penn

Crack is . . .

watching my ebay auctions close. I silently urge people to keep bidding.

I just had a few things close for much less than I expected, which is kind of depressing. We'll see how the next couple days worth of closing goes; I don't want to ditch my laptop fund before it even gets off the ground.

An Exercise Ephiphany

I am not a patient person. I've never been one for waiting around. So, for the last several years, I've been saying that I want to get in better shape. Also, for the last several years, I have started and abandoned workout goals with reckless abandon. This summer was a landmark, since I made my "15 miles in August" goal, but I couldn't continue it into September. Somehow, despite enjoying running and even most working out, I can't seem to make it stick.

I attribute my lack of apparent progress to my impatience. What, I didn't lose weight? But I ran 15 miles. Gosh, nothing I do is going to make my body change! I might as well be happy how I am.

However, a few days ago, I found something that has me rethinking this stance.

Financial and Intellectual Pain

After I took the GRE Subject Test in biology, the guy next to me remarked, "I can't belive I just paid $130 to be intellectually humiliated."

Furthermore, everyone in that room had paid at least $270 to ETS (educational testing service), since all of us had to also take the general test.

Today, I requested score reports to be sent to my institutions, since my idea of where I might apply was drastically different over a year ago (for the record, I sent my scores to Univ Chicago, Univ Washington, Univ Georgia, and Univ Maryland Baltimore). UGA is the only school I might still apply to; if I do decide to apply, I'll have to make sure they still have my scores.

Anyway, the score reports cost $15 each. I think that's an awful lot, as all they do is print out my score and mail it to the school (or send it on tape/disk, depending on the institution). Only when I was done with the whole process did I learn that I'd have to pay a $6 processing fee (total) on top of the $15 (per school) I already paid. Sadly, I know I will have to order more score reports . . . I just haven't figured out yet where all I'm applying (I know! Hey, apps aren't all due until Jan 1. I still have time!)

For the record, I have sent my scores to:

University of Michigan
Yale
Oregon State University

I'm not sure about UMich, but they have an early deadline (Dec 15), so I have to get the ball rolling even if I'm not sure if they have room for me. I'm dead sure about Yale; the prof I want to study with is looking for a student, and he told me to go ahead and apply. OSU is a possibility as long as the prof I like can graduate one of his students.

It's been a long ride. I hope it will all be done in a month. Then, all I will have to do is wait.

PS Did I mention the high cost of just applying? Fees range from $80 (Yale) to $50 (OSU). My poor bank book; it's getting hit with my 6 mo car insurance, 3 mo health insurance, and application costs all at the same time.

On Idiots

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." - Douglas Adams

Ebay Madness

I've got 25 items up on Ebay now, and I've got a ton more to do. I try not to put them up too late, because I don't want my auctions ending in the middle of the night. I'm pretty much constrained to put things up no later than about 8.30 or so, and even that is pushing it.

A little strange: I'm selling KJV Bibles and old Playboys. What a world :-)

Right now, I've got three more boxes of stuff to put up tomorrow. Plus, we've got a lot of things that aren't in boxes yet, and I can't list things until we've figured out how we're going to pack them. I usually take pictures, pack the item, weigh it, then put it all up online.

I'm not sure how much money I'll make from all of this. It's kind of time consuming. However, my dad and I figure that we might as well try and sell these things since we're getting rid of them anyway. All the money we make is going into a computer fund to purchase me a much needed new laptop (my harddrive is so full that my computer can't really run anymore). With the excess, we'll figure out a computer solution for when my brother studies abroad this spring (hopefully, we'll be able to get him a new laptop, and my dad can use mine for business).

It's all sorts of craziness, but it is interesting. It's also fun, in a way. I'm a little stressed, since all my 25 auctions are selling for 0.04 total right now, but I keep trying to remind myself that I have days and days left on all of them.

The SCA

Since Audrey pointed it out on my last post, I realized that not everyone knows what the SCA is. I posted about the email address because some SCAers read my blog and still have that address for me.

