| Terry Pratchett Quotes |
[May. 16th, 2007|12:03 pm] |
" In a million universes this was a very short book."
" HE WAS THE FINGER OF DESTINY. The problem with destiny, of course, is that she is often not careful where she puts her finger."
-Men at Arms |
|
|
| Happy Quote |
[Apr. 13th, 2007|10:46 am] |
Ipslore "What would humans be without love?"
Death "Rare."
-Terry Pratchett 'Sourcery' |
|
|
| not really awake enough to have a subject |
[Jul. 11th, 2006|08:24 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  drained | ] |
I'm really surprised by how much I dont have to say. I've been doing my class then greenhouses gig everyday. I'm not doing too well in the turning in lab write-ups department, but it doesnt seem to matter much. I think as long as I turn in something and thereby not get a zero, I'll do ok in the grade section.
Off to class to start a new headache. |
|
|
| Monsoon Holiday in Amherst |
[Jun. 23rd, 2006|08:48 pm] |
Lots of heavy rain today. I was out in it puttering with my plants for bout 30 min. I hadnt intended to stay out, but I needed to get something in out of the rain and I was soaked in 5 steps. After that it seemed sensible to just stay out and do some pruning. I came inside leaving puddles in the hall, and my fish gives me a look and laughs at me; I put him outside.
Bio class has been good; after I get out of class I go to Durfee(the conservatory) and stay there working till 4:30. My 9-4:30 schedule is exhausting and nothing gets done in the apartment, but I am enjoying the time I spend both in the classroom and the greenhouses. I'm putting in about 20 hours a week there and while I'm not getting paid, I bring home a significant amount plants plus the director cant tell me what to do which means I get to do all the fun jobs (like pruning) :)
This week at Durfee has been particularly interesting because the director has been leaving at 11am everyday meaning we, the workers,(3 umass students between 21 and 24: one kentucky farmboy, one plant and soil science major, and me) have no supervision. It's astounding how much better the greenhouses look now that the director isnt here to say no. We did some serious cutting on plants that had overgrown their area, we moved things around so it looks much more orderly, and there are plans to completely change the structure and flow pattern of the koi pond, once we scavange the supplies we need. If the director maintains this schedule through the summer, the greenhouses will be unrecognizable to the returning students in the fall. |
|
|
| pjs |
[Jun. 16th, 2006|09:19 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | zimm | ] |
Today I went to get my mail. I walked out of my apartment in pjs, scary hair, and a severe lack of balance. On my way back in I realized I live here. I LIVE HERE!!! Oddly timed epiphany.
Love to all,
Sarah |
|
|
| Bit Jittery |
[Jun. 14th, 2006|10:42 am] |
I’m feeling oddly jittery today. I am completely exhausted but still feel as if I can accomplish something. This is a unique feeling, one I haven’t felt in a long time. Or ever. I don’t really remember. But the end result is I brought my laptop to class (which is where I am writing this) and I am almost academically functional even if I cant really walk straight. Perhaps the front of my brain has gone lax enough to actually get stuff into and out of. And someone brought her dog to class. I must go huggle.
Finished huggling; well trained collie. |
|
|
| Summer days |
[Jun. 6th, 2006|05:30 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  floaty | ] |
Had 2nd day of Bio class today. I was intimidated yesterday by the professor's introductory shpiel and the fact that half the class seem to be 3rd year neuroscience majors. I made sure to go to bed early that night and today's class felt much more comfortable. Thankfully the professor is one that teaches students how to think as a scientist rather than regurgitating answers. I'm much better at thinking than regurgitating. Its still going to be a big jump from 5 hours of class a week to 15 hours, although its also a plus that the room has strong A/C.
I've also managed to secure the future safety of my plants from the apt managers. They needed their office plant repotted so I took it home and repotted it, put it in a beautiful vase ($4 at marshalls), and returned it to them promptly. It made them very happy and very grateful. And I told them if they needed anymore plant help to ask me; I also plan on giving them tomatoes. The landlord said the only people around here who grow plants (besides me) grow funny ones in closets with lights. I resisted the urge to tell him that they wouldnt get very good quality in these closets and that itd be a much better idea to grow them in the underbrush around the stream. |
|
|
| Adventures in Dumpsters |
[May. 26th, 2006|09:27 pm] |
Today I claimed ownership of:
1. a very nice foldable bookcase probably from target
2. a full size futon mastress which has become my 'couch' on the patio
3. 2 beautiful curtain-wall-hangy type things usually found in stores like Ten Thousand Villages
4. a pair of costume faerie wings (perfect condition)
5. a very sturdy wooden crate
6. a heavy glass goblet
7. a 3 bulb tree floor lamp (will need a little ducttape and broken bulb extraction)
8. a cloth foldable lawn chair
9. a set of car speakers
10. a desk/coffee table I can easily make from a few pieces that were in the dumpster; all I need are a couple screws
Part of what makes me so proud is that in order to get most of this stuff I had to figure out how to fish it out of a 8ft tall dumpster with only a metal bar on the outside and no ladder on the inside. It required ingenuity, strength, and a willingness to get absolutely filthy. I have patches of rust all over my arms ^_^ (althought I think I'm getting a rash). What's even better is that I was on the verge of going to target to buy a bookcase when the most manually inept person throws one out because a screw fell out and scotch tape wasnt enough to hold the shelf up. This is a wooden bookcase in almost new condition. I laugh derisively at its previous owner.
