Imaginary Gardens

Today I finished the lion database I was working on (whoot!) and started setting up the next part of the results analysis. The Really Scary part, where I will throw myself at the mercy of Access and ArcGIS and all hell's programs.

"ALL YOU CAN HOPE FOR IS THE MERCY OF HELL."

"Yeah?"

"JUST OUR LITTLE JOKE."

Good Omens, NGaiman, TPratchtt

I've also finally emailed people I've been meaning to for ages.

I'm now too tired to think or read or work (and oh gods so hungry but I don't even have milk at home oh woes) so here's some sports accomplishments of mine of late. ( The important thing is that it's better than it used to be. )


Quote of the Day, marika_kailaya, here

It's not that [Kito Aya] did something amazing, in usual terms. It's that she didn't stop. Her idea of giving up wasn't the idea that's generally accepted. She got the wheelchair, the disability, the letterboard, the diapers, the caretakers--the constant need to have someone at your side to do basic tasks right down to feeding and bathing you, and she made careful decisions to let go of things she could no longer even remotely have. Nobody wants to believe that there are some things some people absolutely cannot do. They say that if you admit you can't do them anymore, then you're just giving up. Aya admitted that, and found other things she could do.

Links of the Day:

Supernatural: ( Read more... )

Heroes: ( Read more... )

True Blood: ( Read more... )

Dollhouse: ( Read more... )

Doctor Who: ( Read more... )

Lost: ( Read more... )

Multifandom: ( Read more... )

Books and Authors: ( Read more... )

Random: ( Read more... )


* Good Omens, TPratchett, NGaiman

I had the dreaded meeting with my supervisor yesterday morning. Prior to it, I was feeling rather good at my progress (Introduction and Materials and Methods achieved) and wasn't at all worried about the meeting. This status, as they say, did not remain quo.

We exchanged pleasantries and he recounted his latest adventures in the field. He told me about our nomadic lion and how he seems to have taken over a pride**. (My boy's all grown up!) He extended greetings and well-wishes from people I worked with. So far, so good.

But then, of course, the usual happened. ( Read more... )

Once home, I had a pathetic excuse for lunch, version 2 (the non-titchy snack kind) and watched True Blood. For all the action, I didn't feel all that much happened, although somewhere along the way Jason went to the Wizard of Oz and got himself a damn fine brain. D'aww. Also, emo looks good on Eric whilst vomit doesn't look so good on Bill.

I called mom for a bit and we talked about the meeting and about "improving my standard of living" by adding activities to it (e.g. joining another dance class, this time Axé) and by reaching out to friends and acquaintances so they don't forget I exist and hopefully hang out with me. I admit I cried quite a bit (which was a long-time coming, after the meeting, and continued to threaten with a repeat performance throughout the evening) but mom's been quite nice recently. She actually said she would always support me, which still brings me to near-tears. (Why, hello there.)

Then, sniffling, I went with a Google map in my hand to the swimming pool I'd walked to the previous Saturday. ( Read more... )

I got home at nine-thirty, having made only one wrong turn, showered and crawled into bed with a vitamin water at 10 pm, feeling like my lung capacity had just grown by a couple litres. A little dose of Jon Stewart (March 11, I think) and then blissful sleep. The next morning involved half a dozen snooze-button slaps, but it's been going well so far. (Except, of course, for the long stretch were I wrote this.)

I called Willemijn today, and we exchanged undying love and affection, after which she promised to squeeze me in her busy schedule over the weekend and we talked about our respective boys. Turns out her mom donated her copious air miles so that Willy's beau could fly over in December, which is all rather sweet. (Six-hour-later update: Turns out she's too busy to see me this weekend. Just have to wait it out until she can, which sucks, because I really wanted to talk with her.]

I also spoke with Elisa over the weekend, and we've promised to go for Dim Sum and Thai sometime, although no concrete plans were made. *shrug* Have to try harder with this one. *promises to (force self) to call*

I've also neglected to report back on what I thought about Desperation. Frankly? Awesome. It was brilliant (with the exception of utterly fake battles with stuffed "I swear I'm a real live vicious vulture!" feather bags). Ron Perlman was perfect as the sheriff, and I absolutely adored Shane Haboucha as David Carver (which is such a biblically-appropriate name for a prayer-boy such as he). Every scene was taken straight from the book down to the last detail and it was wonderful recogniting and remembering it all. It wasn't all gore-gore-gore at all, just suspense for the most part. In all, very pleased. For other comments, I'll let this well-written review speak for me: For anyone who read the book before seeing the movie.


Right now, which is about six hours after I wrote all of the above, I've just finished copy-pasting some email correspondence to a document, so's I could have it all in one place and try to wrap my head around it. Things are a touch complicated at the moment.


Links of the Day:
blizzardcake's must watch for it's cuteness overload factor - 2PM has this show where they invite guests over and play a sort of match-making game
qthewetsprocket's i believe this is what you call a 'tag-team ukulele relay quadrille'
redscharlach's Fannish Top Fives meme
jemmalynette's Pretty Eyes Picspam
binsybaby's Mermaid Comic
kjcharmed's SPN Fanvid Crazy (Bloopers)
millylicious's SPN Fanvid No Heaven
ohnotheydidt's Harry Potter Fanfic Writer Gets Movie for City Of Bones/Ashes/Glass Series
extd_grb_injoke, of get_medieval fame
dollhousestills
New Scientist: Kenya's Lions Could Vanish Within 10 Years
Build Your Own 5 m Dome!


