Religious floating

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/27/changing.religion.study/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

...Thoughts?

"Pickle" jar + "big, strong man" = mangoes?

Whether it be a jar of pickles or a jar of mangoes (the latter, in this instance), I can never ever open it - especially when it's been sitting and accumulating condensation in the refrigerator for a while. At home, I always had my father or my brother around to kindly open these vaults of deliciousness. At my apartment, however, there is only my roommate and me, and while Grace is strong, even she is no match for the mighty glass jar.

Desolate over my apparently permanent state of mango-lessness, I resigned myself to returning to my work with no healthy snack to lighten my load. I changed my status on chat to woefully ask the combined universes of AIM and gchat: "where's a big, strong man when I need one?"

As predicted, several of my guy friends immediately volunteered themselves in a most manly way, including my friend Cameron:

Cameron: um, right here
Katie: ahahaha
you two are silly [two meaning him and my friend Alan, who also instantly responded]
Cameron: but big and strong
Katie: are you offering to come over and open my jar of mangoes?
:3
Cameron: if you want
Katie: hahahaha
Cameron: I want to go get food anyway
Katie: lol
would you srsly stop by just to try and open my jar?
Cameron: where would I park
Katie: rofl xD
Cameron: I'm totally serious
Katie: srsly?
Cameron: I'm about to leave to go get food anyway
Katie: well, if you srsly want to come over and attempt this jar, then that would be amazing
Cameron: so is there somewhere I could park?

Needless to say, I now have a bowlful of mango. I love my friends. <3

Portland

Oh right! In other news, I'm going to Portland for the summer on that internship!! :D Going out there this weekend to meet potential roomies and check out the possible temporary abodes. Apparently, Portland is going to be 70 and sunny this weekend, so I'm super excited. :3  Unfortunately, this weekend is also the LAST women's ministry meeting as well as Mission Sunday at JCA...This means I'll never have been to a women's ministry meeting or anyone's missions presentation besides my own. I feel like a delinquent. :< In my defense though, if I don't go this weekend, the places I want might be given to someone else.

*sigh*

Such is life~

Curls

I woke up unexpectedly early this morning (7:30, when I'd been planning on an hour later). So what did I decide to do with my extra time?

Curl my hair. |D



Yes? No? Perm it? Never do it again? No, srsly. :3

Neil Gaiman's 100K competition

In celebration of 100K followers on his Twitter, Neil Gaiman is hosting a competition. The premise is this: caption one or both of two photos posted on his blog and send it to him (using the #100K hashtag) via twitter.

I decided to do a LOLcat sort of caption ON picture B. I could have uploaded it to Twitpic, but apparently that's on the fritz, so I thought it would be better to upload it here. Also, all you non-Twitterers that read my blog get to enjoy my marvelous wit. Lucky you. :)

Without further ado, my entry (perhaps the first of few?):

The future, creeping up slowly

Places I've applied to:

Miami Seaquarium (http://www.miamiseaquarium.com/visitor_info/jobs.asp) - Internship
Georgia Aquarium (Guest Services)
Zoo Atlanta (Internship)
Oregon Zoo (http://www.oregonzoo.org/Intern/show.htm) - Internship and Guest Services

Places I've heard back from:

Miami Seaquarium
Oregon Zoo (Internship)

The interview for the Miami internship is tomorrow at 2:30. Thanks to my father's flight benefits, I'm flying there in the morning and flying back after the interview around 6:30ish. This will give me some time to explore the Seaquarium too. The only thing is this is the internship I want the least, as it requires 40 hours a week at only $7.50/hr. Yet, I have to give it a try, just in case the others fall through...I just haven't put very much thought into the interview yet.

Actually, let me rephrase that - the Zoo Atlanta internship (and I must focus on these internships, as they are what's actually giving me the animal handling experience I need) is the one I want the least, because I truly don't want to stay in Atlanta this summer. It's time to venture out, see the world, experience life somewhere besides Atlanta...somewhere like here:



Downtown



Rose test garden



Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, home of the Oregon Symphony, among others



The copper statue Portlandia above the entry to the Portland Building on SW 5th Avenue.

In case you hadn't gathered as much, these are all shots of Portland (courtesy of Wikipedia, thank you), and while it's far away, I really have my heart set on it. If I don't get this internship, I might die a little inside, as much as I love all of you in Atlanta. Unfortunately, the Oregon Zoo internship is unpaid, but it's less hours (only 8 less, now that I'm looking at it again), and I don't know...there's something about Portland that's just calling to me, conservative as I am. The interview for this one is Thursday the 26th, over the phone, so please pray for me. Maybe I'll be able to negotiate a shorter work week, but I doubt it...

