Apparently I Miss School

adiuvame (2:57:51 PM): ah HA
adiuvame (2:58:00 PM): ooh just found something that will be a very nice point to include : )
avalon2004 (2:58:13 PM): exciting!
avalon2004 (2:58:28 PM): ah, the joyous discovery of research. academia, you gem!
avalon2004 (2:58:33 PM): wow, that was odd.
adiuvame (2:58:36 PM): haha
avalon2004 (2:58:37 PM): channeling something weird there.
adiuvame (2:58:38 PM): yes

Pronunciation, Procrastination, Fascination, Frustration

This was all inspired by the BMC alum listserv.

avalon2004 (12:17:39 PM): there's a thread about pronunciation of aaron vs erin, and nikki said aaron is pronouced airon, as opposed to ehrin. and the ehrin i understand, but airon sounds southern to me.

BeckyF342 (12:18:11 PM): really, i think i'm sort of the opposite.

BeckyF342 (12:18:36 PM): as in, aaron has the longer, more open vowel sound as far as i'm concerned, and erin the shorter, flatter one.

BeckyF342 (12:18:44 PM): except maybe that's what she said.

BeckyF342 (12:18:47 PM): i am unsure.

BeckyF342 (12:18:59 PM): i guess i do pronouce it her way.

avalon2004 (12:20:51 PM): oh... i mean, i pronounce erin that way, but i pronounce aaron like apple. i mean, the vowel sound.

BeckyF342 (12:21:39 PM): how is that different from airon?

avalon2004 (12:23:09 PM): airon is like... air-on. that's how i'm reading it. apple is like... aaaahrin. *laughs* like a in apple, that's the only way i can describe it.

BeckyF342 (12:26:03 PM): but a in apple isn't aah.

avalon2004 (12:26:17 PM): it is when i say it.

BeckyF342 (12:26:27 PM): you don't say aahh-ple. with ahh being like open your mouth and say ahh.

BeckyF342 (12:26:40 PM): do you?

BeckyF342 (12:26:45 PM): i don't think you do. *laughs*

avalon2004 (12:27:00 PM): no, no.... all right, maybe this is just in my head, but aaaaaah is screaming, like someone scared you, and ahhhhhh is open your mouth and say ahh.

avalon2004 (12:27:15 PM): and the aaaah screaming sound is the same as the a in apple.

BeckyF342 (12:27:22 PM): i think perhaps this is a wildly unproductive medium to discuss pronunciation. *laughs*

avalon2004 (12:27:30 PM): *laughs a lot* i was just thinking that.

avalon2004 (12:27:32 PM): but it's a lot of fun.

BeckyF342 (12:27:33 PM): but i think the screaming sound and the open your mouth sound are the same in my head.

BeckyF342 (12:27:38 PM): hehe.

avalon2004 (12:28:34 PM): oh... well, they're different in my head. but you understand what i'm saying about apple, right? that sound? also the same a as in advocate, or alimony.

BeckyF342 (12:31:09 PM): yes, i agree.

avalon2004 (12:31:20 PM): so, that's how i say aaron.

BeckyF342 (12:31:33 PM): me too, i think.

avalon2004 (12:31:39 PM): that same a sound +ron. or rin. depending. *laughs*

avalon2004 (12:32:24 PM): but air-on sounds southern. *laughs*

BeckyF342 (12:32:36 PM): i guess, but i don't think she meant it that way.

avalon2004 (12:32:58 PM): but why would she write it that way, then? i mean, i assume she wrote phonetically how she says it.

BeckyF342 (12:32:59 PM): because i think air-on is actually the same sound.

avalon2004 (12:33:12 PM): what? air is not the same sound as a in apple!

BeckyF342 (12:33:15 PM): air has the a of advocate, too.

avalon2004 (12:33:26 PM): *laughs* no it doesn't!

BeckyF342 (12:33:27 PM): it is for me.

BeckyF342 (12:33:43 PM): they're the same how i pronounce them, i think.

BeckyF342 (12:33:54 PM): i mean, the ai part makes it a bit different, but not really.

BeckyF342 (12:34:16 PM): wait, maybe it's a bit different.

avalon2004 (12:34:22 PM): it's a lot different.

