Friday, January 29, 2010

TGIF

Oh yeah, it's finally Friday! This whole week has felt so flippin long, I seriously thought I was having a series of Mondays. (For anyone who has never had a week of days that all feel like Monday, consider yourself lucky.)

So what am I doing today? Not homework. Not even going to think about homework - wait, I guess I just did. I just don't want to do it today. In fact, I don't really want to do anything today but goof. Or waste time.

Normally, I hate feeling unproductive, but today I think it's okay. Like, it's been a rough and long week and so I am not going to waste or use my brain cells today to make up for it.

Or something like that.

Maybe I'll change my blog layout. That could be exciting. Or I could paint my nails purple; I've been meaning to do that for a while. Or I could watch episodes of MST3K or Kitchen Confidential, which are my two favorite things to watch right now. Or I could try going back to the book I'm attempting to read, "Gravity's Rainbow" by Thomas Pynchon. (It has completely confused me and I'm only on page 54...)

Or I could just sit here, eat my ice-cream, and blog to you, my dear cyberland readers. The possibilities really are endless.

As long as it doesn't involve math or bio.

Until the next blog posting,

~Birdgirl90

MST3K Clip of the Day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYRuLPqY1-c

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

School Time

And already Bio is threatening to eat me alive. I'm not sure what the deal with that is, anyway, as I am a Bio major (as of now, lol.). Turns out, when I registered, I enrolled in Bio 111, which is apparently for science majors. Which is fine, cause I am one. At the time though, I thought I was sigining up for just General Bio (aka, 105), not General College Bio.

Oh well. More work, but it will soon be over. Right?

Stupid burn out. Never again will I go from summer to spring in a single sitting (also called "going to college year round" or "what was I thinking?!").

Other than that, I think things are going well. I know I said I would give an update on the rodeo, but I am so out of energy that it's not going to happen. Just trust me when I say it was amazing and fun. K?

Work is still borderline driving me crazy. That's okay, though, cause I need the money. My computer is running out of space on the D drive (where my iTunes is located) and I'm almost out of room on my C drive - I've already increased it to the max capacity. So I guess the extra hours are going to help me get a new lap top in the next few months.

Apparently I have to renew my FAFASA paperwork for loans, but I have yet to do it. I hate filling out paperwork more than almost anything. And I mean hate with a vengence. I'd rather have to do more math homework or something. Which says a lot.

Plus it's almost tax time. I'm not old enough to buy a bottle of Jack or rent a car, but I am old enough to file taxes. Can someone please explain that to me??

It's funny, though, cause everytime I think of taxes now, I think of this MST3K thing I found that they had done for taxes back in like '92 or something. I still hate taxes, but I feel better knowing I'm not the only one. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1w_dp2PK9E

It makes me laugh through the tax tears. Lol.

All of their stuff makes me laugh, actually. I know I waste a lot of time watching MST3K since I discovered it back in November, but it helps me relieve my stress. It's like improv - the laughter helps me not to take things so seriously.

Like the fact that I have a Bio test next week and am three chapters behind in the reading. Oh yeah, guess what I'm doing this weekend...

My mom told me to give up my social life, which made me laugh. For those of you who don't know me, I basically am a nerd and a bookworm, and most of my friends go to college out of state. That being said, my social life is when I hang out with Jen from math or when I'm reading about five books in a sitting.

Anyway, I'll catch up. I already made a dent in it today, so I'm calling it good for now. Just to be warned, though, the blogging is going to massively slow down. I'll do it when I'm on, but it's going to be in fewer intervals.

And that is it. I've got about two hours before work, so I'm going to go watch "War of the Colassal Beast". Later.

~Birdgirl90

Saturday, January 23, 2010

The Flippin Rodeo!

Oh my gosh. I just got back from experiencing my first rodeo, and I am completely overwhelmed. It was freaking amazing! Anyone who tells you football or baseball is what sports are about has obviously never seen a rodeo. Bull riding, barrel racing, broncos - it was epic.

And I'm really tired, so that is all for now. I'll write a really in depth blog tomorrow between homework.

