Argentina, here I come

So, travel wasn't that bad. I got about 2 hours of sleep on Tuesday, but I can never sleep well before a flight.

I got to the airport at 5:15, when my flight was due to leave at 6. Yes, I know the 'hour before you leave' rule, but the Ithaca airport is seriously small -- plus, the taxi was late. I got through security about the time the plane should have boarded, but I know better than to expect any 'first flight' from Ithaca to take off on time, especially in the winter.

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Which is surprising, because I'm still fucking BROKE, for no reason other than lazy bureaucrats not getting their asses in gear. Hrmph. I'm also not getting uni stuff done at the moment, because... er, I guess I'm also lazy. At least I don't make anyone's life but my own harder with that.

But anyway, whatever, HAPPY:

It's gotten cold here the last few days, but I finally got around to getting a fire started in the oven today (because it's the first day in forever that I returned form uni early enough to make it worthwhile; also, I needed to borrow money to buy some coal first), so I'm no longer spending my nights huddled in bed, with socks on, a T-shirt under my PJ's, and a blanket over the duvet. (It was some ten degrees below zero outside. I'm normally pretty cold-resistant, but considering the house is badly insulated, that was uncomfortable even by my standards.) Warm now! \o/

Yesterday, it started snowing, and right now it's snowing again, which also always brings me warm fuzzies. And thanks to the cold previous days, the snow isn't turning to mud before it even hits the ground, like it normally does. There's not even a cm high yet, but everything is looking pretty already. I don't give a shit about Christmas, but truly snowy holidays would get me in a festive mood anyway.

Today, mom brought the dog over, because I woke up from the rustling and whistling of a mouse gong through my dustbin. She hasn't caught it yet, though, so my suspicion is that it either lives behind the wardrobe, or under the floorboards. Crap. But anyway, it's good to have company! Animals beat people in that regard any day.

My internet hasn't died either (yet) -- though if it does, don't be surprised, it's been hiccuping for a while now. ":-/

Also, I have tea, biscuits, and whooly socks, and am wrapped in wintery cosiness all over.

And to make things perfect, I have new Te fic, whee!

Following post is political. You can disagree, or not, but keep things polite.

So, I saw this post on my feedreader today. For those of you who don't follow the link, it talks about a New York Emergency Room nurse who is suing her employer because she was required to assist in an emergency second trimester abortion. She claims that the hospital should have found another nurse to assist.

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I feel like I need to quote Cordelia Vorkosigan here -- a book character from Lois Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga. She once said that she believed in a god and immortal souls, which meant that she always put people before ideas. Because if some part of people lived forever, they were more important than ideas, which didn't.

* Except maybe for people who cannot afford anything else, since ERs are obligated to treat everyone, regardless of payment ability. But my thought on Health Care are another rant entirely.

** Not funny. More along the lines of 'making me want to punch people.

Dammit, I planned ahead. I started work in September, even. And yet I still have three gifts undone for the holidays, even assuming that I write off one gift as going out in January. In fact, the one gift I have done, I probably won't get the address for until tonight -- too late to mail it.

I am this close to asking all the folks I have gifts planned for if they'll accept an art commission (done by colored pencils, marker, or pen-and-ink, probably at Mom's kitchen table) with the promise that they will get their gift sometime before spring.

We oughtta have an initiative constitutional amendment to ban 7:00 finals. 8:00 classes are hell enough. *got up at 4:00*

Okay, in cleaning out my apartment, I discovered duplicates of some Fullmetal Alchemist DVDs. Since I need space, I'm offering them for sale.

Fullmetal Alchemist Discs 1 and 2 -- $5 The printed material is a bit water-damaged and the booklet is missing, but the DVDs themselves are fine. Disc 1 contains episodes 1-4, and Disc 2 contains 5-8.

Fullmetal Alchemist Box Set 2 (Contains Disks 5-7/Episodes 17-28) -- $15 This is pretty much like new, except the plastic wrap came off.

I'll say a blanket $5 for shipping and handling. Also, I go out of town on Wednesday, so everything else will be shipped when I get back on the 4th of January.