BeckyF342 (12:34:22 PM): now i don't know how i say aaron.

BeckyF342 (12:34:25 PM): i'm confused.

avalon2004 (12:34:26 PM): *laughs*

BeckyF342 (12:34:32 PM): it's definitely not a lot different in my mouth.

BeckyF342 (12:34:51 PM): i had to like, draw out the vowels for a long time before i noticed any difference in the shape i was making.

avalon2004 (12:34:51 PM): air is the same sound as stare. which is not the same as advocate.

BeckyF342 (12:35:00 PM): it's almost the same though.

avalon2004 (12:35:07 PM): the shape isn't hugely different, no, but the sound is very different to me.

avalon2004 (12:35:17 PM): but you mesh lots of sounds that i think are distinct.

BeckyF342 (12:35:20 PM): or, it's the same to the point that in a phoneticising exercise, i would not necessarily distinguish.

BeckyF342 (12:35:29 PM): mesh?

avalon2004 (12:35:38 PM): like, you say things sound the same when they don't.

BeckyF342 (12:35:55 PM): but they do. i mean, they do when i say them.

BeckyF342 (12:36:09 PM): i guess that's my accent, or whatever.

BeckyF342 (12:36:14 PM): does anybody else do it?

BeckyF342 (12:36:50 PM): i mean, is this something that i have a specific tendency towards, or you have a specifically keen ear for, or is it something regional, not related to us as individuals?

avalon2004 (12:37:17 PM): i have no idea..but there are definitely things that you say, and you're like, these are the same, and you say them, and to me they sound different when you say them.

avalon2004 (12:37:32 PM): and now i wont' be able to think of any, probably.

BeckyF342 (12:37:38 PM): that's weird.

avalon2004 (12:38:22 PM): i mean, i do have a keen ear for sound distinction, that's why i recognize voices so easily... but it's interesting, at any rate.

BeckyF342 (12:40:48 PM): mm, i guess that makes sense.

avalon2004 (12:41:04 PM): i kind of want to put this all on my blog, it's interesting....

Drag Ball

What can I say? I wish I knew how to quit Bryn Mawr parties..... wait, no I don't.

Eglamour Tries His Hand At Poetry

Roses are red,
violets are blue,
sugar is sweet
and I am too.

Roses are red,
violets are blue,
Eglamour is here,
oh, lucky you.

Domestic Abuse

(after enduring an unusual amount of Alex's usual name-calling, slapping, squeezing and biting--and no, not in the context you're imagining)

Me: You're so abusive.
Alex: Domestic abuse is often unreported among homosexual couples.
Me: I'm going to report you.
Alex: If you report me, I'll beat your face.


I hope I'm remembering that verbatim. It was truly amazing.

Dear Adam...

adiuvame: so i was talking to adam today
adiuvame: and he was being sort of flirtatious as he's been lately
adiuvame: and i guess he had been looking through old stuff and came across a card i'd made him when he moved
adiuvame: that had a pretty personal letter in it
adiuvame: and then all of a sudden he starts into how he was lamenting the fact that we'd never dated
adiuvame: and before i know it he suddenly says that if time/coincidence ever permits it we should try it (dating i mean)
adiuvame: and i was like... what!?
adiuvame: haha
adiuvame: it was so so weird
avalon2004: what?? argh!
adiuvame: i know
avalon2004: that's so bizarre!
adiuvame: my response was "well.. truthfully i doubt time ever well permit it"
avalon2004: hahahaha
avalon2004: i kind of want to write him a letter. dear adam, stop hitting on my girlfriend, before i start hitting on your face.
avalon2004: lol
adiuvame: :-D

Mostly for Katie

This is mostly for you, Katie, I stole it from Melissa Bender's LJ. I took out the ones that I didn't think were funny, just so that the enjoyment can be heightened..... LOL.

You Know You're From Pennsylvania (or, to be more accurate, the Lehigh Valley) When:

You refer to Pennsylvania as "PA."

"You guys" is a perfectly acceptable reference to a group of men &
women.

You learned to pronounce Bryn Mawr, Wilkes-Barre, Schuylkill, Bala
Cynwyd, Duquesne, New Tripoli, Tunkhannock, Punxsutawney, Tamaqua, Susquehanna, Allegheny, and Monongahela.

