You should have seen that sunrise...

my neighbor...

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 02:00:38 GMT

for some reason, i decided to facebook search "totoro" today (i swear i'm not an addict!)... and guess what?! some people actually have the last name "totoro"!! try it! i am in awe... not to mention jealous. :P

in honor of that:

isn't he so cute?!! :) i want one...

---

in other news, i'm really enjoying all these new lj features, especially the autosave. luckily i haven't had to test it out yet, but i've had some pretty horrible experiences with losing long and meaningful entries (unlike this one... hehe) when i was about to hit submit. grr...

AND, what was up with the random hail storm today?! my parents and i were on our way to eat at a restaurant around northpoint, but the hail started pouring down and we ended up sitting at the mall foodcourt eating mandarin express. >.< how sad...

okay, enough rambling. i'm bored! someone entertain me!

UGHHHHHHHHHHHH

Wed, 10 May 2006 22:49:30 GMT

...
...
...

as if things weren't already bad enough with finals coming up, look at this ridiculous weather report!!!

[bad news courtesy of tian... gee thanks :P]

i'm really a very simple person. i don't need much to be happy. all i'm asking for is a little sunshine and dry! sheesh.

i wish my happiness didn't depend so much on the weather. but i guess my mood oscillates really quickly, anyway...

wish me luck... this is gonna take some mental strength to get through.

Hello! Pictures! :)

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 20:14:28 GMT

Eh, not too much time to write a real post right now. But there's a 4-day weekend coming up soon, so there is hope!! ... now I just have to get through tonight's exam and mad problem setting... -_-'

But-- until this weekend-- check out my photos from the Yale taekwondo tournament and my spring break in Chile.

[Cici, read: I saw Jae. Commence jealousy. :)]

In other news, I have laryngitis and I sound like a man. But you know what? It's almost 70 degrees outside and life is bordering beautiful. Can't wait for this weekend...

One Art

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 22:37:35 GMT

Okay-- let me begin by saying I should be doing work (belt test tonight, 8.02 p-set due wednesday, 18.03 test wednesday, 7.013 p-set due friday, 9.00 essay due friday... oi). That being said, what the hell. I think pre-Spring Break "screw it" attitude has just kicked in...

Do you guys remember this poem from one of those AP Class of Hell [a.k.a. English Lit -_-'] practice essays? Hehe... I remember I was in love with it, but everyone else thought it was dumb. *shrug* Oh well, what's new.

And guess what else? Elizabeth Bishop was born in Worcester [pronounced "wush-chster" here... even though Dorchester is still "dorchester" and not "dush-chster"... that one's been bothering me for a while now. :P], MA! That's only 46 minutes (according to Google Earth) away! exciting. :)

And guess what else else? Life is beautiful. Enjoy--

One Art
Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

Don't read too much into it... just something that's been floating around in my mind for a while. Back to work! >.

blah.

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 07:08:49 GMT

so i think it's time to start rebuilding some walls.

awesome things

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 17:38:43 GMT

awesome things i have or have had recently:
- les miserables at the boston opera house
- thermal underwear!

awesome things i do not have or have not had recently:
- sleep
- sleep
- sleep
- time
- earmuffs

these lists are all-inclusive

rainy days on fridays allllways get me down.

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 13:58:46 GMT

i think they should close school on rainy days.

ew.

palm reading and such...

Thu, 02 Feb 2006 22:42:22 GMT

I realized just how infrequently I've been blogging when I clicked on my "update journal" bookmark, and lj asked me for my username and password. Poor, neglected journal... it didn't even recognize its owner! :( There there... *hugs computer*. Anywho, I know better than to guarantee more consistent posting. I'll try my best, though! :)

So... what have I been doing since I came back to school? Well, it's IAP (Independent Activities Period), so, no, I have not been going to spring semester classes (HAHAHAHAHA... I mean... I start next Tuesday [damn].) :P For two weeks, I took an introductory programming class. I'm also working at the Langer Lab and continuing taekwondo classes...