Moral of this story: Digging in a dumpster is fun. |
|
|
| Morning Gripe |
[May. 26th, 2006|11:17 am] |
I was up at 8:15. My alarm is set for 7:00. I've been trying to adjust my schedule for the past week so I can get up for my morning Biology course which starts in 11 days at 9:30 am. I have not gotten up regularly before 10 since I was at NewJew. So I'm overtired which makes me bitchy+cry-y+whiny and I NEED to get some things done which makes me feel pressured. Pressured+overtired = not a happy Vossy. Luckily its the type of not-happiness that can be cured by sleep so no worries. Although.....I'm going to have my passport photo done today and I look like coffee sludge. And not the good coffee sludge which smells nice and worms love; no no no this is the bad coffee sludge that you need to put in a plastic bag and hold on a pole till you get to the dumpster. (Lizzie was over yesterday)
Bitchity-Bitch-Bitch.
On a plus note I have more seeds to play with so once I get my photo and pack I can plant.^_^.
Love to all,
Sarah |
|
|
| Wholesome Activity Day |
[May. 24th, 2006|09:18 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | cookie high | ] |
(also called: Red, Gooey, and All Over My Kitchen)
After my last post I: finished my coffee, made some tea, and went outside.
I came back inside 7 hours later having successfully: repotted 50+ plants, regaled 2 neighbors with my potting exploits, killed several skin layers, and drunk 6 cups of tea.
After degriming myself enough to not leave fingerprints everywhere, I headed to the kitchen and started making cookie dough. Which is where I have been for the last 3 hours. I have containers of raw cookie dough (scotch shortbread and ginger-apple) sitting in my fridge. Anyone who wishes to have some must either visit me here by Saturday morning or come visit me at my parent's house on Saturday evening. I doubt the dough will last long after I arrive.
Love to all,
Sarah |
|
|
| Crunchity Crunch Crunch |
[May. 24th, 2006|10:30 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | soil | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  plant puttering | ] |
The period of Final Panic is over. I only had one, but I was feeling sick over the weekend so I panicked anyway. My tested grade showed that I wasnt feeling well too. After everyone else had finished I stayed and talked with the professor about my test. Basically we went through the whole thing and I discussed with him where the official answer was wrong, but I was right. My ability to do this was trained by Mr. Kadden's opinionated multiple choice question tests. I have to thank him and tell him how much I appreciate that particular skill. Then the professor and I talked about all the stuff I learned that wasnt on the test. And thanks to my Dad's ability to schmooze, which I inherited from both nature and nurture, the entire talk time was over 2 hours. Well, between the extra credit and discussion about the test questions, I got a 99.5%. The professor was cheering about getting my score below 100%. Then as a reward for my being diligent (read:insistent I that I get a 100%), he gave me an extra .5%.
It really was silly. I would have needed to get a 50% on the test in order to not get an A in the course and, even if I was feeling sick, that just simply wasnt possible. We both knew it was silly so we were having fun.
***************SHAMELESS BRAGGING AHEAD*******
He said he wasnt used to students who looked at things a level deeper, and that he truly enjoyed teaching me. I truly enjoyed learning from him and told him so. I think it was the earthworms that hooked him. He crowed to one of his microbiology students that I had brought earhtworms to class.
*************SHAMELESS BRAGGING FINISHED************
My next course, Biology 100, begins on June 5th: 9:30am-12:30 everyday until July 13th. |
|
|
| Important Life Lesson |
[May. 14th, 2006|10:18 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  anxious | ] |
| [ | music |
| | anxiously looking forward to my coffee | ] |
Important life lesson #3: When you open your worm composting bin and get hungry from the smell, start taking vitamins. Immediately.
Other than learning more about life and its lessons I've been pretty much just hanging around, working on my plants, drinking coffee. The coffee in the maker this morning is a doozy. I took one scoop from every non-blend coffee and dumped it in the filter. I havent tasted it yet, but I'm sure its going to leave an impact crater on my stomach and possibly inspire another life lesson. |
|
|
| busy busy busy |
[May. 5th, 2006|04:45 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  I have grass in my eye | ] |
Went to NYC. Arrived back at 3am. Fell asleep at 6am. Missed class. Woke up at 4pm. Went to sleep at 1am. Woke up 2pm. Didnt miss class because it was a lab at 3:35pm rather than the normal lecture at 1:25. Went to sleep at midnight. Woke up 11am. We are back to normal. (....I mean sortof)
That was on Wednesday. On Thursday, I reached my maximum tolerance for mess. This morning I started cleaning. I immediately got distracted by my new seed kits. Planted more seeds. Went to class. Hung out in scifi club room. ( How normal do I really get?) Came home bout 15 minutes ago. Went through my mail. Checked on my sunbathing plants. (Is having conversations with voices in your head normal if you dont tell anyone about them?)