At least 5 people on your block have electric "candles" in all or most of their windows all year long.

You know what a "State Store" is, and your out of state friends find it weird that you can't purchase liquor at the mini-mart.

You can eat cold pizza (even for breakfast) and know others who do the same.

You consider a vacation to be a trip to Ocean City NJ, Ocean City MD, or Wildwood.

You think very little of an Amish buggy on the road.

There is no such thing as a "Philly Cheesesteak". It's just called a
"Cheesesteak."

Know that Yuengling is pronounced "Ying-ling," and believe that it
really is a premium beer.

You know the Penn State cheer, and although you've never attended Penn State, you are a most obnoxious Penn State fan.

You prefer Hershey's Chocolate to Godiva.

School closings due to snow take the radio stations a half an hour to finish, because just about every town has its own school district.

You don't think Wawa sounds funny

You think going to Walmart at 3 in the morning is the most fun thing to do ever.

You cannot buy beer and wine from the same store.

Dutch Wonderland is neither Dutch nor much of a Wonderland.

You think tourist attractions consist of a pretzel factory, a chocolate factory and an Amish family out for a drive.

You consider Pittsburgh to be "out west," and you know the fastest way to Philly is the Turnpike.

It's a hoagie not a sub.


You actually get these jokes, and pass them on to others from
Pennsylvania.

Just a Haiku

Life rolls onward and
I roll with it, gathering
up love like moss.

Ursus Maritimus?

At last, it is proven!

Camera Mayhem

Wanna see what happens when I give my camera to a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old?

Check out the most recent album, "Jenna and Callie's Pictures."

Countdown Quiz

Countdown
Ten Things About You
1:	My eyes change color.
2:	I am now fairly proficient at tying neckties.
3:	I miss writing academic papers.
4:	I have a cough.
5:	I'm rather gullible.
6:	I frequently enjoy anime, though I'm not some scary otaku fangirl.
7:	I wish I had some secret physical oddity that I could dramatically reveal in this quiz, but I don't.
8:	I can sleep for an entire day if I'm tired enough.
9:	I wish I hadn't stopped taking karate when I was two belts away from black.
10:	My personal desire for my body is to make it visibly strong (but without being so muscly that it's disturbing)
Nine Things You Love
1:	being snuggled/coddled/pounced upon
2:	oldies music
3:	lo mein noodles
4:	cozy sweats/pj's
5:	animals, esp dogs and horses
6:	my sisters (you know who you are)
7:	baby leopards
8:	children's and young adult literature
9:	PA countryside
Eight Songs You Love
1:	The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence by Gene Pitney
2:	While the Night is Still Young by Billy Joel
3:	Good Mother by Jann Arden
4:	Cool As I Am by Dar Williams
5:	The Wood Song by The Indigo Girls
6:	Red Rubber Ball by The Cyrkle
7:	Eyes by Rogue Wave
8:	Weave Me the Sunshine by Peter Paul & Mary
Seven Things You Wear Daily
1:	BMC ring
2:	watch
3:	Ajah bracelet
4:	bra (but often in the summer I wish I could go without)
5:	Charlie perfume
6:	contacts
7:	underwear (I was trying to think of non-obvious things to make it more interesting, but I ran out)
Six Things That Make You Smile
1:	jokes (funny or bad)
2:	sunny afternoons
3:	good kisses
4:	animals
5:	spotting who I'm looking for
6:	cuteoverload.com
Five Things You're Looking Forward To
1:	spending most of the week with Alex
2:	returning to academia
3:	vacationing in LA/Mexico
4:	May Day
5:	Becky coming home
Four Things You're Scared Of
1:	fighting with loved ones
2:	bees
3:	personal financial crisis
4:	heights
Three Things That Annoy You
1:	the other secretary in the office
2:	when you're waiting to cross the street until after a car has gone by, and then the car stops to let you go
3:	when strangers talk to me on public transportation or on the street
Two Of Your Favorite Books
1:	The Last Unicorn
2:	Invitation to the Game
One Thing You Can't Live Without
1:	like, make-up and hairspray, like TOTALLY.
Take this survey | Find more surveys You've been totally Bzoink*d

