the final word

or, at least, in terms of grades: winter 2006 at uci is officially deemed a success: A-, B+, B-, with a gpa of 3.233 (or something like that). it's great to be able to finally prove to myself that indeed i can hold down a part time job and go to school, even if it's like running the gauntlet.

changing no. 49

the list was thought up fairly quickly and as much as i'd like to stick with things, certain goals were set at impossible heights or find themselves overtaken by new priorities. one such goal i had was to learn to play the cello. while i'd still enjoy doing that one day, i've recently resumed piano lessons and will be committing myself fully to that endeavor without the complications of other instruments.

so, really, should i be revising the list? maybe not...save for the desire to get everything checked off and completed. still, do i become a failure if i don't complete it? probably not. but it still would be nice to be able to do it ALL. i think i'm coming to grips with my own definition of success in terms of checking of the "to-do" list. even in terms of daily activities--or my vacation from school/work this week. by what do i measure my success? by those daily achievements--getting it all done? for sure i have not done everything i intended to with this week, and today is the last day and it's over. it's been a different kind of vacation not to go anywhere. and yet, i do feel accomplished in spite of all those things i didn't "do" with my time.

so where do i go from here? tomorrow, it's back to work, and monday, it's back to school. there's something in me that tries so hard to find the perfect balance between it all. maybe i should be more accepting of the things i do get done...so long as i'm not wasting away on the sofa, plopped in front of the television, watching my brain ooze from my ear...

vegetarian woes

tonight, josh & i are invited to dine with our ever lovely, ever dear friends, george & gina, who are soon to be moving cross country. both can cook like nobody's business (although it's my business to know this, so i'm not sure how that works out). mentally, i've already crossed the line: i have envisioned the consumption of savory meat, and i am giddy with glee! not for the meat itself, mind you, but for the delicate flavors my tongue is about to be confronted with this evening. the reader will note that i have already completed 28 days with great success (overlooking the mistaken chicken broth and the restaurant that put chicken in my veggie taco [i sent it back after a bite]).

therefore, reader, in light of the intended objective of going vegetarian for one month (for the list), all things considered, i ask: can i make it up by tacking on an extra day to atone for this "sin"? you decide. cast your vote in the comments box.

i lucked out! there were plenty of veggies to be enjoyed and i did it: i didn't eat any meat! who'd a thunk it?

stretch

ah, yes, another one off the list as of this morning. my vacation has been an adventure in getting things done that i've been wanting to take care of, even if it means waking up a six in the morning to take a pilates class from my friend adrienne. it was outstanding: i really didn't realize i had so many different muscles to pay attention to! i'm going again on thursday, but i'm telling you--i could easily get hooked on pilates. i'm off to the rest of my day!

rabble scrabble

it's just a matter of time before things end up getting done around here. i'm off of school and work for an entire work. i woke up this morning, got dressed, fed the cats, set the coffee to brew in 20 minutes, and instantly i'm a hero in my own book: i've already accomplished far more than i did yesterday. after working at an intense pace for nearly 3 months, i feel like i have a little bit of breathing room for the first time in a long time. i can't say enough how awesome it is to be at uci after all the work i've done to get here. but i also can't begin to describe the emotional rollercoaster of it all: being taken out of my comfort zone--me, a chronic procrastinator--and being abjectly forced into a world where old habits must be killed off fast and hard. i did most of the work successfully. i lost sleep and food and sanity; the signs of being a student haven't changed much from what i remember it to be. with the exception of: i'm not only trying to maintain a semblance of a "real life", which involves way more than it ever has in high school or at junior college. heck, yeah.
and so, i'm still here, living and breathing, a testimony to...myself. i can do this. but it wouldn't be possible by myself. this is where i thank the academy my husband for his extra-ordinary patience, love, support, and endurance as we take this journey together.
my post-graduate plans? well, i just calculated that i'll be 32...so i really don't feel i can comment on that at the moment. 'cuz i'll be 32.

from the throes

it's been an interesting day. let's see, my last final was yesterday, and i'm taking a week off of work to stay home and get caught up on "life". first order of business: do nothing. yep, it's 7pm. i've been awake for 12 hours and my accomplishments include feeding the cats and messing around on the computer. i've eaten a balance bar, a cup of yogurt, and a bag of microwave popcorn. and i trimmed two out of three cat's toe nails. yep, that pretty much sums it up. tomorrow will be better. i don't allow myself these kinds of days very often, but with the breakneck pace i've been working at, i sorta figure i deserve it. i guess i miss school a bit already, as i've lingered over my schoolwork more than a couple of times today. i feel good about what i've accomplished, yet i'm also interested in how my efforts translated into grades.
well, i don't know about you, but i think it's about time i start my day!

