You, me, Michael Phelps and Apollo Ohno

Whining and bitching -- feel free to ignore.

2009-12-17T02:37:54Z

Found a place that'll let me donate my eggs if I can get down to 169 pounds (rather than, like, 150), so I only have to lose about 5 lbs. The main issue with it is that they seem to put you into a file and wait to take your eggs (and pay you) until someone picks you, rather than what seems to be the usual protocol of harvesting first and finding a recipient later, so it could be a while before I would get any money. Also, of course, there's the ethical issues of donating eggs, but honestly, ethical issues don't mean a whole lot next to not knowing where our next meal, much less next month's rent, is going to come from.

I wonder where I went wrong... I haven't done anything bad, maybe foolish and selfish, but really, what's the point of punishing me for being selfish, when my being selfish only hurt me and Will, and punishing me only hurts me and him, too? Of course, I'm not actually being punished, that would imply that not only is there a god, but that he gives a shit about human affairs, and specifically about *my* pointless, worthless, unimportant little life, AND that he metes out punishment and reward based on it.

On another note, Doo is paying for me and Will to go to Connecticut for Christmas and New Year's (unfortunately, there is a fairly significant chance that when we return, there will be no lights on in the apartment, or possibly even that we'll never get to find out whether the lights are still on because the locks will have been changed). I know I really shouldn't go, that I should keep looking for jobs, and that I should tell Doo to cancel the tickets and use the money he would've spent on our rent for January, but I guess I'm just too sentimental...

I don't fucking know what to do....

A quick announcement

2009-11-30T01:11:39Z

I've decided I want to be able to do clapping pushups. So yes.

Things that have transpired recently

2009-11-27T02:54:05Z

Well, life's going pretty well. I finally managed to get assistance from the county, so $350 of my rent is paid (and they can't evict us for 30 days), along with my water bill, and I got $71 in food vouchers to last us until we go for our appointment to get food stamps from the state. The $71 had to be used all at once, so our pantry is pretty well stocked at the moment, lol (and no ramen! Fuck that; we've been eating ramen every day for the past week, and I'm pretty damn sick of it). I made fajitas tonight and gave the connective-tissuey bits of the meat to the cats, who were very pleased with that. I was surprised, too, that they didn't give me the third degree about why we haven't been working, what we've been doing with our time, how many job interviews we'd gotten, et cetera. It was all very just-the-facts and to the point.
Also, it doesn't look like I'll get the job taking 911 calls, but it does look like I'll get the job with the IRS, which'll start in January, I think, or maybe February, so yay! Jobness! Of course, I'll need to find work in the meantime, but hey. Something in the pipeline is better than nothing.

Will has been talking with his mother lately, which is cool, since he's really happy about it (well, after all, he hasn't seen her in almost two years, and he does like her), and she seems to be glad he got in touch, too. I shudder to look at my phone bill after the hour-long call to Germany, but y'know what? I've spent more money on worse things.

I very nearly broke my ankle falling down the stairs to my apartment today, but I didn't! Huzzah!

I signed up for Austin Community College for next semester, but when I handed them my transcript from UH, I discovered that I had instead been given the transcript of Parthiban Mohanasundaram, who graduated a year ago with a master's degree in Industrial Engineering with a 3.0 GPA. Yeah, wish I had an MS in engineering and a 3.0 GPA. Hell, just one of those two would be great!

Will and I decided to move the wedding date back to May 15, a year (and a day) after the day Will and I first met, in order to give us a bit more time to save up enough funds to host a wedding.

I finally got the annulment from Bill! I am immensely pleased with that (not to mention with the fact that I assembled all the legal papers all by myself, without even a consultation with a lawyer)!

I've decided I'll apply for school in Hawaii; that way, a) I'll be in Hawaii, b) I'll be able to visit Ryan, and c) Doo'll be able to visit both me and Ryan at the same time, and go to Hawaii while doing so.

I assembled a shoe-rack in the living room today, so all my (or Will's, but he only has two pairs of shoes) shoes aren't strewn all over the little tiled area in front of the door, and it looks a lot nicer now.