The SCA is The Society for Creative Anachronism, and the fact that I was once in it proves I am a huge dork. Basically, you dress up in medieval garb and go to events. Events can be really short or really long. The shortest events are feasts, which are often just a big dinner with dancing or a little fighting (explained later). The longest event is Pennsic, and even I was not crazy enough to attend that (think a month or two spent camping in Pennsylvania in your garb. Craziness. Many people just attend for portions of Pennsic). In between the two are the usual weekend camping events, which is what I usually attended.

At SCA events, the main focus is usually fighting, which makes all non-fighters a little, um, antsy? I spent my time in the SCA supporting the fighters by being a waterbearer, which means I would run water, gatorade, pickles, and oranges out to the folks on the field. There are two main types of fighting: rapier (fencing tournaments) and heavy. Heavy fighting is supposed to approximate wars or tournaments with big swords; therefore, we have melees on the field and roped tournaments too.

I joined the SCA because I had friends in it, and I stayed because my then-boyfriend and my then-best friend were both in it. Here is a google search for everything I've written about the SCA.

I'm now a recovering SCA member. I still have all my garb, tho I intend to get rid of some of it. I haven't been to an event in years, but I'm not against going . . . every once in awhile (meaning once every five years or so).

My main beef with the SCA is the people. For every cool, historically minded, accurate, polite individual, there are 2-5 people there whose sole goal is to party and get laid (even nerds get laid at a nerd convention). There's actually a saying: "If you can't get laid in the SCA, you can't get laid at all." I'm sure it's true, and it is a great point of pride with me that I never "got laid" at SCA events despite a world of peer pressure. Mostly, the people are why I left the SCA. I couldn't stand a lot of them. I'm still friends with a few SCA folk, and that's what counts for me.

I hope that explains the SCA to everyone. I could go on and on about more things I did there (I was a student leatherworker for a time). If you've got questions, shoot them my way.

FYI to the SCAers

I've closed my scacav hotmail account. I was a little freaked about this, but I decided I needed to let go. I didn't even try and save all the email in there. It is now water under the bridge.

Walk the Line

There's no point in reviewing it. This movie was so amazing that you should be at the theater right now, watching that movie.

Seriously, tho, I really enjoyed it. The only Johnny Cash album I have is Live at Folsom Prison, but I really like it. We use it for yardwork around here (helps us get in the mood, y'know).

My little bro got home last night. I forgot that he was nocturnal, so I mentioned that I wanted to go to a movie. We decided on Walk the Line, since it was the only movie both of us really, really wanted to see (am I surprised that he didn't want to see Harry Potter?). We went at 10.20, so seating wasn't an issue.

Even though it was late, the movie kept me awake. Reece Witherspoon was darling and sensitive as June Carter, and Joaquin Pheonix, well, just amazing. Mostly, however, it was just absorbing to see how Johnny Cash became the man he is, since they started the film in his childhood.

I know this is a lame review, but consider the movie the exact opposite of my reviewing quality. If you had any inclination to go see it, please do. Yes, I realize this is the second amazing movie review I've posted in a week, but I swear it's not from movie withdrawal (I didn't encourage all of you to go see Elizabethtown, even though I enjoyed it). Walk the Line is truly great.

Bit by the Mommy Bug

I've been babysitting a lot lately (or hanging out with Jules and her 2 month old), so I guess my dream last night wasn't all that surprising.

I dreamed that I was supposed to put an abandoned/orphaned/something little girl on a bus because she had a hurt leg. For some reason, all the kids with injuries had to go if they had no one to take care of them (I think). I asked the bus driver if I could put her on the bus next week instead (I'm not sure why).

I ended up with this little girl, and I took her to a meeting at church where we had to decide on new members for the state youth council (YYAC -- Youth and Young Adult Council -- I was on it for three years during my teens). I fed her generic lucky charms and other food, and she was so sweet and cute. I had to carry her around because her leg was bummy.

By the end of my dream, I was already telling people in my dream that I wanted to adopt her. She was so sweet and cute, and I was pretty bummed when I woke up.

Photos at Flickr