sidebar

i didn't expect to write as soon, but i feel a need to rant at that company that decided to backorder a friend's url and managed to snap it up the minute it expired while she was OUT OF TOWN. has this happened to you? did you get it back? i mean, dude, it's a BLOG she's had for 5 years. i'm crossing fingers and toes she gets it back, and without getting taken to the cleaners. still, it's a ridiculous ploy to make a fast buck off the little people. argh!

the 501 blues

it's not about my levi's. it's just about the next 7 days of my life. starting...now. i officially sit with my stomach in knots. i'm unsure if it's related to the naked juice vanilla chai protein beverage i grabbed on the way out the door, or the fact that i've been up since...(counting on fingers)...for eight hours already (check the timestamp, do the math, use fingers or toes if you're lacking), or the troop of ants who greeted me at the kitchen sink in those wee hours, or that i'm a woman, or that i haven't finished the papers that are due today. i've made preliminary arrangements to turn them in tomorrow...i did that at 10am this morning, but i'm still upset about it. why blog then? stress relief, i guess. and i'm tired. i should nap, but that would entail tromping off to my car since i won't fall asleep and drool on myself in front of complete strangers and potential classmates. it's tempting though.

"the 501 blues" are also a sign that i've passes the "500 posts" mark, which may have something to do with the length of time it takes my posts to post these days. blogger, i love you, but mayhaps i'm bogging you down? one of these days we'll look into this further. next week we'll explore the 502 blues, which is much less depressing and involves the pretenders, gardening, shopping at west elm, and a trip to disneyland (yoshimi, are you game?).

oh, and for my friends who are neil gaiman fans, check his blog--a recent "blog of note" on blogger.

the sofa has landed!

New Sofa!
Originally uploaded by furiousmuse.

just an update on the furniture situation. we ordered this sectional back in january and just got it on saturday. it's been getting a lot of companionship today as i slave away on my homework. oh, how comfy it is! i'm totally thrilled with the color. strangely named "pumice", it looks nothing like those rectangles i use to whittle away at my calloused feet.
unfortunately moxie has a strange facination with the fireplace which demands my attention. the water bottle is failing in all areas of "get away from there it's HOT!" so i'd better turn it off.

today is...

...the day i return to lowercase letters. don't ask. it's not that i'm lazy (the proof is found in the papers i write). perhaps it's because it allows my thoughts to fall on the page more swiftly and without the hinderance of shift+__. after all, i still take time to insert punctuation. yeah! punctuation! ...
i was cruising myspace just now and found elbow on there (seeing them next month: oh, yeah!). it was bizarre, because i noticed goldfrapp is one of their friends. my bottom line then: how many of the bands on myspace are actually represented by some member of the band, and not some label flunkie. humm.
oh, yeah, and i also found out that a friend request i recently declined was from my friend's wife. geeze.

Word Count

I've lost track of the number of words I've typed this quarter (two more weeks til finals!), but I will share that I've composed four papers averaging 4 pages (double-spaced), four (should've been five) 2-page papers averaging 600 words, read 32 poems, 5 plays, and 7 books averaging 400 pages each. That's AVERAGE. The books, well, they've all been read in theory, but to date I've only managed to get through 2 books in their entirety. Major chunks of text have been digested, but I could really go for a course in speed reading at this point because my frustration can only be measured in pounds. Seven books in ten weeks...it's an exercise in sanity for sure. I can only hope that next quarter will find me better accustomed with the pace of things.

Being a vegetarian is fun so far. I even survived a night out at sushi--though I was sad to learn that the miso soup has a fish broth base. I've cooked tofu and noodles, stocked up on brown rice, and hard-boiled a dozen eggs. The point has been made about watching my cholesterol, so i won't be living on egg salad sandwiches. Still, hard-boiling eggs was fun!

No. 74

"Go vegetarian for a month" it says. So, this is the month. I bought 2 dozen eggs at Costco to celebrate (amongst other supplies). Thank God vegetarians can eat eggs! The hardest thing to give up for me: fish (I love sushi!). Concurrently, I will probably be able to avoid fast food this month, too. Does that count? Did I make some sort of clause against that? Ah, yes. Number 53: no fast food, including pizza. Well, I'll give it a go anyway. Pizza might have been my saving grace: is it that bad? After all: Z Pizza is all organic.... I'll also have a crack at #47 (going to the gym 3x/week for 6 months).

Ah, the joys of a cluttered schedule!