MILES to GO || before I sleep

Having seen Australia's "Thunder From Down Under" boys for a second (incredible) time at the Rrazz Room in the Hotel Nikko here in San Francisco the other night with my girlfriends, I have come away from the experience delighted, amused, and, as all experiences ought to be, thoughtful.

Why do women of all ages (and men, too!) come to events like these, groping, pawing, squealing and giggling over these hot "Australian exports?" What is it about these guys that makes them so sexy, so all-around appealing, enough to make so many different people go absolutely nuts for a few hours in one night--repeated many nights in a row, in many cities all around the world?

So here are my thoughts on that very subject, and what "regular" (because TFDU guys seem to be in a class of their own) guys and gals could stand to learn from male entertainers such as the TFDU blokes.

( Read more... )

The "Grissom's Gone" marathon on Spike was pretty damn good. Everything I'd heard about Keppler on the 'Net made him out to be some sort of nerdy-but-badass guy that had some sort of chemistry with Catherine... and while it's not on the level of Cath/Warrick, I DID see something there. Sucks that the way he had to go was... well, bloody.

Still haven't heard back from Chase, which can be a good or a bad thing. Good if I do, because Yay! that would mean I could go to Washington, D.C. and score this possibly-really-cool internship. Bad because, well, a loan is money you have to pay back, and that sucks no matter WHAT it's for. Also bad because I neglected to use the URL for Student Advantage cardholders, which means I might have gotten a better rate or different plan options. I wonder if I hear from them again, can I mention that after the fact?

Anyway, if I don't, I've set the deadline of the 21st. If I hear from them by then, huzzah, I can go. If I don't, tough nuggets; I let the people at the WII know and I stay here and stick to my nice job, wonderful honor societies and friends, and the schedule and courses I've already picked out. It would suck if all that planning and running around (and paperwork: egads, PAPERWORK!) was for nothing but at least not for want of TRYING. And unlike Yoda, I do think the effort counts for something. Every experience is a chance to learn, and that includes those experiences where you don't succeed or get exactly what you wanted.

My aunt Sally and uncle Dan think that I ought to write the CA Congress representatives and senators (or at least the ones in my "district," which could be either Los Angeles or San Francisco, I suppose) and see if I can get them to give me any money-- do you think I ought to write an old fashioned letter (more formal, seems more appropriate) or an email (assuming I can find one for the people in question; it stands to reason they probably get a lot of junk mail, yeah?)? I *am* on a deadline; if I go, I have to be in Washington by January 16th, which doesn't leave a lot of time for actually GETTING the money, paying WII, and of course, getting plane tickets to get out there-- which will be ridiculously expensive not just this time of year, but at such short notice.

So while I've gotten a bit more accepting of the possibility that WII won't work out, and ISLP won't happen this summer, it's not like I'm HAPPY about these great possibilities just passing me by for lame reasons. So then I get this email from someone in the Tokyo American Center-- a part of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. They want to know if I'm interested in being a summer intern during the period for the G8 summit.

There's always a catch, ladies and gents: I have to respond by Tuesday, Japan time. Well, I responded already expressing my interest, and my question about housing if I come earlier than the expected start date (since apparently the G8 affects housing, so if I came "on time," which equals early July, then I'd be SOL for housing)... but I doubt this means they still have ACCEPTED me. It's more like they're pressed for time finding appropriate candidates and are weeding them down. It's great to be considered for something like that (and huzzah for Washington these days; someone out there must like me), but of course, money is an issue. Is it a paid internship? You can't really survive in Japan on a stipend. Hell, how would I get money for the plane ticket out there and back? It's not cheap!

So... we'll see who says what and what happens.

In the meantime, I've been busy with crafts (need more Fimo), fanfics (strange urge to read Nick/Sara, write "Speed of You," that Initial D/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover I thought up ages ago), reading (started on "His Dark Materials," which I got for cheap in a humungo paperback from Costco), and cleaning (finally got the rec room looking semi-passable, though there's still a huge pile of ancient bills to sort through). Also paid off my bills, which is always a refreshing feeling. It's better to get that stuff out of the way as soon as you get it, I think, so that you can always consider the amount of money you have "what you've got to work with," rather than an amount that is going to dwindle BECAUSE of bills.

Tomorrow I've got to finish cleaning and packing (and hopefully go to JoAnn's to get more Fimo and possibly to exchange my Amaco flattening machine, because the turn handle and table clamp are too loose and keep falling out), since I leave for S.F. on Tuesday afternoon, have yet to get my shuttle (I'm thinking from now on, it's better to leave by LAX, because the Van Nuys Flyaway is always cheaper to get to than the damn Super Shuttle), and when I come back, fountainthe is swinging by! squee!