Another Note About Home Videos

It's really a huge amount of fun to watch my old dance videos. It's also a huge amount of fun to watch my mom's home movies, some of which are on this tape, and see how much I looked like her as a child, even though as a baby and as an adult I look exactly like my father. However, it is not as entertaining as it might be to watch myself singing in the talent show.... I was at that awkward stage where I was starting to develop a body before I knew what to do with one, and my hair is odd-looking and frizzy, and my voice is...strange and young. Probably people other than me would find it really interesting and cute, but I do not, lol. Oh, and it's really really strange to watch the video of my fourth grade Halloween party at school, and see so many people that I haven't seen since graduation, very young and dressed up in costumes. Also, Joy Pearson. Really weird to see her. It's quite a story...actually involving what I think were probably my first sexual experiences ever, though nothing in 4th grade is terribly sexual in an adult sense..... Anyway, I'm going on and on, mostly because I'm waiting for steak to marinate. But really I'll stop now.

My Decision is Mostly Made For Me

Got my letter from NYU..... After all this time they made me wait, no dice. So, pretty much, my decision is made for me. I'm not really sure how I feel about that, aside from my immediate reaction, which is not the happiest. More updates later, I guess, on the state of my finaid from Simmons and Hollins.

In other news, the cold I've been suffering from has mostly receeded, I think thanks to delightful babying by Alex yesterday. Also, I've rediscovered my home movies, and am continually fascinated by myself at various ages. Also also, plans are shaping up for Mexico--we're now thinking of actually going to LA first for a few days, since it costs the same to fly there and then to Guadalajara as it does to fly straight from here. Alex suggested Disneyland, and Venice, and I can meet Georgia, and see CA for the first time. So, that's cool, and I'm excited. :)

Best to end on a good note, I guess!

I Knew It!

So really, how smart are you?

Youre brilliant. A pure and natural genius. I bet you read textbooks for fun and correct your calculus teacher every day in class.
Take this quiz!








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Another Quiz

Hmm, is this true? I'm not certain.

What Is Your Role In A Relationship? (Male and Female, detailed results with Anime Pics!)

You are the Hopeless Romantic

You are into the good old fashioned wining and dining, flowers and chocolates approach to relationships. An ideal date for you would start with a meal in a fancy restaurant and end wandering down the beach hand in hand as the sun sets.

You want to be someone's white knight one day, and dream of spending the rest of your life with someone, loving and caring for them. You are committed, generous and not afraid of love and showing it.

You always handle your relationships carefully, as the last thing you would want to do is break someone's heart. You always take things slowly, taking the time to make everything magical. Some people won't appreciate your efforts, and those with a more business approach to relationships will become easily bored with the attention you lavish on them, but there are plenty of people out there dying to meet someone like you to spend the rest of their life with, so go out there and find the one for you!

Most compatible with: The Insecure

The Insecure will never want to hear the end of all you have to tell them of love. They would listen to a thousand of the poems you write for them and still want to hear the rest you have stashed away in your drawer! You love making people feel special, and the Insecure wants you to do just that for them. You could have something really beautiful together.

Least compatible with: The Cynic

You are all about love and displaying it, privately, publicly, wherever. The Cynic doesn't believe in love, particularly not in the traditional sense of the word, so you would bang heads every step of the way in a relationship. Not very destructive as bad relationships go, but not exactly productive either.

Your song is: She Will Be Loved, Maroon 5


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Bow To Me!

what would have happened if you were never born?

You are the greatest gift that our earth ever had.you will find a way to end all wars and you have kept some people close to you from a depression. you are the new messias
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30 Unique Questions

Stolen from Julia! As are all the quizzes in my blog, somehow! ;)


1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? I don't look half bad in the dark.

2. How much cash do you have on you? $11 and some change.

3. What's a word that rhymes with "DOOR"? More.

4. Favorite planet? Bajor.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your mobile? My dad's cell, I think.

7. What shirt are you wearing? A men's polo shirt from J Crew. My dad has a matching one.

8. what do you "label" yourself as? In what sense? Female, young, smart, lesbian...unless you're going to be more specific, the list could go on and on.

9. Name the brand of shoes you're currently wearing? They say "Navid O Nadia" on them, and I bought them at Eternity.

10. Bright or Dark room? Usually dark, unless it's lit by natural sunlight.

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey? I enjoy reading her answers as I go through and change them to mine.

