Mad at the World

It's one of those days. Nothing has gone right. I woke up and was having stomach problems that necessitate being near a bathroom. Makes going to work hard. So I got some work done at the house and tried to get other things done.

For example, I called Verizon. Last month was heinous for phone calls between the family remodel and other things, so my minutes went over. First time that's happened since I increased them. Turns out, if I had known I had a Friends and Family thing included in my plan, I wouldn't have had that problem. Yet when I asked them about it during my plan changeover (in September) they said I didn't. Angry.

I called the VA to ensure that my enrollment for Fall was submitted, which I assumed was submitted with summer. It hasn't been. Which means that my school has yet again failed to do what they need to do. I won't be getting paid September 1st and who knows how long it will take. Angry.

So I called my school to try to get that figured out. The woman who is supposed to be in charge of this didn't answer her phone (she never does). The Financial Aid office also doesn't answer their phone and you can't leave a message because their mailbox is full. Angry.

I still can't get into the Bio class I need to graduate on time. No one seems to be able to help me.

Basically, today has failed on every possible level.

Small Update

I'm back in Virginia. I was supposed to be here yesterday, but my back completely died on me. Not happy. I was able to move more today and made the drive and am now happily medicated so while my back still hurts, I no longer care. I'll be back to my externship tomorrow.

A Weekend

Had a really awesome weekend. Several people met up for dinner on Friday night at Peaches HotHouse, a great soul food restaurant in Brooklyn (that just looks weird, but it's totally true!). It was a lot of fun after all the construction work and craziness.

Speaking of the construction - the house look amazing. My dad is truly a master at what he does and my uncle is in his class. The relater was impressed and the house should be listed in a week. Even at earliest possible sale date, I would have until about the end of September to worry about my next living arrangement, but we're just going with it at this point.

Saturday we did P90X yoga (exhausting) and Karina and I went to the Brew for tea and sushi for dinner. Today I had guests to the house for dinner and cooked turkey with gravy, masked potatoes and green beans. For desert we did peaches with cream and tea. Yummy, if I do say so myself. We watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in my continuing efforts to build Chris' ever-expanding musical repertoire, since I converted him from "I hate musicals" to something quite the opposite.

So overall, it was a good weekend. Not as much got done as I had hoped, but I got everything done that I needed to so I feel good about it.

Logan's Run

When I was in high school, I had serious insomnia and spent my evenings watching Nick at Nite and the SciFy channel. At some point in there, I saw Logan's Run for the first time and fell in love it it. It was crucial in developing my love of the post-apocalyptic genre, such as The Hunger Games series or the Planet of the Apes movies (I've seen them all). But Logan's Run started it all.

The movie was filmed in the 70s and a lot of that is felt in the movie. People live in pure pleasure and free of responsibilities until they are killed on their 30th birthday in a ritual called Carousel, where they face the option of rebirth. Those who try to evade this fate are called Runners and tracked down by elite police (likened by star Michael York to the SS) called Sandmen. York plays a Sandman, Logan 5 who is put on a mission to find Sanctuary, which is supposedly where the 1000+ missing runners have gone. He pairs up with Jessica 6 (played by the lovely Jenny Agutter) in this pursuit and becomes a Runner himself.

It's a rather complicated movie, actually. Some of the things are illogical (the aging scheme is inconsistent and the world would have deteriorated far more by the 23rd century). However it's rather fascinating to watch and consider. On a production scale, they did a great job at creating a futuristic world, though the free love concepts of the 60s and 70s definitely make their way in. I am also caught off guard by the free expression of sexuality in the movie compared to the tame way we address it today. Jessica 6 is nearly naked the first time we see her and fully naked at least once in the film (she apparently was originally supposed to be naked more, but it was cut for timing ,though a "knicker reel" - her words - apparently circulated Hollywood). We get flashed repeatedly by women in very short skirts and loose tops. And in the Love Shop, people are naked and having sex, right on screen! It was a bit startling. I don't particularly object to it, I think we've gotten a bit prude as a society, but it was so unusual.

That aside, it is one of my favorite movies. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's available on Netflix (DVD only right now) and worth the rental. And Michael York remains one of the most attractive British actors ever. Even now, he's a stud.

Odd Perceptions

Isn't it interesting to see how other people see you? Especially when it's a surprise or someone you thought actually knew you. I've been painted with all sorts of brushes over the years and most of them don't phase me anymore. Amuse me, yes. I get giggling with some of merits and flaws attributed to my character that are off base.

The most recent one is interesting. I won't go into details, but basically perception of my interaction with another group is so very different from the way that I see myself within that group that it threw me for a loop. Particularly because, while I know the characterization was intended as a compliment, it's not a set of attributes that I usually see myself as having or, perhaps more importantly, am interested in having. It's not a role I have a desire to play and make no effort to fulfill that role, yet that is how I am perceived.

My initial reaction was to be insulted, however I've put that aside since it was intended to be insulting. Instead, I'm trying to examine my actions rather than my motives to see if I can figure out what led to this particular perception, which I know will lead to frustration on my part in the future, as well as how to change it.

Kind of threw me off in the process, though.

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I read all three of these books from Monday afternoon to Tuesday evening, probably about 36 hours from start to finish. They are a young adult trilogy and read very easily without sounding like they're talking to teenagers.

Read them.

The story follows Katniss Everdeen, a young girl in a post apocalyptic US. The country has been divided into 12 districts, each which provides a different product or service to the Capital city (coal, lumber, fishing, etc). 75 years prior to the first book, the districts rose up against the Capital and, as punishment and a reminder of what happens when you revolt, each district must provide one boy and one girl, called tributes, annually to the Hunger Games. The 24 kids, from 12 - 18, must fight to the death in a manufactured arena for the entertainment of the Capital, and horror of the districts. The winner will live a life of luxury and ease.

These books are fantastic. They do a beautiful job at poking around in the psyche of both developing individuals living in this environment and adults who are forced to cope with what their government does to their children, as well as the spirit of subjugation and rebellion. It also manages to be a coming-of-age story that isn't overdone. The writing is quick and rich enough to paint this world that in so many ways feels like ours (poor coal mining communities in Appalachia are not new) but is so different (killing kids for sport).

I really suggest reading these books all together. If you read the first one, you'll want to read the second one and having to wait to get it is torture. Pick up all three (or borrow them), read them and then pass them along to someone else who hasn't read them. Then go see the movies when they start releasing in March 2012.

Yup, I'm a convert.

Another location

I'm back in New York this week and next doing slave labor for my father on the house. Today, I started recovering my room since the ENTIRE house is covered in sawdust. BUT - the hardwood floors look amazing and it only took one coat of paint to put my walls back in order in the bedroom. I can now clean it and call it done.

Spent about 3 hours at the VA today. Rheumo followup and they always run late, though today was a little later than usual. Thankfully, my doctor is very kind (and cute) and came out to tell me that he was running late and offered me the option of rescheduling. I waited. We had a lovely chat and he poked my muscles (owie) and joints. The determination was a medicine change once I'm back for good since he'll need to monitor the change. I'm suddenly excited to be back full time. The head rheumo agreed (sidenote: he's totally one of those people who just sits with me wrong) and we're good to go....in August.

Got my nails done, so I feel better. It's amazing the difference a pedicure makes. My toes are orange and my fingers are an ever practical light pink. Nice summer combo.

I miss my dog, who is hanging out in VA while we tear up floors and use loud things that would make him cranky. It's been raining since a freak storm rolled in yesterday, though we haven't had awesome thunder and lightning today. Hanging out with my dad and step-uncle has been fun, especially since I haven't seen the latter in probably 20 years. I love having a large family!