~Birdgirl90 :)

Friday, January 22, 2010

Break Out the Glasses, It's a Whine Post

So, dear blog readers, I just survived the first week of spring semester. Actually, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. For one thing, I'm taking math with my friend Jen who I took it with last semester. For another, I know my way around campus so much better than I did over the summer or fall. And people are starting to recognize me, which is bizarre and weirdly okay with me - I generally prefer fading into the crowd, but I think I am starting to like knowing people on campus.

Huh.

Anyway, my classes don't suck which is good. My math teacher is still a little scattered and all the homework for the class is online, but it's not horrible. My biology class is interesting. It's college bio and is for people looking to major in some form of science - I think I'm leaning towards wildlife bio so I should fit right in. The semester is going to be a lot of work, but when is it not?

I think it's going to be okay. I think I'll survive. And when this semester is over, I'm going to pierce the cartiledge in my left ear. You know, as a way of reminding myself that I made it through a year of college. And cause it's cute. : )

Tomorrow is going to be exciting. Jen invited me to go to the National Western Stock Show with her and a group of her friends. It's a rodeo with lots of BBQ and bull riding. It's going to be a lot of fun, and I'm really excited. She's gonna pick me up after work.

Work is another thing. I feel as if I'm working my soul away until I have nothing left. Seriously. I work part time, but I end up working all Saturdays and whatnot. I know that I shouldn't complain. Being employed in this economy is a big deal and it pays for my school. At the same time, though, I am starting to feel as if some of the teachers I work with are treating me like cattle. It's like I've always been there, and I'll always be there, and so they can basically use and abuse me.

It's not all the teachers. In fact, a lot of them (like the younger guys and a couple of the women) are really good about being nice and whatever. It's just a handful. Like the person who bitched at the last staff meeting ( I wasn't there, but my boss talked with me the next day about it) about how I wasn't fast enough. Excuse me, but when I have five different teachers asking me for five different things plus cranky parents and the phone ringing, I am doing the best I flippin can. Okay? Don't compare my job to yours, cause it's in a totally different ball park.

I guess I'm getting burned out. I seriously am starting to feel like I should be asking these people if they want fries with that. Seriously. I feel that crappy about it. But it's a good job that pays for school and that works with my school schedule.

As soon as I get my Associates, though, I am gone. I think there is a bookstore that seriously has my name on it. Or somewhere like that until I get my four year degree or whatever it is I'm going to do after this.

Okay, I'm done. I totally did not mean to turn this into a whine post (break out the glasses, haha - get it? Whine, wine...never mind...), but I had to let some steam out. Otherwise I'm never going to be able to move on. And when you can't move on, you kind of turn into a shadow of yourself until you fade into the mist, and the lines in your head get blurred until up looks like down and down looks like up. And I hate that.

Anyway, if you made it this far, thank you. And I'll write about the rodeo sometime this weekend - it promises to be a blast.

Until the next post, keep frosty.

~Birdgirl90

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Post College

I realized last night that one thing that scares the living bageezes out of me is the fact that I may end up in a desk job. I just can't picture myself working the 9 to 5 shift behind some old desk, doing paperwork until my eyes glaze over and my head explodes. I really can't.

So this brought about a very important question: What the hell am I supposed to do when I graduate?

I mean, not to go off or anything, but I'm not really great at a lot of things. Good, yes, but not amazing or spactacular or fantastic or anything of the sort. I'm decent at improv comedy, but not enough to make a career out of it. I'm fairly good at writing when I get the inspiration to actually do it, but most writers have writing as their second job because it doesn't pay the bills. I like to read, but I don't think that I can make a job out of that. And I'm a decent violinist (when I actually practice) but I don't have the dedication or love of the instrument to make it work without going insane.

So what am I supposed to do? Right now, I'm working on an Associates of Science degree. I don't even know what I can do with that without going on to a four year school and getting a B. S.
or a masters or whatever. I guess there's always retail. I could always work at a bookstore, which might not be half bad at all as it would give me time to write and access to new reading materials. But do I really want to do that for the long run?