I've also been going to random seminars! On Sunday, I went to a 3-hour class on palmistry. Yeah, yeah, roll your eyes... but I've been intrigued by palm reading for a while. It's one of those... not-exactly-scientific-but-kind-of-since-it's-been-done-for-so-long-type things... *shrug*

So I went to this seminar and learned about the different hand shapes, lines, mounts, etc. Then, at the end of class, the lady running the seminar gave us all short palm readings. I was first. Here's what she said (exact quotations are in " "s):

About me:
- I have a "well of sensitivity" in my palm. I cry easily.
- My thumb shows a strong sense of leadership and stubborn will, but I hold this back for some reason...
- I enjoy fine things ("No cheap toilet paper for you, honey!") -_-'
- I have "great friend lines" (yay friends!) :)
- I am "physically sensual" (o.O???), so I probably won't do well in long-distance relationships
Then she proceeded to project into the future:
- I excel at the things I've chosen to do, but I'm not sure if they're what I really want to do. I will experience a major change in path around the age of 27 (??)
Aaaand, the juicy stuff ;):
- I already know the person I am going to marry (!!), or will meet him very soon. "I see someone who was maybe in your life, then out of your life for a while, but who is now back." (?)
- He will be a very "noble" person, maybe in the medical field, but probably a researcher. My family will love him. (haha... knowing my mom, if he's even close to a doctor, she'll love him). -_-'

So that was all good and interesting...

I guess I try not to put too much stock into these things, since, if you think about them too much, they might end up being self-fulfilling prophecies.

But, nevertheless, there's a part of me that really wants palmistry to be true, its results definite-- something or someone to tell me what I should be doing-- what I want-- because I really don't know.

Christmas!

Mon, 26 Dec 2005 07:02:14 GMT

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

It's SO good to be home. :)

Jennifer got me a flickr pro account for Christmas, so I just did a massive uploading.

Photos from Christmas and more...

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hoping you're warm and happy wherever you are...

Day after Turkey Day!

Fri, 25 Nov 2005 18:53:02 GMT

Hello from sunny (but freezing... 28 degrees -_-') Portland, Maine! I'm here for Thanksgiving break with someone from my dorm, and missing everyone at home dearly. I can't wait to see the old 'phretta when I come home for Christmas (December 22... mark your calendars and buy me presents!) ;) According to Vincent, the "most exciting" development since I left is that the Dollar Store in Northpoint Mall has disappeared... oh... my... zzz. Nevertheless, I can't wait!

Ahhh... I'm very content right now. Well-fed :)... plus, the ground outside is covered in a thin layer of snow and ice. This is only the second time I've seen snow since I've been in the northeast (the first time being the day before Halloween). I don't know what it is, but cold weather has some strange effect on me. Every day on the half-mile walk home from classes, bundled in scarf, hat, gloves, peacoat... that's when I feel most content. It's so refreshing, so romantic. Hmm... I guess I really am an "ice queen"...

Anyway, I think we're about to head out to the L.L. Bean outlet. I have many pictures to post, and I'll do it as soon as I get back to the dorm...

Happy Day-After-Turkey-Day! :)

With love,
Christine

photo update

Sun, 30 Oct 2005 22:51:44 GMT

SNOW!!!

BRRR!!!

Fri, 30 Sep 2005 15:11:03 GMT

"Be a hearty New-Englander" --Sunny, my roommate

It was 49 degrees when I woke up today. Yesterday I almost got blown away by 40 mi/hr wind gusts. I've unpacked my scarves, joined the facebook group "Afraid of Freezing at MIT," and washed out my thermos. And I can't stop coughing.

But for some reason I feel just fine! :)

"Here comes the cold
Break out the winter clothes
And find a love to call your own"

Whew, MIT is hard work.

Tue, 27 Sep 2005 04:37:43 GMT

yaaaay, flickr update!! See? I am still alive. :)

Flickr is awesome.