* Diane Schoemperlen, Our Lady of the Lost and Found
** Out of all the hundreds of things I could be missing from Amboseli, not being there to see this is the one thing that punches me in the gut.

For the first time in near two months, I'm skipping the gym. Well, not so much "skipping" as accidentally missed pilates class and can't work up the energy to go just for a half-hour jog.

Also, remember my ramming my bike against my bum two days ago? Still can't lie or sit comfortably or, most importantly, ride my bike. My coccyx is in serious pain.

And one of my shoulder's been being fudgey with me. Yay for vaccines. (Mom's real worried I might have some aweful reaction to the numerous vaccines I got pumped with.)

I'm going to have an early supper now, because I'm flippin' light headed from my third tuna-sandwich lunch inna row this week. May try to read financial stuff later.

So tired. Vented myself hoarse yesterday at mom. (Is that even a proper gramatical construction?)

Have a peep at what's been getting me through my morning ritual.

Doctor Who Fanvid: Matchbox 20's How Far We've Come (Doctor & Donna)
( Embedded )

Tom Waits - God's Away On Business - I've never, prior to this, called anything "trippy". This is damn trippy.
( Embedded )

Tom Waits - Hold On
( Embedded )

That and my morning dose of Jon Stewart. ♥


Links of the Dayy:
Boston.com: World Animal Day: Pictures
The Radio's Whatever Gets You Through the Day
Lighthouse Family's Whatever Gets You Through the Day (Scrubs Fanvid)
Grey's Anatomy Fanvid: Sometimes We All Need Saving

Today's class was focused on networking, so we did - ta da! - a Network Game, which consisted of everyone having a fake futuristic CV (I apparently had worked at WHO, then was a manager in a pharmaceutical, and finally was happily working as manager at British Petrol's international human resources in London) and fake business cards. Then we had to talk to people, and, once given goals, find someone who could finance or advise your friend's company expansion (my given goal) or get funding for your group's association. It was actually quite fun. The afternoon lecture was spent watching a talk by much-awarded Nick Donofrio about innovation and discussing the hell out of it.

Right after that, I went over to the gym to meet up with Lander for a yoga class. Oh dear. It was exactly the type of yoga I hate, all "look into your naval" and "deep breathing" and "*exhale* ha!*inhale*" and really, really bad positions held for way too long. It made me very, very frustrated and angry and omg. The squee is that I met an English PhD archaeologist called Anne, methinks. She'd also done yoga before and had a similar opinion of this class. We've promised to wave hi at each other tomorrow, seeing as we're both planning on going to the pilates class.

Aaaand I still haven't really done any work on my Project Proposal, or made a doctor's appointment (although, yays, I haz doctor now). My fu'ed up schedule from 9 to 5, it maketh things difficult...eth.

Also, my shitty mood may have been encouraged by last night's dream of having cancer, a double masectomy, and then having to have physical therapy which meant I couldn't go to Kenya and crying frusrtatedly** over it.

ETA: Fuck this. I've been doing stuff since 9:30 this morning. I'm going home and pluckin' my eyes contacts out and having a decent meal. Can't do a literature search now.


Links of the Day:
john_simm tells us that "Sky1 has signed up Oscar nominees Tim Roth and Kelly MacDonald as well as Life on Mars star John Simm for its new feature-length drama Skellig." *squeeeeeee*
hamsterfactor and amewarashi's icon journal, icondork
batman_lulz's Bake-Off calls in fox_bourne's adorable Why so spongie? marshmellow.
randombattlecry's TDK Fanfic: Bird in Hand
shiny_n_new's TDK Fanfic: Tabloid Headlines
forth_eorlingas's TDK Fanfic: It's My Party (Crack)


* Fry, Futurama
** Totally a word, yo.

I love Today. I want to hug it to pieces. (Well, ok, maybe by others' standards* today wasn't Da Bomb but it rocked my little socks off.)

First off: Body Flow. Yes, it was the same lady (Lia) as last sememster and can I say I adore her? Abs. wonderful instructor. So I thoroughly enjoyed BF today and look forward to more. Mom liked it too but don't think she'll stick to it due to shoulder-problems. (Things with mom are going better; she's not going insane over my not working every second of the day, for one thing. It's nice.)

Then there was ze final completion of CV, cover letter, and applications. And I signed up for my German exam (and had to let go of a large wad of cash, not a good thing) and took out some exercise books.

And the best thing? I actually do get to graduate. Yes! (Well, maybe second to this afternoon's ice cream sunday...)

And I spoke for ages with K, which leaves me gidy with joy.

I think I love the world back.

(Also, everyone else in the house is in bed, so I can happily say "all your electronics are belong to us", except it's just me and I really don't know where that phrase started from...)

* Like when one part of the metro was closed and we all had to double back up and take another line so we could connect to the previous line after the part that was closed, only to have it open right when we got there. Also, the metro really sucks here, including signs, organization, seating arrangements, etc.

( PS )