The End

Well, the end of the year is finally here. No more finals or anything. I feel like it hasn't quite sunk in yet. Normally at the end of the year, I pack everything up and move. This year I'm staying in Northfield, so finals week wasn't paired with a mass scramble to move everything.

Instead, I went home for a couple days. It was nice and summery. I came back to Northfield. So far, its felt like a weekend, only less stressful. I've played some Pokemon. I'm caught up on Farmville and such. Now what do I do? Tomorrow I work for 10 hours, and 6 more on Saturday. But after this weekend, I have to find a real summer job, not just a weekend job. Le sigh.

Hopefully Target hires me. Otherwise I'm going to apply at Subway and the Co-op, and maybe wherever else I happen to stop by. Bother. I need to have money for a rent, groceries, bills, and a new computer, and a month in Thailand and a week in Japan. Haha. Yay money. Bleh.

Ah well, If I don't have a job, I have many hours to spend on Amazon working for pennies. Or babysitting or pet sitting.

LOST! contains spoilers.

So, a major chapter in my life closes tomorrow. For the past 6 years, I've followed LOST. Or rather, for the past 3 years, I've followed LOST obsessively, and the three before that I watched it occasionally (last summer I rewatched the first three seasons to make sure I didn't miss any!).

I love the show mostly because it makes me actually think about what I'm watching and what I have watched. Most shows just tell you what's going on. LOST makes me analyze. Take, for example, the character of Libby. We know that she was in a mental institution after her husband, David, died. We also know that a character named Dave, who is dead, visits Hurley, who can talk to dead people, and who talked to him a lot while Hurley was in the same mental institution as Libby at the same time. Ergo, Dave is Libby's dead husband. Do they ever make that connection in the show? No.

My theory is reinforced when early in the series, Dave shows up on the island and tries to get Hurley to kill himself. Coincidentally, the Smoke Monster can take the form of dead people and is trying to kill the candidates, but cannot directly kill them. Hurley is a candidate. Pretty sure Dave on the island is the smoke monster.

Also, Desmond's boat is called the Elizabeth, given to him by David. So many connections! I love this show!

A lot of my energy goes in to thinking about this show, if you can't tell.

What am I going to do after tomorrow? Well, I'll probably spend a lot of time in the next week or two on LOST forums. After that? I'll have to find a new show to obsess over.

The Sun is Gone but its Warmth Remains

I just looked out the window. It became cloudy at some point since I got home.

I've had a pretty awesome week. Classes are finally over. I turned in one of my finals yesterday, so now I only have to finish a paper and then take two tests next Tuesday. Almost done and today is the first day of finals! The final countdown?

In any case, I've been working a lot because of my super relaxed finals week. Last night I worked a double shift in the caf, and got home around 12:15am. Every reading day, they have the Late Night Breakfast which is free for pretty much anyone who comes in, and a lot of professors and staff serve the food instead of us caf grunts. I got to count the number of people coming in. Cheney and I got counters where you hit the button and it adds one to the number. I have to say, it's the funniest shift to work. People don't need to swipe their meal plan cards, and everyone just gets really confused. Some people say "Omg, I don't need my card? Why did I bring it? Omg I'm so dumb!" or something along those lines. Others get really confused and spin in circles until they finally get that they can just go in. Others get really excited and shout with glee and enthusiasm. In any case, I laughed so hard at people last night.

Then I had to clean. Not so fun.

Anyway, today was my last day working at the elementary school. Sad day. Although Sr. Siedl gave me a nice gift, and Sra. Amundson will be sending me a package I guess. That's so touching. I love all those kids. My 5th graders and I talked about bullying today. It was so cute because the tough latino boys were talking about how they keep people from bullying each other at school and how when they go to middle school, all the bullies are going to start up again at the elementary school. The latina girls are actually dealing with bullying, too. One of the girls is feuding with the other girls. I'm not sure why, but they won't talk or sit near each other, and will actually do everything they can do avoid sitting by each other. It's sad...

