Snagged from visiblemarket's journal:

Your job is now your Time Lord name. The last digit of your phone number is the current regeneration you are in. The nearest clothing item to your right is now the most notable item in your current wardrobe. The last person you texted is your current companion. Your favorite word is now your catchphrase.

I am The (Editorial) Intern!  Entering data with the power of a thousand suns!  I'm in my 18th regeneration---I guess I cheated, like the Master did.  I guess I always wear the long-ish, dark gray sweater I got for Christmas, then (which is kind of true).  My mother is my companion.  Dear Lord.  Imagine Donna x1000.  Frooping*.  Like "That was frooping awesome!"

*I'd like to thank Tom Hiddleston for introducing that word to my vocabulary and the English language at large.

I haven't posted in a while, so here's a life update:

This is my last semester as an undergraduate student.  I'm putting a career resume and an academic resume together because I plan to go to graduate school to pursue an MFA in creative writing, but I've missed all the deadlines for the fall semester, so I'll have to take a year off and apply to schools, and most likely work during that time.  I'd like to go somewhere outside of St. Louis, so I'm considering the University of Iowa and LSU, which both have highly nationally ranked programs and they provide full funding for the graduate students they accept.  I started to look at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas because their program emphasizes studying abroad, but mother freaked out and said, "You will never come home."  So there's that.

My internship is going well.  Last week, I finished up an article about gifted education programs in the St. Louis area, and I learned a lot.  I interviewed three administrators and some five or six mothers, and they had a lot to say.  My article was only supposed to be 1000 words at most, and it ended up being 1600-ish words because I had so much information, and I had to leave a lot of stuff out.  It was pretty fascinating.  I hung out with a bunch of gifted kids in high school, but I was never tested into the program (because I started out in a Catholic grade school---they love mediocrity), so now it's not so mystified.  That's been my biggest project so far.

As far as classes go, I'm taking World Literature I (my last required class for my degree), Psychology of Gender, and Writing About Place (an Honors College class).  In World Lit, we're reading The Odyssey, and I seriously love it.  I'm already familiar with the story thanks to Wishbone, historical/mythological fiction, and a mythology binge that I went on during my sophomore year of high school, so I guess that's why I'm enjoying it, but we also have a great translation (by a fellow named Robert Fitzgerald) that's poetic, but uses accesible language (I haven't had to break out the dictionary).  If you love a good adventure story, then I highly recommend it.

I kind of had a personal epiphany a couple of weeks ago, and I'm getting happier.  I'm learning to let the little things go.

That's what's going on with me right now.  I may post an update of things I've watched tomorrow.

...That I didn't have to read for a class!  It was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

It's pretty good, though it's definitely one of those books where the plot is much better than the style---the dialogue gets the point across, but doesn't often sound like stuff people would actually say.  You can also tell that Larsson was first and foremost a journalist, and an author second because he sometimes stops the plot dead to explain something about, say, a certain type of camera or computer.  It's really helpful, but the information probably could have been integrated into the actual plot more cleanly.  Since it's a translated text, there are some clunky phrases in there as well that I guess the translator didn't know how to rework (and said translator seemed to be working with British English for the most part).

That said, once I got past page 300, I couldn't put it down.  Suddenly, all of the things he'd laid out over the course of the story started working to together really well and it seemed quite clever.  The characters are all pretty good and interesting, and the book lays out the mystery in a pretty subtle way.  I can't say more because I don't know if anyone on my flist has read it, I know one person is planning to read it, and I don't want to spoil anyone.  But I would definitely recommend it, if you can find the time to work through 590 pages (in paperback).

At the moment, probably Tom Hiddleston.  He is just so attractive and funny and well-spoken!   I know he's YMMV for a lot of people, but I can't get enough of him.

Slow, soulful song: Love Me Tender

Faster song: (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear

Overall, I think 2011 was a pretty good year for me.  The world was insane and the media wants to put it behind us, but every year is insane in its own way.

This was the year that I actually landed something that was pretty close to an actual paying job.  It's an internship and the main reason that I don't update often, and I'm only getting paid in experience, but I generally love it.  It's a good publication with good employees and interesting assignments---for instance, I now know all about what maternity wards in my city offer: good to know for the future.  I also know that Ryan Howard (of the Philadelphia Phillies), does not have a high school senior year picture.  It's just generally good to know that the song from Avenue Q is not true: you can do something with a B.A. in English.

Even more personally important: I broke my writer's block, which lasted for over a year.

Also, with regards to the world in general, we witnessed some major stuff that our kids (should we choose to have any) will learn about in history class, like the Arab Spring, the U.S. credit rating downgrade, and bin Laden's and Gaddafi's deaths.  Also, we had a World Series that will live on in sports Top Ten lists for basically the rest of time, no matter who you rooted for. 

2011 was interesting, and I hope 2012 is just as eventful.

And/or Happy Sunday!  I hope everyone on my flist is doing well this weekend!

Gifts of note:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (novel): I've tried reading it again, and it's quite good, if pulpy.

The Offical 2011 World Series Film (DVD): I haven't watched it yet, but it's narrated by Jon Hamm, and it includes highlights and the Parade and stuff.  And the NLDS Game 5, where they take Chris Carpenter's shirt off at the end, which is a nice bonus.

A new garlic press!  GUACAMOLE FOR EVERYONE!!!

The 365 Stupidest Things Ever Said 2012 calendar.

New pajamas, slipper-socks, blue jeans, sweaters and shirts.

New Verbal Vogueing episode! 


I'll have to do a "moments of note" post later, but I have to run off to visit the paternal grandparents, then the maternal ones.

I'm on break, thankfully.  I got 3 A's and 2 B+'s, which is good, and I'm on a break from my internship, too.  It's just a shame that LJ had to go wonky just as I'm getting back in the swing of things, i.e. writing fic again.  Thankfully, the three kink memes I'm on have reverted to having subject lines (could we restore those, LJ?), and I'm using customized comments, so they look like the old version.  The icon thing is seriously weird, though--do I need them staring at me when I choose one?

I think I can deal.  I'm not fleeing because I've met some great people through this site, and I'd like to stay in contact with them.  And I don't think I could handle a tumblr, since I have no visual skillz.

LJ, why on Earth did you change the commenting system?!  It looked fine, it operated efficiently, so why the hell change it?  It just looks bizarre and unnerving.

I honestly hope this is a test run or something and that you guys will consider changing it back.

This Writer's Block is your way of getting feedback on this, isn't it?