When people ask me what I want to do in the long term, I am literally to the point where I just look at them blank faced and say "There is no long term". Which really is kind of sad, if you think about it. Or maybe it's just sad in my own little mind.

Well, whatever the case, I hope I can figure it out. I mean, I'm almost 20. Shouldn't I know everything about what I want to do with my life?

Anyway. Until the next blog, Cyberland readers.

~Birdgirl90

Friday, January 15, 2010

The Continued Saga of My Failed On-line Shopping

It's still not posted. If you all will remember, my last blog included me bitching about how I had tried to order an online DVD and failed spactacularly. Well, it's been a week (wow, really? I have no sense of time) and it's still not posted in my account.

I think this means it's safe to say that it did not go through and that I am nearly 19 dollars richer. Or something. I still don't know who is to blame - I'm leaning towards a combo of things and people, so that we all share the fail together...

This brings up a question, though: Will I attempt to order this DVD again?

I really want a Cinematic Titanic DVD. It looks fantastic in every way, shape, and form. And I am so in love with MST3K right now, especially the Joel episodes with TV's Frank and Dr. Forrester (aka, before the Mike Era - no offense, Mike, I just don't love you in the same manner as I love Joel). But I am so hesitant to hand out my debit card number, and I hate feeling screwed over.

Although, I really wasn't screwed over, as I wasn't charged by the end of it. But still, having people online know my card number makes me slightly nervous. After all, I am but a poor college kid who is trying desperately hard to make it so she can graduate without taking out a single loan. (Yes, I know - good luck with that one. It doesn't mean I'm not going to try. *sticks tongue out immaturely*)

So is it worth trying again? I do not know. I really want to say it is, but I have my misgivings. Maybe I'll compromise, give it a few months, and then try again. Or maybe I'll wait until someone up loads onto youtube. Or maybe this really is just a phase and I'll get out of it when semester starts next week.

What do you think, Cyberland readers? Have any of you been in this kind of situation before?

Well, I think I have probably rambled about my internal debate too long. I think it's time for a different change of direction.

Like, did I tell you guys that we lost the improv show last weekend? It was so much fun, though, and we were all laughing so hard at ourselves. I went home with my face hurting. And the best part? We do that every Tuesday at rehersal. Geez, last Tuesday I was laughing so hard at myself that I was crying - not because my jokes were funny (they aren't) but because of the sheer attempt to pronounce words correctly. Oi. : )

Okay, I'm seriously done. This blog has gone on for way too long. And I have a Stephen King novel awaiting me.

I'll let you guys know what I'm going to end up doing about the online ordering.

~Birdgirl90
aka Meaghan

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Ordering Stuff Online Sucks

So I tried last week to order a DVD from this group called Cinematic Titanic. Basically, it's Joel Hodgson and a bunch of the other original MST3K people riffing on movies as adults. The site looks legit and a lot of forums and groups talk about how much they love the DVDs and whatnot. So I decided to try it.

I tried three times to order the same DVD, and each time I got an AVS error. After the last one, I threw my hands in the air and decided to call it quits, assuming that it hadn't worked. When I went to check my account the next day, though, I had a pending transaction from Cinematic Titanic for the price of one DVD plus shipping and handling. I never got a receipt or a confirmation of the order, but seeing as it was the price of just one DVD, I decided to leave it. I also started watching the mail for said DVD.

It was supposed to go through yesterday according to my bank statement. I checked today and was incredibly surprised to find that my account was about 19 dollars richer. Upon inspection, I saw no sign at all of said Cinematic Titanic transaction that was there earlier. It's like it had just vanished into thin air.

Needless to say, I am not impressed. I don't know who is in the wrong - my debit card or their site - but it's really annoying because I don't know if I'm going to get a DVD, or if my account is magicially going to have this taken out again, or if I should try again. All I really wanted to do was see if Cinematic Titanic was as good as the critics say. Now, it looks like I will probably not be ordering from their site again.

To be fair, this hasn't been the best of mornings for me either. I woke up at some ungodly hour having nightmares about college (semester starts next week), and I've been a bit out of it. Also, I really was looking forward to having a DVD in the mail, so that was kind of like another blow on top of everything.

