Life

So, I figured that a readerless blog is as good a place as any to write about life a little bit. I've never been terribly good at or interested in keeping up journals but I think that it's nice to write things down as a way of sorting them out, celebrating them, angsting, etc.

Yesterday I returned home for the week. I'm going back to campus really soon, which is nice to know. I was ready to go home for a little bit. It's nice to be here, mostly because of family and friends here, but also for the enormous shift in quality of life. I like not having to wear flip flops in the shower.

I think (ok, I know) I was tired yesterday. I didn't sleep the night before leaving because I still had packing to do, sunrise frisbee to play, and tasty chocolate eating to do and it wouldn't be the end of the semester without irresponsible sleep choices. So by the time I got to the airport I was exhausted. Super exhausted. The most exhausted. And the fact that I'm now a junior in college hit me.

I was watching a family sitting by me at the gate. They were so excited, going off on an adventure. I think they were going to Boston. It was sweet to watch them interacting, there was a maybe 10 year-old girl with her 8ish year-old brother. It reminded me of Matt and myself. But I couldn't help but feel, while watching this family, that I was leaving mine. I mean, it sounds so melodramatic to say it like that, but my melodramatic, sleep-angsty brain kept repeating that thought. I love my family here and I love love love my friends, but this year was a rough academic year. My Pomona family kept me sane and, against all odds, really happy through cell bio, o-chem, physics, etc. They kept me happy through ZiNi o-chem and life's occasional disappointments. They were there to create awesome memories and to frequently make me laugh my ass off. They were there to celebrate success and understood the different scale of success that o-chem required. :) I'm going to miss the guys over the summer. Far more than I care to admit. It's already sinking in that I'm not going to see them for three months and it's freaking me out. Which is really problematic because there is going to come a time when I won't see them for far more than three months.

I'm so excited to be spending my summer with NotablyIndigo. So so so so so so excited. I think that's what is lessening the sleepybrain freak out that I had yesterday. There are going to be other awesome friends on campus too which will be fun. :D I still have two more years to go and I'm not going to let myself start worrying about graduating.

I was introduced to "Take Me On" by A-Ha in the last-night-all-nighter. It's kinda fun. Ok, it's really fun. In a 80s pop kind of way (because it is an 80s pop song). :) Also, check out "Total eclipse of the heart literal version" on youtube. It's kind of the best thing ever and just one of the many songs that my Pomamily (I don't think I like that word but it'll do for now) and I can sing on command and regularly break into, reference, and get stuck in our heads during tests. :P

The Princess and the Frog

I love albums that grow on me. And movies. Now don't get me wrong, I liked "The Princess and the Frog" when I first saw it. And I liked the soundtrack. One might even go so far as to say that I REALLY liked it. But everytime I listen to the soundtrack I love it more and more. I watched the movie last night in an attempt to inspire myself to study for the o-chem final (an attempt that was surprisingly successful) and I couldn't get over how fantastic it is. It's funny. It's cute. It's heartwarming. The music is catchy. SUPER SUPER CATCHY and fantastic for singing along. I appreciate the message about hard work and all of that business. And the animation is beautiful. Disney-after Mulan II I had lost faith in you. I had thought that you're best days were long behind you. But I was wrong and I cannot even begin to say how delighted about that I am.

Confession: I am currently rewatching the movie while working on other stuff. It's so nice to have in the background. "I'm Almost There" is kind of how I feel about organic chemistry. :)

I wish

There is nothing that I want to do more right now than sit down with the Cities 97 Sampler 10 and cup of piping hot tea. I'll just close my eyes and enjoy the delightful sounds of "Walking in Memphis," "Sunny Came Home," "Closing Time" and "Miles From Our Home" and not think about impending physics quizzes and neuro tests and chemistry quizzes. I will drink Good Earth Tea and put just a hint of honey in it and tune out the world. But alas, the call of homework and life beckons too strongly for me to actually do this. Damn. :(

YAY!

I found the chords to "Kansas." :D :D :D :D :D :D I am so delighted. Happy. :)

The Final Countdown

Labs take forever. Literally. You get into lab at 1:15 and then get out at the end of time at which point you have to ask yourself "WWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY?" Having a super cool lab partner helps a ton. At least you can spend from 1:15 until the end of time with someone enjoyable- so you don't want to jump out of the second story window, roll a bit and then get up running away from the building as fast as your broken leg will let you. Music also helps.