Sun, 21 Aug 2005 02:30:46 GMT

Yay, I finally got around to loading pictures onto my Flickr Photostream! I'll probably be photoblogging more often for now, as there doesn't seem to be much to say as of late...

So check them out! (pictures from the Harry Potter and the HBP midnight release party, Ocee Park, and California Pizza Kitchen).

In other news: yay! Only three more days..!

to do...

Sat, 06 Aug 2005 04:25:14 GMT

i promise i'm still alive, just very busy and slightly stressed out. been trying to get all the typical pre-leaving-for-college-things done while keeping up a 40-hour work week and preparing for my senior recital (reserve saturday, august 13th at 3 pm). So far I've: (1)bought a laptop (finally settled on a latitude d810. sweet, huh?) and (2)opened a checking account... both of which were much harder than i expected. the very day i opened my account, i somehow managed to misplace the folder with all my account information, which led to much confusion and a frantic trip to the starbucks parking lot at 12:40 am (i was afraid i had driven away with the folder on the hood of my car)... yeeaaaah. things have been rough like that.

hopefully something will inspire me to write a real post in the near future, but in the meantime:

this is peter. peter teeters (like one of those scary clowns that pop back up if you punch them). i bought him in taiwan for 30NT (about $1 US). i like peter because he has a contented smile and can break dance.

some things (like peter) are undeniably cute, i.e.:

this mascot for some japanese airline we saw in the nagoya airport.

and

my true love. i think the trick is that they have to be simple, with an only slightly curved up smile.

i become too attached to inanimate objects.

really, this entry was intended to have a point.

stolen from ginger (thank you!) :)

Fri, 15 Jul 2005 06:35:21 GMT

Oh yeah. Anyone who's interested, we're meeting tomorrow at 11 at the Forum B&N. I'll be the one in full gryffindor costume, and robin, too. (*in a Count voice*: "von! two! gryffindors!") :P

:):):)!