Okay, thank you for listening to me rant. I'll let everyone know how things end up.

~Birdgirl90
aka Meaghan

P.S. - I didn't write this to discourage people from ordering online or whatever. I know a lot of people have had really good experiences with the site - I just happen to have bad luck when it comes to this sort of thing.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

The Best Part of Living Upstairs...

...is that I can listen in on my downstairs neighbor easily. Mike, the guys who lives downstairs (mid-aged, Star Trek fan, funny dude), loves to have his bass up. Like, really up. As in the kind where even I, at 19 years of age, am like 'Dude, turn it down, please'. Yeah.

Sometimes it gets really annoying. Like when I'm trying to read some deep poetry or do homework or whatever. But sometimes it's just a boat load of fun. I have discovered that when you lay down on the living room floor and press your ear to the carpet, you can actually hear in fairly good quality whatever it is Mike is watching.

Today, I spent a good 10 minute block trying to decide if it was "The Lord of the Rings" or "Transformers". I never did decide what it was, but it sounded intense.

Okay, so that sounds kind of creepy. SO SUE M - I mean...

Alright, that's it for today's blog. Sorry it's short, but my attention span is shot like you would not believe. I call it a hangover from last night's improv show (which was awesome even though we lost - I was laughing so hard my face hurt).

Until the next time,

~Birdgirl90
aka Meaghan

BTW, I'll try to make it more coherent next time. I noticed I'm starting to ramble more lately, so thank you for hanging with me. : )

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Improv!

Okay, weird title for a blog, I know, but humor me. I'm about to do some shameless promotion here.

I am a member of an improv group that performs here in the Highlands Ranch, CO region. We are a non profit organization that loves to laugh and make others laugh with us. We're sponsored (I think this is how I had it explained to me) by St. Luke's United Methodist Church, but we are open to anyone who wants to watch or play, and we are always looking for new members. (As it stands, I am the youngest player at 19 and the only female player besides our moderator, Jenna; there is promise of this changing, though. Cause lets face it, while the other guys are like my older brothers, it's fun to gang up on the boys every once in a while.)

Anyway, we are set up in a similar manner to the cancelled show "Whose Line is it Anyway?" and we practice clean, family friendly-but-still-makes-you-pee-your-pants humor. It's a great bit of fun for everyone and all our shows are free.

This Saturday we are having a show at St. Luke's UMC here in Highlands Ranch, CO. It is a free show and features our team (SLIP) going against the youth improv team (WITY). We are fighting over this thing called the Hedghog of Hilarity, which is an ugly golden lawn hedghog that is decorated with tiaras, glitter, and pink feathers. Believe it or not, we all get really competitive over said lawn decoration. It promises to be a great show.

The show starts at 7 pm, so if you are considering attending, you may want to get there a little early to score prime seats. Not that you can really go wrong, but you know how it goes...

You will laugh until you cry. I know we all do at rehersals. : )

Please consider coming. You will not regret it.

~Birdgirl90
aka Meaghan

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Hey, it's another blog update!

This means I am feeling very accomplished. No, actually, this means I like to hear myself speak. Or rather, type. No, wait, this means school hasn't started for the semester yet and I actually have time to spare! Yeah, that's about it...

So what is new today? Pretty much nothing. I think I may be starting to get sick again. I had strep throat back in November, and I never changed my toothbrush out. Rule of thumb to staying healthy during flu/cold/whatever season: if you get sick and brush your teeth, always, ALWAYS change your toothbrush afterwards. Of course, I was so busy around the holidays that I didn't take my own advice...

And now I feel like I'm catching strep again. For those of you lovely readers who have never had strep throat, let me give you a run down. It starts with fatigue. After the exhaustion, your throat starts to feel gunky, like there's a painful itch in it. Eventually, your teeth also start to feel weird. Anywhere from one day to several weeks after the gunky feeling, you develope white blisters on the back of your throat. Sometimes you run a fever (I typically don't, so if doctors give you the "do you have a fever?" question, tell them to test you anyway), and if you let it go too long, you develope a rash across your stomach (this happened to my sister when she was little).