On another note, being around Will 24/7 isn't as bad for our relationship as I'd feared it would be. I'd like to have more friends in this town so I don't have to be at home with him 24/7, but doing stuff tends to require, y'know, money, and making friends in a town where you know exactly 8 people, including your live-in lover, your uncle, your ex's best friend, and three guys you don't particularly like, isn't exactly easy, even when you're not absolutely, utterly broke.

Anyway, I've gotten into the habit of going to bed super early, so I'm tired as shit. Have a good Thanksgiving, everyone!

Hee.

2009-11-15T00:25:53Z

When I searched for BFE in Google Maps, it told me, "Did you mean Terry County, Brownfield, Tx?" which, I discovered, is a town about 30 miles south-southeast of Lubbock. Yep, that's BFE, alright.

NSFW but highly amusing.

2009-11-14T12:48:09Z

http://websrvr40nj.audiovideoweb.com/avwebdsnjwebsrvr4501/portal/media/media-050516-pregnancy.html

brieboo @ 2009-10-27T01:46:00

2009-10-27T06:49:51Z

I had a dream last night about dating/making out with Nathan Explosion. He was actually a really good kisser, and very sweet (but Murderface was getting really pissed off that he was spending so much time with me).
And then I dreamed that Cera needed me to dress up for Halloween as Wonder Woman, but I had sold my costume, so I had to make a new one out of duct tape.

On role reversal

2009-10-19T18:52:10Z

In some ways, Will is such a manly man, and I am, to quote Mike, "SUCH a girl," and our relationship tends to reflect that (i.e. I cook, I do the shopping, I do the dishes, Will fixes things, etc). In other ways, though, the stereotypical roles are completely flipped. Like the other day, when this conversation occurred:

Will: "I want a baby."
Brie: *drops plate*

Also, a short poem!

2009-09-25T05:16:25Z

I am raining, raining,
I am raining
I am the sky.
I am the sky in her mourning, grey and brooding
she is stronger than any man
and still she weeps.

she is queen of the sailors, of the farmers, of the shepherds
she is queen of the harvest
the queen of the fates
she wears silver and blue and gold
she wears a deeper black than man can know
she is vaster than he can imagine
and she has never apologized.
I am the sky.

brieboo @ 2009-09-24T22:03:00

2009-09-25T03:15:06Z

I do so love the library. Borrowed a couple of feminist-type books, and Soylent Green. Le awesome. Other than that, I really haven't done much. Explored the neighborhood behind my new apartment complex a couple of days ago. Walked downtown with Will and kinda-sorta-not-really explored an abandoned building by the river. Also, I've got a temp job that pays $50 - $100 a week, which is, well, just enough to buy groceries (I can subsist on $25 a week for food. Will, on the other hand, requires rather a bit more). But it's easy enough work, and it's only two days a week, so it gives me time to look for a real job. I drive cars from car lots to an auction house, and sometimes I don't even have to do that, because if there's not enough cars for everyone, the extra people just wait in the van to be driven back. I also sold some of my plasma, but I'm not too keen on doing that again, because I nearly passed out and had to be given saline IV push.
So anyway, life's been alright, though I'm pretty broke most of the time. But meh. I should at least be getting my deposit check from my old apartment, plus my paycheck for this week; plus Will's working a shitton next week, so he'll be getting a pretty hefty check (and he's an independent contractor, so he won't be having taxes taken out, hey). I'm also in Houston right now, so yes.

Anyway, just wanted to update you guys on my mind-numbingly domestic, reasonably calm life.

brieboo @ 2009-09-02T20:09:00

2009-09-03T01:14:53Z

Got an inexplicable 1800-dollar check in the mail today. I am very confused and slightly concerned. No idea why Bentley College (or Qi Guo) would send me such a thing.... Hm.

brieboo @ 2009-08-22T02:52:00

2009-08-22T07:54:19Z

So. This made me giggle with mad glee:

Not work safe... at all. FYI.

brieboo @ 2009-08-21T23:23:00

2009-08-22T04:24:02Z

Meh.

brieboo @ 2009-07-30T20:30:00

2009-07-31T01:30:57Z

I really, really need to stop staying up all night and sleeping all day. Bleh. I feel like hell when I do it.

brieboo @ 2009-07-27T09:34:00

2009-07-27T14:40:40Z

Just checking in to remind everyone I'm not dead. Also, I'm engaged! Also, I'm no longer friendslocking my journal, because there is no longer anyone I really care enough about to exclude.