*A Random Harry Potter Survey!*
Name	Christine
Age	18... wow, I was expecting a one-character limit. ;)
Birthday	9-3-86
Age when you first read Harry Potter	uhh... good question. back when ss first came out
Favorite Book	the time traveler's wife
Favorite Character(s)	*hermione, fred, dumbledore, sirius (SNIFF), ron, lupin, hagrid... harry*
Favorite Proffesor(s)	<-- ew, they spelled "professor" wrong. >.< probably mcgonagall, lupin, and flitwick
Favorite House	in the style of the sorting hat "GRYFFINDOR!" :) next would be Ravenclaw.
Favorite Quidditch Team	whichever one oliver wood was signed to ;)
Favorite Couple	ron/hermione. awww...
Favorite Magical Animal	wince i haven't read "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" yet.
Favorite Magical Place	hogwarts
Favorite Weasley	FRED! :D bill and charley seem cool, too, and ron is... ron. :)
Favorite Pet	crookshanks
Favorite Order Member
Favorite Class	defense against the dark arts, charms, transfiguration
Favorite Wizarding Snack	chocolate frogs
Favorite Gryffindor Student	hermione/fred/ron/harry
Draco or Harry?	blasphemy!
H/Hr or R/Hr?	R/Hr... definitely.
Snape or Lupin?	blasphemy again!
Crookshanks or Scabbers?	... i'm not even answering this
Hedwig or Pig?	hm. pig is cute, but hedwig.
Harry or Ron?	mmm, ron's very endearing, but harry's the main character
Crabbe or Goyle?	ew.
Canon/Fanon Draco?	no draco is a good draco
Canon/Fanon Snape?	eh, canon. he's complicated enough as he is
D/Hr or D/G?	eew... D/PP. ha!
H/D or H/SS?	uh, is this what i think this is? man, you fanfic kids are a little... eccentric. :P i'll go with H/G
Your OTP?	yes. yes, i do... what? (i had to check this one on urban dictionary) R/Hr, I guess.
Favorite Slytherin	uh, no me gusta slytherin
Cho - annoying or not?	ANNOYING
*Fanfiction*
Do you write Fanfiction?	no
Do you read Fanfition?	no
Favorite Fanfiction?
Canon or Fanon?
One shot or Novel length?
Fluff or Angst?
Darkfic?
Very Powerful Harry?
Very Sexy Draco?
Gen, Het, or Slash?
Fanfiction Petpeeves?
*Books*
Did you Cry when Cedric Died?	i can't remember... probably
Did you cry when Sirius Died?	*YES!!! sniff* he's not dead... he's not dead...**
All time favorite part	too many
Were you mad about the whole H/C mistake?	grrr
Do you like Viktor Krum?	he gets a cookie for liking hermione
Do you like Cho Chang?	nooo...
Do you like Fluer?	she got better after harry saved her sister
Do you like Cedric?	yes, he was a good guy
What did you think of the Prophecy?	kind of expected
Which characters need more development?	luna lovegood, colin and his brother, lily and james
Did Harry pass his O.W.Ls in Potions?	i didn't take AP harry potter...
Will Harry die or survive at the end of book 7?	wow, i really hope he doesn't die
Do you like the Marauders?	YES! they're awesome
Light side or dark side?	light!
Who do you think is the HBP?	hmm, good question. give me two days.
Who do you think will die in HBP?	:(
Who do you think Harry's new "love interest" is in HBP?	haha, i'm very curious. ginny, according to damian.
What do you think will be the "something huge" revealed about Lily Potter?	give me the damn book!!
Are you a Luna fan?	she reminds me of my sister
Favorite Marauder?	hmm... Padfoot, then Moony
Is Harry going to be back on the quidditch team?	i kind of liked the girl power :)
How well do you think Harry will cope with Sirius's death in HBP?	:(
Do you think Harry will be even more angry in HBP than in OotP?	why yes. yes i do.
Will Ron or Hermione die in either of the next 2 books?	NO! please, no...
How do you think Ron and Hermione will react when they find out about the prophecy?	in their usual manner. ron=freak out, hermione=books
*Harry Potter Movies*
Do you like the movies as much as the books?	no
Hottest HP actor?	heh... mr. wood
Do you think Emma Watson is too girly for Hermione?	no!
What do you think of Ruperts long hair in GoF?	not liking it at all
Daniel Radcliffe or Rupert Grint?	rupert grint, without the long hair
Chris Columbus or Alfonso?	alfonso
Was the warewolf too bald?	eh? lol... now that i think about it...
What scene did they leave out in the movie you wish they hadn't?	LOGIC!!!
Favorite movie moment?	when hermione punches draco :)
Least favorite movie moment?	none in particular
Favorite character in movie?	hermione
Favorite Movie?	poa
Was that how you imagined the basalisk?	sort of
Do you wish Richard Harris could still play Dumbledore?	they were both good
Do you think Snape is sexy?	ugh. he's in dogma!
Do you wish you looked like Emma Watson?	hehe, i wish i were hermione.
And for the lst question, how has Harry Potter changed your life?	rolls eyes now, when i'm feeling lazy, i try the accio charm. ;)
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

yes, i'm tired.

Fri, 15 Jul 2005 05:34:00 GMT

*grumblegrumble* effing MIT security. it took me way too long to get the stupid certificates i needed just to enter the stupid HASS-D (HASS = humanities, arts, and social sciences) lottery. (and i just used "stupid" twice in the same sentence. hmm...)

Anyway, you're allowed to rank up to 6 classes, but you only get one. Paperwork (er, computerwork) at MIT must be very complicated...

