I don't know what my problem is, because I have been too busy to think for the last three weeks, but suddenly, i feel like playing the Sims. I haven't played in many months at this point, haven't had time, and haven't missed it. But now that the sun is out and I'm starting to be a not-so-horrible runner and I'm losing weight and looking better and I'm no longer depressed and I'm finally making some friends, I really, really, really want to sit on the couch and play video games all day. VIDEO GAMES.



( Choose Your Own Adventure: Sims stuff and my new[ish] community )

( OR travel/running/nerdy/happy stuff )

How do you measure your awesomeness? Whether you consider yourself truly fabulous or a dedicated loser is immaterial here, what we're concerned with today is how this is measured.

As I was driving home from class today, singing along with feigned enthusiasm with songs I do not even like on the radio so as to remain alert, a song came on that made me stop to think about how I define success in life: More Than Words, by Extreme. Sure, most people consider it a love song of sorts, a plea for demonstrative affection, a reminder that actions do indeed speak louder than words. But for me, it brings back memories of a different kind.

( Long, strange meditation on how the awesome is measured by the perceived non-awesome )

I think I have a date on Monday night. What the hell are you supposed to do on a date?

Soooo... I brought home a new guinea pig today.

My coworker Sylvie has been telling me for weeks that her eight-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with guinea pig allergies. They later realized that the two-year-old had been on and off a nebulizer for almost exactly the same amount of time as they had had the guinea pig. So they decided the only thing to do was get rid of the pig. The only problem was they had all completely fallen in love with her. They brought her home shortly after their 13-year-old husky died. Sylvie was heartbroken, and her daughter, even more so. This dog had guarded Sarah's crib from her infancy. This was Sarah's first real experience with death. They couldn't bring themselves to get another dog, but they needed to do something to keep themselves busy, so they brought home a little guinea pig named Minnie. They love her. Sylvie would come into work every morning with a story, a question, a request for book recommendations, or some other guinea pig chatter for me. But Sarah and Emma had been mysteriously sick ever since the guinea pig came into their lives. It took months before they made the connection. But the guinea pig had to go. They couldn't bring themselves to bring her to a shelter or a rescue. They wanted to be able to visit her and see how she was doing from time to time. So they asked me if I would take her.

( well duh...pics behind the cut. )

I ran EIGHT MILES today. EIGHT MILES.

I found out that there is a nature preserve and acres of forest about four miles from my house. There are also farms and orchards, and if you meet people outside, they offer you apple cider. I don't take cider from strangers, but still. I had no idea where I lived, apparently. I saw deer chasing each other and what I think was a pheasant.

AND I RAN EIGHT MILES.

That is all.

...but at least tinkerbell_hips and sukkamielli are, too!

( click to discover how surprisingly bad I am )

"Certificate in General Translation" won by a narrow margin, so I sent an inquiry to NYU to see how it all works. I was concerned about the language pairs, since they offer French to English (which I can easily do), but for Portuguese, they only offer English to Portuguese. I speak Portuguese fluently, but I am not a native speaker, and it is really not recommended for students to translate into anything other than their native language. At many schools, it isn't allowed. But my Portuguese is actually better than my French, so that's really my preferred second language and I don't want to leave it behind! Anyway, the translation advisor got back to me today! I was impressed, because a bit of googling turned up that the consensus is the program is great, but the administration is atrocious, so if you need information, you had better be prepared for battle. But here we are in the middle of summer, and the advisor got back to me almost right away! Perhaps I am special? He said I would only have to pass a test to prove I can speak Portuguese fluently, and it would be no problem for me to enter the program. So yay!

I have to work out my finances now, since I lost my budget for the year when I lost my hard drive, but assuming I can find a way to afford it, I think I may actually do this thing! And the Persian and Turkish and Arabic? I'll keep studying on my own, and maybe I can swing it sometime in the future, just so I'll have another certification to fill out my application for grad school. I want my application to be THICK. Cube-shaped, even. I have to impress them enough with cool stuff I do now so that they will overlook my less-than-stellar undergraduate GPA. Must...be...awesome...need...more..certificates....

Also, this is the most dreadfully boring entry I've ever written. Sorry.


ETA: I just checked the results again. Apparently some more people voted, so now we have a three-way tie between Middle Eastern languages, translation, and Guitar Hero. So fine, people, FINE! I'm going to try to do ALL THREE! I have to draw up a budget and see what I can afford, but I will TRY to take the introductory translation AND intensive Arabic classes in the Fall. And work full-time and continue my MA and study for my PhD and take dance lessons and make friends and have a social life and meet a guy and get married and have kids and be a superhero! Okay?

Fasten seatbelts. Okay. I am currently working full-time and enrolled in a dual-certification MA program in Education. I have every intention of going for my PhD in Linguistics after I finish the MA. But since I am working now, I can only take one class per semester. So this will take a while. Especially since my school is rather far, now that I've moved.

