEVER attractive, especially not with short skirts (how is chopping off one's calf and one's thigh around the widest part of each flattering to anyone?). Hence, the new furry version of the Ugg is ALSO not attractive. Not with short skirts. And not with spandex pants.

Seriously people. Spandex pants (except on a track or in the gym, possibly) were a bad idea in 1986. They're STILL a bad idea twenty years later. Only like 0.5% of the population can pull them off. The very skinny look extra emiciated in them (if you can see your knee tendons through your spandex, you're too thin. Are you reading this, girl-who-I-keep-thinking-is-going-to-keel-over-on-the-treadmill?). The rest of us just look like sausages, for one reason or another. If you happen to be in the 0.5% that has amazingly well proportioned legs of good tone et al, well, spandex away, but please have the curtosy to do it with a tunic (::stiffling a gag::). I don't want to be able to read the tag on your panties.

Media Fury

I refer you to Blondie's Post about the latest and greatest.

As I need to go write to the editors now, I will refrain from further comment at this time.

spotted

I saw a few things on my way to campus this morning that demand comment. (And as I am obviously a fashion queen, I feel entitled to do so). Sometimes these moments make me I had a camera, but I find it a little creepy to take photos of strangers. There's been several of these semi-creepy people on the river trail lately, making me wonder if there's a huge art class somewhere requiring action shots of joggers. But I digress.

Seen today:
1) girl wearing cropped tights (sigh), pointy flats, a jean mini, and a teeshirt declaring "Dare to be Different". Ironic, no?
2) girl who was very obviously coming from the gym, smoking a cigarette. As she was already immensely thin, I have a feeling it was lunch.
3) (this was actually a week or so ago, but its noteworthy) homeless lady in my neighborhood yelling LOUDLY at random people, including some in cars, as she passed them. She called me a "DIRTY COLLEGE WHORE". Guess the rugby teeshirt and running pants tipped her off.

soggy sunday

I came home early on Sunday to go to a conference (which I am making my first appearance at this morning now) to find my cat deceased on the living room floor. On the upside, I have good reason to believe he died peacefully in his sleep of something congential and unpreventable (he was only 3, and not appearently ill). And it was the weekend instead of first thing Monday morning. Even so, I couldn't move him and had to call for help from someone amazing. The cat was "buried" in his carrier in a bin around the corner along with his toy and a pair of socks. He had a weird obsession with socks, clean or dirty. The poor guy (not exactly named) would even dig them out of my bag sometimes.

Happy trails little guy, and hope there's lot of dogs for you to chase and socks to be tossed around in pet heaven.

news?

I cannot wait for tomorrow to be over. Actually, Wednesday. I am SO TIRED of the election ads/polls/"news"/etc. Gag me. Don't get my wrong -- voting is important, and I am registered...but not in PA, and I'm not going through the effort for a absentee ballot for NJ's senate race. Maybe I'm a bad citizen, but call it a side effect of grad school -- I'm good about voting even in the locals normally. But right now...give me normal news! Normal commericals! Anything not involving an elephant and a donkey!

update: This morning (Tuesday) I was passed by 2 pickup trucks blaring "vote for "so and so"". This are the first F150s I've really noticed in the Philadelphia area, and it might be a smidge ironic that they were advertising the Republican candidates.