So here were my choices, in order of preference:
1. American Foreign Policy: Past, Present, and Future
2. Fundamentals of Public Policy
3. Introduction to Western Music
4. The Film Experience
5. Moral Problems and the Good Life
6. Introduction to Fiction ("Christine, this is Fiction. Fiction, Christine." </daydream>)

Yeah, yeah... tell me I'm boring. I just didn't have it in me to add Introduction to Art History (that would make 3 classes from the visual and performing arts category) or Introduction to Japanese Culture (the course description was basically, "We watch anime"). :P

Too many choices as of late. That should be a good thing, but you know me... hopelessly indecisive. runs in the family. all these little independencies (?) are adding up, and it ends up being very confusing and stressful, instead of what it should be (liberating, empowering...) :P

On a brighter note, tomorrow's Friday the 15th, which means HALF BLOOD PRINCE AT 12:01!!!

hp + cl = bff

scurvy

Wed, 13 Jul 2005 21:54:06 GMT

"Life ees hard"
-- my supervisor, upon yet another failure in our attempt to define the mechanism of the reaction between hydrogen and ethanol

I think I know why work is so depressing: my lab has no windows! It didn't really hit me until yesterday at 6 pm, when I walked outside and realized it had been raining the entire day without my even knowing it. My god, how sad. :P

Besides that, I really have nothing to complain about.

...

My reference material is written in German, my supervisor speaks awful English, I'm given virtually no direction, I have to stare at a computer screen for 7.5 hours a day (without surfing the internet), I think I'm getting carpal tunnels syndrome from all the typing, my supervisor calls me "hey," my work is guess and check, the light above my desk flickers on and off, my reference material is in German, my reference material is in German, my reference material is in German... this is ridiculous.

On the positive side: my desk is shoved off in a corner with my back facing the only opening, so it's very easy to nap while looking like I'm staring at the computer.

Plus, there's only four weeks left.

...

it's all in the attitude. :/
(wahhh!)

AP PHYSICS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Sat, 09 Jul 2005 04:26:02 GMT

HOLY CRAP I GOT A 5 ON THE AP PHYSICS EXAM!!!!!!!!!! *deep breath* !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :):):)

i actually feel like hugging corsall... or at least saying "thanks" or "sorry for always falling asleep in class." :P

... i am in shock.

:):):):):):):):):):):)

(okay, sorry, i needed to get that out. good luck, everyone!!)

Fourth of July

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 17:13:08 GMT

It's a little late now, but happy Independence Day! Recent Independence Days haven't been all that exciting, so this year's was especially nice. It's good to have a way to celebrate that doesn't involve (1)painting my nails alternately red, white, and blue, or (2)posting a scrolling red white and blue "Happy Fourth of July!!" in my journal... *rolls eyes* :P

Jennifer and I left the house at 6:30 to watch the Peachtree, partly because neither of us had been to it before, and partly to support her friends, (Ethan and Matt), and my friend, (Vincent)-- all of whom were running. The weather was nice, and it felt good just being outside and walking around... plus, there were lots of enthusiastic people and cute dogs. :) Most of the time, I really like the city.

After the race, I tagged along with Jennifer and her friends. We spent an uneventful (but comfortable) afternoon at Ethan and Matt's apartment at Tech, being lazy and watching The West Wing on TV (what could be more American?). Then we headed over to Lenox to watch the fireworks.

photos.
included: some shots of runners and cute dogs, and fireworks pictures that turned out better than expected (though Ethan puts me to shame) :P
not included: a picture of a 50-something Tech alumnus who ran the Peachtree with two other alumni wearing fancy GT jerseys :)

oh, and for good measure:
Happy Fourth of July!!!
:D

clean sweep

Sun, 03 Jul 2005 03:51:09 GMT

holy crap, i finally got rid of my 8th grade physical science folder and super honor roll certificates. dust bunnies beware, this is only the beginning.

Christine: 1
Room: 0

bring it onnnn.

First Day Blues

Sat, 02 Jul 2005 03:13:39 GMT

A Study of the Steady Decay of a First-Day Intern
copyright Christine Lee, 2005

Introduction:
To make a long story short, today was hard. Looking back, it could have been much better had I not been sleep-deprived (procrastinated and ended up only getting 4 hours. surprise?... i think not) and if I had had a good, fast-paced book (instead, i brought Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything... which was a mistake. Not that it's not good, but, to quote Jennifer: "It's the kind of book you put on your bedside table and read every so often." -_-'). So... long day. Add a little battery shortage and a lot of traffic, and I'm beat.

