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Friday, August 29th, 2008
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I've missed writing.
This does not mean that I equate the writing involved in picking up my old LiveJournal with real writing that takes planning, complete thoughts, editing, and, really, a point. This will probably not have any of those four, but it's a way to flex the muscles, really, and probably helpful to someone who has done terribly little writing since the end of the school year. I wanted to start a new, fresh blog on some hip site like tumblr or wordpress, but the thought of having no readers (vain, I know) and worse, the thought of having to come up with a clever and ingenious yet informative title pushed me to take the easy road. In any case, I'll try this again for a while. LiveJournal, while unfortunately synonymous with some very embarrassing entries of the junior high era, still has a curiously strong grip on my heartstrings. Aw.
So, to breeze past the boring stuff: Since I've last written in this, I finished my first year at Stanford and, after two weeks of utter idleness, started full-time work at Lytton Gardens, a non-profit low-income nursing home in downtown Palo Alto. To fend off some FAQs: no, I'm not considering medicine/nursing/psychology/geriatric care as a career path -- I'm working there through a program at school that pays for my salary if I find work at a non-profit; essentially, I work, I get paid (excellent), Lytton doesn't have to pay me, and I get to take back money from the blood-sucking institution (brilliant).
I've been working with the volunteer department, which coordinates individual and group volunteers who want to come in and help run activities, but that still includes lots of interaction with the residents, who comprise a very strange yet intriguing group of people of varying degrees of alertness and orientation. Most are between 65 and 95, with different physical and mental limitations, and life stories both understated and highly intriguing. Some have family; some were once homeless. It's a completely different kind of life, and I've had my mind boggled in some way, large or small, almost every day. And you thought old people were dull, huh.
This has mostly just been to say hello. I still have a few weeks of work, and then I move in to the dorms and prepare for a grueling quarter. Exciting as always.
P.S. Just had to say that people are already throwing around the acronym VPILF regarding Sarah Palin. Yechhhk. CNN plays incessantly on the TV in the lobby, and all I've heard today has been "Sarah Palin women voters Gustav Palin Gustav Palin Palin Palin Alaska fresh face inexperienced bold move Palin Palin." Seriously, CNN, we get it. You can calm down now.
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Wednesday, July 18th, 2007
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Fact #1: I love Harry Potter.
Fact #2: Until July 2007, J. K. Freakin' Rowling claimed that the last word of Deathly Hallows was "scar."
Fact #3: (I consider information from Wikipedia as fact here.) Wiki, the omniscient god of everything, says, "During a July 2007 interview broadcast on the BBC One's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Rowling announced that 'scar' was no longer the last word in the book. Although long reported and confirmed by Rowling to be the final word of book 7, Rowling went on record as saying that 'Scar is quite near the end, but it's not the last word.' She refused to say what the last word was."
Fact #4: I only discovered aforementioned fact about an hour ago.
Fact #5: I have been recently exposed to knowledge of an epilogue that ends in a particularly crappy way. While "scar" is not the last word, it's near the end. I thought it was a pile of fake crap because the last word wasn't "scar," so I scoffed at it (being the loving snob that I am). Now that I found that she has tricked us, I'm SCARED. What if the book sucks?!
If the main leaked copy is real, I'm going to be so disappointed. (Not because it's potentially bad, but because that's a huge security breach. Shame on you, Scholastic.) If it's fake, someone please give me a copy so I can read it after I've read the real book. That'll be an interesting read. Unfortunately, I've got a sinking feeling that it's the real thing. VERY DISTRESSING.
P.S. I haven't written in this thing in ages. LiveJournal, you're nearing your FIFTH birthday. Love, love, love.
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Would anyone who 1) isn't taking a calc AP test or 2) took it last year be willing to lend me their graphing calculator from now until after the test??? I have misplaced mine and don't really have time to buy a new one, but I really, really need one for the test... :( Thanks!
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I'm leaving tomorrow for a week of science camp after having flown to and back from LA on Saturday for a flute competition. It should be fun -- it's for my old elementary school (Weibel love!), and I've wanted to do science camp counseling since sophomore year. Hopefully it won't rain TOO much (I've already accepted the fact that it'll rain at least some), and hopefully my kids are cute and moderately well-behaved. I'm also hoping for some cell phone reception up in the mountains, but I'm not expecting much in that area.
I also wanted to take this opportunity to lament the downfall of two things I once loved: Limewire and radio.
To be honest, you can't use Limewire to find any kind of music anymore. (Okay, it's illegal, but it was still a very constant presence in my music-pirating lifestyle!) When I search for well-known files, I get hundreds of search results, but almost all of them are "corrupt" files that don't play. And when I search for slightly more obscure things... Yesterday I was looking for some Polly Paulusma and I turned up results like "Cat vs Baby" and "Steven Spielberg gets pranked." WHY?!