And, I went to visit Randy the other day. More confident than ever that I'm not missing out on anything by being with Will.

more third ward-ness

2008-10-31T12:47:16Z

The other day, I had the realization that the district I live in will likely go Democratic, and has since at least the 60s or 70s. It was very odd, but slightly comforting to think about (I have no worries of my car getting keyed for my Obama sticker, for example).

Sign number #371 that I live in the third ward

2008-10-10T17:09:10Z

My neighbors are in a screaming, swearing argument about "the white man".

Wow.

Just wow.

2008-09-05T18:22:06Z

Among the titles of messages in my spambox:

"Dalai Lama denies receiving fellatio from Britney Spears"
"MSNBC Breaking News: Bush down to 8 friends on Myspace" (this one sounds like a real headline. From The Onion)
"Paris Hilton gives birth to twins-- aliens" (I could've sworn this one was a real headline, too. If the Weekly World News hadn't gone out of print.)
"Britney Spears stripped of her citizenship"

Yeah, buddy.

my new celebrity crush....

2008-08-25T21:28:32Z

Hi, I'm Brie, and I'm a total nerd. My story started out innocently enough, I dated a guy who I knew took calculus, but I thought I could stay sober. But it wasn't long before he talked me into taking it too, and pretty soon, we were both sitting on the couch in his parents' basement, doing homework together all night. Well, he got clean, and I did too, but it wasn't long before I was back in it again when I made friends with a violinist, who introduced me to a composition major. So it ended up being the three of us on the floor of a cheap apartment, because we couldn't afford a couch, watching opera on PBS at two in the morning. Well, I knew I needed help when, the other night, the two of them went to bed, and I stayed up to just get a little more, you know, because I was into the music and I had a thing going. After the intermission, there was an extended musical interlude, and the camera was mostly focusing on the orchestra, and I was grooving, and then, I had a moment of clarity. I realized I was a nerd when I discovered a new celebrity crush....

Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic.

Another thing that pissed me off today.

2008-08-23T07:31:26Z

Today, at work, one of the managers, P, was talking to the woman at the charge desk, R, about her schedule.
P: I hear you're taking tomorrow afternoon off?
R: Yeah, but I'm coming in in the morning. I have to pick my girlfriend up from the airport.
Brie (thinking): Did I hear that right? I *totally* wouldn't've pegged her as queer.
P: Ooooo....kay. I did *not* need to know that.
Brie (still thinking): ...Yeah, I heard her right. Stupid P. At least sexual orientation is covered in our nondiscrimination policy.
R: What?

lucid dreams....

2007-10-03T05:09:11Z

I've been having a lot of lucid dreams lately. It's odd. I had one where I was driving Ryan home and he goes, "dude, this is a dream. Why aren't you flying the car?" but I had such a hard time concentrating on flying it, because I didn't want to concentrate so hard I woke up. And then I had a dream tonight that I realized in the middle was a dream and I could do whatever I wanted, so I stole my pastor's motorcycle (which I have no clue if he actually has in real life, but meh), but I wasn't sure if it was really a dream, and I couldn't hotwire it and I didn't have the key, so I left it about 20 feet away from where I took it.

This will make little sense if you haven't read the book I'm speaking of

2007-07-22T08:59:27Z

I have just finished reading the most frustrating book ever: Shadow of the Giant by Orson Scott Card. Reasons why it's frustrating:

1) Midway through the series, Petra gets baby rabies. Why??? It never explains her thought processes. Relatedly, why does Bean go along with it? The whole process goes something like this:
Petra: "I'm a strong, opinionated, highly ambitious eighteen-year old woman. I will beat the crap out of you if I have to. I command armies and I will not let you get close to me emotionally. BUT OMG I WANT TO GET MARRIEDZ AND HAVE A GADZILLION BEBBEHS!"
Bean: "I'm not getting married. Or having babies. They would be freakshows like me." Petra: "Yes you are! I want you to!"
Bean: "No, I'm not!"
Petra: "Yes, you are!"
Bean: "Oh, alright."