On Thursday in lab, disaster struck. We were roto-vapping what we already knew to be a rather fickle product when the keck clip broke. Now, roto-vaps have round-bottomed flasks attached to a suction thingy, spinning in a tub of water. So what happens when a roto-vap keck clip breaks? Why, all of your product goes into the water and you dump it out and try to work with what little product remained in the flask. Which is very little. Painfully little. Ultimately we ended up having to scrap the whole enterprise and just get data from another group working with our compound. Which was rather disheartening. And immensely frustrating. I mean, you spend from 1:15 to the end of time and all you have to show for it is NOTHING. Bleh. Of course, it didn't suck as much as it could have because I had "The Final Countdown" stuck in my head the entire time. :) Which would seem unfortunate, except that when I think of "The Final Countdown," I think of Gob from Arrested Development. And then I think of Arrested Development. And then I laugh. Or I just think of the sheer epic of that opening bit. And then I want to go for a long run or get into a boxing match.

So, when in lab, just think of "The Final Countdown" (or something equally awesome) and all will be well. Maybe. If you've got structurally sound keck clips.

Kansas: It's usefulness knows no bounds

From what I've seen on TV shows and in movies and from a few overly mushy friends, songs are a very important part in a relationship. I mean, I'm all for friends having songs that they enjoy in particular, and if that friend happens to be your significant other than, well, more power to you. But the gushy, "oh-my-god-it's-our-song-'cause-we're-all-madly-in-love-and-nonsense" seems rather silly to me. That opinion will probably change should I ever "have a song" with someone but for now, it's what I'm going with.

Now, that's my take on "our" songs, they are silly and have the potential to ruin awesome songs through melancholy association when things go sour. However, I whole-heartedly approve of break up songs. To be used frequently. Break up songs can be used to express mild-facetious disapproval in all sorts of situations. They can be hummed, whistled, played or out-right sung. They are totally awesome. And if break up songs are awesome than "Kansas" by Vienna Teng is super-mega-crazy-for-realsies awesome. It's not bitter. It's not filled with regret. It, like pretty much (scratch that--ALL) of Vienna Teng's music, is insanely beautiful. It's slightly haunting. It's powerful, yet discrete, so you are humming it and those in the know say to themselves, "daaaaaaaaaaaamn" and those not in the know are thinking, "la la la, nothing out of the ordinary going on right now."

But wait, doesn't using it several times a day dilute it's power? Nooooooooooo, that's just silly. The great thing about great break up songs is that they are great all the time. They are never not appropriate. So find a good break up song and use the hell out of it.

Quick note: 1) if you are the frequent recipient of a break up song, don't be a little b**** and call "no Kansas" when you totally deserve it and 2) don't actually break up with people by song. That's lame. Really really lame. Like breaking up via text. Only douchbags and pansys do that.

The Paper Raincoat

Sometimes adorable comes and slaps you in the face. And you can't even be mad because, well, it's adorable. The Paper Raincoats's adorableness is SO ADORABLE that it would be a slap in the face were it not so damn cute. It is SO cute.

My favorite song is--by far--"Rewind." It's been in my head all day. It was in my head all of yesterday. It is not just in my head, it randomly comes out through my pursed lips in whistle form. Or in actual song form. And I don't even remember starting. O.o Yeah. It's awesome. :)

I'm also a huge fan of "Sympathetic Vibrations." It was on "Safe in the Sound," their first, 4-song CD, and is now on their self titled "The Paper Raincoat" CD. It's another one of those oh-my-god-I-just-drowned-in-adorable-and-don't-even-care songs. So. Much. Awesome.

I discovered The Paper Raincoat with a good friend of mine last year. We went to a Vienna Teng concert together and were initially disappointed to find that there were two whole opening acts before Vienna performed. It was a school night. We were off campus. We were SUPER excited about Vienna Teng. Then The Paper Raincoat got up and played and we were absolutely floored. Amber Rubarth is perhaps the cutest person I have ever had great pleasure of watching perform and Alex Wong is smoooooooooooooooking. Honestly, I'm pretty sure he can play every instrument and, what's more, he seems to be able to play them all at the same time. Their music, their performance, everything made for what was easily one of the most enjoyable and epic nights of my life.