The Zoo Atlanta internship is also unpaid, but it requires the least hours (16/week), which would definitely allow me to work somewhere like the Georgia Aquarium and support myself, and it's the most convenient, as it would mean staying in Atlanta. However, I have not yet heard back from either of these places...

I know what I want, but I would truly be grateful if everyone would please pray for me in this time of decision-making...and for all these interviews. Especially that phone one...*shudder*

Do you have an overdue library book? 'Cause you've got fine written all over you.

I was at the public library today. You think you'd be safe at the library, right? Place to study, surrounded by books, only people there are people who are going to keep to themselves?

I take out the paper I'm supposed to read, then open my laptop (and proceed to get distracted by the lack of chat and write the previous post, in which there is a certain irony). I'm busily updating my blog when a guy walks up to my table. The conversation is as follows:

Guy: You look familiar. Is your name Heather?
Me: *thinking, "Did he really just use that on me?"* No...
Guy: *sits down without asking* Really? 'Cause you look just like a girl I know named Heather. Do I know you from somewhere?
Me: Did you go to Lassiter?
Guy: Long time ago.
Me: Go to Georgia Tech?
Guy: I actually go to Southern.
Me: Guess not then. *looks back at computer*
Guy: You really look like her though, except your eyes are more...shiny.
Me: *trying not to snicker* Oh, really?
Guy: Yeah, and when you smile, your cheeks get all pink. It's really cute.
Me: *laughing again* Um, thank you.
Guy: *says some other stuff I can't remember* And my friend and I, we're both actors...*other stuff I can't remember* And I'm in this band where I play <some instrument>. We're pretty good.
Me: Oh, really?
Guy: Yeah. *we say something about spirituality, i guess?* You might be interested in this book! *throws out a book on karma and the Dhali Llama*
Me: Oh, I don't believe in karma.
Guy: You don't believe in karma? You don't believe in anything.
Me: No, I'm Christian.
Guy: Oh, I see! Well, I'm not one to have a serious conversation with a total stranger...
Me: .....
Guy: But I've been a lot of places. I went to India, and this guy I was talking to there was remarking on how the Christian civilizations have the highest rates of suicide and alcoholism.
Me: Well, that's possibly because many people in our so-called Christian civilization don't really have any sort of spiritual connection to anything, and see no need to have any because they're nominally Christian. Thus, they drown their sorrows in alcohol and commit suicide.
Guy: ...I suppose that could be true.
Me: I'm sorry...what was your name?
Guy: You don't remember?
Me: No, you said it rather quietly.
Guy: Ryan.
Me: Well, it was nice to meet you, Ryan. *shakes his hand* I have dinner with a friend to go to, but perhaps I'll see you around. Good-bye!

This was heavily edited, due to time lapse and the fact that it was longer than I care to reproduce, but it is true to his character. He really said all that stuff about shiny eyes and a band and India. And I really was just sitting there, thinking, "Is this guy for real?"

This could easily turn into a lecture on the etiquette of wooing women, but we shall save that for another time. Suffice it to say that timing, observation, and subtlety are key.

Perhaps all that arrogance (and cheesy one-liners, I was half-expecting the library line) might have worked in a bar. But alas, I'm afraid it did not work on this girl in a library just trying to get her work done.

Ew, a jellyfish.

I submit that I should update this more. Yes, yes I should...

It is very, very difficult to get any sort of work done during spring break. I'm currently at the public library, complaining about how the internet here has prohibited access to any sort of chat client (AIM, gchat, etc), while this paper on dolphin whistles sits beside my computer, whispering to me how desperately I need to read it so I can start writing that 12-page paper due Wed. Thus, it's probably a good thing that I can't chat, especially as I seem to be finding all sorts of other distractions, such as facebook, and lo and behold, updating my blog for the first time in a month. If I've learned anything from Georgia Tech, it's how to be a master of procrastination. It doesn't help that my brain has decided that it wants to take a vacation along with the rest of the school. It could easily be somewhere in Disney World or on a beach somewhere. Some poor soul is going to be walking down the beach at sunset, hand-in-hand with that special someone, then step unwittingly in some gooey mess. "Ew, a jellyfish," they'll say, then continue on their merry way. If only they knew.

Strange Things

Ok, strangest dream two nights ago. It started off with a trip to the grocery store. Not just any grocery store, though - a hard-core, obscure, independently-owned organic grocery store. To top it off, I was there with the most random collection of people: Rebecca Jaume, my manager at Java World, Rebecca Hoover, my former manager at Java World, Rebecca Jaume's fiance, and some girl friend of theirs. There was all sorts of drama about what to buy, what not to buy (these mushrooms, no these mushrooms) and what register to go through. The craziest part, though, was when we left the grocery store, and the Rebeccas saw fit to gift me with a bright green sports car.