2: Babies. Babies babies babies. Babies babies. "I am a Hindu goddess and you WILL put your baby inside of me, you Muslim dog, or you WILL pay." Not only does every female character revolve to some extent or another around having babies, but it just seems so forced! Okay, I understand Virlomi's stance on the subject, seeing herself as the symbolic "mother of India", in addition to wanting to have the Caliph's baby to solidify the union of their kingdoms, but Petra? She has no reason to want to have ten freaking kids all of a sudden.

3: And what's with that Randi woman? So she has a kid which turns out to be from one of Bean and Petra's stolen embryos, thinking it to be Achilles', and then goes off to a colony and we never hear from her again, without the satisfaction of her realizing who the father actially is! I seriously thought maybe some pages had been torn out of the end of the book! It doesn't go into who is venerating Achilles like that where she would get all that misinformation, much less why they would, and it doesn't close up that subplot even enough to say there's another sequel coming out.

4: Speaking of the stolen embryos, IVF typically only works about 1 in 5 times. There's no way they would only have implanted just ONE in Petra, probably at least three.

5: I'm not sure whether I was amused at the stereotypical ways the non-European characters (or at least, Han Tsu and Alai; I noticed that Suriyawong lacked this characteristic) spoke to members of their governments, or whether I found it offensive. I'd cite examples, but I need so sleep sometime soon.

6: Speaking of race, why did Card never mention in Ender's Game that Mazer Rackham was Maori? Or that Alai was black? The former is not terribly important to the plot, it simply seems odd to mention it all of a sudden, but the latter is very much a deus ex machina to give the rest of the Muslim world a reason to demonize him.

7: I can forgive Card for being a little bit reactionary about the culture and motivations of Islam, after all, Shadow Puppets was published in 2002 and Card is American; it was hard even for an intelligent person to not swallow a little of the popular propaganda, but the fact that I read it and thought, "this was written right after September 11, wasn't it?" makes me wonder if he shouldn't've waited another year or so before writing it so that it isn't obviously so oblivious to the many periods of Islamic history where Islam was, by a wide majority, not the intolerant, oppressive religion it is in many nations now. And of course, since he created this reality in Shadow Puppets, he had to continue it in Shadow of the Giant.

8: All of the characters randomly changed after Shadow of the Hegemon for NO APPARENT REASON!! Petra and Bean got baby rabies and religion, which is all fine and good, but it doesn't say WHY. So Carlotta died, and all of a sudden, Bean the intelligent atheist becomes a "life begins at conception" Catholic? And Petra doesn't even have the motivation of the death of a loved one! She got locked up by Achilles and suddenly, her entire identity revolves around becoming a mommy? And why did Suriyawong help Peter rescue Achilles? The boy is not above disobeying an order, especially since it didn't come from Thailand! And Achilles, for that matter, calms down quite a bit. He's supposed to be psycho! I understand he had other projects to work on, but that shouldn't've contained his desire to kill- it didn't before. There should've at least been something about dead Brazilian hookers or something. The only one whose changes as a character make believable, logical sense is Virlomi!

an observation

2007-07-05T20:10:37Z

I believe that sex is like eating watermelon: if, when you are finished, you and everything around you aren't covered in something sticky, you haven't done it right.

^___^

2007-06-23T08:14:25Z

Hardanger fiddle music makes me happy.

TV news

2007-06-21T16:16:36Z

I just saw a news story on TV about a man who, after an encounter with a bobcat in his backyard, strangled said bobcat to death. Said RABID bobcat. Remind me not to meet that motherfucker in a dark alley.

Reverend Brie

2007-06-08T13:11:38Z

I am now officially a minister of the Universal Life Church. I have been absolved of my sins (which, although I'm not too sure about the existence of "sin", per se, made me feel a little better nonetheless) and am legally allowed to perform any duties and/or rites you need a minister to carry out.