It's not fun. Right now, I feel exhausted and my throat is totally gunky. Plus, Katie (my sister) says that I'm back to talking in my sleep. This only happens when I'm getting sick or am stressed out.

But I can't really do anything about it now. School starts in two weeks, I have this play at church, there's an improv competition next week, and I still have to work. I don't really have time to be sick.

Topic change mid post.

Today, I watched MST3K's version of "Teenagers from Outer Space". My mom said the movie itself was boring (she laughed at the commentary though), but I thought it was an actually okay movie. I didn't like the end - movies where one of the romantic interests dies almost always bum me out. But the commentary was fantastic, the plot was easy to follow (my focus is starting to become shot, so that's kinda important), and the host segments were great. I think this episode is going to go up with "Eegah!" and "Manos: the Hands of Fate" as one of my favorite episodes.

And, while I am rambling in my sick induced state, I'd like to plug the upcoming improv show. My church has two improv groups (a youth team and an adult team), and we are going head to head on this Saturday. I am the youngest player on the adult team as well as the only female (Jenna is the lady who runs the shows, but she moderates, so it doesn't really count).

If any of you are in the Highlands Ranch, CO region this Saturday at 7 pm, feel free to swing by St. Luke's UMC for the free show. It promises to be good.

Okay, I'm done. I'll write again later this week.

Later Cyberland.

~Birdgirl90

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Just When You Think You Can't Become Dorkier...

...something like this happens.

Today, I mailed a fan letter to the MST3K club in Minnesota. *hides face* I know, okay?! I am not only completely obsessed with Joel and the Bots, but I am now to the point of fangirl status. And it's sad, because the show is older than I am and has been off the air for like 10 years.

Which is why I will be eventually moving on to Cinematic Titanic (I have to stop being a poor college kid first...).

Anyway. So I wrote this letter about how I love the show and was watching it instead of studying for finals last semester and stuff. I even went to the point of including a page of Sudoku I had done where I absent mindedly drew Crow and Tom Servo in the margins. And then, because I am a nut, I put as many quotes from the show as I could fit on the back of the envelope.

The poor reciever of the letter is going to think I am quite mad. I think I am okay with that.

But if you haven't seen MST3K (Mystery Science Theater 3000), let me tell you - it is crack. The robots are so cute that I really sometimes wish I could be stuck up in space with them. And the hosts are funny. I am completely enamored with Joel (he's a father figure to the bots, adorable, and funny in that intelligent way that I so admire), but Mike's okay too. I think it just depends on your own personal opinion.

I digress.

I would like to point out, however, that this act of letter writing has officially confirmed what I always knew was true, which is that I am a super nerd/dork. I mean, I can quote Tolkien, and I used to know how to write elfish, and I know a phrase or two in Vulcan, and I have a classic Star Trek calender, and I read classics for fun in my free time (gotta love cummings and Eliot), but that doesn't mean...

Okay, yes it does. Dear God, what have I done. I think I'll know I have a problem when I start doing D and D or World of War Craft....

Eh, too many rules.

On a completely different note, I have stopped having this blog stream to Facebook. It was making me too self-concious. If my friends really want to read what I'm writing, they can find it on their own. It's good to work for things, right? And now I feel like I can actually write like myself again. All too often, I felt like I was confining my voice for fear of ridicule.

Never again, my friends, never again. This is 2010 and I plan to make it my year.

I'm also going to start signing off my blogs with a bit of whatever music I'm listening to. It may work, it may not, but it's definitely going to be interesting. : )

And on an ending note, I would like to say that this blog will hopefully be updated more often. I start school in like two weeks (bring on the Biology), and will be needing an outlet. And maybe, just maybe, my writing will improv. I really would like to try to get something published in the next year or two. I have a bunch of poems that I've been writing for years now that I think have some real potential...

Until the next time Cyberland, keep frosty.

~Birdgirl90
aka Meaghan

"Save your sermons/
For someone who's afraid to love/
I'll be right here/
Lying in the hands of God..."
- DMB
"Lying in the Hands of God"