13. What were you doing at midnight last night? I think at that point I was walking from Goodhart to Pem, being entertained by Alex's spontaneous singing.

14. What did your last text message you received on your mobile say? It's from Katie, telling me when she'll be online next.

15. Where is your mailbox? On the ground floor of my building, near the laundry room door.

16. What's a word/phrase that you say a lot? "That's interesting."

17. Who told you he/she loved you last? Alex.

18. Last furry thing you touched? The polite answer would be Clarice.

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? All of them. Yep. ;)

21. Favorite age you have been so far? Well, 16 was pretty good...20 was also pretty good, though it had rough spots...and I'm enjoying 23.

22. Your worst enemy? Fatty food, Wachovia, periodically my uterus.

23. Current thing on your desktop? The wallpaper, you mean? Some generic picture of green fields and a blue sky. I should personalize my desktop today.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone? Physically: "I think I'm getting a cold" to Anita. Online: "Good luck!" to Becky.

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? Flying, for sure.

26. Do you like someone? Hah, you mean, do I like like someone? Well. See #17. But if I'm working literally, here, I'd have to say I like a lot of people.

27. The last song you listened to? Holland by From Bubblegum to Sky (on Pandora).

28. If the last person you spoke to was getting shot at, would you jump in front of the bullet? If we're talking about Anita, no. If we're talking about Becky, I have no idea. But it's much more likely.

29. If you could punch 1 person in your life right now, who would it be? Hmm...nobody's really punchworthy right at this moment.

30. What is the closest thing to your left foot? My purse.

NYU is a Tease

NYU is so difficult to be in contact with, always. It's beginning to irritate me. I sent them an email last week asking what the timetable was for decision letters, as in, should I be worried that I hadn't yet received one, and they sent back a form email that didn't answer my question in any way. All it said was that the decisions are up to the individual departments, but the letters get mailed by the GSAS, and that they cannot provide decision information over the phone or by email. So I called the English department, to find out if they'd tell me at least whether any decision at all had even been made. I got transferred to an anonymous voicemail, and left a message which was never returned. Today I called again, and got a different voicemail with a message saying that the GSAS sends out all the letters, and that the English department can't give decision information over the phone or by email, as the original email had said. So, I called the GSAS office, and finally reached a very patient man who looked up my applicant account, and said that the English department had just forwarded their decision on my app to the GSAS on Friday, and I should have my letter by the end of this week. But of course, you know the chorus: he couldn't give decision information over the phone. So now I just have to wait until I get the letter this week. But waiting is so damn hard!! Cross your fingers, all. After a lot of thought, I think I'd really like to get in there.

If I do get in:
-I'll have full tuition and a living stipend (NYU guarantees this for their PhD candidates).
-I could live with Charlotte.
-I could not live with Becky or Katie or Lilah or Maddie, though they may not all end up in Boston anyway.
-I'd just be a two hour bus ride from Alex.
-I'd be closer to my family in NY.
-I'd be a subway ride away from Coney Island.
-I'd be in the same city as Katie R. and David and Ray, and I think also Jenn and Matt Skrin.
-I could possibly do my MA in Kid's Lit at Hollins at the same time (6 weeks in summers isn't too much to add to my plate, is it?).
-NYC is an awesome, wonderful, fabulous city of which I am very fond and in which I feel very at home.

If I don't get in:
-I could go to Simmons, if they give me enough money.
-I could live with the Boston contingent, as listed above.
-I would not be near the NY contingent or my family, as listed above.
-I would be 8 hours away from Alex (this has taken me a little by surprise, being a much larger emotional factor now than I'd expected it would be when I began this whole process).
-I could go to Hollins in the summers and work during the year, either in Boston or NYC.
-I could explore a brand new city that I've only spent two days in at all before.
-I'd live outside of PA for the first time since I was 5 (this could be a pro or a con, really).
-An MA might make me more desirable to all the PhD programs I applied to, so that the next time I applied for schools, I'd have more acceptances to choose from.

Sound off, if you feel like it.... Lol. What should I do? What should I hope for? I just don't know. Life and geography are so complicated.