At least they're not making fun of the two in the class who are so going to be gay in a few years. : )

Family and Walking

I had a fun weekend. Saturday, I spent the day at my Dad's house for a family barbeque. My dad, his wife, his mother-in-law, his two brothers and sister, my brother and I were all there. It's the first time in a loooong time that my dad has been friendly with his younger brother. They've been at odds for over a decade, so it was a really big step for my dad to invite him over. They all had brats, and my aunt made sure to buy Boca burgers for me. Yummy!

Sunday, I went to the MN AIDS Walk at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis. I raised $180 dollars for the event, which was $30 more than I raised last year! I went with two freshman at Olaf, and met up with my roommate and his friends there. It was a lot of fun, but now my calves are hella sore.

After, my roommate and I showered (separately), took a looong nap (simultaneously in the same room), then went out to eat (together). We went to Chapati. It was SO good. I love Indian food. I ordered Chana Masala and Alu (whatevertheindianwordforpeais), and some garlic naan. Delicious. It was bittersweet, however, as this was our last roomie dinner. He's moving out this week, and then will be leaving to Cambodia and Vietnam for 2 months. I shall miss him. Anyway, we went for ice cream after, then went home to do homework. I finished my 15 page paper around 3 in the morning, and finished putting in citations today before class.

Only 1 class left, and then 2 final papers and 2 final tests and I'm done! And the two tests are a week from Tuesday. I will have so much free time. Awesome!

Fortunate Me!

Today, the Gender and Sexuality organizations held the annual end of the year banquet as a goodbye to the seniors who are part of the departments or organizations at St. Olaf.

We had an alumna as our guest speaker, a lesbian woman from the class of '86. She spoke of how her different parts of her life had to be separate. Her faith and family and sexuality and neighborhood and career all had to be distinct because of her sexual orientation, Lesbians should not be employees, and God apparently hates gays, and lesbians cannot have any familial support, and they can't participate in their community because they should be ashamed.

Then, society started changing as she grew older and became a mother with her partner, her distinct and separate worlds started fusing. This coalesced when her family moved to Costa Rica for two years, to a small village because her partner was working in a mission school. Suddenly, her neighborhood and family and faith and career and everything was all located in one small village on a mountaintop. And it was okay. No one did anything or said anything against them because of their family. It was okay to live as a gay person.

I find this fascinating. I am so lucky to be able to be out as a pansexual and genderqueer person. Be out and still be successful. Where I know I won't be fired because I'm not a woman or a man, and I am still a valued member of the community no matter who my partner is. Granted, not everything is available to me that is available to heteronormative people, but society is warming up to the GLBTQ community and I appreciate that.

Thanks, society!

Thank you to those who came before!

So, today, I went to my doctors to get my quad-annual injection of progesterone.

I just want to say thank you do the men who invented birth control and the women who pushed for its FDA approval, and the men in the FDA who approved it, and all the men and women and others who have kept it legal and readily available. And Medica Elect for providing progesterone injections for $20 (as opposed to Blue Cross Blue Shield, who make it available for $80, which is still nice but 4 times less so than my previous insurance provider).

Dear Pharmaceutical companies,

Even though you are generally exploitive asswipes, I do appreciate your service in my life, even though it is almost entirely driven by greed. By providing chemicals to inject into my body, you prevent countless pounds from being gained, dozens of zit from forming, a heart attack or two in the future, and needless tears from being shed. Also, thanks for disclosing the fact that this injection will probably cause bone-loss, so that I may take supplements to replenish the calcium I lose. I'd have osteoporosis when I am older if it weren't for your cooperation with the FDA.

Thanks,

A pleased but jaded customer.

Patiently Waiting.

I have 15 minutes before work starts. Dodododododo.

In other news, I was accepted in the Lambda Alpha and Alpha Kappa Delta, the Anthropology Honor Society and the Sociology Honor Society today. Pretty cool! I have certificates and everything. Even membership cards.