I'll probably spend the next few hours planting more seeds, cleaning, knitting is a weird rotation crop way. (Although the voice in my head is usually alot more interesting than the voices people here produce.)If anyone would like a basil plant, I have several varieties started. (Although I wish it would give me advice on how to get rid of the bugs munching on my plants.)
(Now I hear the cries of 'PLANT ME!!!PLANT ME!!!' I must go and obey the all-mighty plant voices.) |
|
|
| routines |
[Apr. 27th, 2006|02:26 pm] |
I know I havent updated in awhile, but I was having trouble thinking of what to write. This is the main reason why my attempts at keeping a journal always failed miserably. I get into a routine and then think there's nothing more to write about. Luckily I've managed to overcome my writing-routine-block courtesy of the birds on my patio. I have 2 bird feeders hanging on my patio. They are both birdfeeders designed to feed small birds like chickadees and sparrows. These bird are very happy with my feeders and have left me presents to show their appreciation. The crows arent happy at all though. They'll sit under the feeders and squawk bitter complaints. The blue jays are a hoot. They try to get birdseed out of the feeder by hovering at the holes. Doesnt work so well, but its very amusing to watch. Eventually word was spread that I had a birdfeeder and now I get all kinds of birds grazing outside my sliding door. They also leave me presents. What happened a minute ago(which spurred my entry), was that there was a whole lot of birds grazing when someone walked out the door of the apartment building(which is write next to my patio). Massive mess of birds trying to fly away to the tree. The problems were:
1) I put my plants out today for sun on my patio. Some of them have tall stalks and the bird flew right into them.
2) My patio has very low vertical clearance.
Results:
The birds all crashed into each other trying to get off my patio leaving feathers and fluff in a cloud behind them. It was a classic cartoon bird crash. ^_^ My sadistic streak is amused.
Good luck to all on finals :)
Sarah |
|
|
| everyone in the class knows who i am |
[Apr. 7th, 2006|04:01 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | ice cream for dinner | ] |
gah. On Monday I brought worms to my soils class because we were begining to study animals and bacteria in soils. The professor suggested I bring them back for today's lesson which was devoted to earthworms. Which I did. And the professor was so impressed he said I should give a 5 minute intro-lecture on my worms. In front of the entire class. And with no prep time.
It actually went quite well; I know almost everything about red wiggler worms and vermicomposting, so I was alot more comfortable presenting on the fly than I thought I would be. I'm pretty sure most of the class thinks I'm a bit strange now, but thats kinda fun. |
|
|
| the rain washes a spider my way |
[Apr. 6th, 2006|12:13 pm] |
I feel alot better. I had a week of the flu and 2 weeks of secondary infection. But finally finally I'm back on my feet and elbow deep in dirt. I couldnt do alot of the work I wanted to on my plants so for the next few days I will be destorying what ever polish I have on my nails. But before that, I need to go food shopping cause I'm on my last apple and still too lazy to cook. Onward to the land of icecream!!
_ _
\\//
|||| |
|
|
| Important Life Lesson |
[Apr. 3rd, 2006|08:32 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  fever | ] |
Important Life Lesson:
#2) Never, ever, ever, chew a Zinc+C lozenge; it makes everything taste horrid. Only remedy: mass amounts of chocolate. |
|
|
| bizzaro meter score: 4.75 |
[Apr. 2nd, 2006|03:43 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  huh? | ] |
I was reaching for something and I knocked a glass off the shelf. I caught the glass with the grape filled colander I was holding in my other hand. That made my bizzaro list. |
|
|
| testing html |
[Mar. 31st, 2006|11:28 am] |
there has to be an easier way to link to someone's lj without writing out the code. if someone could direct me to a conveniently located button i would appreciate it. If not i'll have to do something drastic......like making a template for all my lj posts.
as a post-note: the best thing i got from 2 yrs of html and java classes was "The Idiot's Guide to Creating a Webpage". it's been so usefull that i may have to buy the xtml version. or i could take an xtml course here.....hm ::saves that thought::
GAH!!ENOUGH PLAYING!! I'M GOING TO BE LATE FOR CLASS!!(i should bring my idiot book to class....) |
|
|
| Important Life Lesson |
[Mar. 31st, 2006|10:52 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | I HAVE PLANTS!!!!!!! | ] |
Important Life Lesson:
#1) Never, ever, ever, take a sip of orange juice before drinking coffee. Never
::glomps cynara_linnaea and breathes coffee in her face::
^_^ |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
| |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
iris_vanquished's journal