If someone takes everything, I'll offer free shipping to that person.

Paypal is fine for sending payments -- I can give you my account if you're interested.

ETA: Got someone expressing interest.

So, I'm a fan of the Basara series of manga by Yumi Tamura*. While I'm told it was the thing for people my age and sex to have read growing up in Japan, and a full English translation exists, it never caught on in America, so the later volumes had tiny print runs. As a result, there's no copies left in online bookstores, and the secondary market is gone.

I managed to collect everything except volumes 19 and 20. Now I'm stuck. So, I place the call out to you, Intrepid LJ-ers. Find me these two volumes for under $20, and I will pay you half the price of the volume. Or draw you something -- your choice.

* It is my favorite example of 'shoujo manga' != suck.

*sigh* The sunset is gilding the condensation on my windowpane, and the clouds are looking all grand and dramatic. Suddenly, I feel sorry for having wasted all day in bed with my laptop, but it's too late now.
This shouldn't feel like a metaphor for my life as much as it does.

Specifically, porn. (What? it's Sunday, I'm allowed some porn! And since there doesn't seem to be any of the good fresh kind around, I have to think thinly-disguised-as-meta thoughts about porn instead.) Even more specifically, kinky porn. ( Bruce and his Robins -- not everyone's cuppa cognac, therefore: cut. )

Now, if only I had the writing skills to pull off something in this vein... grrr! *frustratedly kicks things*

My brothers are chasing each other around the house, fighting over who gets to practice running in high heels next.

It would be much more impressive if the only pair of heels we have weren't so short.

Dear Headache -- please go away. You are the last thing short of internal haemorrhage I need right now.

Dear Roommates -- go THE FUCK away, so my headache can, too.

Dear Student Loans Office People -- fuck yourselves with a rusty scythe and then GO DIE IN A FIRE. First you conveniently lose/ignore you had it in the first place one of the papers and only tell me one week before the application deadline (at a point where I had already been waiting for my money), leaving me to scramble for a replacement. Then you leave me hanging for another month and don't even answer the phone. And when you -- finally -- answer my (increasingly desperate/pissed off) emails, it's to tell me you won't be able to "review the application" -- never mind send the money -- before January? Seriously? You are aware that if I didn't have family living nearby, I wouldn't have anything but cupboard-corner rests to eat and generally live off (like, you know, buy coal for heating and such, as it's mid-December) for the next three + weeks? And even that family won't help me pay January's rent in time, because they don't have that sort of money to spare, either. Also, that Christmas thing you're supposed to buy gifts for? Yeah. It's a good thing we don't do that at home anyway (only the kids get presents, everyone else gets socks from granny and promise each other aid in the next strenuous undertaking around the house or garden), and the only thing I have to spring for is the Secret Santa thing in my circle of friends' gift exchange, plus the drinks for the evening. Because otherwise this'd be a damn sad Christmas! WTF happened to the Welfare state I supposedly live in???

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the plus side, I inherited a wonderfully warm winter jacket. It's blood-red (ew, colour! in my wardrobe! *g*) and probably a man's jacket (the sleeves are too long for me, and it doesn't fit around my hips, so it keeps riding up), but good quality and sporty looking. Also, warm and for free and almost new to boot. Yay!

I'm going into pre-finals semi-silent mode, where I don't write much. Will say the latest from New Jersey pisses me off, but I was also glad today to get up and read Bruce Springsteen's statement on his official website:

A BRIEF STATEMENT FROM BRUCE
Like many of you who live in New Jersey, I've been following the progress of the marriage-equality legislation currently being considered in Trenton. I've long believed in and have always spoken out for the rights of same sex couples and fully agree with Governor Corzine when he writes that, "The marriage-equality issue should be recognized for what it truly is -- a civil rights issue that must be approved to assure that every citizen is treated equally under the law." I couldn't agree more with that statement and urge those who support equal treatment for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters to let their voices be heard now.