I also have a job interview at Target next Thursday - the first one I've been able to get not at St. Olaf in 2 years! Signs up an improving economy = summer jobs available for college students at retail stores. Hopefully I get a job this summer. That means either I've gained charisma or the economy really is picking up! Either way, I'm happy. Or I hopefully get a job painting dorms at St. Olaf, which would be closer to my apartment and probably pay higher as well. We shall see!

Yay work!

Dang, still 10 minutes before I have to go to work. Now what?

Rainy Day

It hasn't snowed here. Yet. It might tonight, but today was just chilly and wet. It was honors day at school, so whoever had a living sugar daddy (aka an endowment scholarship from someone who is still alive) had to go to a ceremony type thing. I have a dead sugar daddy scholarship, so I didn't have to go. Because it usually goes late and into the 10:45 class time, my 10:45 class was cancelled. So, I had a lot of free time this morning to do homework and take an extended shower.

The homework I was working on was my political science presentation, which was supposed to be 5-10 minutes long, but I took 20. That's all right though. I had a lot of info, and we only had 3 presentations for a 55 minute class.

In any case, it was an odd day. It's been a long day. I realized it wasn't Saturday just a couple hours ago. Still Friday, I guess.

Day of Reason

So... I am pleased with today. I got up, and helped a 3rd grader with the attention span of a gnat and the shyness of a mouse finish her test even though she had 15 minutes less than the other kids to work on it. : ) Granted, she rounded 4,187 to 4,298, but hey, she finished and got a lot of other questions right! She could only round to the 10s place. After that, she was just really confused.

After work, Brigit, Tom, Zak and Tanner came to pick me up and we went to the state capitol in St. Paul. Brigit and I were asked to speak on behalf of SANRA (St. Olaf Society for Atheism, Non-Religion and Agnosticism) for the Day of Reason. The Day of Reason is a response to the Day of Prayer, the nation-wide government call for all citizens to pray (so much for the first amendment, eh?)

In any case, I've never given a non-school speech, let alone a speech at the capitol. It was pretty cool. : )

Since then, I've been working on my PSCI presentation for tomorrow about how gas relations have affected the political relationship of Ukraine and Russia. I should have picked a different topic... At least there's a lot of information on the subject. Just look at the wikipedia page for "Ukraine Russia Energy Relations."

Also, I finally managed to get my computer to restore to default factory settings without overheating. I'm in the process of waiting to use it. It is Vista, after all. Can't wait for a new computer.

Also, there's a girl in the elementary school whose name is Abcde. Pronounced Absidy. Is this a common name? Or was this an ironic parent? It's a pretty-sounding name, though. Also, I work with a woman named Usa (Ooh-sah). I wonder if it was wishful thinking on her parents part, or if she changed her name. Or I suppose it could be a common Thai name, but I doubt it. Reminds me of that comic with Ruthie in it who has a friend called Nosmo King.

Relay for Life

This weekend, I participated in Relay for Life, a nationwide fundraising event sponsored by the American Cancer Association. I raised $50, but others I know raised $2,000+ Crazy!

Anyway, Relay lasts 12 hours, but I was only there for 3. Basically, you raise money, and your team walks for 12 hours. The first lap is walked by cancer survivors and their caregivers, and then everyone else joined in. I made a few luminaries for cancer victims and survivors I know, and then I just walked. They had different kinds of entertainment, such as musical performances and dancers. Aside from little girls dancing like women, it was an enjoyable day. Really windy, but enjoyable. I somehow managed to get a blister on top of my big toe, though. I don't really know how that happens. lol.

In any case, I am now raising money for the Minnesota AIDS Walk. If you want to help prevent HIV/AIDS and support research for a cure, or at least easier, cheaper medicine then go here and donate: http://community.mnaidsproject.org/netcommunity/catey

Thanks!