Sleeeeep

Or: "Why Nothing in this post makes sense"

I'm tired. Very tired. I want nothing more than to skulk to my bed and wallow under three layers of covers for the night.

Granted, thats not happening for at least another hour or so. Need to get this thing done for class tomorrow.

On the other hand, if I didnt have to finish it, I guarantee you Id be be wide awake right now. Oh well. At least I havent spiraled to the point where Im crashing at four in the morning and waking up around lunch. Yet. Finals are still another month off, though.

I think I need a new chair. My upper back and shoulders are killing me. In the spirit of Halloween, if anyone asks, Ive decided to tell them that Im growing wings as a part of my costume. They might be done in time. Seriously. It hurts right where theyd be if I had them.

I just lit some rope incense. Slightly more focused now. I really enjoy being able to burn the stuff now as much as I want. Fortunately, there are a lot of places up here that sell it. I also have a handy order form for a place that I got loads from at Renn Faire.

Does anyone get netflix? Ill probably get it soon, but my big question relates to that thing about 'current TV episodes'. How current? How long does it take for an episode to be available on netflix after the original airdate? While getting the service in the next couple months is a given, and I will also possibly get the roku box to hook up to my TV. Depending on the answer to the above question, I may end up canceling cable. Seriously, I only watch three shows weekly. The other two I watch online later due to class. Castle and How I Met Your Mother are both available online as well. The only problem at the moment is Big Bang Theory. Thats not online anywhere yet.
Seriously, is cable really worth it for three shows and the occasional football game or movie when Im not busy? Not particularly. Netflix is 9 bucks and I can make a roku pay for itself in no time.

Posted at 12:18 is a lie. It is now 1:48.

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Move Along

So it goes.

Finally.

After applying to Graduate programs at Western Carolina and Appalachian State Universities, I got in both. After some thought (okay, actually not all that much...), Ill be moving up to Boone for the next couple of years. Spent this past weekend up there doing a brief orientation and apartment/house hunting. Found a place not far from campus with an AppalCart stop at the end of the street. Routes go across campus and all the way through Boone. And its free. This means I have decided not to get on campus parking registration. There's really no need to.

We had looked at a total of four places. Being so close to start of term, there weren't that many places available...not to mention there's a housing shortage anyway. Methinks we got lucky.
My favorite place was really nice, but it was also a good bit away from campus. Almost out in the middle of nowhere, and I could look out my window and have deer grazing a mere ten feet away. At least, they were there when we viewed the house.
Oh well.

The decision to go with App over Western wasn't exactly all that hard. My Bachelors is in Criminal Justice from WCU. Being the idiot I was, I didn't have a minor. I should have, but I didn't. I recall recently wandering WCU's website for something when noticed that they developed a Forensic Science program (focused as a minor) about a year after I left. That was one of those facepalm moments. I find the topic somewhat fascinating, and I don't even watch CSI (I can count the times Ive seen NY and Vegas on one hand, combined...and Miami is just complete utter shit). My math is only decent, and I haven't really done much with science since high school chemistry/biology.

Have I mentioned that I'm a walking contradiction?

Okay, back on topic. The minor thing wasn't really that relevant. My BS was in Criminal Justice, so it would make sense that my Masters would be in something similar. Of course I would look to my Alma Mater first. If I had gone that route, Id be getting an MPA (Masters in Public Affairs) with a focus in Criminal Justice. That was...okay, but how much of that material was going to be on whatever PA was and how much was going to be on the CJ part? So, I started poking elsewhere. I actually applied to UNC Charlotte a few years ago. Didnt get in. Oh well.
Appalachian State also had a Masters program for Criminology and Criminal Justice, so I applied there too.
Long story short (wait..really?), applied to both, picked App.

For those of you who don't know, App and Western are Rivals. Ive gotten plenty of jibes from my Western friends and classmates about it and I expect a good bit from the App people. Especially when they see the WCU alumni license plate frame on the back of my car or the window stickers that I never got around to putting on the back of my window (they've been sitting on the back dash since I graduated). Ill put an App sticker up too.

The only thing I have to say about the Rivalry is that my loyalties lie with whoever happens to be the home team during the Battle for the Old Mountain Jug. As its an odd year, its at App.

Otherwise, I support both teams Equally.

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I hate beans. This could be a problem if I ever go vegan. Or Vegetarian. Or...uhm, yeah.