I would babble on and on-- because that's what I do when I'm tired (can you tell?)-- but instead, I'll spare you and share some photos instead:
(Note: I work with two other people in a large room-- though it's not really appropriate to say "work with," because that implies interaction. It seems that the norm here is for everyone to be quiet and do their own thing... though I guess that's expected in a physical chemistry lab, or any research place for that matter. I don't know why I wasn't prepared for it; I couldn't help feeling a little lonely, and that led to wondering if this is the kind of career I want (uh oh). But that's a different story... and I'm blabbering like I said I wouldn't.
[second attempt] Note: So all three of us stay in our three little corners, and all of these pictures were taken from mine. Excuse any not-goodness, since I was trying to be discreet).

Data:

if i were my desk, this would be what I stared at all day. I christened the big orange box thing "lambda physik" (just kidding, i think that's the brand-name). there are some lab coats hanging on the side, though nobody wears them. and that little red thing on the floor looks like a vacuum cleaner.

another lambda physik. i think they're lasers. there's a buret with some mysterious green fluid. but what i was actually trying to take a picure of is that blue tank on the side, which is compressed fluorine gas. i kept thinking how easy it would be to accidentally die in this room. -_-'

more cool stuff that i'm probably not supposed to touch.

my desk is in a little alcove, surrounded on one side by... what looks like junk metal. doesn't sound so glamorous? i think i prefer it over a sterile office. :)

more stuff around my desk that i'm probably not supposed to touch. that darker gray box is a leak detector, and i'm really curious how it works.

Christine is ADD, Exhibit A: a pile of screws.

at the beginning of the day, my desk had some computer parts on it, but not one complete computer. later, they gave me a nice little laptop and the first thing i did was download mozilla and aim, in that order. :) i thought this setup was cute... "imac, meet dell. dell, imac!" *cpus proceed to shake...uhh* </daydreaming>

Kimwipes. Though the Kim is obviously for Kimberly-Clark, I can't help thinking of my hopelessly Korean supervisor every time I see that box (even though his name is Dr. Park). I'm sure he's brilliant, but his English is very hard to understand. Actually, a lot of people here (1)are Asian and (2)don't speak enrish very well. But-- again-- this is probably expected.

(did i mention i have reading glasses now? i'm such an old person...)
The only direction I received all day was to review the material I was asked to read earlier, as well as to look over something else:

... it's in german! "you can read german, right?" my supervisor asked. (what i won't tell you is that i actually got worried for a second... oh wait) -_-' anyway-- he was joking, by the way. the last itty-bitty part with the equations is in english. whee!

Results:

there wasn't much for me to do, and i ended up having a lot of free time. first day essentials: cherry coke, ipod, book.

Conclusion:
First day was kind of rough, but-- again-- I guess that's expected. I honestly tried to keep myself occupied and on task, but i was only successful for... maybe three hours. It's hard when the only assignment I was given was to review material that I had already read. The other four hours were spent trying to read a slow book-- distracted all the while, worrying whether or not they seriously expected me to still be working on that one small assignment, and not wanting to "slack off" (though there really wasn't anything else to do) and make a bad impression. What is it with asians and a lack of communication?

My mom assures me that jobs always start out this slow, and that they don't really expect you to do anything your first day... and I hope so. I hate feeling useless, and I hate not knowing what I'm expected to do.