I'm also working on clearing up 30kisses (apparently I need to hire a huge mod squad, because honestly? Keeping just one person on Claims List maintenance could probably considered a modern form of Internet torture... I'm so sorry, svelterose!).

And then there's my End-of-the-Year resolution: get Epiphany UP AND RUNNING by New Year's Day. That would be Super-Speshul-Awesome.

Actually, there are a lot of things that would be Super-Speshul-Awesome, but I can only handle so much good karma at once. I just hope it doesn't fail me anytime soon.

Hey, dqbunny and guardian_kysra? Keep your eyes on your mailboxes, ladies. ^_~ And I don't mean the virtual ones.

Sorry Gump, but Life is not like a box of chocolates, where you never know what you're going to get. With a box of chocolates, you can look on the damn underside or the insert slip to know what you're going to get. Besides, no one wants chocolates that might have poisonous nuts or something in them-- so read the ingredients! In life though, there is no list of ingredients, no handy dandy "guide of what to expect." So if anything, life is like a bag of Halloween candy-- sometimes it's sweet, sometimes it's rocky. Somtimes it gets old and stale, and every once in a while you might find something rare and amazing. As long as you don't try to do too much at once, or get upset over what you DON'T have... at least you walked away with something.

Life is like a hurricane.
Blame it on global warming.

Life is like an RPG.
There will be boring parts. There will be times when I'm walking through the forest, feeling frustrated, lost, and alone. There will be moments of random, and moments where everything feels like a battle. But I'll get my rewards --in sometime, in some form, someday.

Life is like a baking recipe.
You have to invest real time and the "proper" ingredients to get a semi-decent result. Even if you take liberties with what you put in, or don't follow someone else's guide, you know there's a certain way of doing certain things, or else you'll end up with flambé.

Life can make you feel like a puppet.
Sometimes you wonder who's pulling the strings. You don't feel in control, or maybe you know you're not, but you keep moving anyway. What makes the difference: trying to move, whether you're attempting to break free or not, or trying to be in control, even if there ARE things outside your control-- strings you can't break? Are you being manipulated or weak when you just "let things work out as they will," or is trying to influence things to your will just futilely resisting against a larger force? Is it better to be the lone rock or the wide ocean? How do you stay strong, stay true to yourself and your hopes and desires without having expectations, of yourself or of others? What is the middle ground between letting things work out as they will and doing what you want and making your own destiny?

Life is like a fanfiction.
There are plenty of characters, lots of drama, but I will always write my own ending.

What is life like? Make some more comparisons with explanations. I'm curious to see what others think.

( Blather blather blather! )

I got back from Great America (the theme park) the other day. What a rush, I said to no one in particular, after I had gotten off the roller coasters. I had, for the most part, gone on each one by myself. There are a total of eight roller coasters at Great America: Stealth, Vortex, Demon, Invertigo, Grizzly, Greased Lightin', Psycho Mouse, and Top Gun. I have, as of yesterday, been on all eight. In one day. Except for Greased Lightnin', which was, sadly closed. But I have been on it several times. I seem to be completely fearless when it comes to roller coasters. I know people who are deathly afraid of roller coasters, and have refused to go on them even if I say I will never ask them again, will pay them, anything. I always get more negative responses than positive ones.

I feel like an oddball out when it comes to roller coasters. They were invented for the sole purpose of finding out whether those "life flashes" you get right before you die can happen when you know you won't. Or something to that effect. Who knows what was in the mind of the inventor of the first roller coaster at Coney Island, NY?

Out of 55 people, I am one of maybe 5 people who loves roller coasters with a passion. It's not about the heights (I can't stand them, really, but they don't bother me as much as they used to), the twists, turns, or the speed. Maybe I'm attributing my personality too much on my astro sign. An Aries, who lives for the thrill of things. Never quiet and introverted. But then again, that's just me. An individual, solitary person. Loves to be in the center of the crowd, but hates to simply be in a crowd. It's all or nothing, per se. So why do people have this need to do thrilling, dangerous things?

Like skydiving, parachuting, stunts for movies... all these things to test your abilities. Not afraid of anything? Fearless, are you? People fear plenty of things, the least of which is heights. At the top of the list are public speaking, death, and being alone. Others include water, gaining weight, cats, dogs, rats, snakes... the list goes on an on.

It is a fact that life ends eventually, and those people who do not cherish it will have regrets. I read in my "Book of Questions" once 'If you knew you were to die this evening, what would you most regret not doing? Not saying to someone? Why haven't you told them?' Very good question, actually. People do dangerous things because they don't want to regret not having done them when they're dying. Many people either do it when they have the chance, or push 'it' off, until they feel more comfortable in the situation. But that is life, essentially, not knowing what is coming next, or what tomorrow brings. Kind of like a fortune cookie.
Come what may...

I'm waiting.