A handful of the people I follow on Twitter are from California. As it turns out, most of that set are vegans in some form another. This is cool. This probably means theyre healthier than I am.
...Maybe. I overheard someone scoff at that and mention chocolate was on the 'okay' list. They were a fan of Lindt

I know a few around here, too. Had classes with some, which wouldnt normally be anything major, except it was a music class and we toured. The class was usually no bigger than 12ish people any given semester, and about half were vegans. A couple of the others were meat/potato type people, and then you had a few like me, who didnt care so long as they could find something on the menu that was halfway decent. It wasnt unheard of for the first two groups to get into arguments about where to stop for dinner. Especially since we were often in or near Asheville NC, which has often been considered the "San Francisco of the East Coast", and has plenty of Vegan-friendly eateries. So, yeah. We hit a few of them up. We also hit a steakhouse once or twice as well...just to be fair. Normally, I was nice and got something that wouldnt throw the others off too much, as my usual Outback faire is something most would have a cow (er, no pun intended) over. Though, once I did order it anyway out of spite because a couple of them had done something to piss me off. Oddly enough, the one that was made most uncomfortable was a classmate that had labeled herself a 'recovering Vegetarian', and had gotten a well done ribeye, or something. I did feel bad for her, as she wasnt the cause of my ire.

I used to think about trying it...just to see if I could do it.

I dont think I can. Maybe a half-assed version (isnt there a 'no red meat' variety or something?), but not full on.

Im (usually) not that much of a picky eater, but as luck would have it, I pretty much dislike what apparently makes up a good percentage of vegetarian foods. Mostly beans. I hate beans. I think there were a total of three things on a very vast menu that did not include beans. I think I ended up with chips and pico di gallo salsa. On the bright side, it was very good. Humus? Maybe. Itd be an aquired taste, and if I recall correctly I wasnt a fan of the consistency. Tofu was a by-the-dish thing. Most of the time, I didnt care for it. Others, it was okay. The tico burrito and low country rollups from a place called Laughing Seed Cafe in Asheville looks good.

Also, after looking at these menus, Im going to admit that I dont have a damn clue what the heck tempeh is, and am googleing it in another tab. It looks like its going to be another 'wont know til I try it' things.

Theres the fact that I really could care less that Mickey Ds uses beef extract for fries. Sorry about that.

When I started this post, I was looking back at my diet. While it could be better (psh. lot better), Ive found that theres not much in the way of red meat on there that I like. I think Im mostly limited to burgers and steaks in that regard, and Italian sausage (though I honestly dont care for meat at all in Italian food). None of which come along all that much. Not a fan of stuff like pot roast or meat loaf and such. I think this had occurred to me before. I donate platelets on a regular basis (or try to), and Ive gotten turned away more than once due to my iron count being too low. They ask me how much red meat I eat, and in hindsight, Im always surprised that the answers 'not all that much'.

Okay, so maybe if I really, really tried, I might be able to get away with it. But not here. I looked up Charlotte Vegetarian/vegan places, and theres not much. Mostly Indian places with lots of things I cant pronounce and lentil. Lentil is too close to beans for my liking.
Like I said...Asheville's the SF of the East. They have lots of places that look interesting. Its also no secret to anyone that I want to move back west to the mountains. Its a win-win thing.

Itll still be the beans that kills me, though.

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Bowling is a vicious game,

By now, we all know that the scoring system at my center, AMF Accuscore Advantage, is older than dirt and needs to be replaced. Its not on the agenda any time soon.

Just because the upper brass wont give us working updated bowling equipment doesnt mean they can slack on other stuff. Like speakers and audio gear for instance. Something that would have a left/right speaker fade or a separate volume adjustment for each speaker would be an awesome awesome plus.

Itd keep league nights with multiple leagues running much smoother. One league wants its just under blasting, and the other associates an acceptable volume with elevator/Dr. Office muzak. Neither are willing to compromise. Yes, we DO keep it at a mid-range volume and refuse to move it either way. But that doesnt stop them from bitching...because they LOVE this song and wanna dance, or hate this other one and to turn it down, or insisting that we raised/lowered it to placate the other league...Just another night at the alley.

Theres this one guy a lane or two over who hits single pin conversions in a way that sounds like the ball is hitting the sweep. Its driving me up the bloody wall.

Theres nothing like an awesome game/set being blown to bits by coming within a single open frame of an 'accomplishment'. This time it was an open away from 200, which isnt a big deal anymore. It used to be. I cant tell you how many 198-99s I got before I finally hit 200 for the first time years ago. The last time this really annoyed me was last year, a damn pin away from a first 600 set. Only needed 9, rolled 8, and so on and so forth.

Still havent hit it yet. Meh.

Speaking of, my league is having an awesome night in general. The center makes a congratulatory announcement anytime someone rolls a 200 or above, and we've been getting a LOT of them tonight.
There's a reason our leagues handicap is 90% of 220, instead of 80% of 200, which is used by most bowling leagues.