So I am looking for things to do and I'm a huge nerd so I always want to be studying something. Saturday intensive Arabic classes? Definitely something to consider. Maybe even a certificate in Middle Eastern Languages (some Arabic, some Persian, even a little Turkish. Because I can). Or what about the NYU distance learning certificate in general translation? It's only six classes, I can do it on my own time, it will give me opportunities for part-time work while I do my student teaching and the PhD, and I can do both French and Portuguese. I can finish it by next year without missing a beat in my other program. Or should I try to take some linguistics classes to get some formal training under my belt before I apply for the PhD (in about two years, and I do have plans to attend a few institutes for credit before I apply)?

Before you tell me to take deep breaths and just finish the degree program I'm already in, please realize that I'm certifiably insane and that's not an option. I can only take one class this semester for my MA, there is simply no other way to schedule it. So I must make use of my time! What now, what now? I need credentials! My PhD application just looks silly now; let's build up some skills and experience!

( Everybody loves polls, no? )

...is coming, I promise.

I'm working on a big project. It will be very, very different from my previous legacies. Much more of a story format, really not much of a legacy at all. I'm a bit sad to have to sacrifice some Sim free will in favor of my preconceived plot lines, but I think it will be worthwhile if I can achieve what I've envisioned. It will not be particularly humorous, which is something I will miss as well. I may play another family in a more traditional way on the side, and perhaps I'll decide to post something here if I'm enjoying myself. But for now, BIG PLANS.

I'll admit I'm a bit worried, because I'm planning on doing something slightly unorthodox. I don't know if it will come across as ridiculous, because I'm planning to combine some rather serious pursuits of mine (recreational and academic alike) with the Sims, which is, well, a game. I don't know how well the rather intense storyline will go over in a largely "for lulz" community. Or perhaps I will miss the lulz and decide not to take it so seriously in the end. All I know now is that I'm excited about my ideas and just struggling to find the best way to implement them. I am not much for building, creating Sims, custom content creation, or even photography, so a project that is essentially a Sim illustration of the ideas in my head is probably a VERY silly idea. But it's my idea. And I'm very stubborn.

I hope you will be patient with me!

...they couldn't recover any of the data from my hard drive. The best and the brightest guys around, and they couldn't get anything off of it. They said the damage was really bad and asked if I had dropped my laptop. I told them it sat on my desk all night while I slept. Plugged into a surge protector.

I seriously feel like I just lost my whole life. I need to just go home and curl up in a ball and cry.

It's kind of awkward for me to post about things that are going on in my life. It's more than just the fact that I haven't had time. I'm just not sure how to approach it. I try to be cautious about talking too much, especially about talking too much about myself. In fact, I just spent two hours at my parents' house after my mom's birthday dinner, and now that I'm sitting at the computer, it occurs to me that my throat hurts. Am I sick? I wish, but no. I was just talking way too much for way too long, and only about myself and my interests and my job and my life. My parents have never complained. But guys have broken up with me for it, and I much as I want to hate them and blame them for the denouement of those relationships, I really think they're right. It's just plain rude to talk about oneself for hours on end. And do I really believe anyone cares that much? Do I care that much about the goings-on of my friends' lives? Unlikely. But then, if you want to sit and have lunch and catch up with an old friend, what am I to do? So I'll sit quietly until someone asks me what's new in my life. And then I start off slowly. "Oh, nothing much. Got a new job, moved to Plainsboro, nice apartment, clunky old car...you know." "What kind of car?" "Well, it's a Civic. It's really nothing special." "Oh, but Hondas are good cars; it's probably just fine. Where did you get it?"
( And here's where the sandbags simply can't contain it anymore.... )

It has a washer and dryer and a dishwasher and a garbage disposal and three pools and a little park and a fitness center and I don't even know what to do with all that.

Scary, scary, scary grown-up stuff.

It's been a rollercoaster. I'm still between homes and feeling very unsettled. I thought long and hard about the job, and decided to apply. Frankly, it's too good an opportunity to pass up. Second in command in the instructional department for the biggest language school in the world. I really can't say no to that...if it's offered.

( I cut because I love you )

I NEED HELP!

I had just finished making a million decisions. Moving back home for a while, focusing on finishing my degree, quitting my job and getting a job on campus, going for the PhD in linguistics, working in education reform, etc. All kinds of plans. Already worried about how I'm going to accomplish them all.

( And then God spake 'LET THERE BE CHAOS WHERE ONCE THERE WAS ORDER.' )

I am done. I'm moving out.

( Cut because it's long and not Sims-related; read only if you love me )

All caps and 17 exclamation points because I am IN AWE!

I was curious. I have a dinky Macbook, and according to many, many sites, you can't even run base game on a Macbook. So I knew Seasons was out of the question. I was hoping I could get away with BV, and FreeTime when it comes out for Mac. But Seasons? Firey balls of doom from the sky? No way I could handle that.

( And then... )