Updatey Goodness
moocowinthecity Colonel Pickering: Are you a man of good character where women are concerned?
Professor Higgins: Have you ever met a man of good character where women are concerned?
So the Linguistics hoodies came in the other day.
They’re wonderful, and amazing, and embroidered, and just fantastic. I need to get frat letters for the back of mine. The letters are Iota Rho Alpha, representing the co-ed Linguistics Frat that we invented like, three weeks ago on a whim…our rival frat – which doesn’t exist yet – is Alpha Phi Alpha…and if you find yourself laughing at this, you’re a Linguistics geek too. If you don’t get it, don’t bother, it’s really not worth the time on your end to investigate it, though I’ll be more than happy to explain it to you ad nauseam if you want.
Itai (nir1), look for yours in the mail soon, I ordered one for you as a thank you for putting up with my constant barrage of Aliyah questions and as a pre-thank you for eventually putting up with my geeking this Summer…that and the fact that you mention how cold it gets (it’s all relative), so I figured a real Buffalo made hoodie will do you some good.
I’m going to the post office on Friday.
Speaking of, Carrie (carrie01) if you email me your address one last time I can get what I have to send you out. I’m doing everything in one shipment, and Poppy look for some Mac & Cheese in Ireland soon as well…I have your address in Eire.
Course-wise I’m doing fine. I say fine, not wonderful, because I’ve been getting B’s and I haven’t had the opportunity to raise them to A’s yet…and if I were getting A’s I’d still be miserable because our school doesn’t give out A+’s so I never know if it’s really an A or if I could have done better in theory and raised it to an A+ because, at the end of the day, I’m a masochist. I told my mom I got a B+ on one of my exams and she goes “are you happy” and I was like “No! It’s a B+” what kind of question is that!? Even if I get beyond a 100 on an exam, there’s something I don’t know or maybe got on a chance or a whim.
Academics is a full contact sport. There’s only so many grants, so many fellowships, so many opportunities.
After Today (Thursday) I’m officially on Spring Break and asides from the Anime North/Yaoi North staff meeting on Sunday and the two professional exams (see the next section of this post) I’m just relaxing in NYC/LI and studying my Arabic Flash cards for the mid-term we have on the Thursday after Spring Break.
The paper on Eminem is getting more and more fleshed out, and I’m finishing the proposal tonight (I’ll post the revision later) to turn into Wölk and Jürgen’s mailboxes on Friday. When I finish the paper, I’m mailing two copies to Marshal Mathers…one will have my autograph on it (for him) and one will be asking for his autograph (SASE included, of course).
Of course, he could tell me to go fuck myself and much like the rejection letter that I want from Harvard, I’d frame that letter too…speaking of, I need the Harvard Grad school application when their new one’s come out. It’s been my aspiration for a while, to have a rejection letter from Harvard hung on my office wall right next to my future nobel prize and a picture of me with the Yankees all standing next to me after I throw out the first pitch on the mound. The beauty of it is, that if I apply, they sort of have to send me a rejection letter, unless of course they sent me an acceptance letter as a rejection of my request for a rejection letter, in which case Harvard and I would be in a fight.
I have three classes next semester, one possible TAship and then I’m outtie. Sort of freaky, also sort of awesome.
So Dad and I May Be Members of the Same Gun Club…
So I’ve been meaning to take the 45 hour handgun course for a while now. I haven’t gone to a range to shoot since I was 16 and I’ve been meaning to brush up and Dad’s also wanted to take the 45 hour course, so we might do it together this Summer which would be cool. Sort of a father and son bonding session over the smell of gunpowder in an underground shooting hole, firing at targets representing the human form…it’s the stuff Hallmark Cards are made of “(Dad, thank you for taking the time to remind me, again, to put the safety on…Happy Fathers Day…”).
Speaking of, I’m sitting for the P.I. Exam this Tuesday as well as the Notary Exam…wish me luck on either or both or, if you’re feeling contrary, neither.
Personal Trainers & Health Update
So I went for the second of three shots in the Hepatitis B Vaccine Regimen (and I get to repeat this experience with the Hepatitis A Vaccine next) the other day, when I was on Long Island which is good. One more shot to go. The next shot date is in Five Months and then I’m vaccinated, my appointment is in July. The shots don’t bother me, I have two tattoos, what bothers me is how tired I feel after them (despite my recent relapse into insomnia).
I have to make an appointment to see my Doctor again over Spring Break though, so I can get a physical, a thyroid test, a thyroid uptake test, a glucose test, and the gamut of tests that I should get due to family history. I’m not actually worried about anything, but part of the defense to a future problem is knowing at what points you’ve been okay at and at what points problems started to occur.
I’m really looking to find a new personal trainer, I really don’t like the one my parents use, I don’t think he works me out hard enough, he talks too much and he’s unprofessional.
I emailed CT (the G.I. from my Arabic Class) to see what his rates are since he’s also a trainer (and, for all I know he might do it for free or for barter). If my parent’s join the new gym by our house though, I can probably get a summer membership through our health insurance for July which would be nice.
However, I have been making positive steps weight wise/health wise. I’ve been keeping a daily food journal, and keeping my calories at or below 1,600 and I’m making positive steps nutrition wise…it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change, it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change, it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change…lather, rinse, repeat.
The UJA
So despite giving me a hard time on a regular basis, my father does a lot of great work and donates a lot of his time, money, and services to people in need. He’s in the process of starting a project to build and provide free of charge, rehabilitation housing and a complex to take care of Vets who need rehab after they come back from combat, where they can get physical therapy in a comfortable setting, in houses that are built for disabilities and where their families can join them through the process. He’s already got a donation for the land from LIBI. For his hard work, the UJA is honoring my Father at a black-tie dinner. When the UJA heard from my parents that I was making Aliyah they wanted to meet with me; when they heard I was coming into NYC for a few days on short notice, they cancelled their schedules, moved things around and met with me, answered questions, and gave me a tour of their facilities.
So I went to meet with them, and they were absolutely wonderful, They’ve already found me a program that they run in Israel to train people as Emergency Medical Interpreters, found me an Ulpan for July in NYC at Columbia and one in Haifa that they highly recommend. They were just beyond helpful. I may be taking them up on an Internship for the month that I’ll be home this Summer. The only problem with the dinner honoring my Father is that it’s on a Thursday…and I know that I can miss Jürgen’s class (he may do cartwheels if I’m not there, I bust his balls weekly and I’m the only one who talks in his class, interrupting his muppet monologue) and Prof. Roustum wouldn’t have an issue with it, so I’d have to high tail it to the airport, changing into a Tux on the way, and landing in NYC on Time…we’ll see what I can swing.
“The tavern owner loves a drunkard, but not for a son in law” – Jewish Proverb/Aliyah Question Time!
So I’m filling out my paperwork for the The Jewish Agency so they can open my Tik, in preparation to turn in after my trip in June (I prepare my paperwork in advance, so that way it’s out of my way and I don’t have to worry about it), and it asks about alcohol, under the same question as illegal drugs and addictive medications. Is the question “have I ever had any?” Or does this mean, that I’ve had alcohol in a manner that would put me on the brink of becoming a member of Alcoholic’s Anonymous. Do they really care that I had a couple of drinks, at the club, like, six months ago? I won’t be dishonest, I’m just really looking to answer what they’re actually trying to ask.
Time to get ready for the last day of classes before Spring Break!
That means Shower, More Coffee, Breakfast, Clothes…all that fun stuff.
Peace!