We totally dont suck at this game.

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A cat probably wont eat the drapes, but he might climb them to see what the room looks like from the ceiling.

Apparently, Whisker Licken crunchy treats are the new favorite of my three cats. Theyre pulling new stunts to get to them. Even now, Ive had to edit this thing three times because Lacie has sat on the keyboard for them. Atleast she didnt reprogram or restart the thing. Yay for small favors.

Rascal, atleast just sits on top of the mouse (and, at times, my hand) and merely attempts to steal my glasses off my face.

These cats are entirely to spoiled. But if your a cat owner, you knew that already on principle. Cats will bend their humans to do their bidding. We are trained well. For those of you who say something like "ah, no...my cats are trained, not the other way around", Id very much like to know what fantasy world you live in.

Ive grown up with cats all my life, but it seems to me, we let Lacie, Rascal, and Riley get away with a heck of a lot more stuff than Mike and Peaches EVER did.

Mike and Peaches would have NEVER been permitted to walk across the kitchen counter in order to get to the bay window (granted, the bay window wasnt there then, but thats not the point). I remember mom breaking up Mike and Peaches when they 'fought'. Now, we happily egg them on.
I always got scolded for 'dropping' bits of dinner for Mike if he was underfoot. Rusty had a chair at the table. And a bowl.

Rascal is permitted to sit in aforementioned chair, and can sample whatever I give him, but he doesnt have his own bowl.

Oh. And for those of you who are about to haggle me on the dangers of giving cats people food, dont worry. They dont like people food all that much. So far, Rascal likes the pork loin from last night, and Im pretty sure Lacie like Clam Chowder. Vienna Sausages are okay, and if sardines count, Lacie prefers hers with mustard, while Rascal likes Louisiana hot sauce. Dont ask. Blame Dad.
Other than that, they turn there nose up at people food. Theyre perfectly happy with standard Science Diet dry.

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This portion sponsored by Duncan Hines' family of baking mix products

Today started the discussion of Christmas baking. Sort of. It came up last week sometime with a "What cookies do you want to make?".

The arsenal of goodies to be sent out has changed quite a bit over the years. When I was a kid, they included basic cookies that my sister and I 'painted' with icing made of egg whites (or yolk? or both? I dunno...) and food coloring. We also had this gadget that made cookies in really cool shapes. That thing was cool. The shapes were neat and it was fun to play with.
The only problem was that the cookies werent all that good. Very bland. I didnt even like the dough all that much. Which is saying something. It came with its own recipe because the dough consistency had to be specific.

Neither of those get made now.

A few survived. Cookie kisses are a must. Hershey kisses wrapped completely in dough and covered with powered sugar. Walnut cookies are in there, along with oatmeal and Neiman Marcus. My mother also makes up a few loaves of strawberry bread.

At some point in time, we may get around to watching my two favorite Christmas movies: Die Hard and White Christmas. Watched some of White Christmas already. It was on Lifetime. Nevermind that I had just brought the DVD. I still watched it on TV, with commercials. Now, for Die Hard.

I swear, no matter how many times you watch it, it never gets old.

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About nothing. And maybe some basic math.

I love calligraphy, even though my attempts are barely amateurish at best. I like fountain pens. I want a nice one. You know, the type that comes all nice and pretty in a box and cost about $50 for a single pen? At least, thats how much the ones at Office Max were. Actually, they were all ball point. Blergh.
The refill section of the pen wall had plenty of fountain refills. No actual pens, though.

Another note...Im trying to figure out the difference between regular colored pencils and watercolor. Ive got an...interesting art project/hobby/doodle thing (If youve known me for any length of time, you probably have an idea of what this is). Im thinking color would do well with it.

ICanHasCheezburger is a fun place to play. By now, theres over three hundred pages of Lolcats, a bunch of loldoggies, some general news/political ones that are okay, and the new one that mocks tv shows and movies. Mostly Star Trek. Speaking of which, since lolcat has Caturday, theyre making a Star Trek day. ShatnerDay is the popular one. I think it sucks muchly.
Ive even made some lol's. Go see. :D


Stopped at a party store to grab a few favors for a thing. The total came to $6.30, gave the lady a Ten, searched for the 30 cents, didnt have it. The person at the register gave back $4 in change, as if we had actually had the change. Thats not a big deal. I think I made a couple bitty errors like that at the register. The issue came when we tried to correct the error, giving her the dollar back so she could give us the correct 70 cents.
She couldnt figure out what the hell we were doing, or once she did, couldnt figure out the numbers were right.

I thought basic addition and subtraction were required to get out of elementary school.
Maybe Im wrong...


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Now playing: ABBA - Take a Chance on Me
via FoxyTunes

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