I spent all day in uni today (again). The fact that this makes me feel awful -- caged in and sapped of all creative spirit -- says clearer than words how wrong I am in academia. (Note to self: never write an entry about all the reasons academia isn't for you; it'd be novel length.) I just wish there was some sort of alternative that wasn't worse where lack of free time is concerned. ":-( That lottery billion may feel free to descend on my bank account any day now.

Right now, my roommate has that abominable asshole friend of his over again, and the guy is somehow incapable of being quiet, or, you know, only normal-people levels of loud and annoying, not special ones. I need to get up at six, so fucking let me sleep! *deathglare* The worst thing is, no matter how much I complain, he just doesn't seem to understand the mere concept of being unwelcome. My roommate himself has told him to go away to his face on several occasions, and he hasn't gotten it. Hell, I've called him an asshole to his face and never even greet him anymore, and he doesn't get it! I mean, I'm socially inept and fail at picking up cues, but that wasn't possible to miss, except if you're INCREDIBLY FUCKING DUMB. *fights rising urge to kill*

I'm so very tempted to skip uni tomorrow, but this is starting to get habitual again, which is not good. And anyway, I'd only spend most of the day in bed with my laptop, reading (probably pitifully mediocre, because it seems I've been through all the good stuff) porn and not getting shit done, and then feel vaguely guilty (mostly because the porn won't have been worth it -- I never feel bad skipping for good porn *shrugs*). Or riding again, but this is getting out of hand to the point where my hobbies are starting to collide for TMI physical reasons. Yes, I've been riding that much lately. *facepalm*

I haven't updated in a while, have I? Well, nothing much has happened, and uni has been keeping me busy. (By my standards of busy, anyway.) So, the latest news is trivia, but have them anyway:

- Stupid student loans aren't coming in, argh! Now the rent's paid, I'm so penniless, it's not even funny! Same shit every year: they take their sweet time working through the applications and leave you high and dry in the meantime. Fuckers.

- Especially since my old bike gave up the ghost two weeks ago as well, and I needed a new one (because it's my only means of getting anywhere). Fortunately, I found a good one that same day, and could afford it with some borrowed cash from grandpa. It's one of those lovely old Dutch ones that are still better after fifty years of use than most bikes you buy brand new. I'll avoid the mistake of riding it downhill in the future, though, because while the brakes work okay under normal circumstances, they gave out on me on the slope. That was the kind of situation that's only fun in hindsight. ":-/

- Despite these issues, I now got me the overdue haircut and a ton of comfort food -- the last of my money wouldn't have sufficed for a winter jacket anyway. This way at least I feel badass and well-fed while I prepare to freeze my arse off. So far it hasn't been too bad -- for once I approve of the disgusting, warm & muddy German Lowland winters -- but the temperatures are announced to drop this week...

- Arabian is hard work! The prof is good, if strict, though. Only the textbook is weird, in that it seems all set to confirm every awful cliché ever: the vocab of the first few chapters contains a ton of religious words, plus fun stuff like "army," "war," and "weapons." Yeah. Because everyone who speaks Arabian is a militant religious fanatic. *facepalm*

- I did what I always do when I'm stressed: escape. I spent more time on horseback than in uni the last week, and that may well be why I'm in a relatively good mood, considering the fact that my still-not-done assignments are eating me alive. Luckily, [horse-friend] is busy at work at the moment, so she doesn't mind me borrowing her mare all the time. Yes, I know my problems won't solve themselves... but I still feel better if I avoid thinking about them as much as possible, and riding is a very good way to do so.

I was talking to a lady the other day about the difficulty getting into classes. "Oh," said she, "but they're building all those fancy new buildings! They have money!" Well, no. Those buildings are being built with bond money -- borrowed funds -- which is only available for the cost of construction. Truth is, we've lost departments, classes, and employees; the teachers we still have accepted pay cuts to keep from losing more. We students know we can't count on the classes we want being available or offered again, and after last semester when no class had room for latecomers we're fighting like mad to get into the coming semester's offerings. This is probably why I have spent the last four hours trying to get into the registration website, even trying the phone method in desperation, without any success.

HELP ME.

Edit: HAHA I BEAT THE SYSTEM I'M IN I'M IN I'M IN I CAN HAS EDUCATION YAY