Of course, my immediate reaction was to go and get Deech, my friend from DramaTech. He naturally flips out over how nice it is, everyone in the parking lot is flipping out about how awesome it is, and the Rebeccas are like, "Hope you love it, kthxbai!" I decide to take it for a spin, but instead of Deech getting in to help me (because, naturally, it's a stick-shift), some random girl is like, "O hay take my little brother"...so I do.

The car drives like a dream, manual transmission apparently comes naturally to me, and then suddenly we're off-roading, and I can feel every bump and stick through the bottom of the car.

Nothing much happens after that, except for waking up.

So...Rebecca....where's this car? ;)

Too Late to Apologize

Somehow, it's fitting that my first real post is to comment on my EPIC FAIL of the past few weeks...

So as a graduating senior at Georgia Tech and a biology major, I have to take what is called Senior Seminar, where we present the research that we are doing in our Senior Research Projects. Right now, as we probably do not have any results to present as of yet, we're discussing various things such as what you do with a BS in Biology (which is slightly more useful than a BA in English, from what I hear) and our resumes and cover letters.

For the purposes of this post, all the previously stated information is unimportant.

What you do need to know is that this Seminar begins at 5:05 and ends at 6:25.

Since the first day of school, I have been convinced that this Seminar began at 5:25 and ended at 7:00.

This is clearly not the case.

This also means that I have been more than 30 minutes late for every. single. class. since. day. one.

I was wondering why we always seemed to start so early...

Post the first

I...have not done this in a long time. I don't even know where to start. A long time ago I kept a livejournal, but I grew tired of it, and I don't want to start that all over again. I hope no one was expecting a scintillating opening, because there is a high probability that they will be disappointed.

I suppose I can begin with a little about myself, which will then set up what viewers can expect from this blog further down the line. Let's set it up in a pretty list, because I occasionally like things to be organized...but not always. My room is a testament to that.

1. My faith is extremely important to me. Hence, Christianity, God, and the dreaded J-word (starts with "J" and ends with "-esus") may come up often and even sneak their way into posts that have nothing to do with religion. My church, Journey Church of Atlanta, will probably be discussed as well.

2. My dad is Caucasian and my mother is Filipino. A lot of humor may issue from this fact, such as may be found if you follow this link to Happy Slip Productions and watch Mixed Nuts (I'd give you a direct link, but Firefox currently hates me). Yes, that really is how conversations go with my mother and her family, and I love her so.

3. On that note, my family is very important to me, so the crazy things they do may be discussed.

4. I *love* to write. Thus, I'm pretty likely to post excerpts from things I'm working on or just random plot ideas that hit me over the head. Hopefully they're good. :) Relatedly (I am declaring that a word here and now), I love to read, so if I really like a book, I'll probably post a book review and make the rest of you go read it too. Speaking of reviews, movie may get reviewed as well, because I love movies...especially critiquing them. >w<

5. I'm about to graduate from Georgia Tech with a major in biology...and I want to use that degree to train animals (such as birds of prey and marine mammals). This means that I love animals and cute things and might do that annoying thing known as posting really super cute videos/pictures of super cute animals. This might also mean intelligent commentary on how freakin' awesome dolphins are and how scary graduation is.

6. Theatre is a huge part of my life and I LOVE MUSICALS. I am a firm believer that my life is a musical and I thus burst into song every chance I get. My dad is a Delta pilot, so I get free flights, and this may mean that I'll get to see shows on BROADWAY. :D

7. And SINCE I get free flights, travel to exotic locales (or domestic yet still interesting locales) will probably be documented. I like pretty pictures, do you?

8. I'm a huge dork. I love all things fantasy: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Princess Bride, Tenth Kingdom, Arthurian Legend, Mercedes Lackey, dragons, unicorns, phoenixes, elves, magic - be prepared for these things to be discussed. Along that line, I love seeing history re-enacted, and so I like to frequent places such as the Renaissance Faire and Colonial Williamsburg. Yes, I have already stated that I'm a huge dork, thank you very much.

9. I like to draw...so if I doodle anything extraordinarily good or extraordinarily funny, I will make use of my reasonably new scanner and share it with all of you, because I love you.

10. Now I've reached number 10 and don't really have much to say, but it should be ten, so I will continue. :) Now you know that I am eclectic and like things to be round and finished, except when I don't care and choose to leave things as they are.

11. Like now, when I've thought of something else I might talk about, which is television and other pop culture from my childhood. I feel sorry for kids these days, deprived of the wonder that is Captain Planet and Magic School Bus...

Well! Hopefully that wasn't too intimidatingly long. I suppose from this point on, THE CHOICE IS YOURS.

(12. Which makes me thing of how much I love superheroes and comic books...ok, done now, really. I'll leave *something* up to the imagination...)