As for the radio, I have nothing to say except that it's incredibly frustrating trying to find something good to listen to on the radio. Either it's a commercial or it's some music that I... dislike. Not to be mean, but seriously, who actually enjoys songs like that "Murderer" or the one that goes "I wanna be your girlfriend" over and over again? Neither of them make any sense or have very much artistic merit. If it hurts you so much to cheat on your boyfriend, um... try not doing it. And you really couldn't think of better lyrics than "I don't like your girlfriend/I think you need a new one/I wanna be your girlfriend"? (Those may or may not be accurate.) Sigh. Now I feel like a pretentious snob. Not all radio is bad, really.
(I just realized this sounds quite a bit like some Alanator Enquirer... yikes! Kidding, Alan. Ent love forever.)
Time to pack. Good luck to everyone during the most exciting (and possibly painful) week of the year: college admission results and the beginnings of "promposals." Yes, exciting! Too bad I won't be here. I delegate my noisy duties in gov/econ to our "little corner." Be louder to make up for my absence!
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I'm going to start writing in this more often. I miss you, LJ. You've been there for me since good old eighth grade; time that you were a little more appreciated.
So, skipping ahead an hour has me all off. I'm so used to judging time on the sunlight outside that now, when I gaze outside and see the sun, I think, "Well, it's only four or so -- I have plenty of time later to do my work." And then the universe laughs at me and says, "Kidding, it's actually around six!!" I love my life!
Second semester senior has reduced my classes into two categories: ones I need to work in, and ones I don't... The first category includes english and physics, and I kind of wing my way through everything else.
P.S. If you bought cookies, bug me until I give them to you. If you don't have a class with me, it's your responsibility to find either someone to get them from me/exchange money with, OR set up some time to meet me. Thanks :)
ALSO:
Everyone should come to CYS's concert next Sunday! It's at 2:30 at Flint Center at De Anza college... You'll actually be able to hear me play because I'm sitting principal and I have a couple solos. Yay. If you want to come (it'll be really cute!), ask Helen for tickets (they're free if you get them from her).
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Tuesday, January 16th, 2007
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Hi guys, you know what time it is. If you want to buy some delicious Girl Scout cookies (and I didn't already harrass you through facebook), leave me a comment. They're $3.50 a box, and you pay when the cookies are delivered (early March). Thanks!
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Monday, January 1st, 2007
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So Foxtrot's been replaced by Zits in the Merc dailies. Sad, but happy. Which one? Both? SIGH
Happy new year, everyone. :)
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Tuesday, December 12th, 2006
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It's coming a day late, but congratulations and good job to everyone involved in Mock Con! It was an enlightening experience in some ways, and it was definitely better than what I had been expecting.
I'm only updating because I'm reading Eats, Shoots & Leaves, and I can't help but laugh at every page.
To those who care about punctuation, a sentence such as "Thank God its Friday" (without the apostrophe) rouses feelings not only of despair but of violence. The confusion of the possessive "its" (no apostrophe) with the contractive "it's" (with apostrophe) is an unequivocal signal of illiteracy and sets off a simple Pavlovian "kill" resopnse in the average stickler.
--Lynne Truss
Teehee.
I hate waiting. You probably know what this is about. Yeesh.
Also, the girl that I tutor in French is 10 and goes to sleep at 8 every night. I don't know about you, but that sounds like pure heaven. Even if you get up at 6, that's ten hours of sleep. I don't even get that on weekends! Today, three separate people took one look at me and commented on my "exhausted" appearance. HMM. Maybe a change is needed.
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Wednesday, November 29th, 2006
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Your University of California application for admission has been successfully submitted.
Well, haven't actually written in here in quite a while (and the first one back is public! Oh dear). I feel like I'm neglecting my poor LJ after four solid years of service. You've been good to me, LiveJournal. Facebook is tempting, yes, but my roots are here. Hahahaha.
Anyway, now with UCs out of the way, there aren't any more valid excuses for postponing the joys of the Common Application (and cruelly long supplemental applications--screw you, UPenn!). Plus, I am royally screwed for Richards' scrapbook.
Side note: This morning, I screamed just a little on my drive to school because it was so cold. My heater takes maybe a minute to start working, so at first it was just cold air coming out of the vents onto my shivering, unprotected hands. Ay me. Definitely bringing gloves tomorrow.
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Monday, August 11th, 2003
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This LiveJournal is Friends Only! Just comment and most of the time I'll add you right back. :)
(Sorry for the weird picture, but blame Lucy ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=88.8) lyttostarlite.) Hardyharhar! She made it. I didn't. :D
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alsdkfalskjf.
pleased.