Anyway, I hope things get better. All I really want right now is some project I can really get into-- or at least something I can keep myself busy with. I hate to think that it's because I need to substantiate my life, but I'm afraid that's maybe what it's turning into. Sad...

crutch music review... funny stuff

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 20:40:00 GMT

from The Crutch Music Review:

"Interpol Myth #3 – Interpol’s biggest weakness is their lyrics.
All right, there’s something to this one. Banks does just fine when he sticks to playing with braids and expressing alienation (some of Bright Lights’s best turns were also its simplest, i.e. “I can’t pretend I don’t need to defend / some part of me from you / I know I’ve spent some time away”), but flounders a bit when he ventures into abstraction (remember “She can read / she can read / she can read / she’s mad”?). While the songs on Antics are all of a piece with the grand, piercing sweep of Bright Lights, the biggest change on it are Banks’s vocals: they’re more crisply enunciated, sung with more melodic inflection, and both of these are positive changes. But in contrast to the dim murk of Bright Lights, Antics is much more brightly produced and translucent, and so the lyrics, often obscured on the last record, and more immediately discernible on this one. And natch, there are some clunkers. Banks seems intent on rowing out into heady metaphysical waters and losing his way with ponderous hunks of lead like, “Time is like a broken watch” (hint: similes are supposed to draw parallels between two dissimilar things). Indeed, he seems to often go wrong when pontificating on the nature of time, turning out some of the most unintelligible imagery since the Postal Service: “If time is my vessel / then learning to love might be my way back to the sea.” Wait, what? But Banks still balances this abstruse stuff with more direct, acute lines like “We spies / we slow hands / put the weights all around yourself,” and with plainspoken, stirring appeals for love. Like the Postal Service, the words soon sink into the sonorous cadences of the music and become unobtrusive, and the music is engaging enough you smile and grit your teeth until they subside. Regardless, this myth is true. But I didn’t expect great literature from Antics, and if you were a fan of Interpol’s last album, neither did you. What Interpol fans have hoped for, all that could be asked, was for Antics to add another tier to the shadowy spire of modern new wave they created a couple years ago – while it may take a couple listens to get used to the new, cleaner production, Antics keeps the promise Interpol made to fans with Bright Lights. It delivers."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

amusing. i know song lyrics are supposed to be poetry set to music, but i can't help finding it weird when people deconstruct interpol lyrics and analyze them like they would a literature critique. (nevertheless, it's good stuff). anyway, he compares interpol to my beloved postal service, and he's kind of right, now that i think about it.

anyway, the point is, despite their "unintelligible imagery," i just can't get those two damn lines out of my head.

brainless

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 03:31:46 GMT

couldn't fall asleep last night-- lots to think about-- so i tried listening to music. got my ipod and started with norah jones. didn't work (miracle! i've only ever heard the first few tracks of feels like home because i always fall asleep by track 3 or 4). then frou frou: let go, then breathe in (my favorite). couldn't help it. stop! cranked the volume up loud. took out the left earpiece and tried to blast everything out. imagined it oozing. out out out!... you're not wanted here.

home is where the-- bed-- is. :)

Wed, 29 Jun 2005 21:01:58 GMT

after one misplaced luggage and some "i parked in K9, nice and easy to remember... or was it K6?", i'm finally home (yay!). own room own BED own computer, buffalo wings, and temperature-controlled air conditioning. mmmmm... hoooommme. :)

went down to emory today to do the paperwork for the internship i'm starting friday. the room i'm working in was pretty impressive (i wish i had brought my camera)-- very unorganized and science-y, with tanks of compressed fluorine and oxygen scattered about, and random bits of aluminum foil everywhere. i was informed that i'll be working with "computer simulations of complex chemical reactions relevant to the combustion of methanol and ethanol fuels" (but i'm not exactly sure what that means!) -_-' from what i gathered today, it has to do with equilibrium constants and those reaction mechanism thingies (like A + B --> C, C + D --> E, etc, etc... eh? eh? all coming back to you?) ;) but, instead of figuring everything out by hand, it's all on a computer program. yay! that's where i come in... as in, i think i'm going to be the data-imputting-dummy. >.< hmm... i have yet to decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. anyway, it's not all clear what i'll be doing yet, so i'll let you know later.

seems like everyone has a job lately *imagines cici cutting coins with her knives*... *shudder*

other than that, i've just been trying to keep happy and keep from locking myself in my room and throwing out the key.